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“I said for Lulu. Not for me. I’ve just found her, and now I’m going to lose her again. So, yes, I’ve been ignoring it. Like one of those things that if you don’t think about it, don’t talk about it, then it will just go away. But this isn’t going to go away.”

“It’s not a foregone conclusion.”

She raised a brow and swallowed the last of her beer, placing the bottle gently on the table as though she was holding everything in tight. “Isn’t it? Tell me you haven’t already made up your mind.”

“No, I haven’t, because it isn’t just my decision to make.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Legally, maybe. But we both know if my brother hadn’t been such an asshole, you wouldn’t have gone to prison and you would have no doubt gotten custody of Lulu from the start.”

“If your brother hadn’t been an asshole, Emma would still be alive and Lulu would be with her mother.”

“Good point. But you know what I’m saying.”

“So what? You’re offering me custody of Lulu?”

“Joint custody. If you want it.”

She went perfectly still, then blew out her breath. She got up, paced the room, went to stand by the window and look down to the street below. When she came back, he could see he’d shaken her. “I wasn’t expecting that,” she said.

“You’re her aunt. She loves you. You love her.”

“I’d be no good for her. I never wanted custody.”

“That’s because you’re a coward. You think because you lost Emma, that you’ll fail Lulu as well. But it wasn’t your fault.”

“Maybe not. But the truth is—this isn’t about me and what I want. It’s about what’s best for Lulu. She deserves a family. With your parents, she’ll get much more than she will with either you or me. They love her. And she loves them. There is no downside to this.”

“For Lulu. What about us?”

She cocked her head to one side and studied him. “Will you miss her?”

“Hell, yes. I thought not, but I can’t even imagine life without her now. But as you said—it’s not about us.”

“Will they be good to her? You don’t sound as though you were too impressed with their parenting skills.”

“They’ll be great. I think Hannah is proof of that.”

“She’s a sweet girl. Lulu will be lucky to have her for a sister.”

This was it. She was supposed to have saved him from this. He’d relied on her to be the selfish one. To sayno way, Lulu had to stay. And he would have had to agree, because she’d been dealt a shitty hand by his brother and she didn’t deserve to be hurt anymore. Instead, she was being the strong one. He should have known she would do the right thing. But how could the right thing hurt so damn much? He took a deep breath. “It’s agreed, then. I’ll tell my parents to go ahead and start the paperwork.”

“I don’t think there was ever a question.” She pressed her lips together in a tight line and swallowed.

He’d never expected to see her cry. She was so tough. Now he watched as a tear welled up and spilled out over her cheek. She dashed it away, but another followed. “Shit. Crap. Sorry.” She sniffed. “Maybe you’d better go.”

No way.

He pushed his chair back and got to his feet, moved around the table to stand next to her. He held out his hand. She looked at it for a minute then slid her palm into his. He pulled her to her feet and then into his arms, wrapping them tight around her.

For a minute, she was stiff in his arms, then the tension went out of her, she pressed her face against his throat, and he felt the wetness of her tears. She shivered, and he held her closer.

He was no good at comforting, but maybe he could make her forget for a little while.

Pulling back slightly, he lowered his head and kissed her.

…