Page 59 of Finding Forever

Rage and disbelief tinged Chris’ words when he shouted, “What is wrong with your brain, woman? Seriously, are you even human?”

Again, my ex-wife shrugged before she put her pen away and stood to her feet. With one last glance in our general direction, she fixed the hem of her blouse and then waltzed out without another word.

Gina pulled her hands from her lap and opened the single folder that laid in front of her. My lawyers had drafted two similar agreements for Chris. With shaky hands, she cleared her throat and glanced nervously at Chris. I searched her face to see if she wanted my help, but she returned one hand to her lap under the table and I placed my hand on it.

Proudly, I watched her spring into action. With a capped pen, she pushed the paper toward Chris and began using the pen as a pointer.

“This agreement states that you will receive this amount every month and agree to seeing Mycah twice a month. If you sign this, you agree that I will be the sole caregiver and guardian. I will have control over his schooling, his extracurricular activities, making sure he has outstanding medical care, and so forth.”

While Gina didn’t have to make a monetary offer, we’d included it in the agreement as an incentive for him to uphold his part of the deal.

“Okay,” Chris said lowly. He was wringing his hands, still seemingly shaken by the turn of events from earlier.

I tsked under my breath.

“Until he is eighteen and can begin to make those decisions on his own,” she added, before placing the pen in his direction. An open invitation for him to sign and have this all over with.

He took the hint and began signing on the dotted line. Right before my eyes, Gina’s shoulders dropped from her ears. She sighed and the hand that had been clutching mine for dear life loosened just a bit.

“I’ll see you around, Gina,” Chris said as he stood looking down at us.

My hand was at Gina’s back, rubbing in small circles. She leaned into my touch, deepening our connection.

“Are you okay?” I asked as she watched him retreat.

Blowing out a long breath, Gina remained voiceless but nodded.

Gina

Two months later

Acontented smile rested on my lips as I watched Penny and Mycah compete for who could draw the best house made out of a pineapple before the waiter returned with our food. They loved these off-the-wall competitions, and I would never get tired of their joyous laughter whenever it got down to the wire and they had to present their work. Their zeal was a welcome change from the slump we’d gone through with both of them a few months back.

The best part about dining at family friendly restaurants meant that there were always plenty of crayons on standby. To my right, Maverick watched it all with an amused smile on his face that made me melt. Still, after months of being around him, I reacted like a teenage girl seeing her crush in the hallway between classes.

The man was so dreamy it hurt. And the way he catered to my every need was worthy of all my love in return. A long overdue peace had settled over our lives in the last couple of months. With Victoria out of the picture, it was amazing how much smoother everything went.

But I was still floored at how easily she’d signed away her rights to be in Penny’s life. Penny was not my child. And I’d never fill the shoes of her biological mom, yet I was baffled on how anyone could easily walk out of this little girl’s life. She was the sweetest, most energetic, and smartest kid I knew, aside from Mycah.

They were closer than ever. Their bond had only been tightened by the countless sleepovers at each other’s houses and all the extra quality time they got to spend together because Maverick’s nanny watched Mycah whenever we wanted a date night.

Maverick had not been joking when he said he wanted to take care of me. Ever since I’d lowered my defenses and let him, my life had gotten so much easier. Just from having a supportive partner instead of someone I had to beg and plead with. I was no longer juggling multiple hats and trying to keep my head above water.

Thanks to Maverick, I was sailing comfortably with a co-captain who only wanted to see a smile on my face. I knew for a fact that I had never been this in love. What I thought I felt for Chris didn’t come close to what I felt for Maverick.

Perhaps it was the years of experience that allowed me to make better choices, but I felt wiser and surer about this than anything I’d done in my life.

Maverick waseverything.

Just as my thoughts got too swoony, the waiter arrived with our meals and we tore into them. We’d been to this restaurant plenty of times before and the food was absolutely delicious.

“Mommy, can you help me cut the chicken?” Mycah asked, in the middle of our feast.

He was at that age where he wanted to at least try everything on his own before asking for help. But I had to admit that my heart soared whenever he gave in and asked for a helping hand. It made me feel like he still needed me.

“Of course, baby. You did a great job trying on your own, too. You’re getting better,” I complimented, earning me a proud smile from Mycah. God, I had the cutest kid in the world. I brought his plate closer to mine and started cutting his chicken into cubes that he could easily pick up.

Maverick’s free hand was on my thigh and caressing lazily. Something that had become commonplace since we’d gotten closer. If we were in the same vicinity, his touch was never far from me. He couldn’t keep his hands off of me. And when he said he adored me, I never doubted it because his actions spoke louder than anything he’d ever told me.

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