Page 57 of Dominate
And without another word, she turns to walk away.
THE SMILE ONSLOAN’S FACEis permanent as she sets the table in her kitchen, humming a tune and doing fancy twirls every few steps as she goes back and forth for more supplies.
I sit at the table watching her hips sway and her chestnut hair flip. It’s been a week since I last saw her, and she mentioned on the phone that she has some news to share with me, but she wanted to wait until she saw me.
“Are you going to tell me why you’re so happy?” I ask impatiently. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m enjoying the show, but the suspense is killing me.”
Sloan sets a plate down in front of me and smiles. “Yes, I’ll tell you.” She takes a deep breath and sits down on the chair beside me. Splaying her hands out on the table, she looks at me and says, “Margaret and Callum sent a new custody agreement to my lawyer today.”
My body instantly stiffens. The truth is, any time Callum’s name is mentioned, I tense. I hate that wanker. “What kind of new agreement?” I ask, my tone wary.
Sloan bites her lip and surprises me when a huge smile spreads across her face. “Callum wants to revise our agreement so he only has Sophia every other weekend now, instead of every other week.”
My brow furrows in confusion. “Wait, are you saying he wants less time with her?”
“Yes,” she replies with wide eyes. “It was Margaret’s idea.”
I sit back in my chair as I attempt to understand. “This doesn’t make any sense. You said when he asked you for a divorce, he threatened to go for full custody.”
“I know.”
“So, what’s changed?”
“Margaret’s changed,” Sloan answers and props her elbows on the table. She proceeds to tell me all about her talk with Margaret last Sunday. About Callum’s new engagement and how disgusted Margaret is by the way her son has been behaving. She even tells me about the Coleridge connection to Kid Kickers and how disappointed Margaret is in Callum’s lack of interest.
I shake my head as I digest all this information. The truth is, I already knew the Coleridge name was involved in my foundation, but I wasn’t sure to what level. And Callum’s name has never been attached to anything, so I assumed it wasn’t him specifically. But the biggest matter at hand is the change he’s requesting with Sophia.
“So you’re saying Sophia is going to be around a lot more?” I ask, looking at Sloan, who’s watching me with anticipation.
“Yes,” she replies with a smile and stands up to continue setting the table. She opens a drawer and grabs some silverware while adding, “The new arrangement goes into effect when Margaret passes away. Kind of morbid, I know, but I signed the new papers two days ago, so it’s really happening!”
With a genuine smile, I rush over to scoop Sloan up in a giant hug. Her giddiness is infectious as I spin her around, her hands full of cutlery. She squeals happily and begs for me to put her down.
When I lower her to the floor, my smile slightly falls. “Is Sophia okay with this? I mean, I’m sure she loves her dad. This can’t be easy for her.”
Sloan nods, a look of understanding on her face. “She is. We had a long talk before I signed the papers. I kind of fibbed a bit and told her it is because Callum’s job is so demanding and he will have even less time once Margaret passes on. But I honestly think she knows the truth. Sophia is so damn smart.”
My lips pull into a sad smile. “I hate that she can sense his disinterest even more than I hate his disinterest.”
Sloan gives my shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay. Trust me, I’m going to make up for it. And maybe her time with Cal will be better quality now that it’s less.”
“We can certainly hope,” I reply before another thought dawns on me. “Does this mean I’ll be seeing a lot less of you?”
Sloan’s brow furrows as she reaches up to cup my jaw. “Not necessarily. Freya is basically an on call babysitter whenever I need her. She loves Sophia almost as much as I do, so you and I will have our time together. And I know this is a lot, but if you’re ready to officially meet Sophia, I’d love that. But if you think it’s too soon, we can wait.”
I move in to press my lips to hers, halting her doubts right where they are. I pull back and murmur, “It’s not too soon.”
Sloan smiles and kisses me again. “Good. I’m thinking maybe at a park. I can make us a picnic or something.”
“I have an idea actually. One that I’ve been thinking about for a while now.” I rub the back of my neck nervously as Sloan waits for me to elaborate. “What would you say if I told you I want to start training Sophia in football? One-on-one. Just the two of us. Very low chance of injury. We’d take it slow for starters and build her up as you feel more comfortable.”
Sloan’s eyes go wide. “You would do that?”
“Of course I would. I know you’re worried about her health, so perhaps we can speak to her doctor about it first. I’d be happy to go along with you to be sure he’s given the full scope of what I’d be doing with her.”
“Gareth,” Sloan says my name with a sigh. “Are you for real?”
I shrug my shoulders. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
