Money had been no object for so long, that for a second the amount Gary was demanding didn’t even register.

A couple million dollars was chump change really. The type of money Simon could make back within the hour without doing anything at all. But to Gary, that kind of money could set him up for years. Decades, if he spent it wisely.

Simon leaned forward, too intrigued to let this go. “What happens if I don’t pay you?”

“You’ll regret it.” Gary’s eyes narrowed. “You might be able to sue me and stop me from going to the press, but you can’t stop me from going to a judge with what I know. A sympathetic judge means I’ll get full custody of Finn.”

Instinctively, Simon’s hands balled up into tight fists. “You’re seriously willing to ruin your son’s life to get back at Heather? Are you really that petty?”

“Finn is my kid, okay?”

“You never spend time with him,” Simon shot back, half regretting the words. He wasn’t Finn’s father. He wasn’t anything—yet. However, Gary... This guy was just an asshole. And a lousy father.

“What do you know about it?” Gary crossed his arms and scowled.

“I know that Finn’s heartbroken over the fact that you refuse to spend time with him,” Simon shot back and then sighed, trying to lower his voice. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are to have a great kid like that look up to you?” Simon stopped himself before he let things get too personal. He knew how Finn felt. How it felt to want a father’s respect and attention. Simon would’ve given anything to have his own father’s love, but that ship had sailed long ago. He might not be able to go back and fix things with his own father, but maybe he could help give Finn the chance he never got.

The only problem was, he didn’t know where to go from here.

“Unlike you, I actually have to work,” Gary said. “That’s what keeps me away from my kid.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Simon said. “Heather has a demanding job, but she makes time for Finn. It’s not your job keeping you away from him. I know that you’ve got some girlfriend that keeps you away from your son. Or maybe a couple.”

“You don’t get to judge me.” Gary’s jaw clenched. “Heather started dating you, so I’m sure she doesn’t spend nearly as much time with Finn as she used to.”

“You’re wrong,” Simon said flatly. “You said it yourself: Heather would never let anything come between her and Finn. Yet you have the nerve to try to take Finn away from her.”

“Can you blame me?” Gary retorted. “She spoils him too much. She’s making him soft. I need to toughen that kid up.”

“Why? So he can grow up to be an ass like you?”

Gary jumped to his feet, anger blazing in his eyes. “Watch yourself.”

“You’re in my apartment,” Simon warned. “Begging for my money, I might add.”

“Look, we don’t see eye to eye on anything,” Gary said. “But if you give me the money I need, I’ll get out of the way. You can have your perfect little life with Heather and my son.”

Simon hesitated. Was that really what he wanted? For Gary to step away? “What exactly would I be paying you for?”

“I’ll drop the custody case. The first custody hearing’s in a few weeks, so I’m ready to get this going,” Gary replied as he resumed his seat. “After I drop the case, I’ll let Heather have full custody. I’ll give up all parental rights to Finn and leave Seattle, so I can finally start my life.”

That meant that Gary would be out of Heather’s life for good. She wouldn’t have to worry about losing her son. Wouldn’t have to worry about Gary’s threats and bullying. Heather would finally be free of her ex-husband. Free to finally live her life on her terms.

The urge to pay him off was suddenly overwhelming. A few million dollars was all Simon would have to give up for a lifetime of happiness with Heather.

He could picture his life with her. A life without Gary’s shadow looming over them. It meant no more lawyers, no more looking over their shoulders, no more waiting for the other shoe to drop in the press.

“If you leave, you’d be letting go of your vendetta against Heather,” Simon pointed out. “You wouldn’t get your chance at your twisted form of payback.” He’d need lawyers to draw up a contract. Have Gary sign them, stating he was giving up parental rights. Would it work? “You couldn’t come back to ask for more if you run out of money.”

Gary shrugged. “It would be worth it to get my hands on two million dollars.” He hesitated. “Maybe I should make it three million? Wouldn’t want to risk running out.” When he saw Simon’s expression, he backed down slightly. “Two mill’s plenty.”

The fact that he could so callously turn his back on his own son for money sickened Simon. Turned his insides to molten lead as rage coursed through his veins.

“And what about Finn?” Simon demanded.

“What about him?”

“He would be destroyed if you left him behind,” Simon said, unable to mask the desperation in his voice. “He’s just a kid. If you turn your back on him now, you’ll be breaking his heart for the rest of his life. Is that worth it?”

“According to you, if I stay I’ll never get along with his mother,” Gary said. “How’s that good for him in the long run?”

“You’re a selfish ass.” Simon wanted to lunge across the living room and beat some sense into Gary, but it wasn’t his place to teach the guy that kind of lesson. What was his place in this situation?

“Maybe, but it’s obvious you’re considering it,” Gary said coolly. “That’s why you haven’t thrown me out yet. It might hurt Finn for a while, but don’t act like you don’t want a future with Heather. A future that’s made easier because I’m out of the picture.”

He was right. Which was what scared the hell out of Simon. Gary’s proposal outraged him, but deep down a part of him was entertaining the idea. It would be so easy to pay the guy off and be rid of him. With Gary gone, he would have the chance to really start his life with Heather. A life he was ready to seize with both hands.

“I need more time to think this over,” Simon conceded. “And something like this needs to be done through the proper channels. We’d need to get our lawyers involved.”

“Sounds fair enough,” Gary said. “You have my contact details.”

