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“So you have no objections to his name?”
“To Sawyer? No, not at all. As long as his last name is Mitchell, I’m agreeable.”
Pete’s last name is Mitchell.
She made a note of it, then sighed, not committing to anything.
“So, how do you see this working, Pete? Are we going to be able to come to a custody arrangement?”
He shook his head. “No need.”
Relief swept through her body. He wasn’t going to fight her over custody.
Then he dropped the hammer. “Since he’s going to live with me.” He glanced up at her. “You’re invited too, of course.”
“Um, excuse me?”
“I’m not missing out on raising my son this time, Olivia. I did that once and have lived with that regret—no way am I doing it again. We can do it together, or I can fight you for custody. But I have to tell you, I like my chances. I have deep pockets to hire the best attorneys in the state, twenty-five years of military service, a high eight-figure portfolio, and a flexible schedule to impress a judge with. What about you? How quickly are you planning on going back to work?”
It was a good thing she was lying down, because otherwise she might have fallen. He knew exactly how to wound her. Still, she wasn’t going to let him bully her.
“I’m confident a judge wouldn’t take a breastfeeding child from his mother, no matter how much money his father has in the bank.”
“Okay, but again, once you go back to work, I don’t think breastfeeding will matter. I can bottle feed him your breast milk while I’m at home with him, and you’re at your job. I’ll have to wait for, what—six weeks? Twelve? How much time were you planning on taking off?”
Her mouth opened and closed several times as she searched for the words to reply.
“Hey, Dad. Here’s your cof—”
Nick stopped short in the doorway when he saw Pete’s shirt open, and Sawyer snuggled against his chest under a receiving blanket.
He walked in slowly and looked back and forth between Olivia and his father. “What am I missing here?”
Pete carefully stood and transferred the baby back into Olivia’s waiting arms. She hugged her son tight, never wanting to let him go again. Maybe she’d run away with him if she got the chance.
After he buttoned his shirt, he clasped Nick’s shoulder. “Let’s go for a walk.” He paused before walking out the door, as if he’d read her mind. “I’ll be back, Olivia. Don’t get any crazy ideas. That won’t help your situation.”
“I just gave birth two hours ago,” she snarked. “The only idea I have is to get some much-needed, and well-deserved rest.”
That brought him back into the room with a softer expression. “I can put him in the bassinet for you so you can sleep.”
“No,” she said as she gently rubbed her cheek against the soft tufts of hair. “I want hold him a little while longer.”
“I won’t be long.”
She wasn’t sure if it was a promise or a warning.
Chapter Ten
Maverick
“What was that all about?” Nick asked the second they stepped into the hall. “You obviously know her. Intimately, by the looks of it.”
Maverick took a swig from the coffee cup Nick had brought him from the cafeteria as he chose his next words carefully.
“You’re right. We dated.” He paused briefly. “Nine months ago.” He didn’t say anything more to let what he’d said sink in.
“So… her son… Sawyer…”
