A rift formed between us and we’d never been able to pull back together. I’d been ecstatic about staying home with Allie, but Shannon had never quite gotten there. Even when she was home, she always kept busy.
I’d longed for the kind of family time we were having with Laurie and Katie. I just hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it until that very moment.
Laurie was reminding me of all sorts of things I’d always wanted. Realizing that there was a possibility I could still have them made me happy.
Not the run-in-the-street-and-shout-it-from-the-rooftops kind of happy. It was more of a deep-seated happiness—the kind that fed my soul and had me smiling like a moron while sitting in the dark.
The very last thing I wanted to do was leave. I’d have been more than okay with staying over again.
As I stroked Allie’s hair in my lap, squeezed my arm around Laurie, and watched Katie sleep on Laurie’s other side with a soft smile of her own, I seriously considered closing my eyes and sleeping right where I was.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t always get what I wanted. Especially not when it came to things that affected other people.
Katie had been in awe of the house when they’d first gotten home. She’d run around and pointed out a whole bunch of her mother’s things to Allie.
Laurie and I had overheard her explaining where everything used to be in their old house, but we’d also heard the emotion in her voice when she spoke about it. Having seen how difficult it’d been for Laurie to be confronted with so much of her sister, I couldn’t even imagine how Katie must’ve felt.
She was an incredibly resilient kid, though. She’d bounced back within minutes and had joined us in the living room to play games soon after. We’d laughed the night away, but those emotions were still inside there somewhere.
There was no doubt in my mind that she and Laurie would want some privacy in the morning, and I had to get Allie home to her own bed anyway. She probably wouldn’t have minded another sleepover, but I didn’t want us to impose, and it was important that my relationship with Laurie didn’t confuse Allie.
If we were really going to do it, we’d have to tread lightly and be mindful of the two little girls who were involved. Just because being with them felt right didn’t mean we were a family already—no matter how much it felt like we were sometimes.
We’d have to talk to them about what was happening and make sure we didn’t confuse them. Our date last night and subsequent dinner and movie night that evening might’ve done exactly that already. I’d have to sit down with Allie about it sometime, but that would have to wait until tomorrow.
The important thing tonight was getting her home. Gently shaking her shoulder, I bent over to whisper in her ear.
“Allie, baby. You have to wake up, sweetheart. It’s time to go.”
She stirred, covering a yawn with her hand while squeezing her eyes shut. “I’m sleeping, Daddy.”
“I know, my angel. You can keep sleeping in the car. I’ll carry you to bed when we get home.”
“Can’t we just sleep here?” she groaned softly.
Laurie’s eyes blinked open, and I felt her turning into my side. “You’re welcome to sleep here if you want. It hardly seems fair to turn you out into the cold when we’re all so warm and comfy.”
Allie still had her eyes closed, so I thought it was safe to turn my head and give Laurie a soft kiss on her forehead. “We should get home. Need any help getting Katie to bed?”
“No, we’re okay. Let me walk you out.”
I started to shake my head, but she silenced me with pursed lips.
“I’m walking you out,” she whispered firmly. “Just give me a second to get up without waking Katie.”
“Sure thing.” I wiggled Allie’s shoulder again. “Come on, sleepyhead. I can carry you to the car, but you know you’ll just wake up again while I’m strapping you in.”
Like all other kids I’d ever heard of, Allie loved sleeping in the car. Ever since she’d been a baby, she’d be out as soon as the wheels started turning. Getting her into the car, however, was not so easy.
Without fail, she would wake up as I started lowering her into her seat. Taking her out of it was fine, but getting her strapped in always seemed to wake her.
She groaned again, rubbed her eyes, and nodded before sitting up. “Okay. Okay.”
Moving like a hundred-and-something-year-old, she climbed off the couch and stretched while waiting for us. I followed after her and Laurie scooted sideways slowly, gently lowering Katie’s head until she was lying flat.
“Can I help you guys gather anything?” she asked. “Also, remember to take your food.”
“You really don’t have to send us home with leftovers,” I said, repeating the same statement I’d made about ten times a few hours earlier. “We loved the food, but I’m sure you’ll appreciate having some left over for tomorrow.”
“We’re not talking about that again,” she said. “There’s plenty for us. It will make me feel better for keeping you all day if I know you’re fed tomorrow as well.”
“Thank you, Laurie,” Allie said, much more gracious about accepting the home-cooked meal than I was. “Daddy might not want to take your food, but I will.”
She smiled sweetly before moving forward and opening her arms to give Laurie a hug. “Thanks for dinner and for watching movies with us.”
Laurie opened her arms to return the hug, holding Allie close while kissing the top of her head. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. I’ll cook for you again sometime soon, okay?”
“Okay.” Allie yawned again when she stepped away, folding her arms around her midsection as she tilted her head in the direction of the garage. “I’m going to climb into the car. Katie and I already put my backpack in there earlier.”
She stifled another yawn before turning around and heading off. Laurie had already packed up our food and handed over the bag she went to collect from the kitchen.
