Page 88 of Summer Fling
"Thank you for coming back for me. For telling me how you feel."
"I hate to admit this, but Hudson was right. He scared me into thinking that you might leave, and I might not be able to fix things. I didn't want you to leave, not without me telling you how I feel."
I smiled, happiness filling me. "Didn't you have something to show me?"
"And not much time to do it." He lowered his lips to mine, and I forgot about everything but what it was like to be with him.
Epilogue
Dalton
It was the morning of the mediation, and I didn’t know what to expect. We stood in a corridor of the courthouse, waiting for the mediator to arrive and unlock the door.
I advised Ashton that Blake would be attending as my girlfriend and the woman who looked after my child.
Ashton assured me that it would be fine for purposes of the mediation. I held Blake’s hand as we waited to enter the room where we’d discuss how often I’d get to see my little girl.
I hoped for the best but was braced for anything. It was impossible to predict how Oakley would react.
She said something to her attorney and, at his nod, broke away from him and approached us.
I squeezed Blake’s hand, offering the only reassurance I could in these circumstances.
Oakley glanced at our joined hands. “I heard you’re engaged.”
I smiled at Blake. “Actually, we’re not.”
“We have plenty of time for that, and we wanted to sort the legal stuff out with Lilliana first,” Blake added.
Oakley turned her attention to me. “But you’re serious about her?”
“I’m in love with her and want to build a life with her and Lilliana, maybe even give her a sibling or two.” I smiled at Blake, who curled her free hand around my arm, leaning into my side.
Oakley sighed. “You want to continue the arrangement we had with fifty-fifty joint custody?”
I sighed too. “Yeah, I think that’s worked out perfectly for everyone.”
“I understand why you feel the need to stick to the schedule, but I hope, over time, we can be a little more flexible once Lilliana’s in school and involved in more activities.”
“Let’s see how things go with this arrangement first.”
Oakley considered us, then nodded. “I’d like to put that in the agreement, if that’s what you want.”
I glanced at the mediator, who’d just arrived to unlock the door. “You want fifty-fifty joint custody with the option to negotiate schedule changes as situations arise?”
Oakley nodded. “Yes.”
I smiled, relaxing for the first time in months. “Let’s do it.”
There was always a possibility that it didn’t work out, and Oakley went back to her old ways, but Ashton assured us that we could return for another mediation if that happened. Now that we had a formal custody agreement in place it would be more difficult for her to deviate from it.
I was willing to try this, even hopeful that we could co-parent. I had a feeling the change in Oakley came from knowing I’d officially moved on. I was sure it was clear to everyone around us how much I loved Blake.
We went into the room, and the attorneys explained the process. They’d draft the agreement, and we’d sign it, officially giving us fifty-fifty join custody.
Outside, I drew Blake into my arms. “That worked out.”
“Did you know that she’d do that?” Blake asked.
