Page 68 of The Caress

"He didn’t ruin me," Ella fires back. "And you can’t stop me from taking care of Joy. Someone clearly needs to."

"I’ll call the police the minute she walks out this door," he rages. "I’ll have you arrested for kidnapping if you even think about putting her on a plane."

I lean in closer to the screen so I can make sure he hears every word I’m about to say. "You won’t say a word, do you understand? If you want any money at all, you’ll shut your mouth right now and listen."

To my surprise, he actually does shut up. Damn, if only I’d known it was that easy. I could have saved us all a lot of hassle.

"I’m listening," he growls. "What are your terms?"

Ella looks over at me, wide-eyed. We haven’t really discussed this part, so I’m just going to wing it. I give her hand a gentle squeeze this time. "I’m willing to give you a one-time, lump sum payment of twenty thousand dollars in cash. In exchange, you’ll give up your parental rights and give Ella full custody of Joy."

He looks away from the screen for a moment. I can hear a woman’s voice saying something. "Fifty thousand," he counters when he turns back to face us. "That’s the number we’ll accept."

I give Ella’s hand one more squeeze, then casually shrug my shoulders. "I think we’re done here. My offer is only good for the duration of this call. If we have to discuss this another time, the number will be fifteen thousand."

I reach for the keyboard, exaggerating my movements so there’s no way he can mistake what I’m doing.

"Wait, wait!" he waves me off just before I hit the button to disconnect the call. "I’ll… accept your offer. Twenty thousand. Cash."

"Good choice," I say, smiling. "I’ll send a plane for Joy and a briefcase full of hundred dollar bills. We’ll be in touch again soon."

I end the call this time without waiting for him to open his big mouth again. Ella looks like she’s in shock for a moment, then she slowly starts to smile. Her smile turns to a laugh. We're standing up and falling into each other's arms in a matter of seconds.

"I can’t believe that worked," she says, nearly crying from laughing so hard. "You were amazing. Watching you negotiate was kind of hot, if I’m being honest."

"Hell, you can start sitting in on the NewsCorp board meetings if it turns you on to seeing me negotiate. I’ll start wheeling and dealing every damn day."

She laughs harder, releasing all those pent-up emotions and anxieties as we hold each other tight.

The call with her dad couldn’t have gone any better. Twenty grand is a small price to pay if it means we don’t have to deal with his shenanigans anymore. And if he ever does want to reach out and have a semi-normal relationship with either of his daughters someday, he’ll know where to find them.

With me.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE

ELLA

The past month has been a complete blur, but in the best possible way. I’ve been flying back and forth from New York to Glasgow to oversee the renovations to the dance studio. Joy and Isla have been attached at the hip. Keir has actually managed to set aside time for all of us every day, even though he’s also been busy with work and the restoration of Drummond Castle.

All in all, we’ve been happy. And it’s been really nice.

This isn’t quite how I pictured my perfect fairytale romance, but that’s okay. It’s actually better in a lot of ways.

There are still some things we have to decide, like a date for the wedding and where we’re going to live since our little family has already almost outgrown the Glasgow penthouse and the castle will likely be out of commission for at least another year or more.

But overall, there’s nothing I’d change. I wake up every morning with a smile on my face and the love of my life by my side. What more could I ask for?

Even now, as Saffron and I pick up the toys that Isla and Joy seem to have left all over the penthouse, I can't help but smile.

"You’ve been so happy lately," she says, mirroring my grin. "I like seeing you like this."

"It’s a nice change of pace, isn’t it?" I shoot her a knowing glance as I think back to how she helped me during the darkest part of my short-lived breakup with Keir. "At least you don’t have to deal with me moping around and crying anymore."

"Amen to that," she winks. "But all jokes aside, I’m really happy for you. For both of you. And if he ever acts like a jerk again, you know exactly where to find me."

"He won’t," I say, knowing it’s true. "Not saying everything is sunshine and roses one hundred percent of the time, but it’s not anything like it was before, either. We’ve both grown and changed for the better, I think. I’m proud of Keir. He’s really put in the effort to make this work."

As if on cue, his voice echoes through the foyer. "Did I hear someone taking my name in vain?" Keir walks up behind me and kisses the side of my neck. "I hope it’s all good things, at least."

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