My chuckle cuts Isaac off. “Why is everyone suddenly taking advice from Hugo?”
I love Hugo—as much as any little sis loves her big brother—but you can be assured pigs will fly before I take his advice.
Isaac smirks then shrugs. “It was good advice.”
The mirth in his tone thins the tension hanging thickly in the air. Thank god, as it’s so potent right now, I feel like I’m being strangled by invisible twine.
After bracing myself for impact, I say, “Alright, hit me with it.”
Isaac’s smirk enlarges to a full smile. “He said, ‘not all mistakes are unfixable. If you work hard enough, even the most broken things can be repaired.’”
I twist my lips but remain quiet. Shockingly, that’s good advice. I thought I was broken beyond repair, and Alex fixed me, so maybe there is still hope for us.
No!I made the decision I did because I don’t want to force Alex to pick sides. Furthermore, Dane’s daughters have been through so much in their short lives; they don’t deserve more pain. With a man like Alex at their side, defending and honoring them, I’m certain they’ll be saved from additional torment. Although my heart is pained, I’ve made the right decision.
Now I need Isaac to see sense through the madness.
“She won’t accept it, Isaac. Isabelle will never agree to sign that prenup when she notices the terms you have put in there.” My eyes stray to the document on his desk.
As Hugo has always believed, Isabelle is one of the good guys. Astonishingly, he voiced a similar opinion about Alex numerous times the past few weeks. I thought he was doing it to ease my guilt, but after seeing Alex with Addi yesterday, I realized I was wrong. Alex is a good guy as well, he just goes about some things the wrong way.
My brows furrow when Isaac replies, “I know.”
If he knows Isabelle won’t accept his terms, why did he have me draft the prenup as it is?
My confusion clears when Isaac says, “I havepersuasivetechniques I can use to my advantage.”
I gag, hoping it will ease the last bit of tension hanging in the air. It does—somewhat.
After snickering at my response, Isaac gets our conversation back on track. “Stop deflecting the topic back to me. Do I need to look for a new lawyer?”
His non-threatening tone keeps me free of worry. It also boosts my ego that’s been hiding away the past year. Furthermore, if I remain working for him, Alex will never be forced to choose, and I’ll have no chance of reneging on my decision.
“You’ll never find anyone as good as me.”
“I know.” Isaac’s quick reply awakens my ego even more. It also reminds me of the pledge I made yesterday, the one where I vowed both he and Alex would live a happy and fulfilled live.
“Regan Myers has never officially worked fortheIsaac Holt. I don’t see why that will change any time in the future.” I pause as worry riddles my gut. “If I’m still wanted?”
“Are you sure this is what youwant? Because while Alex is investigating me, you can’t have a relationship with him.”
It kills me, but I nod, understanding his objective. “I understand.”
Relief sparks through Isaac’s eyes as he moves around his desk to take a seat in his leather chair. “Alright, then let’s get down to business.” His eagerness shocks me, but not as much as what he says next, “How long does it take to get a marriage license issued?”
I swallow the brick in my throat before locking my dilated eyes with his. “You can’t be serious?” When he nods, I squeal. “Why?!”
I love Isabelle, truly I do, but this is insane. They’ve only been together for a few months, and they’re young, so they’ve got plenty of time to tiptoe toward marriage, kids and awkward family brunches. Alex is the only one allowed to skip the standard courtship routine as he has a family at the ready, waiting for him.
I won’t give Isaac the same clemency.
Isaac’s wish to race Isabelle down the aisle makes sense when he says, “Our petition to adopt Callie will have more chance of being approved if we’re married.”
His reply is a hard pill for me to swallow. Not because of the agony on his face, but because the concept of Alex marrying Kristin never entered the equation when I made the decision I did yesterday. All I saw was Addison’s devastated face; I didn’t consider what steps Alex will need to take to alleviate it. Just thinking about him with Kristin burns—it burns really fucking bad.
“In normal circumstances, that may be true, but this isn’t a standard adoption, Isaac.” I aim for a professional tone, but it sounds more invidious than anything.
The stabbing pain in my chest doubles when I read the words Isaac isn’t saying in his eyes. He’s afraid his arrest lost him the chance of securing Callie, but even more than that, he’s petrified he’s failed Isabelle.
