Page 35 of War

I choke on my drink, coughing and pounding my chest with my fist. “Nowyou sound like my lawyer.”

Ava straightens, her eyes as big as saucers. “She said that would help?”

I kick at an invisible speck of lint on the hardwood floor in front of me. “Yeah, it would show stability. It’d be good for all the kids, really. I’m never gone for more than a few days, and I rush home as quickly as I can, but I do travel a lot.”

“I’ll do it,” she whispers.

I snap straight with so much force I almost topple off the brick hearth. “You’ll do what?”

“Marry you. I’ll do it.”

I cough out a laugh, even as a wild mix of emotions swirls through me. “Wasn’t aware I proposed.”

She glares in the way she reserves for me only. “Come on, it’s a good idea. You want to be Josie’s dad,and I want Josie to be happy. Tonight was proof enough that she’s happy here, so I’ll do what I can to make sure she stays with you.”

“And you want to be her mom,” I point out.

She shrugs, the move unapologetic. “Well, yeah.”

“But you wouldn’t just be her mom.” I set my now empty glass beside me. “Scarlett and Bray are part of this family too. Bray may not be mine yet, and maybe he never will be legally, but he needs people who care about him just as much as the girls do. This isn’t about you living out some fantasy you have of being Josie’s mom.”

Her glare darkens. “I’m not an asshole, War.”

I blow out a breath. Once again when it comes to her, I’m getting it wrong. “All I mean is that this isn’t the kind of decision you should make on a whim. This is life-changing. You’re not talking about a farce of a marriage to get one over on the judge, are you? Because I can’t put the kids through that. We can’t get married, only to get divorced after a year or whatever. And living separately wouldn’t work. There’ll be more home visits and inspections coming up.”

“No.” She places her hand on my knee. With that simple touch, the heat of her hand against the flannel fabric of my pajama pants, it’s as if she’s put a spell on me. One that makes it impossible to look away. “I get that you need full-time help. That they need full-time parents.”

“Until Scarlett turns eighteen,” I rasp.

She doesn’t even blink. “Okay.”

“This is fucking crazy.” Finally shaking free of her glamour, I pick up the whiskey bottle and pour two more fingers for myself. Pointing my glass at her, I say, “You know that, right? This is nuts. You don’t even like me. And you were dating my stepbrother. Is this some sort of revenge?”

She scoffs. “God no. Do I seem like the type of person who would use kids for revenge?” She shakes her head. “Don’t answer that.”

She doesn’t. I may give her shit about a lot of things but one thing I think we both can agree on is that both of us care about Josie. She would never use her for any sort of revenge. I almost feel bad for saying it. Swallowing down my guilt, I bump my knee against hers again. “You’re not. But still, this is crazy. We could never pull it off.”

Realizing that I’m not saying no, Ava lights up. She’s more animated in this moment than I’ve ever seen her. “No. It’s brilliant. We both get what we want. We know exactly what the arrangement is and isn’t. And we agree that the kids are what’s important here. Their happiness. Their safety.Their lives.Because after her time here with you and Scarlett and Brayden, there’s no way Josie will be truly happy anywhere else.”

Just the thought of her being taken from me creates a pain in my chest so acute I have to rub at it with my free hand. “Of course not.”

“And do you think there’s another woman out there who could be a better mother to Josie?” She blinks and scoots back. “Oh shit,” she breathes, clutching at her neck like she did earlier. “Are you seeing someone?”

I laugh at the absurd turn this conversation has taken. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. And just tonight, I was thinking that I should find a mother for the kids, and that if it weren’t for our mutual dislike of one another, you’d be perfect for that role.”

She grins almost like she enjoys my response.

“So we agree—outside of our obvious distaste for one another—that we’re the best option for Josie.”

I dip my chin. “I suppose.”

“And we’re both single.” She arches a brow, as if she’s waiting for me to confirm.

Once again I give her a tiny nod. “But Scarlett’s only two. We’re talking about a long-term commitment.”

Ava nods. “Sixteen years until she turns eighteen. I can do the math.”

“Don’t you want a happily ever after with someone like Xander? Aman who will give you the white picket fence, kids of your own, a love story?”

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