Lucy’s lips part, and Zoey rustles in her sleep drawing our attention to her. “He’s an idiot. I already knew it because he bailed on a woman like you. Him not getting how precious Zo is just cements it.”
Lucy’s eyes well with tears. “I don’t have that kind of money.”
I cut her off. “You are not paying that asswipe off.”
She tugs at my hands. “I can’t let you do it.”
Careful not to bump the basket, I gather Lucy into my arms and pull her down onto my lap. “Neither of us are. We’re going to fight him the right way so that he can’t come back around every couple of years to mess with us.”
She rests her cheek on my chest. “Are you sure?”
I tighten my arms around her. “I’m positive. There’s no way we’re letting him extort us.”
“Where would I be without you?” she asks.
Pressing my lips to the top of her head, I say, “You’ll never have to find out.”
She sighs, and relaxes against me. “What do we do now?”
Taking her chin with my fingers, I tip her face up to look at me and kiss her. She kisses me back, wrapping her arms around my neck. In a few more weeks, this is the type of kiss that will end with all of our clothes laying on the floor. We’re both inching the physical side of our relationship further and further along daily.
At her last post-delivery doctor appointment, even though I was in the room, she turned bright red and asked when she could have sex again.
Six weeks at a minimum was what her doctor said. When we got home from her appointment, she made a point of circling the day on the calendar in the kitchen. More than once since then, she’s touched that day when we’re making dinner together, or in the morning when I’m grabbing some coffee for my travel mug.
The simple act of her touching the day on the calendar has become more of a turn on than anything I’ve experienced before it. It’s pure foreplay for the both of us and considering how long it’s been building, it’ll be a wonder if the house is still standing once we’re done.
Lucy’s hand squeezes mine. “I’m nervous.”
My thumb brushes over her skin. “Don’t be. Our lawyer knows what she’s doing, and I’ll be right there with you.”
My folks are watching Zoey since we’re meeting with Derek today. Hopefully by the end of the day we’ll be done with him for good.
Abby knocks on my window. “What are you waiting out here for? Let’s go in.”
I look at Lucy and give her hand a squeeze. “Ready?”
She doesn’t look it, but she nods anyway.
We meet Abby at the front of my truck and walk to the entrance of the coffee shop together. This will be our friendly attempt at coming to an agreement before officially bringing in lawyers.
Derek picked the meeting place, and agreed to Abby acting as mediator.
One glance around the room confirms he isn’t here yet.
Abby motions to a table in the back corner. “We should snag that one.”
Lucy moves toward it. “I’ll wait while you two get drinks.”
“Want iced tea or coffee?”
She fiddles with the strap of her purse. “Tea please.”
Derek still hasn’t shown by the time we have our drinks.
Abby looks at her watch. “Is this normal for him?”
Lucy nods. “Ten to fifteen minutes late is his MO.”
You’d think he’d show up on time for a meeting like this. “It’s only five past now.”
It’s sixteen past when he strolls in. I’ve finished my drink and both Lucy and Abby are halfway done with theirs.
“Does he need to be here?” Derek asks, looking at me.
His question might not have been directed to me but since it was about me, I answer anyway. “If she’s here, I’m here.”
He rolls his eyes but doesn’t push it any farther, probably because it’s my family’s money he’s after.
Abby doesn’t mess around, once he’s sitting, she motions to the pad of paper in front of her and says, “Let’s get started. I’m going to take notes and I’d like to start by listing out exactly what you want.”
Derek’s eyes fix on Lucy. “You can’t even say hello.”
Lucy cocks her head to one side, any evidence of nerves before now vanishing. “You show up out of the blue after the way you left me and you want me to say hello like I’m happy to see you?”
Before he has a chance to reply, Abby taps her pen on the pad. “On that note, it would be best to focus on the point of this meeting. You both would like to avoid involving lawyers and having to go to court, so if you’d let me know what you want, we’ll see if you two can come to an agreement that makes everyone happy.”
He folds his arms over his chest, his gaze still on Lucy. “I want full custody.”
If I hadn’t expected him to say that, I probably would have burst out laughing at the absurdity of it.
Abby dutifully writes it down before asking, “Is there anything else you would like?”
He nods. “Two thousand dollars a month child support.”
Lucy’s eyes bug at his figure but she somehow manages to keep herself from saying anything. Me, I focus on picturing my booted foot kicking his ass.
Abby writes down what he said. “Anything else?”
He gulps, his eyes moving from each of us. “And spousal support.”
Abby looks up from the pad. “You might need to check with your lawyer, but since Lucy wasn’t your spouse I don’t think this is an option.”
He gives her a smug look. “What if we were common law married?”
His words hit me right in the chest. Could they actually be married?
Lucy reaches for my hand under the table while Abby narrows her eyes at him.
She sets down her pen and picks up her phone. “Let me see if there’s anything online.”
While her finger moves over the screen of her phone, Lucy’s grip tightens on my hand.
After a couple of tense minutes, Abby looks at Lucy. “Did you ever tell people you were married?”
