Chapter 42

LOGAN

I don’t know why Carter is here. Maggie already told him we were supposed to meet this weekend, so whatever this is about, I know it’s not good.

It tells me he’s desperate about something, and I’m not keen to find out.

“What do you want me to do, sir?” Paris asks me. “Should I tell him to leave?”

“No, let him come in, but tell him I’m busy, so he’s going to wait. He can sit in the waiting area.”

I’m an asshole. If this is how I’m going to take my petty revenge, so be it. He’s going to waste his precious time in my office.

“Of course.” Paris seems more than enthusiastic about wasting someone’s time.

I get busy with my work and ignore the fact that Carter is waiting outside. I take my sweet time torturing him.

I know how valuable time is to an attorney. If he wants to leave, he’s free to do so. Next time, he’d better take an appointment.

Unfortunately, he sticks around and empties two cups of coffee, which means he’s in groveling mode and won’t leave easily.

After an hour, I ask Paris to let him in.

Carter walks in with a stoic look on his face. He’s not happy about being kept waiting, but he can’t do anything about it.

“Sorry that you had to wait,” I say, getting up from my desk and ushering him toward the sitting area in my office.

He sits down in the sofa chair in front of me, his eyes moving around the place in curious exploration. “No problem, Mr. Malory. I’m sure you were busy.”

He’s wearing semi-formals today, a white shirt over gray pants. His hair is a darker shade of blond than I remember, and he definitely looks like a woman magnet.

“Yes, I’m usually busy this time of the year since there will be an audit. Anyway, did you want to meet me alone for some reason?” I don’t beat around the bush because honestly, I don’t have time for Carter’s bullshit.

He’s a manipulative, entitled snake. I’m sure he hasn’t changed, even now. He notices a framed picture on my desk, which is of Maggie and Chase. He doesn’t seem happy about it, but is quick to mask his feelings.

“Before I spoke with Maggie, I wanted to talk to you first.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll get straight to the point,” he says.

“Sure.”

“I still have feelings for Maggie, and all these years I haven’t been able to forget her, but getting in touch with her was harder than I thought,” he confesses.

“I get that you had feelings for Maggie, Carter, but you also dated a model for about a year, and you lived together. From what I heard, you were going to propose to her, but she didn’t want to get married to you.

“Surely, you wouldn’t have proposed to another woman while you had feelings for someone else.”

I know I’ve nailed it, because he goes silent. Did he really think I wouldn’t dig up this information?

“Maggie never told me she planned to keep the baby, and if she didn’t inform me of my son’s birth, how is that my fault?”

My patience was running thin. “What do you want, Carter?”

“I want my son and Maggie back in my life, Logan. That’s…that’s my family. And I just came here to tell you that I’m going to try my best to get Maggie to divorce you and marry me, because I want her.”

“Well, she’s not a toy that you can fucking discard when you’re bored and get back when you please. She’s my wife, and she won’t divorce me for you.”

His face goes red, and he stands up so that he can look down at me. “What the fuck, Logan?” he screams, and he’s shaking all over. “She’s like half your age, dude. If I was still in her life, she wouldn’t have been with you.”

“I don’t think that’s true. Maggie’s always been my family. You knew that before too,” I remind him.

“Here’s what we can do, Carter. You have two options.” I pull out my checkbook from inside my desk. This looks like a fucking soap opera.

“One, I’ll write you a check with whatever amount you want, and you leave Maggie and Chase alone.”

“I don’t want your fucking money!” he snaps at me.

“Two, you cooperate with Maggie and share Chase’s custody legally, and that means you’ll still get to see your son occasionally.

“I won’t ask you to pay for Chase’s expenses, because legally he’s my son, since I adopted him when I married Maggie. There’s no third option.”

He sits down in front of me with his hands covering his face. His eyes are red-rimmed, like he’s about to cry. “This is not fair, and you know it. She should be with me.”

“Life’s not always fair, but you’ve got to take what you can get.” I don’t know why I’m suddenly coaching Carter with my wisdom.

He nods, and I’m equally shocked and surprised that he’s agreeing to this arrangement so easily. “Okay. I’ll take the second option.”

“If you harass Maggie or Chase, I’ll place a restraining order against you and make sure you never see them again.”

He nods again, “Fair enough.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

***

When I get home that evening, I find Chase in the garden playing with Chloe, his friend from school. Nicole is sitting on the patio, reading a book, keeping an eye on the kids.

“Nicole,” I call out to her. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

She closes the book, smiling at me in greeting. “Mr. Malory”—she reaches for the bag in my hand—“let me take that.”

“That’s fine, Nicole,” I say. “I just have to ask you to stop meddling in my business and stop spreading lies when it’s not your place.”

She gapes at me. “Mr. Malory, what are you—”

“Look, I don’t have patience for bullshit. Did you tell my father that Maggie’s going to get a divorce and marry Carter, or not?”

“I’m…I’m sorry, Mr. Malory. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Your job is to look after the kid and help in the kitchen. Stick to that. If Maggie is being extra friendly and tells you things because she trusts you, then it’s your job to keep it to yourself. Is that understood?”

“Of…of course, sir. Again, I’m extremely sorry.”

I don’t have the patience to stay and listen to her anymore, so I make my way inside the house.

I guess Carter put me in a foul mood by showing up at the office.

Maggie is in our bedroom, tapping on her laptop. As soon as she sees me enter, she puts the device away, and I don’t miss what she’s wearing.

It’s a lacy black lingerie with a floral design, completely see-through. I can see the swell of her breasts, and just enough fabric to cover her nipples. She smells so good. I’m seconds away from tearing her clothes to bits.

I haven’t even taken my clothes off, but I’m already hard.

She walks over to me, giving me a seductive smile, and starts removing my tie. “Chase will probably come knocking in an hour, so it’s a good thing you made it home early.”

I really fucking love the fact that she goes out of her way to please me, which she doesn’t have to.

She’s always been my weakness, so even without the beachy waves, the light make-up, or the sexy lingerie set, she’s still beautiful to me.

“Let’s wipe that frown off your face,” she smiles. “Want to play?”