Jacob, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed at all. In fact, he didn’t even look at the corny piece of paper they’d handed him. He kept his eyes straight ahead and still looked nothing but amused.
When he moved, it was to roll his chair back a foot. He leaned into the padded leather and smirked while shaking his head again.
“I’m afraid that’s not acceptable.” He bent over and unzipped the leather bag he’d brought into the room with him earlier.
I gasped—again—when he extracted a paperback boxset of the series the movie was based on. He slid it across the table to Max before he pressed his point.
“Have you ever read those?” His tone was conversational, but I had a feeling he was about to break out the big guns. “You should if you haven’t yet. They’re really good.”
Max’s eyes narrowed even further. “What is this about?”
“It’s about the fact that your scriptwriter didn’t even bother to change most of the characters names, never mind what happens in the actual scenes. I’ve watched every trailer out so far, and I’ve been able to pinpoint the scene exactly. The dialogue is the same. The characters even wear the same clothes.”
“Coincidence,” he spat. “Your client doesn’t have copyright over those names or outfits.”
“Maybe not over the names and outfits, but she does have copyright in the work.” Jacob continued like that for five solid minutes.
He was a master at the table. I was completely in awe as I watched him, not to mention totally turned on. The way he was fighting for me was incredible.
I almost forgot there were other people in the room with us as I watched him dominating the negotiation. And he did it all without getting up or raising his voice.
By the time he was done, I was practically squirming in my seat. I didn’t know if he had any other meetings planned after that, but I sure hoped not. If I had any say in it, I was dragging him back to his office and jumping his bones regardless of what the outcome of our meeting was.
Going to court might not be so bad if it meant getting to watch him in action like that for a few days. Max was slightly red when Jacob stopped talking.
He gritted his teeth and shot a glance at the woman next to him. She gave him a slight nod before he faced Jacob again. “We can offer you three million dollars to settle the thing. That’s our final offer.”
Shocked didn’t begin to describe how I felt when those words came out of his mouth. My ears suddenly turned hot and then all I could hear was blood rushing.
My head spun. I was vaguely aware of Jacob replying and saw him turning his head toward me, but I couldn’t get anything else.
The tiniest hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his lips before he spoke to Max again. “We’ll take it. I’ll draw up the paperwork and send it over to you.”
It sounded like he was speaking from a different dimension instead of right next to me. I really couldn’t believe it. Three million dollars?
What on earth was I going to do with that kind of money? Obviously, Katie could have whatever her heart desired and I would definitely invest in a tuition fund for her, but the possibilities running through my mind were endless.
Three. Million. Dollars. Whoever would’ve thought a silly little thought I’d had in the shower would lead to something worth that? I hadn’t. That was for sure.
“We have the paperwork ready,” Max said. “We can sign it now and get it over with.”
“Unless your paperwork makes provision for what my client might be entitled to in the event a sequel is ever made, I’m afraid we can’t sign it.”
They hashed out more details while I sat there stunned and feeling like I was going to wake up at any moment. I pinched myself, not even caring when the righthand woman smirked when she noticed what I was doing.
After a round of handshakes, the other lawyers were gone and we had the room to ourselves. I’d managed to stand up to say goodbye, and once Jacob had closed the door behind them, he came to stand in front of me.
I watched as a slow grin broke out across his face. When it did, it was like I surfaced and the full magnitude of what had just happened hit me.
Letting out a squeal that would have made a pig proud and didn’t even embarrass me one bit, I leaped into his arms. He caught me without hesitating, still grinning when he slanted his lips over mine.
I wound my arms around his shoulders and kissed him back with every ounce of emotion I felt. His tongue swept across my lips and I opened for him, moaning before we broke apart only to kiss again.
“Thank you,” I whispered between the heated meeting of our mouths. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. You’re a lifesaver. I’m so grateful you cut me off that day in traffic.”
He chuckled, holding me closer and resting his forehead against mine. His eyes were dark with lust, but there was also something so much more than that in them.
“Anything for you, Laurie. Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”
Chapter 36
Jacob
No victory had ever tasted sweeter.
I might not have shown it, but I’d been more nervous about that meeting than I cared to admit. Everything rode on it, and I’d known it. I really would have gone to court if necessary, but a court was a fickle place, and just because the law was on my side didn’t mean I’d have gotten Laurie what she deserved.
We’d made out in the conference room until there had been a knock on the door. Another lawyer at the firm had booked it for a meeting in the slot after ours, so we’d had to leave.
I ended up taking the afternoon off to spend some time with her before we had to collect the girls from school. Laurie didn’t know it yet, but I’d also arranged to take the next day off to celebrate properly. I’d even called the school to let them know we’d be picking the girls up early.
They wouldn’t let me make arrangements for Katie, but they’d made a note and said that if Laurie came with me to sign her out, everything would be fine. It was almost time for the Christmas break anyway, and the kids wouldn’t miss too much by staying away for just one day.