Lucy’s grip loosens as she shakes her head. “No, never.”
Shifting her phone for Derek to see, Abby says. “This is from a Colorado-specific legal site and it says you need to put yourselves out there as a married couple to even be considered as being common law married.”
Thank Christ.
Derek partially deflates at her words. “I still want child support.”
Abby motions to where she already wrote that. “Got it. Anything else?”
His nostrils flare. “No.”
Abby sets down her pen and gives him a sweet smile. “Realistically speaking, do you think any judge would award you full custody?”
With a pinched expression on his face he bobs his head. “Any smart judge.”
Pinning him with a look that would have sent me, or any of my brothers running back in the day, Abby asks, “On what grounds?”
“She narrates dirty books for a living.”
We all blink at him. I’m pretty sure Lucy won’t like it if I ask her why she dated this idiot in the first place.
Abby gives him a tight smile. “I’ll write that down.”
Then she turns to Lucy. “What would you like?”
Lucy doesn’t hesitate. “Him to sign over all parental rights and never contact me again.”
Abby writes that down and asks, “Anything else?”
Lucy shakes her head.
Setting her pen back down, Abby says. “Any room for compromise?”
My gaze flicks to Derek.
He clears his throat. “Say I were to sign over my rights. How much would me doing that be worth to you?”
Lucy presses her hand to her chest. “Are you asking for money in exchange for me keeping my daughter?”
He seems unimpressed by her reaction and glances at Abby and then me, his gaze locking with mine. “We both know you’re shacking up with old money.”
Abby chokes but quickl
y covers it up by coughing. Yes, our folks have retired comfortably, but I still don’t understand where he got the idea we’re loaded from.
Lucy narrows her eyes at him. “Okay, my boyfriend’s family has money. What does that have to do with either of us?”
He lifts his chin. “If he wants to keep you from losing your kid, he can send a couple million my way.”
Abby bursts out laughing and he snaps, “What’s so funny?”
She leans forward, pressing her forehead to the table as she continues to laugh. “I need a second. Oh my God. This is the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.” She looks up. “Do you think I would have spent the better part of last year crashing with my best friend when my house fell into a freaking sinkhole if my family had a couple million dollars laying around?”
For the first time since walking in, he looks nervous. “You guys aren’t all millionaires?”
Abby, still laughing, and I both shake our heads.
It’s my turn to speak. “Not only are we not millionaires, but we also are witnesses to you trying to extort Lucy for money in exchange for her keeping her baby. We also have witnesses from the bars you’ve been hanging in bragging about it.” I look to a table near us. “Recognize any of your new drinking buddies?” Dan Truitt waves.
Derek pales.
Abby stops laughing and says, “Here’s the definition of extortion in case you were wondering. The practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats. Did you also know under federal and state laws, extortion carries up to a twenty-year prison sentence?”
I stand and lean down until we’re nose to nose. “Everyone at this table knows you aren’t interested in being a dad and that all Lucy’s baby is to you is a meal ticket. Lucy’s lawyer was kind enough to draw up paperwork for you to sign over your rights. Abby will be happy to notarize your signature for you.”
Five minutes later, the papers are signed and he’s out the door with his tail between his legs.
22
Lucy
My doctor crouches down beside Zoey’s carrier and strokes the top of her head. “She is adorable.”
Gideon and I lock eyes and smile. Now with the threat of Derek behind us, we can finally relax and fully enjoy moments like these. “Thank you. We sure love her.”
She stands and offers me her hand. “This cute and somewhat sleeping through the night? You should buy a lottery ticket on the way home.”
I clasp her hand with both of mine. “Thank you for everything.”
She winks at me. “You’ll be seeing me again. You need to schedule your next annual check up on your way out.”
“Thanks again,” Gideon says, picking up Zoey’s carrier.
Zoey still has her monthly check-ups with her pediatrician, but now I’m all done with needing to see a doctor myself for a while.
Gideon offers me his other hand as soon as I’m done checking out. “Where to now, want to head straight home or stop somewhere for lunch?”
I twist my neck to look at him. “You’re not going back to work?”
His thumb brushes over the back of my hand. “I took the day off.”
Warmth creeps up my neck as I blush. It drives me crazy that five innocent words from Gideon can have me reacting like a horny teenager. I’m almost thirty years old and a mother. I should be able to control myself a bit more by now.
If I say let’s go home will he assume I want to jump him? Six weeks seemed a million years away when Zoey was born. Now it’s here and I’m a bundle of nerve endings, no matter what he does or says, sets them on fire. “We could eat out or pick something up on the way home.”
He pulls out his key fob and unlocks his truck. “Let’s pick something up since Zoey will need to nurse soon.”
I climb in and turn to watch him lock Zoey’s carrier into the base already anchored in the backseat of his truck. Gideon Thompson, a guy with a love them and leave them reputation, willingly installed an infant car seat into his truck.
Despite what his reputation was when we first met, he has proved to be loyal and loving. He puts Zoey and me first every day, like his not forgetting she’ll need to nurse soon and also knowing I am more comfortable doing it at home.
