Part 5

“Owen needs to carry my name. He’s my son.”

“They’re both your children. And twelve hours ago you said Harper didn’t deserve your name.”

The hospital representative asked us not to upset the babies. My father watched from the window. Garrett noticed him then and put on a smile.

“Mr. Prescott. What a surprise. Brooke should have told me you were coming.”

“She doesn’t need your permission,” Dad answered.

I stopped my father with a gesture. I set the check and the agreement on the table. Dana stood beside me.

“Yesterday you wanted to pay me $250,000 to leave with Harper and give up child support. Today you want to take Owen because he’s a boy. Did I understand your idea of family correctly?”

“It wasn’t like that. You were overwhelmed from labor.”

“There are witnesses, documents, and messages. You can’t change what happened because it’s inconvenient now.”

When he reached for the check, I showed him the return letter Dana had prepared. We hadn’t cashed it. She would arrange for its return and put it on the record.

“I don’t want your money to buy my silence,” I told him. “That doesn’t mean you can walk away from your obligation to support your children.”

Garrett looked to my father. Dad didn’t move.

“Brooke, you’re hurting. Let’s not destroy six years over a mistake. Kendra and I can sort out our situation. What matters is Owen.”

I wanted to throw the water at him. Instead, I pushed Harper’s bassinet next to Owen’s.

“Look at them together. If you can’t say their names with the same respect, we won’t be discussing visitation today.”

Harper yawned; Owen waved his hands. Garrett asked how much the boy weighed, but he asked nothing about his sister. That indifference hurt more than any shouting.

“You’ll discuss custody and responsibilities with the attorney and, when the time comes, before the court,” I added. “I won’t block anything out of revenge, but I won’t let you divide them according to your preference.”

Then Garrett accused my father of wanting to take his job. He had spotted the Beacon authorization among the documents.

“Are you going to report me at the company too?” he asked.

“I’m going to turn in documentation for a review,” I answered. “What comes of it will depend on the facts, not on the fact that you’re my husband.”

“They’re invoices from an agency. You don’t know how business works.”

“I spent seven years reviewing contracts, Garrett. You know that perfectly well.”