Simon gave a curt nod and stood up. “I’ll need a week or more to consider things.”

“At least you’re not totally unreasonable.” Gary got to his feet and flashed a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Which means I know you’ll make the right decision.” He turned to head to the door before spinning around again. “Obviously, if we go through with this, you can’t tell Heather or Finn you paid me to skip town. This has to stay between us, Simon.”

“Obviously,” Simon said, his tone chilly. Telling Heather about forking over millions of dollars to her ex-husband was the kind of thing that would utterly destroy their relationship. If he went through with this she would never forgive him. But if he didn’t give this scheme some thought, she could very well lose her son forever.

After Simon let Gary out, he decided to head downstairs to the swimming pool to do some laps. It was the only way to clear his head. Because he was going to need to think clearly if he had any hope of making the right decision. There had to be a way to make this work. Just how?

~~*~~

HEATHER BRUSHED HER hair for probably the thousandth time. Her stomach was full of butterflies as she appraised herself in the bathroom mirror. The makeup she had applied looked natural and her hair had a healthy sheen to it. But she still felt jittery. Simon had called her earlier and insisted on seeing her. He had sounded so mysterious over the phone that she didn’t know if he wanted to share good news or if something was off. She couldn’t read his tone at all and had been too afraid to ask. She was being silly. Like a high school kid all over again.

On top of her jitters, she felt giddy at the prospect of seeing him for the first time since they had gotten back to Seattle several days ago. Phone calls weren’t enough. She wanted to see him. Had to touch him.

The gold necklace he’d bought her in Florida dangled around her neck, the bejeweled pendant mere inches above her heart. The heart that ached to be near him.

The doorbell’s ring made her jump, but she quickly smoothed her hair one last time and raced out of the bathroom. She forced herself to slow down, half paranoid she’d be out of breath by the time she made it to the front of the house.

When she opened the door, her pulse started to race at the sight of him. Love was making the butterflies in her stomach flutter like crazy. She felt like she was seventeen years old all over again. “Hi, Simon,” she said softly, flashing him a shaky smile.

He didn’t return her smile. Instead he swept her into his arms and held on to her so tightly she knew that something was amiss. Usually his hard body reassured her, but the absence of that comfort set her on edge now. Her nerves were already making her body tremble with apprehension. Gathering her strength, she stepped out of his arms and motioned for him to enter. “I hope I’m not intruding,” he said stiffly.

“Of course, you aren’t,” she said. “Finn’s with my parents, so we have the house all to ourselves.”

For a moment he stopped to look at her. “How do you manage to look more beautiful every time I see you?”

That chased away her jitters somewhat and she smiled. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

He chuckled and lightly brushed his lips against hers. “You smell wonderful.”

She giggled and led him to the living room, where she had already set out refreshments on the coffee table.

Small talk was only going to be a waste of time. She knew that no matter how much she dreaded ruining the mood, it was best to get right to the point. “What did you want to talk about?”

“About us,” he said. “Us and Gary.”

Her heart sank. She hadn’t anticipated that her ex-husband would be the topic of discussion and, as usual, every time his name was mentioned her stomach knotted up with trepidation. “What about Gary?”

“He came to my apartment a few days ago,” he said evenly. “The same day we got back from Florida, actually.”

She frowned. “He never mentioned a visit. I talked to him briefly yesterday on a conference call about my considering getting a new lawyer. It was all very official, since his lawyer was in on the call.” She tapped her finger against her lip. “Maybe that’s why he didn’t mention it.”

“He didn’t mention it because I suspect he’s deliberately trying to keep it from you.” Simon leaned back in the chair, whatever uncertainty he had been carrying now replaced by a steely confidence. He crossed his strong arms, his unwavering gaze meeting hers.

“Why would he do something like that?” Heather asked in surprise.

“Because what he came to discuss was utterly distasteful.” His eyes narrowed, his anger apparent.

Heather swallowed hard. She had never seen Simon like this. Never seen such tightly coiled anger threatening to boil over. He had lost his temper once, when he had thought she was trying to sabotage Dover by hacking into his cyber system, but this anger was different. It was as if he was trying to restrain it through sheer force of will, doing everything in his power not to unleash it. “What did he come to discuss?” The minute she asked, she knew she would regret finding out the truth.

The expression on Simon’s face was the most terrifying combination of anger, grief, and disgust. “He came to try to squeeze money out of me.”

She gasped, her hand flying to her throat in panic. “How could he do something like that? Simon, I’m so sorry. He had no right to do that.”

Guilt wracked her. If it hadn’t been for her, Simon wouldn’t have had to deal with her rotten excuse for an ex-husband. Gary had always been rough around the edges. Even ill-mannered. But this was a new low for him.

“It gets worse,” he said tersely.

“How much money did he ask for?”

Simon narrowed his eyes. “Two million dollars.”

“What?” Her lungs constricted painfully and she struggled to breathe. This was insane. She had thought maybe Gary had come asking for a small loan for rent or a car payment, but this was beyond anything she could have ever predicted. Disbelief forced her to search for the right words to respond with.

“Why would he ask for that kind of money?” she finally gasped out. “Is he in some kind of trouble?”

“You’re seriously still giving him the benefit of the doubt?” Frustration laced every word as he scowled. “He isn’t in any trouble. He wanted a payoff to drop the custody battle and relinquish his parental rights to Finn. And, as terrible as it sounds, I’ve actually given his proposal serious consideration.”