Ex-Wife To The Billionaire

Chapter6

"I think we should share custody."

Janet froze.

The world seemed to stop moving.

Share custody?

Co-parent?

With Damon King?

She couldn't believe her ears. She searched his eyes to see if he were joking. He wasn't.

"But the question is, can you take it?"

He muttered, his baritone echoing inside of her. He leaned back into his seat, his green eyes locking hers, and it felt as if he was staring into her soul.

"What?"

She blurted because she didn't know what else to say.

Damon remained calm.

"As I said, I think we should share custody."

Janet stared at him.

For a moment she wondered if she had heard him correctly.

Then she laughed.

A short disbelieving laugh.

"You want to share custody?"

Damon nodded once.

"Yes."

Janet leaned back in her chair.

The expensive restaurant suddenly felt too small.

"After showing up yesterday with a cheque?"

Her voice sharpened.

"After trying to buy my son?"

Damon's expression didn't change.

"I wasn't trying to buy him."

Janet almost laughed again.

"Really?"

She folded her arms.

"Because from where I was standing, that's exactly what it looked like."

Silence.

Damon didn't argue.

Which somehow annoyed her even more.

Finally he spoke.

"I handled it poorly."

Janet blinked.

The answer caught her off guard.

She had expected arrogance.

Excuses.

Not that.

Damon's gaze remained fixed on her.

"I haven't been a father before."

Janet frowned.

Neither had she.

Not at first.

But somehow she doubted Damon King had ever struggled to do anything in his life.

"You could have started with a greeting."

She muttered.

A flicker of something passed through his eyes.

Almost amusement.

Almost.

Then it disappeared.

"I'll remember that next time."

Janet hated that her heart skipped for half a second.

She quickly ignored it.

"There won't be a next time if you're expecting me to hand Chance over."

Damon sighed.

For the first time all evening, he looked tired.

Not cold.

Not intimidating.

Just tired.

"That's not what I want."

Janet stared.

Damon looked away briefly.

Toward the window.

Toward the city beyond it.

Then back at her.

"I know what it means to grow up without parents."

The words surprised her.

Because they sounded personal.

Real.

Not rehearsed.

Not calculated.

"I won't take away the only parent he's ever known."

Janet froze.

Something inside her softened.

Only slightly.

But Damon noticed.

Of course he noticed.

The man looked like he noticed everything.

"But?"

She asked quietly.

Because there was always a but.

"There are things I can give him."

His voice was calm.

"A better education."

Janet's stomach sank.

Here it comes.

"Healthcare."

There it is.

"Security."

And there it is.

Everything she couldn't provide.

The words weren't cruel.

That somehow made them worse.

Because they were true.

Janet lowered her gaze.

Her fingers tightened around her glass.

Damon watched her carefully.

Then he said something she didn't expect.

"But there are things you can give him that I can't."

Her eyes lifted.

For the first time since arriving, Damon looked away first.

As if admitting it irritated him.

"He loves you."

The words landed heavily between them.

Janet's breath caught.

Damon continued.

"He trusts you."

His jaw tightened.

"And whether I like it or not..."

He paused.

"...he needs you."

The restaurant suddenly felt very quiet.

Janet wasn't sure what shocked her more.

The fact that Damon admitted it.

Or the fact that he looked unhappy about admitting it.

For several seconds neither of them spoke.

Then Janet finally asked:

"What exactly does sharing custody mean to you?"

Damon's eyes returned to hers.

A dangerous question.

Because the answer would determine everything.

And neither of them knew it yet.

But this conversation was about to change both of their lives.

***

Damon leaned back slightly.

"It means I want to be part of his life."

Janet stared.

"That's very vague."

"It means," he continued patiently, "I want access to my son."

The words immediately rubbed her the wrong way.

"My son."

Not our son.

Not Chance.

My son.

Janet's jaw tightened.

"His name is Chance."

Damon's expression didn't change.

"I want to spend time with him."

Janet folded her arms.

"How much time?"

"A few days every week."

"What?"

She nearly choked.

"A few days?"

Damon frowned slightly.

"That's generally how shared custody works."

Janet stared at him as if he had lost his mind.

"You want to take him away from me for days?"

"I didn't say away."

"You literally just did."

Damon sighed.

Already.

He was sighing already.

How did people argue with this woman every day?

Then again...

How did she argue with him so easily?

Most people became nervous after five minutes.

Janet had been challenging him for almost an hour.

And somehow she looked ready to continue.

"We can discuss the schedule."

He said.

Janet immediately shook her head.

"No."

Damon blinked.

"No?"

"No."

The answer came so quickly it almost surprised him.

Janet leaned forward.

"He has school."

"No problem."

"He has friends."

"No problem."

"He has football practice."

"No problem."

"He hates sleeping in unfamiliar places."

Damon opened his mouth.

Then paused.

That...

Actually sounded like a problem.

Janet immediately noticed.

A small smile appeared on her face.

A victorious one.

The sight irritated him more than it should have.

"He can adjust."

Damon said.

Janet snorted.

"You don't know children."

Damon's jaw tightened.

"And you do?"

"Yes."

The answer came immediately.

Without hesitation.

Without doubt.

And somehow that annoyed him even more.

Because she wasn't being arrogant.

She was being truthful.

She did know Jack.

Better than him.

Far better.

The realization settled heavily inside his chest.

Janet continued.

"He doesn't like thunder."

Damon frowned.

"What?"

"He pretends he isn't scared."

She smiled faintly.

"But he is."

Damon said nothing.

"He sleeps with one leg outside the blanket."

Silence.

"He hates carrots."

Silence.

"He always says he isn't tired even when he's falling asleep."

Damon stared at her.

Janet stopped speaking.

The realization slowly dawned on her.

The table suddenly felt much quieter.

Because Damon wasn't interrupting.

Wasn't arguing.

Wasn't correcting her.

He was simply listening.

And the expression in his eyes looked strange.

Almost distant.

Almost regretful.

Finally he asked,

"...how do you know all that?"

Janet looked confused.

Then she laughed softly.

The answer was obvious.

"Because I'm his mother."

The words struck harder than they should have.

Not biological.

Not by blood.

But a mother nonetheless.

Damon looked away first.

For reasons he didn't entirely understand.

And for the first time since arriving at the restaurant...

Neither of them noticed the food.

Neither of them cared.

Because somewhere between arguing over names and discussing sleeping habits...

The conversation had stopped being about custody.

And started becoming about Chance.