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Maddox snorted. “He actually had the guts to ask for money in exchange for not using the name.”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s trying toextortus? He’ll never change. I personally don’t want to give him a dime.”
Leo nodded. “That’s the general consensus.”
“You already spoke to everyone?” I was impressed.
“Yes,” he said proudly.
“He probably did this on purpose to provoke us. So I’ll just tell him he can fuck off. If he wants to use the name, it’s on him,” Maddox added.
“And to think Mom believed that he was sorry for everything. He sold her a sob story when they met in Indonesia a while ago.” Leo shook his head. “Whatever. He’s far enough away not to cause any real trouble.”
I nodded. “I agree.”
“Then we’ll let you enjoy your hot dog,” Maddox said.
“Thank you for your magnanimity,” I said sardonically. “It was good catching up.”
“That’s not catching up. That’s us finding out the bare minimum. Do us a favor: next time you want to throw a bomb like that, give us a heads-up so we can brace ourselves.”
“Duly noted,” I said before focusing on my hot dog.
After finishing it, I glanced around the garden. Allison was now chatting with Meredith, Natalie, and Zoey, laughing with them. I looked at her intently, trying to decipher her body language. She didn’t seem cornered or in need of being rescued. At least I could count on my brothers’ women to keep to their word and not overwhelm my girl.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Nick
We stayed with the family until the twins got tired, and then we decided it was best if we simply went home. As usual, they fell asleep as soon as we put them in the car seats. We hadn’t even left the street before Jack started to snore. It took me a while to figure out which of them was the snorer, but it was Jack for sure, though both of them slept with their mouth open.
I glanced at Allison, and she was smiling.
“You’re happy,” I remarked.
“I wasn’t expecting your family to be so open and accepting about everything. They’re good people.”
“Very good people.” I wondered if she knew exactly what my family imagined was going to happen with the two of us after she got custody. But there was no point discussing that now. Who knew how far in the future that was? And things could change between now and then.
Once we were at home, it took us no time at all to get the twins upstairs and into bed. We had a mutual agreement that if they fell asleep in the car, we’d just let them continue their sleep.
After we closed the door to their bedroom, I said, “You know, whenever I put them in bed, I always sort of feel like a real dad.”
Allison tilted her head and brushed my cheek with her fingertips. “Nick, you are a real dad.”
Her words shocked me for some reason.
“Does the thought scare you?” she whispered.
“Yes, and I’m not even sure why. It’s insane.”
She bit her lip. “I think it’s normal, especially with your history with your dad. I mean, the thought that I’m the twins’ mother figure scares the crap out of me too. But we’re a good team.”
That we were.
Without any further ado, I lifted her into my arms and carried her to the bedroom.
She giggled. “I see you have more surprises in store today.”