Page 80 of Role Play (Off the Books #1)
“What? No, Dad, you can’t.” I scramble to my feet. “It’s a closed proceeding. They won’t let you in.”
He’s already striding toward the elevators. “They’ll let me in.”
“Dad, seriously, you’ll just complicate things and make Forrest look bad.” But I’m already following him, knowing from experience that once J.P. Cooper sets his mind to something, there’s no dissuading him.
“What floor?” he asks as we reach the elevators.
“I—that’s not the point! You can’t just burst in there and?—”
“What floor, Sora?” he repeats, this time in Dad Voice.
I groan, recognizing defeat. “Third. Conference room three-twelve.”
The elevator ride is brief but tense. I try one more time to talk him out of whatever he’s conspiring, but he just smiles that infuriating smile—the one that’s graced author photos for decades, the one that says he knows exactly what he’s doing.
“Trust me,” he says as the doors open. “I have a plan.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I mutter, following him down the hallway.
Outside conference room 312, I make one last desperate plea. “Dad, please. This is important. This is Forrest’s daughter we’re talking about.”
“I know.” He places a hand on my shoulder, his expression suddenly serious. “Let me help, Sora. For once in our complicated relationship, let me be the one to save the day.”
The sincerity in his tone stops me short. This is new territory for us—my father and I, trying to find our way back to each other after years of distance. I think of the work we’ve done on Legendary , the bridge we’ve started to rebuild.
“Okay,” I concede. “But please, be…” What’s the right word here? I want to say “not an ass,” but that seems too direct. “ Civil .”
He nods, then opens the door without knocking.
The mediator looks up in alarm as we enter. “Excuse me, this is a private?—”
“I know, I know.” Dad waves his hand dismissively. “Never been great at following rules. But there’s something everyone here needs to know.”
I see Forrest’s shocked expression first, then Hannah’s irritation, then Rina’s raised eyebrows that quickly transform into understanding as my father continues.
“Forrest Hawkins is my agent,” he announces to the room.
Forrest looks completely bewildered. “I’m your what?”
“ My agent ,” Dad repeats firmly. “He’s helping me broker a deal for my next series.” He glances around the room, his gaze settling on Hannah’s lawyer. “Seven figures at least, if you’re curious. Probably eight, depending on the audiobook situation.”
Understanding dawns on Forrest’s face. He glances at me, and I give a small, encouraging nod.
“That’s right,” Forrest says, picking up the thread seamlessly. “J.P. and I have been discussing terms for a while now.”
“Indeed.” Dad clasps his hands behind his back, looking like a professor delivering a lecture.
“Forrest’s commission alone will cover his outstanding debts and provide quite comfortably for his daughter.
” He smiles thinly. “So, excuse me for being crass”—he shoots me a sly smile—“but isn’t that what had your panties bunched up in a wad?
” He looks at Hannah. “Problem solved, yes?”
Rina, quick on the uptake, leans forward.
“You see? As I told you earlier, you don’t have a case.
Forrest’s prior employment was perfectly legal.
” She pauses significantly. “He’s never missed a custody day.
And if we’re looking at facts, he’s been the more stable parent for the entirety of Dakota’s life. ”
Hannah’s lawyer looks shaken. She leans over to whisper something to Hannah, who nods reluctantly.
“If this is true,” the lawyer says slowly to Hannah, “and if Mr. Hawkins is indeed working as Mr. Cooper’s agent…
Then his past employment isn’t a concern, if his current employment is solidified.
He doesn’t have a criminal record, Hannah.
” She sighs. “In court, this would likely come down to your decision to leave for Tokyo. And given the evidence—including the boarding-school enrollment forms with Mr. Hawkins’s signature—I’m not confident in our position to request full custody. ”
“You’re saying?” Hannah asks flatly.
“Your very intelligent lawyer is saying if we go to court, you’ll lose,” Rina delivers.
Hannah’s lawyer idly taps her pen. “It’s not about winning or losing, but?—”
“Don’t patronize me, Judith.” Hannah turns to face Forrest directly, her expression unreadable. “You win. Congratulations.”
I watch Forrest’s face, expecting to see triumph or at least relief. Instead, I see something more complex—a man looking at the mother of his child and seeing beyond his own hurt to what really matters.
“Hannah,” he says quietly. “Does this feel like winning for anyone? I didn’t ask for this. This isn’t what I wanted.”
Hannah looks confused. “Then what do you want?”
Forrest stands, addressing her directly. “I want us to split custody fairly. Whatever makes most sense for our daughter.” He takes a step toward her. “I never wanted to hurt you. And I certainly never wanted to keep Dakota from you. She needs her mother.”
Hannah’s composure wavers, a touch of vulnerability in her eyes. “You’re saying you’ll share custody? After everything?”
“I’m saying I want to do what’s best for our daughter.
” Forrest spreads his hands. “I’m not trying to rip our family apart.