Besides, Katie and Laurie had both been through a lot with that court case. I knew she’d tried to keep the details from Katie, but Laurie was worried about how stressed she’d been.
Max had sent over the signed settlement agreement that morning—with provisions for further compensation in the event of them making any movies based on any of Laurie’s books in the future—and I had it in my hand when I knocked on her door.
“Jacob!” she exclaimed when she saw me. Throwing her arms around my neck, she gave me a kiss that ended far too quickly and then lowered her head to nuzzle my throat. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
When she pulled back, I saw her brow was furrowed and there was panic in the way her nostrils flared. Holding up my hand to show her the paperwork, I shot her a grin and shook my head.
“Absolutely nothing wrong. They sent over the papers and I thought we should celebrate the win and not having to go to court.”
Her jaw slackened. “They sent it already? We only had the meeting yesterday.”
“Yep, but they were serious about tying it up in a neat little bow as fast as possible. That’s why they brought their crappy agreement with them.”
“It’s all over?” Disbelief rang loud and clear in her voice.
“It’s all over.” I pulled her back into my arms and claimed her lips for a long, slow kiss. “Which also means that we don’t have to keep our relationship quiet anymore.”
“Oh yeah?” She waggled her brows, smiling when she looked up at me again, and stepped back into the house. “What would you like to do to celebrate?”
“I love the way you think.” I reached forward to grab her hand and tug her onto the doorstep again. If I went into that house right then, I was keeping her there until we had to go get the girls, and I had other things in mind. “But that will have to wait for later. I have an entire day planned for
us, and it starts with you coming with me to pick up the girls.”
“It’s only nine. They’re not done for hours.”
I shrugged. “Unless their parents sign them out, which I’ve already taken the liberty of getting set up for us.”
She searched my eyes before nodding. “I might feel guilty about that for the rest of my life, but sure. Let’s go help the girls play hooky from school so we can celebrate with them. Are you sure that’s a good enough reason to yank them out?”
“It is for what I’m planning.” I smirked. “I’m getting old out here. Are you coming?”
She smirked right back at me. “Apparently not, but I’m okay with that if it means getting to see what you have up your sleeve. Let me grab my stuff. I’ll be right back.”
“We can always do that later,” I called after her when she disappeared into the house.
A minute later, she was back. Her purse was slung over her shoulder and she had her sunglasses in one hand. “Care to let me in on your secret?”
“Nope. You’ll have to wait and see.”
Since the school had advance notice that we were coming, both the girls were already out of class and waiting for us when we arrived. We had no problems getting them out, and my heart swelled to see them sitting side by side in the back of my car.
Anyone who saw us would inevitably believe we were a family again, and I liked that even more than I had before. The three of them giggled and speculated about where we were going, but I kept my mouth shut and my eyes on the road. They’d know soon enough, and I really hoped they liked it.
Laurie was the first to notice where we were when we pulled into the Christmas tree lot on the outskirts of the city. She clapped her hands over her mouth and turned to the girls.
“Looks like we’re going tree shopping, ladies.”
Katie hopped in her seat and let out an excited whoop while Allie held her hand up for a high-five from her friend. “Dad and I always see if we can get one tall enough to touch the roof.”
“That’s awesome.” Katie leaned forward and looked at Laurie. “Can we also get one that big?”
She grinned. “Of course, we can.”
We climbed out of the car, forming a line and holding hands, with me and Laurie at the sides as we walked in. The girls broke rank almost immediately, running off to inspect our options while Laurie and I trailed behind. We didn’t touch, but we walked so close together that we might as well have been.
After spending an age picking out our trees, we strapped them to my roof and dropped theirs off at their house before continuing on to ours. I set it up in our living room and brought my hands to my hips.
“I think that’s a good place for it to go. Are we all in agreement?”
A chorus of yeses rang out, and I smiled. “Great. Let me go grab the box with the decorations. I thought we could all decorate it together, watch some Christmas movies, and get in the festive spirit.”
Katie was the first to respond, bouncing on the balls of her feet with her eyes growing misty. “That was my favorite tradition with my mom. We would eat her homemade mac and cheese, drink as much soda as I wanted, and watch Christmas movies while we put the tree up.”
Laurie sniffed softly, hiding her face behind the curtain of her hair. I saw her swipe her fingers beneath her eyes before she took a deep breath and looked up again, a tight smile fixed on her lips. “How about I go get started on mac and cheese while Jacob digs out the decorations and you two choose a movie?”
“That sounds awesome,” Allie gushed. She moved to her friend’s side and gave her a hug. “Tell me more about your mom. I wish I could’ve known her.”
“So do I.” They wandered over to the TV while I went to Laurie and put my hand on her back, stroking my thumb up and down in reassuring movements.
“It’s good for her to remember those things about her mother,” I said softly. “Look at her. She’s not broken. She’s smiling. That’s because of you, Laurie.”
Laurie leaned into me and closed her eyes as she rested her head on my shoulder. “It just gets me whenever she reminisces. It is good that she remembers Katherine, though. You’re right. I’m surprised she’s still smiling. Most of the time, especially when it comes to Christmas memories, she gets very sad.”
