Page 94 of Second Dance
“Don’t tell me you’re conspiring with the kids now,” Delphine said, laughing. “There’s nothing worse than a friend newly in love.”
I tossed my hair. “All right. I’ll leave it alone. But if any of you change your mind, I’m here for you.”
“We’re always here for one another,” Lila said. “That’s the one thing we know for sure.”
Seraphina lifted her glass. “To the word ‘friend’ as a verb.”
We all clinked glasses. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hunter watching our table. I turned just slightly to get a better view. And darned if he wasn’t staring at Seraphina.
19
ALEX
Once again, I sat in Ben’s conference room with Darren, praying he would sign the paperwork and take the money and be gone for good. With the leverage we had over him, there was no way he would refuse.
Darren slouched in the chair across from me, eyes bloodshot, a two-day beard shadowing his jaw. A faint odor of cigarettes and grease. The bravado was gone, replaced by the dull look of someone who’d finally run out of road.
Ben sat at the head of the table, voice even. “Mr. Kincaid, this document formalizes the termination of your parental rights to Peter and Bella. Once signed, you relinquish all legal claim or future contact. In exchange, Mr. Garcia will provide the agreed-upon financial sum, and neither he nor Ms. Horton will press charges stemming from the recent incident involving Grace Horton.”
That got a flicker from him. He straightened a little. “So that’s my reward for being the bad guy? You buy me off, and I stay quiet?”
Ben didn’t blink. “As much as it pains me to have Alex pay you a dime, it’s what has to be done to get rid of you. You’ve been nothing but poison to those innocent children—when youleft them and when you came back. You should be ashamed of yourself. But take the money and go somewhere far away.”
Darren’s gaze slid to me, a slow, mean smirk lifting the corners of his mouth. “You must really think you’re something, huh? Swooping in, taking my place. Giving them the rich lifestyle that Mattie always wanted?”
I leaned forward, calm, deliberate. “I didn’t take your place. You gave it away a long time ago. Mattie wanted only for her children to be loved and taken care of, which you refused to do. Mattie made herself sick worrying about whether you would suddenly show up again. But me? I wanted nothing more than to get you to legally sign off on your kids’ lives. They’re mine. They’ve been mine since the moment I met them. And, unlike you, I’ll stay and fight for them until my last breath. You disgust me, but I’m willing to give you a fat check anyway, because I love my kids.”
Darren’s jaw twitched, but he stayed silent.
Ben pushed the folder across the table and set a pen on top. “Initial each page, sign at the bottom.”
Darren stared at it like it was a snake that might strike him. For a long beat, no one spoke. Then he sighed, shoulders sagging, and picked up the pen. The tip scratched across the paper, the sound loud in the still room.
“There you go.” He scrawled his name with a shaky hand. “Happy?”
Ben glanced through each page, then closed the folder with quiet precision. “Relieved. For everyone involved.” He pushed the envelope with the cashier’s check toward Darren.
Darren snatched it up, then tucked it into the pocket of his jeans.
“Maybe use this money to turn your life around,” I said.
He gave a dry laugh. “Yeah, well, guess what? You don’t get to tell me what to do. I’ll live as I please.”
“You always have,” I said.
Ben rose, signaling we were done. Darren pushed back his chair and stood, avoiding my eyes, as he headed toward the door. He hesitated, his hand on the doorknob. For a moment, I thought he might say something redeeming. I was wrong. “Guys like me never had a chance against guys like you. People with money always win.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself,” I said.
He gave a half shrug, then walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.
Ben tucked the folder into his briefcase and looked at me. “That’s it. He’s done. The court will finalize it by Friday.”
I nodded, the knot in my chest finally easing. “Thank you for everything. You’ve been a rock in all this, and I appreciate it.”
Ben smiled faintly. “Like I said before, I’m always here for you. You’ve done a lot of good in the world, Alex. I hope you know that.”
“You’re too kind, but thank you.” We shook hands before heading out of the conference room. As I stepped outside, the late-afternoon breeze rolled off the ocean, warm and salty. I pulled my keys from my pocket and stood there a moment, letting it all settle. Darren was gone. The past was behind us. The future lay ahead, bright and promising.
