He looked at Matt. “Same with you. Focus on the fact that you’re the best of the best, and when she digs up all the gossip about your unstable upbringing and your mentally unstable father, don’t fall for it.”
“Still not mincing words, Frank,” Matt said, and the humor in his voice was something he actually felt.
“No time. Ariel here has her issues, and they’re going to try to make you one as well. It’s nothing personal, but if they start digging into ancient history, I’m going to shut it down, so don’t react. Have you reconciled with your father?”
“Is that important?” Matt almost choked on the words, but he’d meant it when he said he’d do anything to protect Dani.
“Couldn’t hurt. And bottom line is we’re going to present a happy, perfect, and completely sane nuclear family. Anything that keeps us on point there is good. So don’t get distracted and be natural. You are in the right here, she’s in the wrong, so no matter what they throw at you, no matter how much she tries to rattle you—Do. Not. Fall. For. It.”
“And this is all off the record though, right? I mean God forbid if this doesn’t work out, is the judge going to consider it?”
Frank nodded. “That’s right. The judge won’t consider or be privy to anything we discuss, but if their lawyer sees an area she can mine, she’ll go for it. It’s time,” Frank said as he stood.
They followed behind him and crossed the busy street to enter another office building, and as they rode the elevator, Matt felt tension fill the small space. But when the bell dinged and the doors opened, he felt nothing.
The battle was on.
••••
“I want to start by thanking everyone for being here,” the mediator said. She seemed nice, fair, but as Ariel stared across the table at Reverend and Mrs. Mallick and the stern-looking warrior lawyer beside them, the bravado that had been her default only moments ago was spent. Matilda was disapproving as always, so that was nothing new, but the fact that she was even here, that Dani was at risk, was still somewhat unbelievable. That it had come to this…
Matt squeezed her knee, and almost mindlessly, she covered his hand with hers.
Matilda couldn’t have seen the motion through the table, but she scowled, and Ariel wondered how she’d been so blind to the depths of Matilda’s disdain for so long.
“So, now that everybody understands what our goals are, let’s start with the Mallicks,” the mediator said.
Ariel realized that she had been so lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t heard even a fraction of what the woman had said. But it probably wasn’t important anyway. Matilda wasn’t here to compromise.
“I just want to say that I love my granddaughter and I’m sure that Ariel does too in her own way. But she is not creating a good environment for Dani to grow up in, and I would be doing a disservice to her and my son if I let Danielle stay where she is. Ariel, I know that it’s difficult for you to believe it, but I only have Danielle’s best interests at heart, and if you could look inside my heart, I think you’d see that as well. Don’t think of this as me taking her away from you. I’m just trying to do the right thing by her.”
Matilda paused, exhaled, and then continued. “You’ve moved on, and that’s fine, I understand—I do. I just want to do what’s best for Danielle and give you a chance to live your life free from the past.”
Ariel’s heart started to race—she could barely believe what she’d heard. She didn’t know if Matilda believed what she’d said, but that she even said it was appalling. To think that she would give her daughter away to start some new life…
“Matilda,” Ariel started, remembering Frank’s admonishment and trying to keep herself calm, though it was difficult given what she’d just heard. “I know you love Dani and only want what’s best for her. I hope that…”
The words died in Ariel’s throat.
“I hope that you’re ready for what’s coming,” Matt said, picking up where Ariel had left off. She glanced at Matt, shocked by the impressive scowl on his face and after glancing at Matilda, even more shocked that she seemed to be retreating from it.
“We came here with the intention of working with you, of trying to do something to keep things from getting more out of hand. But I can see now we’ve wasted all of our time. That you would even suggest we get rid of Dani and live some fantasy life without her shows me that. We love that little girl, and she belongs at home with us, with her mother and—as soon as I can sign the papers—her father.”
Matilda flinched like she’d been punched, but Matt continued, undeterred.
“You have a choice, Matilda. If you want to be a part of Dani’s life, you’re going to drop this. Because if you pursue it, we will fight you until the end of time, and you won’t see her again. Ever. So think quickly and think wisely. You’ve done enough damage. Ask yourself how far you’re willing to go. Because if we leave this room, you will not like what’s going to happen.”
The room fell silent, everyone else seemingly as surprised as Ariel was. At no point had Matt raised his voice or even spoken with anything beyond his usual calm. But underneath, she heard how deadly serious he was and believed him when he said they would fight it. And was
extremely
glad he was on her side.
She glanced over at Frank, who watched them passively. This had gone very far off script, but he didn’t seem too upset by that.
“It’s not fair!” Matilda said suddenly, vehemently.
She shot Ariel a look that chilled her to her very core.
“My baby is dead. Dead! All I have of him is that little girl. And I’m supposed to sit by and watch this…godless woman go on, act like he never even existed!”
Her voice had gotten louder as she spoke but on the last word it had cracked, and with it Matilda’s facade.
“It’s not fair. It’s not fair,” she said, the pain in her voice piercing Ariel.
She was speechless. She’d known how much Matilda missed Daniel, knew how much they all did, but this…
“He existed, Matilda. And we loved him. But taking Dani away is not going to bring him back. Nothing is ever going to bring him back,” Ariel said.
