Page 95 of Steele

I cocked a brow and followed her into the kitchen. “I haven’t seen my kid for a month because you seem to have a problem with the truth.”

Henri leaned against the counter. “Do you want a cup of coffee?”

I nodded and took a seat. Natalie sat across from me with our divorce papers in her hand. Henri set a cup of coffee in front of me.

“Today didn’t go the way I’d hoped,” she said.

“Lucky for me.”

“I know you hate me. I don’t care. I’m scared.” She laid the papers on the table and rested her hands on top of them.

“You tried to take my kid from me. You lied. Just because I won the appeal doesn’t mean this shit doesn’t follow me around. I have to wait three years before I can request for it to be removed from my record.”

“Don’t play the victim. You’ve done worse.”

Henri rested his hand on her shoulder. She took a visible inhale.

“Joint custody scares me because of the MC. I was there. I know what happens in the clubhouse. The guns, whores, and drugs. I don’t want my little girl thinking it’s okay for men to treat her like garbage. I did what I thought I had to do to protect Lili.”

I leaned back in my chair. She wasn’t wrong to be worried. My former club was toxic, and it was hard as fuck to get away from them. But Hellers were more than a brotherhood. They were my family. “What do you need from me?”

“I want you to promise you won’t take her to the MC. I want you to put her first. I want to know that when she’s with you, she’s safe.”

“She does come first, and you seriously think I’d put her in danger? Nat, there has to be room for compromise. She has friends at the MC. Going to the clubhouse was the first thing she asked for when I picked her up.”

“Exactly my point. She’s obsessed with everything about that club. She doesn’t belong there.”

“She belongs with me.” I released a heavy sigh. “What if I bring her home every night—not just weekends? She sleeps here, in her own bed, until I get my own place with a room for her.”

Henri sat in the chair next to Natalie. “That sounds good to me. He’s being reasonable,” he said to Natalie. “You’re going to have to bend a little.”

“Fine. You need to have her home by bathtime.”

“Not on Fridays. Church is at eight. I can have her home by ten, eleven at the latest.”

“No.”

“It’s a Friday night. She’ll be tired and fed. She can sleep in on Saturday.” I tapped my fingers on the table. “Transportation is going to be an issue.”

“You’re not putting her on your bike.”

“Nat, I’m walking away from the house and everything in it. I left you the car, and I took most of the debt. I can’t afford to buy another vehicle. I’ve been on a bike my entire life. I was her age riding dirt bikes. She’ll be in full gear—gloves, helmet, jacket, and I’ll put her in a harness. She wants to ride on the bike.”

“She wants to live in an ant farm, too, and she wants to marry Romeo.”

I tipped my head back and growled. “You can’t control everything. I don’t want your lay parenting my kid, but he’s here, and she’s going to need discipline when she does shit wrong. I don’t like her calling him dad, but I understand that I have no control over that. I didn’t agree with you pulling her out of dance, but you did it anyway. Stop pushing me out of her life.” I could feel my temper spiking. “I never laid a hand on you, but that shit you tried with your brother could’ve caught me a domestic violence charge.”

“Calm down,” Henri said.

“Nah. Fuck this. After what you two pulled, you both need to take a step back.”

Henri stared hard at Natalie. Clearly, there was some silent communication happening between them. Maybe they had a come-to-Jesus conversation. I could’ve caught charges, but she’d perjured herself, and the court called her out on it.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can sympathize with how it felt to be away from her. I’m going to try this your way. I’ll give you what you want.” She flipped to the signature page for the divorce and slid the document over to me. “Joint custody.”

Nervous energy surged through me. Inside, I trembled. The papers were signed and notarized.

“Once you sign with a notary, we can file with the court, and we’ll be done.” She glanced at Henri, then back at me. “These are the original papers. The terms are what your lawyer presented to mine. It’s everything you asked for. Joint physical custody. One week with me. One week with you. Visit night during the week if pre-arranged. Alternating holidays. Sharing of all Lili’s expenses.”