“No complaining about it anymore,” she said. “I like feeling like I’m helping take care of you.”
It took everything in my power not to kiss her, but Allie could come back in at any moment and Katie could open her eyes. Enveloping her in my arms instead, I gave her a lingering hug and relished the feel of her body against mine.
When I glanced at Katie lying on the couch, I found her awake and watching our every move. She smiled when we made eye contact, then closed her eyes and burrowed deeper into the cushion underneath her.
Laurie kissed me softly on my chest, right over my heart, and let me go. “Thanks again for everything today. You were a real lifesaver.”
“Anything you need, I’m only a phone call away.” I meant it, too. “I have some work to do tomorrow, but I’ll see you at our meeting on Monday?”
“I’ll be there.” She brought her hand to mine but didn’t take it. Giving my fingers a light squeeze, she nodded toward the hallway. “You should get going. I’m sure Allie’s eager to get back to sleep.”
“I wish we could stay.”
“Same, but I understand why you can’t. We’ll see each other on Monday, right? The weekend will be over before you know it.”
“Doubt it.” I grabbed her hand once we were out of the living room, holding it tightly for the few seconds we had until I had to let her go again. “Have a good night, Laurie. Sleep well.”
“Same to you.” She opened the garage door by hitting a button on a panel by the door. She waved once I’d buckled Allie in and gotten into the car myself.
My daughter wasn’t asleep when we pulled onto the road, but I knew she would be soon, so I kept the radio off and the heat on. A few blocks away from Laurie’s house, Allie surprised me when I glanced in the rearview mirror to see her eyes still open and on mine.
“Do you like Laurie, Daddy?” she asked, her voice thick with the sleep I knew was tugging at the edges of her brain.
“Of course, I like her, honey. What’s not to like?”
“Do you love her
?” she asked.
I checked the road before twisting in my seat to look at her for just a second. We were on a quiet, wide road with no other cars on it and no intersection for at least another mile or so.
Our moment of locking eyes told me that she wasn’t hurt or afraid. She was simply curious about my feelings.
“Why would you ask me that, sweetie?” Laurie and I hadn’t done anything I could think of that would’ve made it obvious we were more than just friends.
She shrugged. “It’s just a feeling, I guess. There’s something about the way you look at her.”
I didn’t deny it. While I didn’t want to confuse her, I also didn’t want to lie to her. It felt like it was too soon to love her, but every reply I tried formulating about how it wasn’t love yet just felt like an outright lie.
“Would you be upset if I did, you know, love her?” I asked eventually. I supposed that was the pertinent part of the discussion anyway.
If it would upset Allie, I’d have to seriously figure out how to go about discussing our relationship with her. I’d also have to figure out how to explain to her that just because I loved Laurie and Katie too didn’t mean I loved her any less.
Not that I love Laurie and Katie. I can’t possibly…
Allie, as it turned out, didn’t have nearly as many thoughts about it running through her mind. She smiled and shook her head. “I wouldn’t be upset. I like Laurie too, and the idea of Katie being my sister is pretty cool.”
Well, what do you know. Pretty cool? That’s awesome.
I returned her smile and felt the realization settling into my bloodstream. I’m falling in love with Laurie, and Allie is okay with it.
Chapter 35
Laurie
“We’re prepared to offer your client a settlement,” a big, red-faced man from the movie company said once we were all seated.
Jacob had introduced the man as Max a few minutes ago. Judging from his prominent place at the center of the table among the company’s defense team, I assumed he was the head honcho.
My eyes flew open as wide as they could go when I heard him say the word “settlement.” I hadn’t been expecting that at all. Jacob had warned me that they might try to play hardball instead of rationally discussing the matter or offering to settle with us right off the bat.
He smirked beside me now. “I see you’ve had a chance to look over the documentation I sent on Saturday?”
“Indeed, I have.” Max had jowls like an overweight bulldog, and they jiggled when he nodded. “We’ve discussed the matter with our client and we believe the amount of five hundred thousand dollars should be more than sufficient.”
I saw stars. Big, bright stars that made me completely blind to the room around me. Five hundred thousand dollars?
Eric had told me I should take whatever I could get if they ever offered me anything, and five hundred thousand dollars sounded like a pretty darn good anything to me. I really, really hadn’t been expecting it to be an amount with quite so many zeroes behind it.
I blinked, trying to clear the shocked stars from my vision while scooting forward to tell them I’d take it. My mouth had gone so dry that I had to lick my lips while also trying to breathe air into my suddenly oxygen-starved lungs.
Jacob started laughing in his seat next to me. I totally understood his exhilaration. That is amazing!
He, however, clearly had other plans. I felt him straightening his spine while his amusement faded. My gaze darted toward him and found him wearing a stone-faced expression once more. “Your offer is insulting. I suggest you come back with a much bigger number, or my client and I are walking.”
“Be reasonable, Mr. Parker.” Max sighed loudly, like Jacob was exasperating him. “Five hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money,”
“It’s not nearly enough. Your client stands to make millions from the film. They stole my client’s intellectual property and I can prove it. We’ll see you in court if we need to.”