“We’re going to make today special for her. If she wants to be sad, we’ll let her know we’re all there for her. But we’re going to do our best to give her some fun memories.”
“I’ve tried every year, but I definitely think having you and Allie here has helped to keep her smiling.” She kissed my shoulder before bringing her head back down on it.
I lifted my gaze to check on the girls and found Allie giving me a knowing smile. She’s too wise for her own good.
Turning my head to kiss the top of hers, I realized there was no sense trying to hide my affection from the girls anymore. Allie clearly knew, and if Katie didn’t know yet, she would very soon. I doubted very much that my daughter would keep her discovery to herself, and I wasn’t going to put her in the position of having to deceive or lie to her friend by asking her not to say anything.
As if on cue, Allie nudged Katie in the ribs with her elbow and nodded at us. The other little girl dragged her over to the tree, where they broke off a tiny branch before running to us.
“It’s not mistletoe,” Allie said, “but it’s close enough.”
Laurie lifted her head to exchange a look with me. There was apprehension in her eyes, but the corners of her lips were tilted up, and she gave me a slight nod.
I faked an exasperated sigh, which made the girls giggle, plucked the branch from between her fingers and held it over our heads. Laurie laughed when I snaked my arm around her and positioned my leg behind hers but stopped abruptly when I dipped her down in a kiss worthy of one of those Christmas movies we would be watching shortly.
Chapter 37
Laurie
I snuggled in under a blanket on my sofa with a pile of wrapping paper on the coffee table and a heap of presents at my feet. “I dropped the girls off at Sue’s house. The sleepover is being chaperoned by her parents, her aunt, and her much older sister. They should be okay. I’ve given them both our numbers and told them to call if they needed anything.”
Jacob loosened his tie, set the bag of presents he’d brought over down on the floor, and sipped the mug of coffee I’d pressed into his hand when I’d opened the door. “Allie went to Sue’s Christmas sleepover last year. I promise you they will be fine. Sue’s parents always arrange it for the first or second Friday in December to give the other parents time to get their wrapping and shopping done.”
My brows lifted and I nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe we should return the favor? Ask them if Sue can come for a sleepover sometime soon to give them some time?”
“That’s a great idea.” He bent over to kiss my forehead, then straightened up and nodded toward my bedroom. “I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely not spending all afternoon and night doing all our wrapping in my suit.”
“Good point.” I pushed the blanket off and stood up, stretching my arms above my head. “Let’s go get comfortable.”
We changed into sweatpants and T-shirts, replenished our coffees, and made ourselves at home on the living-room floor. Allie and Jacob had offered to help us set up our Christmas tree, but we’d decided on doing it ourselves. It felt important that we do it together that year. Just the two of us.
It stood on one side of the room, the multi-colored lights bathing it in festive colors as the sun set outside. I had put on Christmas music, and the soft sounds of the classics played over the speakers next to our TV.
Jacob lit a fire in the hearth before joining me in the center of the room. “Right. Where should we start?”
“Do you know how to make corners, or are you more of a freestyle wrapper?” I asked, somehow keeping a perfectly straight face.
He managed to keep his own expression serious for only a beat before he burst out laughing. “I ca
n make corners, but I consider myself decent at freestyle as well.”
I placed my palms on the floor behind me and lay back on them. “Really? Go for it. I’d love to hear that.”
“Ahh, I see what you did there but I’m not rapping. I came here to wrap.” He eyed the pile of gifts between us while I shrugged and let out a chuckle.
“It was worth a try.” I rolled my head to the side and took in the tree, a fond smile lighting up my eyes. “Katie and I actually had a good time decorating.”
“Yeah?” He leaned forward, crossing his legs and propping his elbows on his knees. “I’m glad. It sounded like it used to be a very special time for her.”
I nodded. “Like she said, it was their favorite tradition. These last few years, my parents and I have been trying, but I think it was just too different. This year, I did everything exactly the way Kat used to. We made a night of it. We had mac and cheese together again. We watched Christmas movies and pulled a mattress in here and slept on our very own Christmas bed. Basically, all the same stuff we did at your place the other day.”
“That was a good time. I think it might become a new tradition in our household to do it that way too.” He turned to look at our tree again. “Whose idea was it to add the chocolates as decorations?”
“Mine.” I sighed and lifted a hand to rub the back of my head. “I pulled all of Katherine’s Christmas stuff out of storage and put that up. It didn’t make me want to feel like I was about to fall apart, which I was immensely thankful for, so then I decided to add just a little bit of my own flavor too.”
“It’s a great idea. It’ll make the day you take it all down awesome if you wake up and have them for breakfast.” I winked. “I may know two people who will come help take some of them off your hands.”
“Is that so?” I laughed. “You’ll have to invite them then.”
“Great. We’ll be here.” He sucked in a breath, looking like he was trying to decide if he should bring up an idea. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”
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