Seeking Happily Ever After (Ever After #8) - Elena Aitken Page 0,10

But sometimes it didn’t, and it was a pretty big gamble to take with his daughter’s future. And yes, Amelia was his daughter. He couldn’t think of her in any other way. Ever.

“So what do I do?” He interrupted Chris, who was going on about the law and parental rights and all kinds of other things. He needed the nitty-gritty. Details. Facts. What he could do to make sure they couldn’t take Amelia away from him.

“To be clear,” Chris started, “Jessica hasn’t made any formal declaration for custody. And she never actually said that.”

“You just said…”

“You didn’t let me finish. She told the team she’d be contacting you. It could be as simple as just wanting to know how the child is doing. She could be calling to explain herself. The fact is, we don’t know yet if custody is something she’s interested in.”

It was. How could it not be? How could she walk away from her child and not want her back?

“In the meantime,” Chris continued, “we’ll appeal to the courts for an adoption hearing. You will need to prove that you are the best possible choice to be Amelia’s parent.”

“No problem.” Nick paced back to the table and picked up his pen, ready to take some notes. “I am the best choice.”

“You think that.” He could almost hear Chris sigh. “And I might even think that. But we need the courts to think that. And I have to be honest—a single dad with no history of a serious relationship, let alone no actual partner to help raise the baby, might be a hard sell.”

“But I have—”

“Resources? Yes. You do. But you’re going to need more than money.”

Nick scribbled some notes but then lifted his head again. “More than money?”

“Yes, Nick.” Chris didn’t bother trying to hide his sigh this time. “More than money. You’re going to need a partner.”

“A partner?”

“For a genius, you’re not picking up on this very quickly.” Chris laughed. “Nick, you need a girlfriend. A wife, preferably. And you need one now. Actually, yesterday.”

Charlotte’s brain overflowed with ideas she could put together and present to Stephanie Starz for her new cabins. It was an amazing opportunity. No, it was beyond an amazing opportunity. It was the opportunity.

If she could impress Stephanie, she’d get the job. And not only would that kick-start a career she’d thought long dead, it could be the launch of an even grander career. Stephanie was huge. And that was an understatement.

The entire world hung off every single thing the woman did. If she chose Charlotte to design the interiors of her cabins…Char couldn’t even process how major that could be for her.

Not only would she be able to afford her own apartment away from her parents, she would be able to afford…well…a life! Which was why she had to nail this meeting. Stephanie hadn’t called it an interview, but it might as well be one. She was going to be in town in five days. And Char wanted to show her something that would make it almost impossible not to hire her.

Her mind was still preoccupied as she hustled down Main Street, eager to get home and start putting things together, when she heard a baby cry. She turned toward the grocery store, at the sound of the cry, and her stomach did that odd squeezey-flip thing it had started doing lately whenever she saw Nick Newton. Or maybe it was when she saw his baby, Amelia. She couldn’t be sure. Either way, she changed course, drawn to the pair like a magnet.

“Let me take her,” Char said when she got close enough to see that Nick was struggling trying to balance an arm full of groceries and the fussy baby. Before waiting for an answer, she took the baby, who almost immediately calmed in Charlotte’s arms.

“I don’t know how you do that.” Nick shook his head in amazement and adjusted his load. “She likes you.”

“You look like you have your arms full.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking.” Nick smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes the way it usually did. “I just needed a few things, so I didn’t bother with the stroller, but a few things turned into…well…I won’t bore you with the details. Thank you,” he added, almost as an afterthought. “Would you mind…” He used his head to gesture toward the parking lot.

“Not at all.” Char focused on the baby and tickled her under her chin. “She’s just so sweet.” They started walking. “And you’re doing