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“But in the end, I realized there will always be opinions and speculation about your life because of who you are and what you do for a living. I’m not saying it’s right, or even justified, but it’s a price you and Spencer and Kaid pay because of the profession you’re in. But you have Ollie, your family, and you have us. Let go of the things that don’t matter.”

I reached out and hugged Lee, and since Spencer clung to his husband, I enveloped them both.

“Why don’t you come over? Mama was cooking up a storm when we left for court, so I’m sure she’ll have plenty to feed us.”

Spencer, with one last squeeze, stepped back. “Sounds good.”

“Kaid, Lewis?”

“Yeah, we’re in,” Kaid nodded.

Determined to get over this chapter in my life despite the churning emotions still swirling in my chest, I turned, ready to lead Ollie back outside the way we came. It was then I spotted the woman handing over the baby to her boyfriend, the same one I recognized from our night together, as she fussed with packing the baby’s bag. It was a terse conversation as he held the baby close to his chest with his hand cupped around the back of the baby’s head.

“Fucking hell, isn’t that the guy?” Lee asked.

Maisie’s head snapped up from where she was checking her phone. “What guy?”

“Her boyfriend,” I offered in a low growl.

Maisie took several pictures of them. The man looked comfortable holding the baby as the two continued to converse in short, clipped tones. He glanced my way, but looked away, his cheeks reddening when he caught me staring at him.

“The baby looks like him. So she must’ve done it for money, thinking the judge wouldn’t care about the paternity test and make you pay child support,” Ollie said.

“Nothing much we can do today. But if you want to sue—” Maisie started.

As angry as the situation made me, I couldn’t hurt her through financial means. The judge made it clear about the paternity of the child, and the baby was the innocent party in all this nonsense.

“No, I’ll leave it be if she does. But if they come after me again, you have the photos and it’s on record the judge ruled against her. I’m done with this farce.” I turned toward my friends and said, “See you guys at the house.”

“Yeah. We parked around back,” Lewis said.

As a group, we watched the couple and the baby walk out of the front of the courthouse as I texted Thomas to bring the SUV around front. Ollie and I waved our friend off and waited by the doors as we watched the couple shielding their eyes from the camera flashes and flinching at the questions thrown their way as they made it out to the sidewalk and into a cab.

Several minutes later, after I spotted Thomas, we walked out to a swell of sound and shutters clicking. I left the reporters to Maisie as she explained the judge’s ruling. I took my boyfriend’s hand and strode toward the open door of the SUV and waited until Ollie slid inside before I followed him.

“Not the papa?” Thomas asked with a chuckle.

“Nope. But she tried to contest the test results and looked pissed at me as she left court. Turns out her boyfriend was waiting right outside, and he spotted me. Maisie took pictures of them together.”

The bodyguard scoffed. “She tried to contest a blood test?”

“Yeah. I don’t know if it’s ignorance or her determination to get something from Connor, but she was adamant Connor wasthe only man she slept with during the time, so it had to be his baby,” Ollie said.

“But the judge wasn’t having it. The test said I wasn’t the father, and he shut down her protests after that.”

Thomas shook his head. “I thought I’ve seen everything, but…”

“Yeah, I know. Let’s head back to the house. Is Sam there?”

“Of course. Since he’s cut back with work, or at least taking some time off in between shifts, he’s spending more time with you guys and your mom.”

Ollie leaned against me as Thomas merged into downtown traffic and headed home.

“Does this mean you’ve changed your mind about having kids one day?”

I shook the cobwebs from my brain. “No. Raising a little one with you is still a dream of mine.” I leaned closer and snagged a kiss before I continued, “But I was upset because she fought the paternity test for as long as she could before the courts stepped in and ordered her to comply. And all this knowing it would show I wasn’t the father. Wasting all of our time, even money, for her and her family to fly out here for the hearing.”

My boyfriend hummed, settling something in my chest that had been turning into something ugly. His next words put everything into perspective.