Right as mine were.
She wanted to protect us, I knew that and loved her for that every day. I literally had no idea how I would’ve got where I was today without her and Carmen, but right now, this had to be about Evie. If some of the pack could be appropriate father figures in my daughter’s life, we needed to make space in our lives to let them in.
“You never drink enough water!” she said, her voice wavering, then she forced herself to smile as she got to her feet. “I’ll grab you a big bottle and you need to drink the lot.”
“She cares about you,” Ben said, leaning forward, his massive forearms crossing on the table. “Sophie and her mum have been there the whole time through your pregnancy.”
“Carmen and her team did everything, including help Evie be born.”
“I wish I’d seen that,” he said, and that’s when I let out a little sigh.
“I didn’t mean to keep things from you. Honestly? I thought I’d just be getting in the way of whatever you were creating with your mate.”
“You are our mate, Lily,” Ben said.
The room was full of the kind of uncomfortable silence that comes from details that are way too personal being divulged in front of strangers, though I guessed if you were in family law, you were used to it. I straightened my spine, lifted my head and then smiled politely.
“Let's get through this parenting agreement, shall we? It must be costing you a bomb to be sitting here going through the past when what we need to do is focus on the future. Let’s just concentrate on Evie, please.”
When I looked up, Janet smiled sympathetically, which as opposing counsel or whatever she was, she probably shouldn’t have been, but that was easier to bear than the looks of the others. Jasper just blinked, like he’d been hit by a truck or something. And Damon? He watched me with a slow smile.
“An excellent sentiment,” Leo said briskly. “So, shall we continue?”
And so, it was all worked out. One Sunday in three weeks was the minimum the pack could ask for in terms of visitation, but I agreed to more. Ben and I would negotiate when and where he could see Evie and the others would need to see the appointed counsellor to prepare them before they could interact with Evie for any length of time. I was open to them meeting her under my supervision.
“Perhaps you could come by for a BBQ,” Sophie offered to the remaining men when she returned, pressing two 500ml bottles of water into my hands. Her tone was stiff but sincere. “Mum wants to meet you all. You could come and be around Evie without it being a big thing.”
The two lawyers glanced at the men, who all nodded in response.
“Well, I don't think we need to formalise that in the agreement,” Leo said with a jovial smile. “Sophie’s more than capable of policing that. I’ll have things drawn up and then sent over, Janet, for your clients to sign.”
“Thanks,” she said, rising and shaking Leo’s hand.
Everyone started to make a move then, pushing their chairs in and moving towards the door when Jasper hung back.
“Lily.”
My eyes snapped up to see him standing by my side, then stepping closer, the plastic of my bottles of water crackling as I inadvertently squeezed them. He smiled at that.
“Look, I know this isn’t the ideal time—”
“Jasper…” Ben growled.
The man in question just grinned wider as he turned back to me, then reached inside his jacket to pull out a bag of coffee and then put it in my hands.
“I went to every snooty coffee place in this concrete jungle and that one was recommended to me by the people that seemed to actually have a clue,” he said. I just stared at the metallic foil of the bag. “Providing, remember? That’s what alphas do. It’s what I want to do.” My focus flicked his way at the deepening sound of his voice. “I’d very much like the opportunity to brew you a cup or two, to get to know you. No jumping out of planes involved, I promise.”
“Damon told you…?” My voice trailed away as I realised just how far that statement could go and Jasper’s teeth seemed very white as he grinned.
“We talk about everything. Well, except for Reed.” Those grey eyes peered at me, looking for yet more clues.
“Damon told you about Reed but he won’t fess up,” I finished for him.
“Jasper, we need to go,” Ben said.
“Right, so if you want to talk about any of my brothers, or preferably none of them and just about you.” His hands covered mine as he turned the bag over, revealing a taped piece of paper with a phone number on it. “Give me a call. I’d like to be the one to make the coffee for you, but I’ll settle for the sound of your voice.”
I nearly jumped out of my skin when he darted forward, pressing the briefest of kisses to the top of my cheekbone and then jerking free again, particularly when Ben started to growl. He shot me one last wink before leaving the room along with everyone else.