Page 44 of Pucking Daddy

“Is there someone who could become permanent?” she asks.

I let out a short, humorless breath. “That’s not exactly something I can just—”

“Jaxon,” she interrupts. “Listen to me.”

I stop pacing.

“A stable, two-parent household image significantly strengthens your case,” she says. “Especially against a maternal argument. It shifts the narrative from ‘single father with demanding career’ to ‘structured family environment.’”

I stare at nothing.

“Are you telling me I need to start dating for court optics?” I ask.

“I’m telling you that perception matters,” my lawyer says. “And right now, their side is going to lean hard into the idea that Lily lacks a consistent maternal presence in your home.”

My teeth grind.

“I have a nanny,” I say.

“A nanny is not the same as a partner,” she replies. “And it won’t be treated as such.”

Of course it won’t.

“Someone living there permanently,” Rebecca continues, “in a committed relationship with you—that changes things.”

I don’t say anything.

“Marriage carries the most weight,” she adds.

I huff out a breath. “It’s not like I can put an ad in the paper—looking for a wife.”

“I’m not suggesting you fabricate something,” she says. “But if there is someone—if there’s potential—this would be the time to take that next step.”

My gaze shifts.

Zara stands on the far side of the kitchen, hands resting lightly on the counter, her posture deceptively relaxed.

But I know she’s listening.

Her eyes flick to mine. Then away.

“I’m not bringing instability into my daughter’s life,” I say, quieter now. “That’s the whole point.”

“And I agree,” she says. “But understand this—if they win the narrative, they don’t need better facts.”

Silence stretches.

“Think about it,” she says. “We’ll talk again later.”

The call ends.

I exhale slowly, trying to steady something that’s starting to spiral.

I could lose her.

They’re building a case.

They’re shaping a narrative.