She looked at Matilda with new eyes, a mother’s eyes, and as angry as she was, she couldn’t help but feel sympathy. Contemplating losing Dani had been the worst thing she could imagine, but to not have her, to know that she would never see her again…
“It’s not—” Matilda cut off short and then turned away. The woman that Ariel had come to know was gone, and in her place sat a grieving, brokenhearted mother.
“I know,” Matilda said, and through the anger and resentment, Ariel’s heart went out to her.
“But Dani’s here, and you can be a part of her life. We both want that, so please, Matilda… I don’t want to fight you, so don’t make me,” Ariel said.
••••
“So that was…unexpected,” Matt said much later that night.
The mediation had been stressful, and Matt didn’t know what had compelled him to say what he said, but he was glad he had. It had needed to end, Matilda needed to heal, Dani needed to be secure, and he and Ariel needed to get on with living their lives, and that started today.
“Yeah, I knew she was hurting but I never would’ve guessed…”
“I don’t think any of us could have, but that still doesn’t excuse what she did.”
“It doesn’t, but I hope she can get better and that we can try to mend things.”
“Speaking of mending…” Matt said, staring at Ariel, who was shrouded in the semidarkness of their bedroom.
“Go ahead,” she said, and then she trailed her fingers across his chest, a welcome distraction from the heavy thoughts weighing on him.
“I’m going to pay my father a visit,” Matt said.
Ariel raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything else, so he continued. “It’s time. You, Dani, and the baby taught me how much people need love, and I’m going to try to do the same for him, help him finally move on. And it’ll help me too,” he said, closing his hand around her stomach. “I preach forgiveness and acceptance and moving on all the time, but now I’m going to try to practice it.”
She kissed him.
“I love you, Matt,” she said.
Her breath fanned against his face, and though the room was shrouded in darkness, he couldn’t miss the truth of the words in her eyes.
“I love you too. Deeply. And I will for the rest of my life,” he said.
And he meant what he said. He’d never wanted a family, never thought he’d have one, but somehow, when he hadn’t been looking, they’d found him.
And he’d never let them go.
Epilogue
“My goddaughter is so beautiful!” Blakely said.
“She is,” Cody added.
Blakely cooed at two-day-old Helene Poole, and the assembled group laughed, almost in unison.
“I know for a fact that Blakely Bishop does
not
coo, so my newest daughter must be something special,” Matt said as he took the baby from Blakely’s arms and cradled her against his chest.
“Beyond special. She’s amazing,” Verna said softly.
“Verna, you can’t go soft on me. Someone has to hold the line,” Blakely said.
“I have an excuse,” Verna responded, her hand atop her husband Joe’s, who gently rubbed Verna’s belly. Verna eyed Blakely, her previously soft expression sharpening with the look that was so quintessentially Verna. “Unless…”
“Don’t say it. Don’t even think it,” Blakely said, her hands extended in front of her.
“I don’t know, BB,” Matt said, “how could you resist having one of your own?”
“Ariel, congratulations on the beautiful baby. I’ll give you a call once you’re home and settled. Now Cody and I are getting out of here before he gets any ideas”—she glanced at Cody, who grinned mischievously—“any more ideas. Good-bye.”
She and Cody left, and a few minutes later, Joe and Verna followed. When they were alone, Ariel stared at Matt, who stared at the baby like she was the most precious thing on earth.
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” Ariel asked.
“What?” he responded, tearing his gaze away from the baby.
“That a complete stranger can steal your heart with one look.”
Matt lay Helene down in her bassinet and crossed over to Ariel, gripping her hand tight, eyes bright with what she now knew was love.
“A little, though you and Dani taught me to expect the unexpected. Speaking of which, shouldn’t she be back by now?”
“I’ll bet Mandy just wanted to give us some time. It’s gonna be tough, you know?”
“Sure, but it’ll be worth it,” he said, squeezing her hand again.
Ariel stared up at him, her husband, the love she’d thought she’d never experience again. “I wonder if Matilda sent that giant teddy bear? There was one for Dani with it.”
Matt lifted his gaze to the bear and then back down to her. His eyes clouded for a moment and then cleared. “My dad sent them. He’s excited, said maybe he’ll do better with the kids than he did with me. Are you sad that Matilda didn’t send them?”
It was Ariel’s turn to shrug. “Her choice.”
They sat silent, and she looked into his eyes, saw the love she felt reflected back at her.
“You happy?” she asked.
“Two beautiful daughters and the love of my life. I’m the happiest man in the world.”
••••
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Playthings Series
Look for the first three books in the Playthings series:
Devil’s Plaything-
Playthings Book One
A dangerous man. A simple woman. A love neither ever expected.
They call him Devil, the name he was born to and one that he’s more than earned. Devil has no misconceptions about who he is and what he deserves. At least he didn’t until he met her…
Despite hardship, Julie Manchin has managed to make her way in the world, and while her life isn’t glamorous, she’s satisfied with her uncomplicated existence. But when she crosses paths with Devil one fateful night, her small, orderly universe is upended.
Swept up in a whirlwind of passion that she doesn’t quite know how to handle with a man she never imagined, can Julie break through his tough exterior and become something more than Devil’s plaything?