Page 117 of The Only Thing That's Real
Mia seems anxious again. She opens her mouth to say something, then closes it and opens it again. “Knox?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m adding you to the birth certificate. I’ve got the paperwork and plan on turning it in this week. He’ll know who you are to him. I promise.”
Time stops. My pulse thunders in my ears. I’m not sure what to say.
“Are you okay with that?” There’s an edge to her voice. She thinks I don’t want her to do the paperwork.
“Shit, yes. Sorry, you surprised me is all. Yes, I would be honored.” A thought hits me square in the chest and disappointment douses my excitement. “But let’s wait.”
“What?”
“I know that sounds bad. But hear me out. Wait a year or two. Let’s give the world time to forget about me. Those vultures in entertainment news have internet alerts set with all the celebrities’ names. That’s how they learn about big name divorces the same day the paperwork is filed. Any legal filings trigger an alert, and the paparazzi will descend on Goose Hollow. Trust me, I don’t want to wait, but I also want to protect the two of you.”
“Oh.”
“This is why I need you to believe me when I say I understand why you did what you did. You were right to protect him. It won’t take long. I’ll be a washed-up has-been in the eyes of the world before you know it.”
“That’s pretty messed up.”
“It is.”
“You sure you want to wait?”
“No, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Knox
“He’s amazing. How is it possible I had anything to do with creating him?”
“Well, you see... the man puts his penis in the woman’s vagina.” Charlie forms a circle with one hand while moving her forefinger of the other in and out of said circle.
Not only is she my brother’s wife, but she knows me better than almost anyone. Charlotte Carruthers, Charlie to her friends, was not just the band’s lawyer for over a decade, she’s part of my inner circle. And now I get to call her sister. Cal hit the jackpot when he found her, thanks to me. They really don’t give me enough credit for that.
“Shut up. You know what I mean. He’s just so perfect. I got to experience my first minor tantrum today. Guess what? He’s stillperfect.”
“Because he’s yours. You and Mia are a pretty great combo as far as baby making goes.”
Charlie shifts, trying to get comfortable in the rocking chair she built from scratch a few months ago. I sit in its twin, watching her in awe. She still has two weeks to go and looks incredibly uncomfortable. It’s the middle of August and even though the sun has set, it’s hot out. But she insisted on waiting for Cal on the front porch. He was called into the store for some sort of lumber emergency. So here we sit with Ruby, their blue pittie, sleeping at her feet.
“She said she has the paperwork to add me to his birth certificate.”
This gets her attention off her discomfort and the lawyer in her peeks her head out. “And what did you say?”
“I told her to wait until my name has faded into oblivion.”
“Is that really what you want?”
“Not at all, but you know how it is.”
“I do.”
“If you were still my lawyer, what would you advise?”
“Well, the friend in me says you have every right to want it now. The lawyer in me knows the smart thing to do would be to wait a year or two. At least if you want to keep TMZ away.”
