AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That motherfucker,” I growl.
“His family is incredibly wealthy, and even if I don’t think he’d win, I can’t afford to go through a drawn-out court case, and he knows it.”
“Has he ever met Cody?” I’m wading into unknown territory here. While Katie’s willing to share about this phone call, I’m not confident she’s ready to give me everything.
She sighs. “No. That story is long, and we don’t really have time for me to get into it before Cody gets back, but basically, his family paid me off so I wouldn’t sue them for child support. I signed papers saying I wouldn’t, and I haven’t contacted them since. I never wanted anything from them. I didn’t even use the money they gave me. I’ve set it aside for Cody to use however he sees fit.”
“Of course, you did.” I kiss her on the forehead. “You’re fucking incredible, little dove.”
Katie’s laugh is humorless. “I don’t agree, but that’s beside the point.” She steps away from me to drop down onto the couch. I sit next to her and wrap my arm around her shoulders. She snuggles into my chest, making me feel ten feet tall. Being able to provide some measure of comfort to her is everything I’ve hoped for.
“The one thing I regret is not ensuring they could never try to take Cody from me. I was a terrified twenty-year-old trying to navigate a world I didn’t understand. All I wanted was my little boy. I was willing to sign just about anything to make that happen. Bryce was so angry at me for keeping the baby that I never imagined he’d ever want anything to do with Cody.”
“Did he say why he’s suddenly interested now?”
“No, but I plan to fucking find out. I refuse to put Cody through the same hurt I went through.”
“How much does Cody know about his dad?”
“Not a lot. I never wanted to be the person who rags on their kid’s father—even if I’d be justified. I told Cody that because we were so young when we found out about him, his dad just wasn’t ready to be a good dad to him. Cody knows about the trust fund I set up for him, but I didn’t give him details about the money either. He’s smarter than any eight-year-old should be, so I’d imagine he’s connected some dots that I haven’t explained. I’m just not sure which ones. We don’t talk about his dad very often.”
“What are you going to tell him when he gets home?”
“The truth, I guess. I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far.”
“Do you want me to go before he gets here? I don’t want to overstep here or make him uncomfortable.”
Katie sits up and kisses me with a tenderness that makes my eyes burn. “You can stay. I want you to stay. Which is a little scary, if I’m honest. I always thought that if I started seeing someone, I’d keep this side of my life separate from them. But having you here, being able to share this with you… it’s everything. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel so alone.”
I run my thumb across her cheek, marveling at how strong my woman is to open herself up to me. “You’ll never have to be alone again if I have anything to say about it.”
A bright smile lights up Katie’s face, and with that one look, I know without a shadow of a doubt, I’m in love with her.
CHAPTER 21
Katie
Nolan’s hand on my thigh interrupts the bouncing. I slide my hand into his, keeping them resting on my lap. He looks fucking delicious driving one-handed. His dark hair is pushed back off his forehead, and his blue T-shirt and jeans only add to the casually hot look he’s got going for him.
He glances over at me and winks. I grin, my nerves forgotten for a moment while I bask in his attention. He’s gone above and beyond this week, while I’ve been panicking about having to meet Bryce. He’s spent almost every evening at our house, having dinner and spending time with me and Cody. He hasn’t spent the night since Cody’s sleepover—but that’s my rule—and he hasn’t complained about it once. He’s listened to me rant and worry every night and has given me the space to work through all my concerns.
I’ve been super distracted at work, which I feel awful about. Even Andrew noticed how out of it I’ve been at school. I only told him the bare minimum about seeing Bryce this weekend because he was starting to worry about me. He was pissed on my behalf that I’d have to deal with it by myself and even offered to go with me. It surprised me, but I was grateful to know he had my back if needed.
Cody took the news about his dad better than I expected. He had a lot of questions about Bryce. Some I could answer easily, but most I could not. Nolan helped me more than I ever imagined. He didn’t say much while we talked with Cody, but having him there to provide support, even silently, was exactly what I needed. I always dreamed of having this type of relationship with someone. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too high, but every time I start to doubt his intentions, he patiently reminds me how he feels.
“We only have to eat lunch with him, right?” Cody asks from the back seat. The question he wanted to know the answer to the most was why Bryce was coming around now, of all times. Naturally, that was one I couldn’t answer for him. If Bryce doesn’t have a good answer for him or he’s an asshole, I’ll shut this whole situation down. I don’t care how much I’ll have to pay in lawyer fees to do it.
“Yeah, baby. If he asks to do more, I’ll let you decide if you want to spend more time with him or go home.”
“Okay. Are you coming to lunch with us, Nolan?”
“No, buddy. I have a couple of things I want to get from the store that I can’t get in Westlake. But I’ll be there to pick you up when you’re done.”
He sighs. “I wish you were going, too. Then maybe I wouldn’t be so nervous.”
I look over at Nolan. The pained look on his face says this is killing him not to be there for us. “What if we took Nolan to the arcade place when we get done with lunch? Maybe he’ll give you a run for your money in ski ball.”
“Really?” Cody asks, excitement clear in his voice. He’s been so withdrawn all morning as we prepared to leave. I hate that I didn’t notice that until this moment. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own worries that I didn’t stop to think about how scared Cody would be.
