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“I’m not giving your name back.”
I jerked my head toward her. She was serious. I recognized that tone. The I’ve made up my mind and there’s nothing you can do about ittone.
“Why?”
It was a stupid question. One I was pretty sure I wasn’t ready for the answer to. And it was irrelevant. Because now that I’d been faced with it, I couldn’t deny I wanted her to have my name too.
“I want a name I can be proud of. One that doesn’t control me. One that represents the kind of family I always dreamed about.”
She was proud to be a Calhoun? Wanted a family like mine? She worshipped her brothers. That couldn’t have been an easy decision.
“If you’d have said that in front of Ma, she’d have cried.”
“I’m not giving her up either,” she said quietly.
My chest tightened. I wanted Beau to have a mother like mine, and I wanted Ma to have a daughter like Beau. But when she ended things, it was gonna be so damn hard it would break me.
I’d have to hold it together for them.
What about me, baby sister? Are you gonna give me up?
“I wouldn’t ask you to.”
“She was so good for everybody tonight.” She fiddled with her gold chain.
“She was.” I couldn’t deny that. “Everybody was good for her too.”
“I hope so.” There was uncertainty in her voice.
“I know so.”
She gently pried her identification out of my fingers and replaced it in her wallet. Then she took my hand in hers. “Zegas told me you talked to him about a post-nuptial agreement.”
“Isn’t there supposed to be attorney-client privilege?” I asked through my teeth.
He’d called me about Joe, but it bothered me that Beau wasn’t protected. I wouldn’t take anything that belonged to her, even if a court ordered it, but I wanted it on paper. To pay Zegas, I was going to have to take out a loan the size of New York City, but I’d figure it out.
Maybe Vigiano was right. It was time to think about a desk job. One that paid more.
And I needed to find time to at least grab a beer with my friend. I’d been too preoccupied lately.
“Garrett.”
Why was she using my name now? Was she trying to wound me? Because it hurt. I’d been demanding she stop calling me Cal for weeks. Now that she had on occasion, I wasn’t sure I could handle it.
“I don’t want your money,” I grated out.
“I know you don’t,” she said far too calmly for my liking. “But I’m not signing it.”
“I’m trying to protect you.” I stared straight ahead. “I won’t take a penny.”
“Don’t get mad.”
I braced myself.What have you done, Beau?“About what?”
“I paid Zegas today for Joe’s defense.”
“I had it worked out with him,” I said, voice rising.
