Page 34 of The Seal's Promise

“I’m guessing you’re not really interested in getting any help from men, but if you do need anything, I hope you’ll at least consider calling me.”

“My dad is usually my go-to, but thank you. Now we really better get back to work or Nora will start to wonder what’s happened to us.”

Before she could act he slid his body up the back of the door and then took both her hands to help her stand, bringing her body close to his in the already small space. His hand lifted and he pushed a strand of hair back that had slipped from her ponytail, his thumb grazing her cheek. Neither of them said a word. If she had to guess, he was thinking about the last time they were alone in his truck. And when his eyes fell to her lips, she almost gave in to her own desire to experience their heat again. But she already had so much drama going on in her life. She didn’t need any more, even if Dalton felt like exactly what she wanted.

*

The rest ofthe week was a weird mix of being busy at work and trying not to obsess about how attracted she was to Dalton. She argued with herself about whether she should or should not act on those feelings and what the repercussions would be, while at the same time being paranoid about the next time she would run into Tyler or if he’d left town. She took Max for the paternity test and he was more interested in going to the train museum after than asking about why the nurse had swabbed his inner cheek and taken a sample of his blood. But then, on Saturday—her first day off and chance to sleep in—was interrupted by a knock at her door before eight in the morning.

“I’ll get it,” Max yelled.

“No you will not, young man. Never answer the door unless you know exactly who is knocking,” Brooke said, catching him before he unlocked the door. But before she could look through the peephole, she heard Declan speak.

“Hey, Brooke, it’s just me. I’ve got an update.”

She opened the door to find Declan and his two twins in tow.

“Hey, guys, you’re just in time for pancakes, so come on in.”

Declan’s twins were five and adorable handfuls. Their mom had died from complications during childbirth at the city hospital. Declan had been raising them with the help of his family, but then last year his mother passed away too. But he was the strong, stoic type. Brooke had never seen him have a bad day, and he ran his family law firm out of an office in his home. So he was making it work like most single parents do.

“You don’t have to feed us, we have ninja class in thirty minutes, but I wanted to bring you some good news.

“I asked the lab to rush the results, and they confirmed what we all knew.” He looked over at his twins digging into Max’s basket of toys and turned his back to the kids. “The judge will review the results along with our submission. And I think we hit the lottery.”

“We did?”

“Yes. This particular judge does not take kindly to people dodging their responsibilities. It’s very likely you’ll receive the back pay with interest.”

“Wow. That’s a lot. I really just thought I wanted to get the monthly payments to start; I hadn’t thought about the backpay.”

Declan took a look at the kids. “There is also the family trust.”

“What trust?”

“Well, I had a visitor yesterday who mentioned that there’s a family trust which specifically states any legitimate heirs must receive a portion.”

“A visitor that knew I had filed for child support?” Brooke asked, finding it hard to hide her shock.

“Yes, and they asked that I keep their visit confidential, but I wanted to speak to you first about pursuing the trust. Technically it’s Max’s birthright too.”

“I don’t know. I feel like that will send Tyler into a rage.”

Declan stood straighter. “That can be managed with the law if needed.”

“I just don’t want this to hurt Max.”

Declan nodded. “Think about it, and in the meantime, perhaps speak with a financial advisor on how best to handle a large sum of money. The judge will likely give him very little time to transfer funds.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay, yah, I’ll talk to someone.”

“Just remember that the law is on your side as far as Max’s inheritance and what you are owed to care for him.”

She nodded. “It just seems so strange, but doing it on my own is so much harder than I expected. This money will afford me more time with him.”

“You never need to justify to anyone why you expect his father to contribute to his well-being,” Declan said.

“Thanks, Declan.”

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