Page 99 of Playing For Keeps
“She said you’d say that.” I stand, meander to the door to the balcony, and go outside.
The warm spring breeze caresses my bare arms.
Hunter cuts in. “If you knew that would be my response, what’s this call about?”
“Dori told me you have Aiden doing some work for you.”
“I do. What’s that got to do with this?”
“She said Aiden’s been investigating Isabella so you can fight for full custody.”
“That’s correct.”
A woman in the background says something to Hunter. He must cover the speaker because he responds to her, but it’s muffled, so I can’t make out what he said.
He clears his throat. “I’m going to need to ask you to get to the point. I have a guest I need to attend to.”
“Yeah, sure. I have a proposal for you. It’s about the money you gave Dori. I think I have a way to make her accept it, but you would need to be a part of it for it to work.”
“Tell me what you have in mind.”
I walk the length of the deck and stop in front of the sliding glass doors that lead to the living room that connects to the kitchen.
I grip the railing of the balcony, hoping to get his buy-in, then I dive into the details. He listens as if he’s considering it but has a few questions. We go over all his concerns. Once we iron out the details, I sigh in relief.
“Thanks, Hunter. I appreciate this more than you know.”
He laughs under his breath. “After speaking with Dorothy yesterday, I can only imagine how this has weighed on her. The money was never meant to cause her turmoil, so I’m glad we have a resolution we can all agree to.”
“She’ll be grateful you’re willing to do this. Thank you.”
“Anything for her.” He sighs and pauses for a beat. “I best get back to my company.”
“Of course.”
We say goodbye, and a weight lifts from my shoulders. I turn and notice she’s in the kitchen sorting her vitamins.
I tug the sliding glass doors open and join her inside. “That was Hunter.”
She peeks up and stops what she’s doing. “And?”
“He’s on board.”
Her posture softens, and her eyes close. She brings in a deep pull of air like it’s the first time she’s taken a breath in days.
I soak her in. She’s wearing a flowy black jumpsuit made of a thin, delicate material cinched at the waist with a shining black and silver chain-like belt. The outfit is sleeveless, so her sleek, toned arms are on full display.
A silver necklace lies over her perfect breasts, and silver bracelets adorn her wrists.
“You steal my breath away.” I slide up behind her and circle my arms around her stomach, resting my hands on her lower belly.
A flash of her being pregnant flickers on the screen of my mind, but I shake it off.Why do I keep thinking about that?
One step at a time, Jamison.
Dori’s under too much pressure as it is.
She rests flush against my chest, placing her palms over my hands. “What would I ever do without you?”
