Page 67 of The Seal's Promise
“Were you expecting someone else?” he asked as he tried to open the screen door.
But she almost always kept it locked, because she and Max entered through the garage.
“Why are you here, Tyler?”
“I came to see Max. He is my son, after all.” He said the words as if he didn’t really believe them.
“Max is with his grandparents this evening, bonding over baseball.”
Tyler looked at his watch. “Well, maybe I’ll just stick around until he gets home. We can spend some time together.”
An alarm bell went off. Tyler never dropped by her house to see Max.
“Your attorney said you wanted Friday for your first visit. You can’t just drop by for random visits, that isn’t how custody works. What do you really want? In seven years you’ve never once stopped by to see your son or wanted to spend time with me.”
He leaned forward on the door frame and, like a scripted actor, plastered his most charming smile on.
“Maybe I’m trying to make up for lost time, and Max is a lot easier to hang out with now that he doesn’t need diapers or ask for you every five seconds.”
Her stomach twisted. Poor Max was stuck with a father who didn’t really want to spend time with him, and now—because of the child support—Tyler was going to pretend to be more interested than he really was.
“You do know the judge is going to base the child support on your earnings and wealth, not how much time you spend with Max, right?”
“Actually, my lawyer tells me that if I have fifty percent custody, then I won’t have to pay any child support. Isn’t that neat?”
“Fifty percent custody? You’ve barely spent fifty hours with your son since his birth. Miles spends more time with Max.”
His fake smile turned into more of a sneer, making his undeniably handsome face look angry.
“You don’t get to lecture me about parenthood when you can’t even afford a decent place to live, and if I want to see my son, you have to let me.”
Before she could respond, Dalton’s truck pulled into the driveway, and she could feel the tension roll off Tyler as the recognition dawned on him.
“Well, well, while Max is away, Mommy gets to play. I wonder what the judge will think of you sleeping around, and with a coworker no less.” He made a tsking sound with his tongue.
Dalton exited the truck and stopped a few feet away from Tyler, who just stood there with his hands on his hips and his chest puffing up.
“Evening, Tyler,” Dalton said with a nod before his eyes passed over Brooke’s face, searching.
“Isn’t it about time you head back out of Sandy Point, or are you still hell-bent on trying to weasel your way into my family?”
Dalton just sighed. “I can see why this might be awkward for you, Tyler, but Brooke hasn’t been part of your family for a long while. There’s no need to make things uncomfortable.”
“You think this is bad, you just wait and see. Unlike you Hart boys, I’ve got all the money and time in the world to make this extremely uncomfortable,” Tyler said, then stepped forward to crowd Dalton on the sidewalk. He even had the nerve to shoulder bump Dalton while on his way back through Brooke’s yard to his flashy black sports car that he’d parked in front of her house. “Tell Max I’ll pick him up after school. And I don’t want my son around this loser,” he called back, then got in his car and sped off.
Brooke unlocked the screen door and Dalton stepped in, making the already small house seem even smaller with his size.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I don’t know. He said he’s going to fight me for custody of Max because I filed for child support. Apparently, his lawyer said he won’t have to pay if he gets fifty percent custody. I can’t lose Max. Tyler will stick him with some nanny and it’ll be all my fault.”
Dalton’s warm hands gripped her upper arms. “He won’t get granted fifty percent custody after being an absentee father for almost eight years. No judge will let him take Max away from his home and school. It’s just an intimidation tactic.” His deep voice was soothing and what he said was logical, but Brooke knew better. The Banks family were notorious for throwing their money around to get what—and who—they wanted.
“I don’t believe that and neither do you. He already has several high-powered attorneys, he accused me of sleeping around, and he said the judge will find me unfit.” Her hands went cold. “And now he knows we’re spending time together, which will only egg him on. I can’t lose my son.”
Dalton pulled her into his warm, hard chest. “You won’t lose Max. You’re a fantastic mother, you have a great support system, and you don’t sleep around. Don’t let him get into your head.”
“Too late. I need to talk to Declan about this. I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t date anyone until this is all settled.”
