Page 122 of Backup Plan

Hell, my own eyes start to sting with something unfamiliar.

I may play the role of a tough NFL quarterback, but seeing this little kid come running up to me to give me a hug after we’ve been apart for far too long pulses this protective feeling in me that I never want to let go of. I want to provide for these kids. I want to help create a stable environment for them. I want to be a part of their lives, to care for them and help guide them and teach them. In short, I want to be a father to them—a stepfather, at least.

Penny and I haven’t had a chance to really talk about what the terms of their divorce were, but the judge mentioned that she’d have full parental control and relocation, and he also questioned whether she wanted to ask for support. I’m smart enough to guess what that means.

And I’m right here to give her the support the man she incorrectly married the first time refuses to give. She doesn’t have to ask. We don’t need to sign papers. She can have all of me, including my bank account.

Which is why, on Saturday afternoon when I opened a savings account for Liora and started piling money into it, I did the same for Sammy and Benji.

Even if I’m not a part of their lives, I want them to be taken care of.

I knew Penny wouldn’t accept charity from me, so I also set up college accounts for the kids. It’s one less thing she’ll need to worry about down the road, but it takes some of the financial burden off the future. I did it with the help of her mom, whose number I happened to have from back when Penny lived with me.

I give her a hug as Everleigh stands and pulls more chairs over to our table for the next set of arrivals, and I love how Penny just fits into our family. She’s been a part of it as Ev’s best friend for a long time, and as Everleigh takes her seat between Penny’s mom, whose name is Wilma, and Ford, I realize for the first time how everyone here is celebrating this woman. Her kids are here now, and they don’t know the gravity of what just went down. But as I watch her hug Benji, and as the boys switch and Sammy hugs his mom while Benji hugs me and whispers how much he missed me, I realize that they don’t need to know.

They’re here with family now, and we will take care of them and their mom. Forever.

CHAPTER 39: Penny Wade

Off Market

What a day. What a brunch. What a court appearance. What a man.

I’m in disbelief that things are falling into place so perfectly, and the moment I saw Sammy run up to Liam before he ran to me, I knew what our future would hold.

More of this. More of my boys smiling because of a positive male authority in their lives rather than an absent one.

Well, truth be told, I was pretty sure I knew my answer the very second I spotted him as I turned around to leave the courtroom today.

He showed up for me, and my God, it means so much more than I ever thought it could mean.

And when I held Liora in my arms, I felt an immediate connection to her.

So it’s no surprise that we move right back into Liam’s place before the day is done. In fact, Dolores arranges to have all our stuff picked up from my mom’s place and the storage unit and brought back to Liam’s, and after we get the boys down and Liora is snuggled in her bassinet in the family room, we finally have a little bit of quiet time together.

He takes my hand in his, and he stares down at our hands. “I have court tomorrow, and I’m leaving Friday for San Diego. I want you and the boys to come with me, but you never told me the specifics of your final agreement.”

“You were there. You heard,” I say.

“I know. I just want to hear you say it.”

“I have sole custody of the boys,” I say quietly. “With relocation approval.”

“How’d you get him to agree to that?” he asks.

I glance up at him. “I woke up in a cold sweat one night and realized it wasn’t more time with them that he wanted.”

“What an asshole,” he mutters.

“He wasn’t always like that, but I think having kids changed him. It changed me, too—just completely in the other direction. I’d do anything for those boys. You know that. But Brent…I don’t think he ever really wanted to be a dad, and the more I look back with hindsight, the more I see that he really never even tried with them.”

“They deserve so much more,” he says.

I nod. “I thought about what Brent values above all else, and I told him he could keep everything if he’d just agree to granting me sole custody. He thought it over, and I guess he determined that it was the right call. It’s more stable this way. I don’t have to worry about who he’s pawning my boys off on every two weekends. If they want to get to know him when they’re older, I’ll never hide him from them, but for now, this feels like it’s in the best interest of all of us.”

He pulls out his phone, and he taps on something before showing me the screen.

I glance at the house I fell in love with, and I read the yellow words on the screen. “Off market.” My chin dips in disappointment. “Oh.”