Page 113 of Backup Plan

“Tell me you’re making out like a fucking bandit after what that prick did to you,” she says.

“I told him I wanted full parental control of the boys and nothing else. He took me up on it.”

“Full control?” she repeats. “Like as in…he’s out of the picture?”

“I woke up in a cold-sweat-near-panic attack one night and realized exactly what he wanted. It wasn’t more time with the boys. It was ducking out of the responsibility altogether. He didn’t spend any time with them on his weekends. I always bragged about what a good father he was, but the truth was that I was a good enough mother to make him look good, too. I don’t want his money. I just want my boys, and I want to never have to deal with Brent Calloway again.”

“Holy hell. Are you sure you’re okay, babe?”

“Except for the broken heart that has zero to do with my dickwad of an ex, I’ve never been better.” The highs and lows of the last few weeks are nothing short of totally weird.

“Madden said they’re getting close to the verdict, so I’ll be in Chicago in a few days. Meet me for lunch or something, okay? Maybe I can talk you into relocating to Vegas to come work with me. I’ve got Ivy talked into it. Helps that her best friend is married to Dex and lives here.”

I laugh. “I’m not sure Vegas is where I want to land, but I’ll definitely consider the offer.”

Vegas is closer to San Diego than Chicago is, but it’s still not the same as what we had when the boys and I moved in temporarily with Liam. I want that dynamic back.

But he’s a daddy now. He’s got a baby to consider, and if he needed me, he would’ve called. Instead, it seems like he’s doing just fine without me.

He’s okay, according to his sister.

And as much as I want to call him, to check on him, to be there for him, and to crawl back into his arms, if he hasn’t reached out now that he has a newborn…then I don’t want to be the one to upset the delicate balance he must’ve found since writing me out of his story.

“I gotta go,” I tell Everleigh as I pull into the pickup line.

“Love you. Talk to you soon,” Ev says.

“Love you, too.” I hang up just as the boys rush over to my car.

They both jump in and get buckled. “How was school?” I ask.

“Fine,” Sammy says quietly.

I glance at him in the rearview, and his cheeks are a little flushed. My eyes slide over to Benji, who has his head turned toward the window.

Silence engulfs the car, and something is wrong.

Really wrong.

“What’s going on?” I ask quietly.

Neither of them says anything.

“Sammy?” I say quietly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he mutters.

I glance in my mirror at Benji, and I see him tugging on his brother’s sleeve. Sammy rips his arm away and shakes his head firmly at his brother.

“Okay, talk to me. What is wrong with you two?” I demand.

“Just tell her,” Benji whines to his brother.

Sammy finally relents. “Fine.” He lets out a loud, huffy breath. “Dad said something before we left, and we didn’t want to make you worried.”

“What did Dad say?” I ask through a clenched jaw.

“He said we might not see him for a while, but he loves us and we should always remember that.”