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Emmanuel didn’t hesitate to jump right in. They had pointed out to him he was in the wrong, so he manned up.
“Ms. Journee, I wanted to extend my apologies for ambushing you the other day. In no way am I excusing my behaviour, but this whole situation has been… difficult to wrap my head around.”
“It’s fine. I honestly don’t know how I would have reacted in either of your positions. This whole situation has been a horrible mess. Although I wasn’t privy to Leo’s deception, I still want to apologise for the part I played in what undoubtedly resulted in causing turmoil in your lives.” She looked from Ivy to Emmanuel.
Jasmine Journee looked so sincere as she spoke. Emmanuel realised how hard this situation was on her as well. She hadn’t asked to be a part of this mess, but here she was trying to take responsibility and, in her own way, make it right. She was as innocent as he was in all of this. He looked at Ivy and saw the empathy reflected there. So, when Ivy nodded at him, he knew what he had to do.
“You have nothing to apologise for, Ms Journee. You, like me, were thrown into a situation not of our own making.”
“Please call me Jasmine. I want you to know I’ll do whatever I can to make this right. My lawyer is looking into it, but he has never heard of anything like this before.”
It impressed Emmanuel that she had already contacted her attorney. Now he felt bad for her. Leonardo had really screwed her over.
“I appreciate that you have taken those steps.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Scott, I’m in the process of having the child support funds returned to you. My lawyers will figure out a way to have the ongoing support stopped, but in the meantime, I will have those funds returned as well.” The money hadn’t even crossed his mind. It was inconsequential.
Emmanuel didn’t have to look at Ivy to know that they would be on the same page concerning this matter. “First, please call me Emmanuel. Regarding the child support, there is no need to return it.”
“I can’t keep it in good conscious. I only received those funds because I believed they were coming from my child’s father.” Her voice broke on the last two words. The pain she was going through was palpable.
No wonder Ivy and Frank called him out on his horrible stunt. God, his brother was a piece of shit. Even though she was a stranger, why would he do this to her?
“While I am not your child’s father, but as it turns out, I am his relative. Well, his uncle, in fact. So, I feel I can speak for my family when I tell you to keep the funds you have already received and any upcoming support.”
“I can’t accept the funds.” Jasmine shook her head. “That is too much. The support is a lot.”
“It has been our belief that children can’t have too much support. Please keep the funds.” Ivy squeezed his knee when he finished speaking. It reminded him of something his wife had told him. “My wife mentioned your son bears a striking resemblance to our eldest when he was that age.”
“Really? Well, you can take a look for yourself. I have photos.” Jasmine said, pulling out her phone and opening her photo album. Her entire face lit up when she looked down at the pictures. She looked up at him and halted. “Well, if you would like to see them.”
“Of course.”
She probably thought he was some kind of ogre because of his actions when they met. She passed the phone to him, and damn if Doc wasn’t correct. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought Jasmine had gotten a hold of pictures of Oliver when he was little. He remembered the joy of being a new father and having a little guy be his mini-me. Leonardo was a complete fool to miss out on all of this.
Ivy moved closer, and they looked at the photos. “See told you. Totally a little Oliver. Look, Frank,” she said, showing the photos to him.
“That is completely uncanny. You have a beautiful son.”
“Thank you. He’s the sweetest little guy. So smart, and he already has this huge personality. He’s funny and headstrong.”
“Oliver,” Frank, Ivy, and Emmanuel said in unison.
“I know this situation has been difficult for you. Especially the last couple of days, but know that your son and, by extension you, have family. Actually, our little girl would love to meet her cousin. There is no rush. I know this has been a lot to process, but we are here.”
God, he loved Doc. Leave it to her to roll out the welcome mat. She was right, he had a nephew. It seemed their family would welcome the little guy into their fold.
“Wow. Thank you so much. You both have been so gracious. I do have to get going. I have a flight to catch. Tommy is with my parents. I need to get back to him.”
This time when someone knocked on the door. Emmanuel explained to Jasmine what was happening. “We aren’t expecting anyone other than Leonardo…” Jasmine visibly stiffened at the mention of his name. “…seems he has arrived early. I in no way intended this to be another ambush.”
In their brief encounter, Emmanuel had developed a soft spot for the younger woman. He was a father and if anyone did anything to hurt Sage, he would rip them apart and solder them back together with a blowtorch just so they could watch as he destroyed everything they loved. It pissed him off what this young woman was going through and what she would continue to have to deal with.
“It’s fine. Like I said, I have to get going anyway,” Jasmine assured him.
Frank, already standing by the door, allowed Leonardo and another man to enter the space.
Had she said it was fine? Because the moment Jasmine Journee set eyes on Leonardo, her face turned to a mask of fury.
