Read Online Not Second Best by Christa Maurice - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christa Maurice
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because you’re remarried and she’s still single.” Tessa put her wrist to her forehead and whipped up her most melodramatic tone. “And she wasted the best years of her life on you.”
Brian grabbed her hand off her head, laughing. “Cut it out.”
Tessa laughed with him, amazed at how easy it was. He was a friend. An old friend who was happy for the first time in a long time.
“So what do you think my chances are?”
Tessa glanced down. He hadn’t released her hand, but the way he cradled it was more about keeping her focus on the conversation, not about an insatiable need to touch her. Not anymore. Not with Suzi at home. “You know what she wants is the child support, not the kids. At least that’s what I read from my dealings with her over the past however many years.”
“I should never have married her, but I was young and stupid and—” Brian glanced down at his hand still holding hers and very deliberately put hers down. “So what should I do?”
“If Suzi is going to be alone with the kids, she’s going to need some kind of legal guardianship in case something happens. That’s easy. Bonnie is going to be harder.”
“Can’t I just continue the support payments without her having the kids?”
“You could, but we’d have to go back to the you-ruining-her-life thing. She invested her youth in you, and it didn’t pay off. Now all she’s going to be left with is regret and a settlement.” Tessa laced her fingers together. I gambled my youth on a career and look what I got. Bonnie has no room to complain. “Talk to your lawyer about how best to approach her. With either a one-time settlement or an ongoing payment. A one-time settlement might be a hard pill to swallow, but she wouldn’t have to trust you to keep up payments.”
“I wouldn’t renege.”
“I know you wouldn’t, but she could still worry. And I really would make sure Suzi knew what she was getting into. A year of visitation and a honeymoon aren’t going to be enough. You also need to talk about what will happen if you two start a family. Are her feelings toward your kids going to change when she has a child of her own?”
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
Brian frowned, crossed the room, and closed the door. When he came back, he looked flushed. “You can’t tell anybody.”
“Suzi’s pregnant.” Tessa pursed her lips. That did hurt. Here was Brian, not only starting a whole new marriage, but a new family, too. She should have seen it coming. Suzi was young and liked kids. She’d want some of her own.
“She had a couple of miscarriages with Logan, and she’s afraid she won’t take it to term, so we aren’t telling anyone yet.”
“How far along?”
“About nine weeks. If she makes it past the three month mark, we’re going to tell everybody.”
Tessa blinked. That explained Suzi’s high wattage glow at the wedding and her nervous stomach the morning before.
“Hey, you don’t have to cry. I’m not that bad a dad.”
“It’s not that. I’m really happy for you.” Tessa wrapped her arms around his neck. “That baby is so lucky to have you and Suzi for parents, and I’m sure everything is going to work out great.”
Brian squeezed her tight. “I’m excited. I’ve never gotten to enjoy having kids before. Bonnie always made me feel like I’d done something horrible to her when she got pregnant and like I was a complete moron after they were born.” He sat back and wiped his eyes. “With Suzi, it’s just easy. Even when they’re being brats, it’s easy.”
“That’s great, Brian. I’m really glad.” If she’d been awake thirteen years ago, she could have had him. She could have been the mother of his brats . But she hadn’t been interested in her little brother’s best friend, even if he had been the super hot, talented, and famous Brian Ellis. Now he was starting his second family, and the last hope of her first was fading with every tick of the clock. It wasn’t
Brian grabbed her hand off her head, laughing. “Cut it out.”
Tessa laughed with him, amazed at how easy it was. He was a friend. An old friend who was happy for the first time in a long time.
“So what do you think my chances are?”
Tessa glanced down. He hadn’t released her hand, but the way he cradled it was more about keeping her focus on the conversation, not about an insatiable need to touch her. Not anymore. Not with Suzi at home. “You know what she wants is the child support, not the kids. At least that’s what I read from my dealings with her over the past however many years.”
“I should never have married her, but I was young and stupid and—” Brian glanced down at his hand still holding hers and very deliberately put hers down. “So what should I do?”
“If Suzi is going to be alone with the kids, she’s going to need some kind of legal guardianship in case something happens. That’s easy. Bonnie is going to be harder.”
“Can’t I just continue the support payments without her having the kids?”
“You could, but we’d have to go back to the you-ruining-her-life thing. She invested her youth in you, and it didn’t pay off. Now all she’s going to be left with is regret and a settlement.” Tessa laced her fingers together. I gambled my youth on a career and look what I got. Bonnie has no room to complain. “Talk to your lawyer about how best to approach her. With either a one-time settlement or an ongoing payment. A one-time settlement might be a hard pill to swallow, but she wouldn’t have to trust you to keep up payments.”
“I wouldn’t renege.”
“I know you wouldn’t, but she could still worry. And I really would make sure Suzi knew what she was getting into. A year of visitation and a honeymoon aren’t going to be enough. You also need to talk about what will happen if you two start a family. Are her feelings toward your kids going to change when she has a child of her own?”
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
Brian frowned, crossed the room, and closed the door. When he came back, he looked flushed. “You can’t tell anybody.”
“Suzi’s pregnant.” Tessa pursed her lips. That did hurt. Here was Brian, not only starting a whole new marriage, but a new family, too. She should have seen it coming. Suzi was young and liked kids. She’d want some of her own.
“She had a couple of miscarriages with Logan, and she’s afraid she won’t take it to term, so we aren’t telling anyone yet.”
“How far along?”
“About nine weeks. If she makes it past the three month mark, we’re going to tell everybody.”
Tessa blinked. That explained Suzi’s high wattage glow at the wedding and her nervous stomach the morning before.
“Hey, you don’t have to cry. I’m not that bad a dad.”
“It’s not that. I’m really happy for you.” Tessa wrapped her arms around his neck. “That baby is so lucky to have you and Suzi for parents, and I’m sure everything is going to work out great.”
Brian squeezed her tight. “I’m excited. I’ve never gotten to enjoy having kids before. Bonnie always made me feel like I’d done something horrible to her when she got pregnant and like I was a complete moron after they were born.” He sat back and wiped his eyes. “With Suzi, it’s just easy. Even when they’re being brats, it’s easy.”
“That’s great, Brian. I’m really glad.” If she’d been awake thirteen years ago, she could have had him. She could have been the mother of his brats . But she hadn’t been interested in her little brother’s best friend, even if he had been the super hot, talented, and famous Brian Ellis. Now he was starting his second family, and the last hope of her first was fading with every tick of the clock. It wasn’t
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