Page 69 of A Billionaire Gentleman

“Not tonight,” Deklin said firmly. “Tonight, you’re going to take a break from all of that and enjoy the victory.”

I liked that idea. In fact, it gave me another idea.

Deklin’s driver was waiting for us, but as Deklin opened the door for me, a thought hit me. “Crap. I don’t have a car seat.”

He grinned at me and pointed. There, strapped in correctly, was one of those high-end, crazy-expensive car seats. “I had Joseph pick one up on his way over. It’s the kind that you can adapt as he grows.”

I kissed Deklin on the cheek before getting Dallas settled and strapped in. Would there ever be a day when I wouldn’t feel like the luckiest woman in the world to have such an amazing man in my life? I hoped not. I hoped that I’d have the chance to thank him every day for what he’d done for me.

I sat between Deklin and Dallas on the way home, each one having one of my hands. Dallas was fighting sleep, but he’d nod off soon enough. I had a feeling he hadn’t gotten a nap this afternoon. Mead’s mom had once informed me that giving Dallas a set schedule would stifle his creativity. If he didn’t crawl into bed on his own, she waited until he fell asleep wherever he was and then put him to bed.

When we reached my building, Deklin took Dallas and I took the backpack, grateful that I wouldn’t need to carry my growing boy all the way up the stairs. After setting a half-awake Dallas at the table, Deklin stood next to him, clearly unsure what to do.

“We’re going to have grilled cheese sandwiches. Would you like to join us?”

The smile that spread across his face made me smile in return. Then he turned to Dallas. “Is it okay with you if I stay for dinner with you and your mom?”

My heart melted. If I hadn’t already been in love with him, that question would’ve done it.

Dallas nodded, and then yawned. “She makes the bestest grilled cheese.”

“I’m sure she does.”

Grilled cheese was one of my go-to meals for when dinner was late. Deklin kept Dallas chatting while I made the food, and then we ate in relative silence. Halfway through the second half of his sandwich, Dallas’s head started nodding.

Eyes still on my son, I spoke softly so as not to wake him. “I can never thank you enough for what you and your family did for Dallas and me. And I want you to know that I understand if this isn’t what you want. A relationship that has a four-year-old already in it won’t be the same as if I didn’t have him.”

Deklin stood and picked up his plate. For a moment, I thought that was it, that he’d walk right then and there. Instead, he took the other plates and leaned down to kiss the top of my head.

“Put him to bed, and then we can talk. I’m not going anywhere.”

I hoped that meant more than just him not leaving before we talked, but I didn’t let my mind wander any bunny trails as I picked up Dallas and carried him into the bedroom. The last thing I wanted while I was tucking in my son was to be thinking about Deklin just wanting to let me down easy.

Except when I came back out into the living room, Deklin was sitting on the couch, at ease, and looking like he belonged. Something in me twisted, and I knew that if he walked away, my heart was going to be shattered. I wouldn’t be angry, though, not after he’d done so much to take down Mead and get Dallas back to me.

I smiled as I sat down next to him, but I could feel how tight my expression was and knew it didn’t look completely genuine. Judging by the look on his face, he had an idea of why I didn’t look happier.

“I don’t know Dallas,” he began, “but I know how important he is to you, and what a great mother you are. That means he’s important to me. I want to get to know him.”

I opened my mouth, and he put his fingers over my lips. His eyes were sparkling.

“I’m not going to push things. You’re his mother, and I will respect whatever timetable and boundaries you want. But you need to know that I’m serious about you. About him. I’m in all the way.”

I removed his hand from my mouth, kissing his fingers before releasing his hand. My heart was pounding. I wanted this so badly to be real.

“I have something for you.” He picked up a folded sheaf of papers and handed them to me.

I opened them and read the first few lines. I frowned, letting my gaze drop to the bottom of the letter where I saw Mead’s signature. I flipped to the second page, the legal jargon not processing anything better than I had in the letter. I mean, I knew what they said, but it wasn’t getting through.

“I don’t understand.”

“When I went to keep an eye on Mead, I talked to him.” He gave me a sheepish smile. “Actually, that’s really why I went there. To get him to sign that.”

I held up the papers. “I think I’m going to need a little more explanation than that.”

“I may have shown him copies of the evidence you gave to the police and told him that if he signed over full custody to you and rescinded all parental rights, I wouldn’t take the evidence to the cops.”

He had to be joking, right? He couldn’t have blackmailed my ex into relinquishing all claim on Dallas just minutes before Mead was arrested.

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