“That would be great,” he says.

It’s a tense silence as I throw a K-cup in the Keurig and wait for his coffee to brew. I know he takes it black, so after the last drop falls, I turn and hand the cup to him. I nod toward one of the kitchen island stools and he takes a seat. I walk to the opposite side of the counter and stand before him, Max coming to stand beside me.

I don’t say anything. I watch as Dwayne takes a tiny sip of his coffee, then he sets the cup down and looks at me. “I’m not here to fight about the kids.”

My eyebrows raise in surprise but I don’t say anything.

His gaze drops to his cup and he says, “I, um . . . I’m going to head back to Oklahoma. My girl and I broke up, and well . . . you know I can’t afford to have an attorney fight about those kids right now. Maybe once I’m settled and get into a job . . . I can work to catch up the child support.”

I don’t believe a word he says, but I do say, “That would be a good idea.”

Dwayne is silent for a moment before he looks back up at me. “I could use some money to get set up back in Oklahoma. You know . . . to rent a place and give me some cushion until I find a job.”

I stare at him.

He continues, “And I was thinking . . . you know, since I’m not going to fight you for the kids, you could front me some money to get back home.”

My mouth opens to tell him he’s got some nerve, but Max says quietly, “Jules . . . will you give me and Dwayne a minute? I’d like to talk to him privately.”

At first I feel a rush of anger that Max would think to exclude me, but when he turns his gaze on me, the anger fizzles because before me I see a man who wants to be my champion and he’s simply asking me to let him do it.

“Sure,” I say quietly, and I walk out of the kitchen.

Now, I am in no way not going to listen in on what’s being said, so I make a production of climbing the stairs with some mild stomping so Dwayne things I’m out of earshot, but I stop right at the top landing and lean my forearms on the banister. Looking down over the open foyer with the front door just beyond, I know the sound from the kitchen will travel well enough for me to hear what’s going on.

“Just a little bit of money,” Dwayne says, his supplication now aimed at Max. “I know you got plenty, man, and I swear . . . you won’t ever see me again.”

I’m surprised when Max says, “And what about Annabelle, Levy, and Rocco . . . will they see you again? You just going to jet out of their life for good?”

“Man . . . you know I’m not a good daddy,” Dwayne says with an actual measure of genuine self-disgust aimed at himself. “Wasn’t a good husband either.”

“Doesn’t mean those kids don’t need to know their father,” Max says, and this again surprises me. I sort of thought when he asked for privacy, he was going to lay into Dwayne.

“I’m no good for them,” he says, and that sounds like self-pity now, and I never could tolerate that attitude, so my nose involuntarily wrinkles. “So maybe just give me some money and I’ll be out of here for good.”

There’s silence, and I can almost envision Max staring Dwayne down. I can also envision Dwayne doesn’t have the bravery to hold Max’s critical gaze.

Finally, I hear Max’s voice, and it’s empathetic but uncompromising. “We’re not going to give you a dime, Dwayne. You’ve managed to take care of yourself this long in life, I’m sure you’ll find some way to survive. But I will tell you what I’ll do. First, if you ever think to threaten Jules again by taking those kids away from her—when you’ve never once showed an ounce of interest in their well-being or in their mother as she died—then I want you to know I will use every penny of my vast and incredible fortune to fight you. I will bankrupt and bury you before I ever let that happen.”

There’s a small pause, and Dwayne doesn’t say a word.

Max continues, his voice a little softer now. “But, what I will do is talk to Jules about perhaps rescinding the order for child support. Take that monkey off your back, since you clearly have no desire to pay it. In return, I want you to relinquish all of your paternal rights so Jules can officially adopt those kids. She’s their mom now. She’s been more of a parent in a few short months to them then you’ve been in your entire life.”

More silence, and I can no longer even envision what Dwayne’s or Max’s face looks like at this point, because this is so not where I thought their conversation would go.

“However,” Max says, this time as if he was talking to a child who needed some type of encouragement. “I know Jules would still want you to be a part of their lives. You don’t have the maturity to care for them and raise them the way a parent has to sacrifice to do so, but I do think you have the power to love them. So I would propose you still have some type of regular visitation. Jules and I will bring them to you when our schedules permit, or I’ll pay to fly you here to see them.”

Immediately, my nose starts stinging, and I don’t even try to quell the tears that start to form.

Oh, God . . . sweet, genuine, generous Max, doing right by not only me and those children, but also doing right by Dwayne. Still trying to include a wayward father into those kids’ lives.

I don’t bother listening anymore. I have no clue what Dwayne will decide to do, but I know Max would never make decisions without me and will call me down when I’m needed. Besides, it really doesn’t matter what he decides. Nothing will change the fact that those kids belong to me and Max.

So I turn and head into Levy’s room, and make myself busy picking up his toys and clothes he’d left lying around this morning before going to school. I’ll do the same for Rocco and Annabelle when I’m done.

Three weeks later . . .

“It’s finally here,” I shout out as I barge into Fleurish, not caring if I scare the crap out of any of Stevie’s customers.

Stevie calls back, “I’m in the back.”

I hurry back there, vaguely noticing that the shop actually has a few customers, but they’re currently being helped by one of Stevie’s employees and don’t give me a second glance.

I find Stevie at a large worktable, creating a floral arrangement of such beauty, it takes my breath away for a moment. “Oh, wow. That is stunning.”