Page 69 of Absinthe Minded

I closed the distance and lowered my voice. “I’m staying.”

“The hell you are.”

“Did you know Chloe thought I died and went to heaven with Joe and Becca?”

Maggie’s eyes widened.

“I stayed away too long.” Leaning closer, I whispered, “I’m not going to walk away from them again. It’s a big house. We can both behave like adults until we figure things out.”

“And if I say no?”

“You won’t, because you would walk through fire for those kids. It’ll hurt them if I leave.” I’d played dirty, but I didn’t give a shit.

Maggie chewed her bottom lip. “You’re only prolonging the inevitable.”

“Honey, I don’t walk out on my commitments. I may not have planned to be Ella’s father, or a stand-in-dad to Joe’s three, but I am. Like it or not, we love each other, and we’re going to work this out.”

She frowned, but for once in her life she didn’t have anything to say.

I shoved my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching for her. “Go wash your face. We’re going to sit down and eat dinner at the table like a normal family. The kids deserve that much.”

Maggie nodded and walked down the hall.

One thing had gone my way the entire fucking day.

23

Gabe

Courtrooms and churcheshad the same smell—wood soap, old papers, and desperation. I placed my hand on Maggie’s knee to stop it from shaking the table. “We’ve got this.”

We didn’t have this. Not with her representing herself. Not if my father had bought the judge. But I had to believe it would work out in the end.

She nodded, but her gaze slid past me to my parents and their attorney.

I put my face in her sight line. “Don’t look at them. Focus on me.”

Her eyes danced back and forth like her knee had moments before.

Even in her current state, her beauty quickened my pulse, but her inner strength humbled me. There were plenty of pretty faces in the world, but precious few could match my girl when it came to courage. She was the total package, the real deal, the whole enchilada.

“Maggie,” Zach whisper-shouted from the first row of the gallery.

She turned toward the kids.

He gave her a thumbs up. “Don’t worry. You’ve got this. We love you.”

I may not have had a part in making him, but I’d never been prouder of the kid. He sat tall between his sister and baby brother and held each of their hands.

“You got this!” Ryan pumped his fist.

Nadine shushed the kids and moved to Maggie’s side. “Mary Margret. You must sit up. No judge will give custody to someone who slouches.”

I’d never wanted to smack a woman more in my life, but this wasn’t the time, and it certainly wasn’t the place. “Thank you, Nadine. Maybe you could keep your comments to yourself until after this is over?”

Maggie gasped, but her mother took the freaking hint and sat her ass down.

Thankfully, the judge came into the courtroom before Maggie had a chance to chastise me for calling Nadine out.

---