"You definitely could've done this without me, but I'm glad you didn't have to." He pushed his fingers into my hair, around the nape of my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. The pressure of being squeezed between us made CJ stir.
"He called you Mama," Cole whispered when our lips parted. I nodded, and tears filled my eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I never thought I would hear anyone call me that. I know CJ's still young, and someday we'll have to explain it to him and choose something more appropriate, but it felt right. Are you okay with that?"
“It definitely caught me off guard, but it makes perfect sense. CJ couldn’t do better than you for a mama right now. He’s a smart kid.”
Susan chose that moment to burst through the doors and stop in front of where Cole and I were sitting. "I hope that felt good. You may not have to worry about practicing law again, but some of us have to work in this building. And by someone, I mean me."
"Sorry. I couldn't help myself." Cole's face spread into a boyish grin.
“It was pretty funny,” Susan conceded. “I’ll never forget the look on his face when you laid into him. At least, you didn’t try to attack him this time.”
“Susan,” I asked, still fixated on the first thing she said. “What did you mean when you said Cole wouldn’t have to worry about practicing law again?”
Susan and Cole exchanged a look.
“What?” I asked, feeling like I was missing something important.
“I should probably tell you something if we’re gonna get married.”
“Okay, I should probably tell you something too.” I’d agonized over how I was going to tell Cole about my settlement, but he was right. We shouldn’t have any secrets.
"You go first," he said. "Last time we did this, I went first, and it didn't work out well for me." He smiled.
"I'm not sure how to start, so I'm just going to say this." I took a deep breath. "I have ten million dollars."
He blinked.
"It's my divorce settlement. I probably should've told you about it sooner, but I had a really unhealthy association with that money, and oddly, you've helped me overcome that, and yeah. I have ten million dollars." I bit down on my bottom lip and waited for a response.
Cole's face split into a giant grin, and he started laughing. Susan was stifling a smile.
“What? What’s so funny?” I asked.
“CJ and I are billionaires.”
“Wait, billionaires with a b?”
“Yeah, for now. So, we can live with your millions if you can live with our billions.”
“I think I can.” I laughed. “So, is that why you’re giving up practicing law?”
“No,” he said, rubbing his hair, “I didn’t say I was quitting law. I’m just not sure if what I’m doing at HC is the right fit for me. I wanna take some time and think about it.”
“Hey, Lisa.” Susan touched my arm. “Can I borrow Cole for a few seconds?”
“I’ll be right back, moneybags.” Cole leaned down and kissed me. CJ heaved a giant sleeping baby sigh and snuggled into my chest as I watched Cole and Susan talk.
cole
thirty-two
"So, what's your plan?"my mother asked.
“For the money, my life, Crystal?”
“All of it.” She smiled and leaned back in her chair.