“That sounds perfect.”
My heart clenches when he leans forward to kiss the top of her head. Gideon is sexy, and has been sexy since the moment I first laid eyes on him. Gideon taking care of Zoey is a whole other level of sexy I had not known was humanly possible.
It shows what a natural nurturer he is and as I get to learn more about these different sides of him, I fall in love with him even more. He’s rewritten what love means to me. Before when I stupidly assumed I was in love, I get I was actually talking myself into it.
With Gideon, being in love is as instinctual as being sleepy or hungry. My mind and body don’t need any convincing of what it is.
He pulls into the lot of one of my favorite restaurants and asks, “The usual good?”
I nod, lost for words. He knows how I take my coffee, that I love freshly laundered sheets, what I watch on TV when I don’t feel like watching anything at all, when I try to hide if I’m embarrassed for being emotional, that I prefer the side of the bed closest to the bathroom and that I have to pee before I go to sleep even if I went recently, and my favorite dish from the restaurants we go to.
To distract myself, I move into the backseat so I can look at Zoey. She’s passed out, lulled by the movement of the car.
I trace her chubby little cheek. “My sweet little bumblebee sleeping?”
Connie, Gideon’s niece had given her that nickname because she’s a round little butterball like a bumblebee and when you say Zoey you can drag out the Z sound like a buzzing bee.
“Daddy is getting lunch and then we’ll go back to the house.”
She sleeps peacefully while I continue to talk to her.
A short while later, Gideon opens his door and asks. “Is she okay?”
I run my gaze over her sleeping form. “She is. I just wanted to watch her.”
He doesn’t question it since we’ve both wandered into her room in the middle of the night to make sure she was breathing or just to watch her sleep. Returning to the front seat, I take the bags of food from him and set them on the floorboards between my feet.
“Thanks for buying.”
Abby listed Gideon’s house last week and he moved over the rest of his stuff. We haven’t had the money talk other than him not letting me pay for things when we’re out and point blank telling me I would no longer be paying rent. I get him wanting to take care of us, but I need to figure out a way to contribute. If he’s stubborn about it he’ll just have to get used to ridiculously expensive Christmas and birthday presents.
Zoey starts squawking when he parks, so I take her right in to change and feed her while he brings in the food. With her car ride nap to and from the doctor’s office, Zoey is wide awake even after a full feeding.
I carry her out to Gideon. “Will you work your magic?”
He grins and reaches for her. “Is my baby girl going to burp for Daddy?”
After less than twenty seconds of rubbing her back she lets out a loud satisfying burp. Gideon Thompson is officially the burp whisperer.
He gives me a smug look, knowing it annoys the crap out of me that she’ll burp for him but not for me.
I point at them. “Traitors.”
Gideon grins and I have to restrain myself from throwing myself at him. Never in my life did I imagine a good guy taking care of my child would be hotter than any famous male underwear model out there. Not that every designer with any sense wouldn’t sign Gideon the second they saw him shirtless.
He gently transfers her to the bouncy chair that lives in the living room. With bright eyes, she bats at the air and makes happy grunt noises while we eat. There’s a TV in front of us but Zoey is all the entertainment we need. Once our food is done, I peek at him out of the corner of my eye. Is he going to make a move? Am I supposed
to make a move?
Zoey is happy as can be and we got the go-ahead to be as physical as we want. Wouldn’t now be the perfect time?
“I can hear the gears turning from here.”
I blink. “Huh?”
Gideon tugs me into his lap. “What are you thinking about?”
Somehow, I melt against him and tense up all at the same time. What the heck is wrong with me?
He leans in close and tickles the shell of my earlobe with his nose. “You can tell me.”
No, I most certainly cannot. “Um.”
His lips find the sensitive spot on the side of my neck, beneath and behind my ear. “You smell good.”
My mouth waters as I shift in his lap, away or closer I’m not sure. With his fingertips on my jaw, he turns my head to take my lips with his. My body follows instinctively, turning to press my front to his as our kiss deepens.
One of his hands slides up into my hair, cradles the back of my head. His other hand moves down to my lower back and presses me closer. All the questions that plagued me only moments before evaporate under the steam of our kiss.
The mood is broken by the sound of Zoey loudly filling her diaper. Breaking our contact, with wide eyes we stare at each other. Then we both shout. “Not it.”
Gideon presses his lips to my forehead and stands, taking me with him, before setting me back onto the sofa. “I’ll change her.”
Sinking back against the cushions, I have a front row seat to Gideon kneeling beside Zoey, and saying, “Does my little Zo need a change?”
Her arms wave around happily as she gurgles at him. Heaven knows I can’t blame her. Apparently we’re like mother, like daughter when it comes to turning to mush around him. I wait until they’re out of the room to fan myself.
New questions fill my head. Will we pick up where we left off when he gets back? If Zoey hadn’t interrupted us, would our first time together have happened on my couch? And, since I’m not sure I want Zoey to watch us, how can I nonchalantly put her in her crib, or at a bare minimum turn her around?
My Perfect Fix (The Fix Book 4) Page 21