I’m trying to build a stronger one, to let new love in.
” He glances at me, standing quietly by the door, and my heart swells with pride and love.
“Dakota deserves to have both her parents in her life, plus as many people who love her as possible. But from here on out, we do what’s fair and what’s right.
No more threatening me. No more keeping my kid from me out of spite.
You either work with me, or against me…in court, where a judge will tell you what my rights are, if you won’t respect them coming from my mouth. ”
Something shifts in Hannah’s demeanor—a softening, a surrender. “I assume you want to see her?” she asks. “Today?”
Hope alights Forrest’s face. “Yes. Today. Right now .”
“She’s with my parents. I’ll call them. How about we bring her to you this evening? You guys can get reacclimated… She misses you.”
“ Good. I miss her too. And we should talk about Christmas,” Forrest adds.
“Work out a schedule that gives her time with both of us. Your parents have that big Christmas dinner every year, right? So I’ll take the morning, and send her to you in whatever fancy dress you want her in.
I’m more than willing to compromise, okay? ”
Hannah nods slowly. “That seems…fair.”
“More than fair,” Rina snarks.
Hannah looks down at her hands, then back up at Forrest. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…” Her gaze darts to me, then back to him. “I shouldn’t have used Dakota against you.”
“No,” he agrees. “You shouldn’t have. But we can do better going forward. For her sake.”
The mediator, who’s been watching this exchange with evident relief, clears his throat. “It sounds like we’re making progress. Are we ready to draw up a custody agreement?”
“Yes,” Hannah and Forrest say in unison.
As the mediator and lawyers dive into logistics, Dad and I step back toward the door. He looks highly content, like a chess master who just executed a particularly clever move.
“Dad,” I whisper. “That was amazing. I know I told you not to meddle, but from here on out…meddle away.”
“Noted,” he replies with a wink.
The meeting concludes with remarkable speed after that, everyone eager to capitalize on this unexpected breakthrough. Hannah’s lawyer looks relieved to have found an amicable solution, Rina seems smugly satisfied, and Hannah herself appears thoughtful, as if reassessing her priorities
They file out of the conference room—Hannah and her lawyer heading one direction, Forrest and Rina joining us down the hallway toward the elevators.
“J.P.,” Forrest says once they’re caught up to us. “I don’t know how to thank you. That lie saved us.”
My father looks truly puzzled. “Lie? What lie?”
“About me being your agent.”
“Oh, that wasn’t a lie, son.” He claps Forrest on the shoulder.
“I sincerely hope you know your way around a contract, because we have work to do. Sora speaks highly of your legal background. You’re going to need it.
The publishing industry is like bathing in chum, then swimming naked in Australia. Buckle up.”
Forrest blinks at him, dumbfounded. “You’re serious?”
“Deadly.” My dad holds out his hand. “We can discuss terms later. You’ll need to draw up a contract of representation. And do a good job, buddy, because I read every word. But right now, I believe you have a little girl to see.”
Forrest takes his hand, a slow smile breaking his face wide. “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”
“See that you don’t.” With that cryptic parting shot, my father joins Rina in the elevator to head down to the lobby, leaving Forrest and me alone in the hallway.
“Did that just happen?” Forrest asks, looking shell-shocked. “Did J.P. Cooper really just make me his agent?”
“Apparently.” I slip my hand into his. “Are you okay with that? It’s not exactly practicing law.”
“Are you kidding? It’s perfect.” He squeezes my hand.
“It’s a legitimate legal job that lets me use my degree without having to join some soul-crushing firm.
And the commission on an eight-figure deal…
” He whistles low. “That would solve a lot of problems. Hey, maybe I can be your agent too and get you into bookstores.”
I turn up my nose and pretend to be put off. “Eh, I don’t know. You’re pretty inexperienced. Are you even any good?”
“Listen, lady, I’m your best shot. No one would work harder for you.”
“Well, I know that for fact,” I say.
He pulls me closer, his arms encircling my waist. Around us, the business of the mediation office continues—phones ringing, people passing, lives being rearranged in conference rooms all around us. But in this moment, it’s just us.
“I love you,” he says softly. “Whether we’re in Wyoming or New York or anywhere else in the world. Home is wherever you are.”
“I love you too,” I answer proudly, still delighted at the way the words dance off my tongue. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of saying it.
“Things will be less messy from here on out, I promise you,” Forrest says with as much sincerity as he can muster.
“Doubtful,” I sass. “Our whole journey has been messy and chaotic and definitely not the stuff of fairy tales.”
“No?” A smile plays at his mouth.
“No,” I confirm. “It’s been better. It’s been real.” I reach up to cradle his clean-shaven cheek. I admire the face of this beautiful, complicated man who’s changed my life in ways I’m still discovering. “A story well worth telling.”
His lips meet mine in a kiss that feels like a promise, like a beginning. Pulling away, he looks into my eyes as he borrows my line…
“The end,” he whispers.