Max glanced at the woman sitting on his right. They had a silent exchange before he sighed again and turned back to Jacob. “May we have the room, please?”
“Sure,” he replied. Pushing back his chair, he stood, did the button on his jacket, and pulled my chair out for me. “Let us know when you’re ready.”
I got up without saying a word, walking past him into the hallway when he paused at the door. Once it swung shut behind him, my palms started sweating.
“Why did you turn them down?” I asked. My voice was barely above a whisper, but even I could hear the stress in it. “Are you sure we’re not pushing them too hard?”
“Nope.” He reached for my shoulders and curled his fingers around them, his eyes intent on mine. “People like them expect you to push. If you don’t, they walk all over you.”
“What if they decide to take this to court? I really don’t want to end up in court if I can avoid it.” Just the thought of it was enough to make my pulse accelerate and my stomach turn. I’d known there was a possibility that the case would go there, of course, but I was holding out hope that it wouldn’t be necessary.
Staring into Jacob’s light brown eyes, so full of warmth and emotion again now that he was looking at me instead of his opponent, I dragged in a breath and forced myself to focus.
He massaged my shoulders until he saw me coming back to him. “If we have to go to court, we go to court. We’re not the ones who have anything to worry about if that happens. You have an airtight case, Laurie.”
“Eric didn’t seem to think so.” I sucked my lips into my mouth and breathed through my nose, trying my best to remain calm and level-headed.
Jacob rolled his eyes, shaking his head at me. “I don’t give a damn what Eric thought. It doesn’t matter anyway because he was wrong.”
Before I could stop myself, I glanced at the door and studied the wood grain like it would become invisible and I’d be able to see straight through it. “How long do you think they’re going to be?”
He lifted a shoulder, but his gaze was fixed on mine. “It depends on whether they have to phone for instructions. I think they already have them and they’re just letting us sweat a little.”
“It’s working,” I muttered.
We were standing in the hallway off of Jacob’s office. There were people everywhere and Dannie would be able to see us if she just rolled her chair back a foot. Our opponents could open the door at any given moment.
It was impossible to hug him, but I really, really wanted to. Keeping our relationship on the down-low was definitely going to be more difficult than I expected—even if that was technically only our first day of having to do it.
You won’t have to if you settle, a voice whispered at the back of my mind. It could all be over today.
“Don’t worry about what they’re doing or saying in there,” Jacob said, pulling me out of my tempting thoughts. “What’s your bottom line?”
I frowned and realized he must’ve said something that I hadn’t heard. “My bottom line for what?”
He chuckled and arched his eyebrows at me. “What amount will you be happy settling for?”
“I would have taken the five hundred thousand!”
If he hadn’t spoken before I’d processed the shock, I’d have a check in my hand already. I trusted him, though. If he thought we could and should get more, I believed he was right.
Shaking his head, he brushed my fingers with the back of his before pulling them away. “That offer was ridiculous. Your time and work are worth way more than that, and so is the last year you’ve spent agonizing over the fact that someone stole your work.”
I turned it over in my head. “What do you think that’s worth, then? Half a million dollars isn’t an amount I’d scoff at. I mean, sure, I’d also thought it could be more, but that’s a lot of money. Think about what it could mean to Katie.”
“I’m not taking anything less than two million dollars unless you instruct me otherwise.” He crossed his arms and stood up to his ful
l height, a mask falling back in place over his features. “It’s worth at least that, Laurie.”
For a full minute, all I could do was stare and gape at him. Eventually, I managed to swallow to get some moisture back into my mouth and remembered how to speak.
“Two million dollars?” I said the words slowly, drawing them out while lowering my chin and blinking too much and too fast.
He grinned and nodded. “Two million dollars.”
I gasped. There was no way we were getting a sum that large from them. There couldn’t be. Right?
Before I could ask if he was joking, the door cracked open and Max’s righthand woman motioned us back inside. “We’re ready for you.”
“Thank you.” Jacob put his hand on my back and guided me into the conference room, giving the woman a polite smile as we breezed past her.
Well, he breezed. My legs felt like they were made of lead and my brain couldn’t wrap itself around the fact that Jacob thought we could walk away with even half that amount.
Once we were seated, Jacob waved a hand at Max. “The floor is yours. I hope you’ve come to your senses. What have you got for me?”
The man had these sharp, ice-blue eyes that looked like they could shred a person in half with the glare he gave Jacob. Jacob didn’t even flinch, though. If anything, he looked mildly amused.
“We’re willing to offer you one and a half million dollars.” He pushed a sheet of paper across the table. “Take it or leave it.”
I hadn’t even realized that writing settlement figures or whatever down was something that happened in real life, but it did. It was also the silly thing my brain chose to focus on because HOLY FUCK.
Did he just say one and a half million dollars?
I could hardly breathe. That was more money than I could even write down without having to think about the amount of zeroes that had to go into the number.
Desperate For You Page 22