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“Mom called. She spoke to Brittany on the phone.”

My shoulders tense. Of course she did. It really sucks how much she interferes in my life.

“She wanted to come here, but I was able to convince her that it might be better if I checked on you instead.”

“There’s no need for anyone to check on me. I’m fine.”

“Sure, just like you always are.” He gives me an exaggeratedly friendly smile. “Listen, Phoenix, don’t try to fool me. You haven’t been fine in years, and that isn’t going to change from one day to the next, just because you met up with Brittany and Clark.”

Unfortunately he’s right.

Brooklyn walks into the kitchen like he owns the place and returns to the living room a moment later with two bottles of beer in his hands. We sit down, and for a moment neither of us says a word.

“How did it go?” he finally asks. His voice has softened.

I sigh and give in. “Pretty well, I think. Complicated, but pretty well.”

“Complicated?”

“Yes. It was just . . . uncomfortable.”

“But still good?”

I nod. “Afterward, yes. We talked a lot.”

“About Olivia?”

“Among other things.”

“How is she?”

“Brittany says she’s fine.”

“So she wasn’t there?”

“No. They wanted to talk to me alone first. I can understand that. They don’t trust me. Why should they?”

“But they’re letting you see her, right? If they’re giving you a hard time, just say the word, and I’ll find someone at the office to help you. We have an excellent family law department—”

“Let it go, Brooks.” I run a hand through my hair. “I appreciate your offer, but I’m not going to court about this.”

He shrugs, a crooked smile playing around his mouth. “I just wanted to offer.”

“It’s unnecessary. And it would be damn ungrateful of me.”

“Yeah, maybe,” he concedes.

“Definitely. They’ve taken care of her for four years. They’re her family. I don’t want to get in the way.”

“You would have every right to.”

“No, I wouldn’t. They have every right to keep me away from her. And they have every right to ask her if she even wants to get to know me.”

“Is that the plan?” Brooklyn raises his eyebrows skeptically. “They’re going to ask her if she wants to get to know you? She’s only four.”

“I don’t care. They can ask her. And if she doesn’t want to, then I’m going to have to live with it.”

For a moment, Brooklyn looks like he wants to argue with me, but then he shakes his head with a sigh. “Okay, if you say so. It’s your life.”