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His dark, straight eyebrows pulled in tight. “Nova. I just wanted to get one thing straight. I am going to see my nephew. He mightn’t be my flesh and blood, but some things are bigger than that.”
I frowned at his tone. “I said I wouldn’t stop you. That’s why I’m here, remember?”
Sleep deprivation made me snippy. I sucked in more coffee to counteract the bitchiness seeping into my tone.
River shook his head, leaning forward. “I don’t mean once every now and then. I want him to know me, knowus. I want him to be able to lean on us. We can’t do that if we live half a country away in Michigan. I don’t want to be just a name that comes and visits him once every five years.”
“We want custody of Huey. We are willing to reimburse you for the privilege,” Devan said, his dark blue eyes staring at me.
My jaw unhinged. “He’s not a fucking puppy you can buy!” I hissed, trying not to draw attention. “The court appointed me as his parent for a reason. You mightn’t like that, but it's the truth. I don’t care how much fucking money you want to throw at me.”
How dare they? What kind of person do they think I am?
I tried to stand, but Rigby put his hand on my arm. “Nova, wait, please.” He gave the other two men a stern look, like they were idiots. “That’s not what they meant—”
“Don’t lie to me. Yes, it was.”
Rigby sighed, screwing his face up into a wince. “Okay, yes, it was. But…” He looked at River beseechingly. “You have to understand the guys. The promises they made to Alana. They’re many things… Idiots, sometimes,” he muttered. “But their word is their bond. And the bond they had with Alana and Huey is something they take very seriously.”
I shook my arm out from underneath Rigby’s distractingly warm, large hand. “You don’t understand. Huey is all I have left. Without him, I’m alone.” My voice was shakier than I would’ve liked, but the truth of that fact hit hard.
River placed both large hands on the table. “I will pay you twenty-five million dollars to relocate to our home in Ann Arbor with Huey.”
That's when white spots danced across my vision.
ChapterFive
DEVAN
“Areyou out of your freaking ever-loving mind?” Nova hissed, and I shifted the now sleeping Huey back into his stroller. It hurt me to think that this might be the last time I held him, especially if this went badly.
I cleared my throat. “I was there the moment he was born. I was the second person to ever hold him in their arms. I looked down at this scrunched, potato-looking alien thing and told him I’d love him forever, and do anything for him. I don’t intend to take that back now when he needs me the most,” I said in a soft voice.
Rigby’s eyes were hot on my face, because he knew me. Soft didn’t mean gentle with me. Soft meant shit was about to go down. Not that I’d ever hurt her, this weirdly defiant woman in front of us. I’d never raised a hand to a woman, and given my past, I’d chop off my hands before I ever would.
“You can’t buy ababy, and you can’t buyme. The fact you think I would move to an entirely different state, into a house with three strange men, tells me you’re arrogant, stupid, or serial killers. Honestly, have you never listened to a true crime podcast?” she muttered under her breath, making Rigby grin.
But her eyes were still on me, those weird hazel orbs that looked like Huey’s. There was no doubt they were related; that color was too unique. Hers had a little more green than Huey’s, and maybe a touch of gold. They must have inherited it from their father.
Just the thought of that man made me irrationally angry. I breathed quietly through my nose as we all sat in silence.
Rigby, that fucking golden retriever of a human being, nodded. “I can understand that it would be a daunting idea. We’re happy to do anything to help ease your mind. Criminal history checks. References from the coaches. I’ll even give you my mom’s number, if you want?”
Since I’d been an adult, my criminal record was clear as filtered water, so I wasn’t worried about Rigby’s declaration. If my minor record was released, she might have a problem, though.
Nova was still frowning, and honestly, I was kind of glad she hadn’t jumped on the money straight away. “None of those things tell me what you’re like as people. What if you kill kittens for fun? What if you gaslight and manipulate me? That shit happens. I don’tknowyou.” She shook her head. “This is crazy. My home is here. My life is here.”
River continued to stare at her, like he could use his mind to bend her to his will. “I’ll give you the numbers of all of my ex-girlfriends if you want. They probably won’t say nice things about me, but they’ll tell you I’m not violent.” They’d say he was an emotionally unavailable asshole, though, which wasn’t wrong. River raised a single brow. “You just said you had no one. I know from the court case that your job is virtual, which is why you could stay home all the time with Huey. You can do it from anywhere.”
She was still shaking her head. “This isinsane. You must know that, right?” She sucked in a fortifying breath. “I mightn’t have family here, but I have friends. A life.”
I met her eyes and held them. “Anyone who’ll stick around now that you have a tiny baby to care for instead of going out and partying every Friday night? Anyone who won’t think listening to you talk about diaper rash and sleep schedules is tedious and boring?” She frowned at me, her jaw tense. “Look, I understand this is an unorthodox proposition, but think of it from Huey’s point of view. Instead of one parent, he’ll have four. You won’t have to do it all yourself. You won’t have to do every single night feeding. When he’s sick—and hewillget sick—there’ll be other people to lean on instead of having to do it all yourself. Being a single parent is hard. It's twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year.”
I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “You’re a good person. I can tell because you took Huey in, even when it had to be painful for you. I know that you’ll want what's best for him—we have the money, and the time, to give him that. You’ll still be able to live your own life as well, instead of paying for the mistakes of your father for the rest of your life.” She winced at that, and Rigby shot me a look that saidgentle. “We’ll put in safeguards for your protection. Get the lawyers to draw up agreements to hold us to our word. Move out to Michigan temporarily, for three months, and see how you feel. If it’s too much, we’ll figure something else out. But think about giving us, and Huey, this opportunity,” I said softly.
After a moment, she nodded, and I lifted my chin at the guys.
River slipped her a piece of paper with his number on it. “Rigby and I have to go back to Ann Arbor for preseason training, but Devan is here for a couple more days to pack up Alana’s place. He can answer any questions for you, and we’ll honor any of his promises. If you could maybe message me updates on Huey when you can? I’d like that. Alana used to…” He trailed off, and it was only because I knew him that I could hear the raw pain in his voice.
