“Mostly me.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “And I’ll get you through dating me.”
“Well, if it’s anything like that near plane crash, I’m looking forward to it.”
“It’ll be Pago Pago every day.”
“I can’t wait.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Mazzy
EarlyMondaymorning,Benstrolled into the conference room, his lawyer trailing him. His gaze lasered in on me, and everything about him wentup. His smile, his shoulders, the way he moved, the gleam in his eyes. It all brightened, elevated, and his steps quickened.
He didn’t stop on his side of the conference table like his lawyer had. Circling around it, he came right up to my chair and tugged me out of it. I collided with his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me.
“Hey, baby,” he murmured.
My face was smooshed to his chest, and even though it wasn’t professional in the least, I let him hold me.
“Hello, you,” I replied softly.
We hadn’t seen each other since he’d gone out of town for his match. I missed him. Katty had too. He’d texted and called, but it wasn’t the same. I’d also worried things might be different—that he might have had second thoughts about becoming us, orIwould. But my doubts were laid to rest in his arms.
When he finally let me go, it was to step back so he could take me in. I had to admit I’d taken extra time getting ready today, knowing I was going to see him. I usually avoided dresses and skirts since they were a pain in the ass, but I’d put on my best wrap dress and heels for him.
He didn’t hide how much he appreciated it, making it more than worth it.
Miranda cleared her throat. “Can we get started? As you’re aware, Mr. Wells, I had to shift my schedule to fit you in this morning. I’d rather not delay things any longer.”
Ben shot me a crooked grin then helped me back into my chair. Instead of moving back to the other side of the table like he should have, he pulled out the seat next to mine and lowered himself into it.
His lawyer jerked with surprise, and Miranda shook her head, but no one asked him to move. I really doubted he would have even if they had.
Ben’s lawyer, Will, began going over the custody agreement section by section. For the most part, Ben agreed with what Miranda had drawn up but had a few tweaks. I listened closely to the changes, finding nothing I objected to outright.
Until it came to child support. The monthly sum he wanted to pay was astronomical.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s far too much.”
“Mazzy,” Miranda warned lowly, “that isn’t something my clients normally argue.”
“Well, it’s true.” I turned to Ben. “You’ve already given me half a million dollars. I only accepted that because college is wildly expensive and I don’t want to even think about what tuition will be by the time Katty’s ready to go, but this…Ben…”
“That’s not for college.” Ben lifted his chin toward his lawyer. “Will was just about to get to the college fund I set up for her.”
Miranda scrolled through the document then stopped. “Yes. There is a fund for Kateryna that will be available to her after high school.”
I nodded—then did a double take. “Wait. Then what was the five-hundred—?”
“Back payment—everything I should have paid for since she was born.” His tone was light, but his eyes were steady. “Diapers. Cribs. Onesies. Day care. Doctor visits. Every noisy toy and bow and frilly little socks she probably outgrew in a week. All of it. I wasn’t there. I’m catching up. The thing about me: I’m a simple guy, but I’ve got extravagance in my blood. I can guarantee I would have gone all out for Katty. She would have had golden rattles and silver spoons.”
My jaw dropped. “Ben, that’s not how this works.”
“Yes, it is,” he said promptly. “Exactly how it works.”
I turned to Miranda for backup, desperate. “Miranda—”
“No.” She held up a hand before I could finish. When she took that tone, I knew better than to argue. “Mazzy, he is allowed to offer support. You are allowed to accept it. And youshould.”
