Page 94 of You Know You Wanna

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re pretty smart for a twelve-year-old?”

She finally cracked another smile. “You did, actually. Hey, have you seen Cassidy? I want her to go on the rides with me.”

“She’s usually working at the bakery during the festival, but we’ll find her. I’m sure her parents will let her slip away for a while.”

Remington got back with our burgers and we found a quieter spot in the shade to sit and eat. With our butts on the grass, Laurene talked about which rides she wanted to go on. I was pretty sure she had never been to a fair like this, and everything was new and fun to her. She scarfed down her burger and ran off to track Cassidy down.

Once she was gone, Remington stared after her, shaking his head before he glanced at me. “Every morning, I wake up hoping I can give her good news, but I just don’t have any yet.”

“News about her staying?”

He nodded. “I finally spoke to Jacqueline about it, but she’s still thinking.”

“She’s thinking about letting her stay? Isn’t that a good thing? It’s better than a flat-out refusal.”

“Yeah, but she wants money. That’s what this comes down to. It turns out that’s also why she’s here. She didn’t say it in so many words, but I suspect that’s also why she wanted Laurene in London early. She wants access to the credit card I gave Lulu for emergencies.”

“I don’t…” I trailed off, trying really hard to voice my thoughts about that. “I don’t think I understand. She came all this way to ask you for money, but she also wanted to take Laurene with her so that she’d have your credit card?”

“Pretty much,” he replied. “Part of our custody arrangement was that Lulu’s expenses would be shared between us. I’ll still be paying for her schooling and all that, but obviously, she needs things on a day-to-day basis. When she’s in Jacqueline’s custody, even while she’s at boarding school, I’m legally obligated to split Laurene’s expenses with her.”

I frowned. “Do you really think she’d do that, though? Come get her daughter just for money? It seems extreme.”

“Yep, it is extreme, but that should’ve been Jacqueline’s middle name,” he said. “She made it crystal clear that receiving monthly alimony, even the exorbitant amount I pay her, isn’t working for her and that it’s not enough. Having my credit card close by could help her bridge some gaps and being able to demand money for Laurene once she gets to England was probably how she was planning on getting through until each next payment.”

“So what happens now?” I couldn’t wrap my head around what he’d just said. What Laurene had told me earlier. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t imagine any mother being like that.

Remington shifted so he was looking directly at me. “I’m going to fight for sole custody. I hate that I have to do it this way, but Lulu is still devastated about the prospect of boarding school, and with Jacqueline already here to fetch her, I don’t blame her for being scared.”

“Good,” I said firmly. “I’m glad you’re going to fight.”

Leaning forward, he pressed a chaste kiss to my lips. “So am I. I don’t want her to go, but it’s about more than just what I want or what she wants. I need to protect her from all of this, so I’m going to fight. I’m only sorry you’re being roped into it now too.”

“It’s okay,” I said, reaching out and resting my hand on his knee. “I just hope we can figure it all out.”

Wait. We?

Remington didn’t call me out on the slip of tongue. He didn’t even seem to have noticed that I’d made it a we problem when it should’ve been a you problem, and somehow, that made me feel even weirder about the whole situation.

Especially after what Jacqueline had told me about being nothing more than a toy. A toy wouldn’t be involved with their custody fight, would she? I thought not.

Or at least, I hoped not.

Deciding I just needed to ask him already what this was between us, I leaned forward and cleared my throat, finally gathering the courage to just freaking do it. Were we together? Should I even be wondering about it when he was just going to leave eventually anyway?

Just as I opened my mouth, familiar laughter rang out nearby and I turned to see Cassidy and Laurene barreling toward us. Lulu’s eyes were sparkling, her entire face alight with her smile, and she skidded to a stop in front of her dad.

“I found her,” she exclaimed as if we couldn’t see her smiling friend right behind her. “Can we go on the rides now, Daddy? Please? Cass only has two hours until she has to go back to the bakery for a whole hour. We need to move fast.”

Remington chuckled, slid his wallet out of his back pocket, and handed over a few bills. “Only two hours, huh? Well, then I guess you’re right. You’d better move fast. Go on, ladies. We’ll meet you there after we grab some more snacks. Cass, you’re allowed to go on these rides, right?”

I nodded for her. “Don’t worry. She’s allowed. Usually with adult supervision, though.”

“I guess that means we’d better move fast too, then.” He got up and held out a hand to help me do the same before dusting the grass off his butt. “You girls go ahead. I was being serious about those snacks. I saw a few earlier I want to try and I’ll make sure there’s enough for you too.”

Laurene threw her arms around him, giving him a quick hug. “You’re the best, Daddy! See you there.”

They raced off, practically tripping over their feet in their haste. He chuckled as he watched them go. “Those two have become really good friends. Do you think her parents would let her come visit us in the city if I offered to pay for her plane ticket?”