It’s almost dark when Candice and I finally excuse ourselves from the twins’ bungalow and walk back to the house she shares with Milan.

It has been a completely wholesome day – all we did was play board games, talk and laugh and then go for a swim in the evening – and I feel revitalized. I didn’t have a single hidden moment with one of the brothers, no stolen kisses, no nothing. And still I feel like a million bucks.

The theory I’ve been working with that this whole thing is just physical is starting to look less and less believable. I’m deep in thought, trying to figure out what my next great excuse will be, when Candice yawns and stretches her arms above her head mid-step.

I look down at her and grin. She’s an opinionated, tough little girl who won’t take any crap from anyone, yet she’s a sweet, thoughtful kid at the same time. Despite the madness of her family, they’ve done a really good job raising her right.

“So what do you think of this whole thing?” she asks me suddenly, noticing that I’m watching her.

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific.”

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Candice quips with a smile. “You know, the thing with my mom and my dad, my brothers… what do you think of it?”

“I think life’s complicated,” I tell her, and she immediately rolls her eyes.

“That’s the biggest non-answer I’ve heard this week,” Candice says. “And I’ve heard several.”

I sigh. Like I said, she’s a great kid, but the problem with great kids is that they’re absolutely excellent at catching you on the spot.

“I think as long as you guys stick together, it’ll be fine. You’re very close with your brothers and your father from what I understand. They and your mom won’t let anything bad happen to you or the family, no matter how the divorce goes.”

I wasn’t exactly prepared to have discussions this deep with a teenager today, but I think we can safely say that it’s the Stephenson clan calling the shots for the last couple of weeks and maybe it’s high time that I get used to it.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Candice says, suddenly grim.

“Do you want to expand on that?” I ask her, quirking a brow, calling her out like she did me.

“I don’t think there’s much my brothers or my dad can do if my mom decides on something,” Candice says vaguely.

I don’t have a chance to question her further on it as the tall two-story building is now right in front of us, bathed in dim, cozy lights. Milan and Mallory decided to share accommodations and grabbed one of the bigger family-style buildings in the resort.

“Thank you for walking me over,” Candice says, looking tentatively at her front door.

“No problem. And we can go and do that surf class tomorrow if you want. I have like no balance so we can fall into the waves over and over again together.”

“That sounds cool!”

It was Callum who offered that we should go and grab a class after seeing the way Candice and I were watching surfers tackle the waves. I’m eager for any activity that gets my mind off of the brothers and Candice seems to have plenty that she’s eager to not deal with as well. We make the perfect partners in crime in that sense.

We wave at each other and Candice skips off, making a beeline for the front door. I half-expect her to throw it shut behind her with a bang, but she’s surprisingly gentle with the door, shutting it almost soundlessly. I don’t make much of it and continue on my path past the house, which requires rounding it to get to the beach path that would take me to my bungalow.

I’m taking a deep breath, letting the emotions of the day roll around in my head, when I notice the lace on one of my sneakers has come loose. I kneel down in the shadows to tie it, when suddenly familiar voices catch me off guard.

“I think she’s in her room now,” Milan says, obviously having waited for Candice to get out of earshot.

I frown, looking around for the source of the voice. She and Mallory are on the first floor balcony, lounging in recliners around a small fire pit that illuminates their faces, both holding a glass of wine. I try to loop the laces on my shoe quickly, but not quick enough.

“Are you sure you want to do that, Milan?” Mallory asks.

I know I’m overhearing something I probably shouldn’t, but there’s no good way of letting them know that I’m here without making it seem like I’m eavesdropping. Which of course directly leads to me actually eavesdropping.

“I don’t see why not. I’m tired of Robert and his bullshit. We can promise him whatever the fuck we need to in order to make him sign the papers, but as soon as that’s done, we’re out of here. I’m taking Candice and he can only fucking dream about seeing her again without paying me for it.”

“We could just stipulate that in the contract. You’re already getting primary custody anyway…”

“I want full custody. And he’s never going to see his little girl again after that,” Milan says, pure hatred in her voice. “Exchanging me in for a fucking younger model… screw him. He never deserved me and I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of getting everything he wants.”

“Milan, the only reason he is going to be signing that contract is because he thinks it will guarantee that you’ll give him more time with Candice, like you promised,” Mallory says evenly.

I can hear from her voice that she does not approve of Milan’s plan, but she can’t exactly sway her against it either. Even if they are friends, Mallory ultimately works for Milan. As do I.

“I know. Which makes it all the more sweet. He signs the contract thinking that out of the goodness of my heart I’ll give him more time with Candice – my daughter – and actually he’s signing away his rights to see her ever again. Maybe I’ll be nice and sell him a Christmas or two for a million… but I wouldn’t count on it.”

There’s silence for a moment and I stand up quietly, my heart beating thunderously in my chest. It seems so loud to me that I keep thinking they must hear it too.

“Those sons of Roberts are nothing but trouble. NFL players, playboys… they’re not the kind of influence I want around Candice,” Milan says curtly.

That’s bullshit and I have no doubt that Milan knows it. If she’s ever seen her daughter with those men, she would know that they love her unconditionally and would do anything for her. I now realize that this is exactly why Austin, Callum and Troy were at the meeting with Milan – to make sure that she wouldn’t pull something like this.

And she’s going to do it anyway.

“Maybe we should get more wine first and then see whether or not this is wise,” Mallory says, prompting Milan to stand up and follow her into the house.

I can hear them arguing over it as they head in but I’m certain that Mallory has no chance of persuading Milan from her plan. I start walking towards my bungalow again, my head swimming.

She’s my client and I can’t tell the brothers or Robert anything about what I just heard. It’s obvious that Candice has been expecting something like this from her mother but she doesn’t know exactly what, considering how careful Milan was with waiting for her to be behind closed doors before she started discussing it with Mallory.

I wonder if Candice has told Robert about her fears and that’s why he was so adamant about not signing the documents without them present.

Probably.

The whole thing makes me sick to my stomach. When I get back to my bungalow, I lock the door behind me and spend the rest of the night trying to figure out what I should do.

When I see the lights coming on in Austin’s bungalow, I can feel my heart breaking for him. His mother leaving him when he was a baby, the death of a woman who was like a mother to him, his father’s womanizing ways, his divorce… and now the possibility of losing his sister without being able to do anything about it…

And selfishly, I feel my heart breaking for myself as well. If I don’t tell Austin or the twins about this, there’s no fucking way there could ever be anything between us. But if I do tell them, I’d be betraying my confidentiality with my client, which would be inexcusable.

I’m between a rock and a hard place and this whole adventure just got so much more painful.