Epilogue
Mid-October
“How’d it go?” Rebecca anxiously asked when he got home and found her pacing back and forth in the living room while wringing her hands.
He dropped his overnight bag and briefcase and offered his stressed wife a calm smile.
“I told you not to worry,” he said mildly, taking the newly signed legal document from the briefcase. “The result was never in doubt.”
“Is that it?” she asked, pointing at the document in his hands. “Signed and notarized?”
“Yes.”
She wobbled for half a second as the truth about the character of Kori’s biological father sank in.
“How much did it cost?” she wondered in a small, shaky voice.
He answered matter-of-factly. Dispensing of Darryl “Don’t-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-way-out” Tate was easier than it should have been.
“Eight hundred and twenty-four thousand dollars. He was too stupid to demand an even million,” Jamie snorted to show his disbelief. “And he didn’t bargain either. In the end, getting him to relinquish his rights wasn’t the battle we feared.”
“He gave her up for eight hundred thousand dollars?”
“Eight hundred and twenty-four thousand dollars.”
“Why such a specific number?”
He made a face. “It’s what he needed to clear his debts and put a down payment on a house.”
Jamie let that sink in, then bitingly drawled, “The man is an idiot. I was prepared to go up to two million five—a nice cushion for the future. But Darryl is nothing if not short-sighted, so since he didn’t recognize Kori’s value, he didn’t bother to negotiate. Fucker.”
“Did he realize you were adopting her?”
“I might have mentioned it.” He didn’t want to tell her that her ex hadn’t cared about the daughter he was giving away for all time.
Rebecca didn’t flinch, though, and muttered, “What a dick.”
“Amen to that.”
Picking up tension in the air but unsure of its source, Jamie laid the signed legal document on the coffee table. Rebecca hardly glanced at it.
He went to her and put his hands on her waist. “What’s the matter?”
She frowned and pushed hair behind her ears before stepping closer until they touched.
Her voice was little more than a whisper. “It’s not all that hard to do the math. I’ve got receipts—court-ordered real ones. You paid him back every penny of the pittance he was forced to pay. Money he bitched about incessantly, as if fatherhood was a no-fault scenario that he could just walk away from. And then,” she growled, “he gets ten times that amount to relinquish his rights.”
“Yep. That pretty much sums it up.”
“Jamie,” she whined. “Who does that? Who takes money to walk away from a child?”
He felt now was a good time to remind her of an unassailable fact about the loser, Darryl Tate.
“Honey, be honest. He walked away years ago. Wiped his slate where Kori was concerned and moved on.”
“But, the money…”
“Means nothing,” he insisted. “That asshole wasn’t even smart enough to go big.” With a smirk, he drawled, “And you know what they say. Go big or go home. All I did was clean up his fucking credit report and pave the way for him to take on a mortgage that he probably can’t afford. It’s funny if you think about it. I’d wager he’ll be bankrupt before the kid reaches eighteen. Nice thought, right?”
She saw the humor and smiled. The tension in the air began to clear, but she wasn’t ready to let the subject go.
“Very nice thought,” she agreed. “But it’s still a lot of money.”
He squeezed her waist. “We can afford it.”
“It’s generous of you to say, “we,” but I came to this marriage without much of a savings account. It was your money on the line.”
“Call me crazy, but so what? I mean, it’s just money.”
He rolled a shoulder before delving deeper to share some fundamental truths.
“I enjoy taking care of you and Kourtney. It makes me feel good. My truth is a little weird,” he chuckled. “Taking care of the kid’s health insurance, adding to her college fund, buying the deluxe package of her school pictures—those things get me singing a happy tune. Same for indulging your wifely whims over the sad state of our linen closet.”
She giggled. “I got carried away. There’s something seductive about new towels and sheets.”
“If you say so,” he teased.
The low buzzing sound of a saw in use drew his attention. He released her and glanced toward the side of the house where they added a wing of family bedrooms and a den.
“Speaking of linen closets, I had Drae’s contractor add a vanity and more cabinets in the kid’s new ensuite. She needs space for her products,” he drawled, using air quotes.
“You’re spoiling her.”
“It’s allowed,” he assured her. “After all, she’s my first.”
They headed to the other side of the house, away from the noise, and entered the kitchen.
“You were baking?” he asked when he found a rack of muffins cooling on the counter.
“I had to do something,” she quipped. “An enormous haul of late summer zucchini is taking us over! It’s insane. I gave Ben a basketful for distribution. My guess is that everyone’s going to be making zucchini bread.”
He inhaled the aroma of the freshly baked goodies. “Smell great.”
“Found a suggestion on social media about combining zucchini and carrot for healthy sweet muffins from an Italian granny who loves cooking.”
With a glance at the kitchen wall clock, Jamie checked the time. The kid wouldn’t be home from school for a couple of hours—enough time to put his devoted wife-sub through a few paces. Rebecca was a show-off at heart—more than happy to demonstrate everything she had learned about pleasing him.
He opened the fridge, took out two bottles of fresh-squeezed juice, and handed one to Rebecca.
“Power up,” he told her and smiled when the familiar command put a rosy blush on her cheeks.
They took their time sipping the flavorful blend. They did not talk—they communicated through other means.
She got to the final third of her drink and asked, “When do we tell her? Do we have a plan?”
“I called Parker the moment the plane landed. Sullivan Legal will take it from here.”
“You mean to proceed with the adoption filing?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “And the name change. He suggested keeping things quiet until the paperwork goes through. I thought when our families get here for Thanksgiving, we’ll make the announcement then. That way, it’ll be more meaningful for Kori.”
She nodded with tears in her eyes and a grateful smile.
When they were finished and had rinsed the glass bottles, he grabbed her ass and kissed her like a caveman.
“I’m going to check in with the work crew—make my presence known,” he explained with a feral smirk. “You’re going to our bedroom.”
Her eyes flashed with sensual flames.
Patting her ass, he leaned in and murmured, “Prepare yourself, little sub, and wait for me at your chair.
“Yes, Jamie,” she purred. “Whatever pleases you, my love.”
THE END