I held her until Lia came back in, and then I stepped away. I wanted to kick Lia and Emily out, lock the damn door, and hold her for the rest of the day. Or, better yet, take her back to the hotel room and spend the day wrapped up in blankets, watching movies that would make her laugh and forget her hurt.

Molly decided that she wanted to be alone, though. She thanked us for worrying about her, but she insisted the best way for her to process the news before tonight’s concert was her being alone with her guitar. I could understand that.

Lia and Emily planned to go do whatever it is personal assistants do, but before they left, Lia sent me away, promising to have Sam station someone in the hallway and assuring me I’d get a phone call if Molly ventured out of the room. Not that she would. This was the one time I knew for a fact that she’d stay put.

I needed a drink, but considering it was still before noon, I’d have to settle for coffee. When I shoved my way into the room where we’d had breakfast, I was shocked to see Julie sitting at a table, staring at her tablet. She was the only person there. “What are you doing here?”

She glanced up, did a double take, and then smiled when she realized it was me. “Hey!” She joined me as I filled my coffee cup. “I didn’t think I’d see you until much later.”

“Where are the kids?”

“With Nate. He was going to show them the buses and then put them to work.” She laughed. “They were so excited about it, but I think he was just as enthusiastic. He loves kids. I wish Lia would stop worrying about her career so much and give that man a baby of his own. She—”

“Shut up, Julie. Just shut up!” I’d had enough of her in those five seconds to last a lifetime.

She looked taken aback. “You don’t have to be such an ass. I was just making an observation.”

“I don’t need you to make observations about my friends.”

She glowered at me, sticking a hand on her hip. “They’re my friends, too.”

I could argue that point, considering neither of them liked her, but it wasn’t worth it. Instead, I sipped my coffee and sat at a table. Pulling out my phone, I hoped she’d take the hint and leave me alone. She didn’t.

Instead, she took the seat across from me. “Where’s Molly? In an interview?”

“She’s having a meeting,” I lied effortlessly.

“Do you have some time to talk?”

I almost said no and told her to leave me the hell alone, but then I remembered that I had promised to listen to whatever she had to say. This was the perfect moment—we were alone and I wouldn’t have to waste time later. I nodded. “A few minutes.”

She looked relieved. “Please just hear me out, okay?” I immediately knew I wasn’t going to like whatever she had to say, but I didn’t stop her. “I’m not contesting the divorce.”

“Okay.” I couldn’t understand why that would matter to me.

“I’m only asking for my car and half the bank account. I don’t want the house, Lewis does, so we’re going to have to move. The kids and I talked about it, and we think a fresh start would be good for us. Get the hell out of town, maybe even Maine.”

“You’re moving Jake?” She now had all of my attention. I traveled for work, yeah, but when I was home, I wanted to be within an hour’s drive of my kid.

“I’d like to, yes.”

“And you want me to give my permission?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m the custodial parent. That’s my decision.”

“Lewis is a dick, but I can’t see him letting you move his daughter away from him. He’ll fight you.”

“He actually has no say in the matter.”

“Jules,” I sighed, leaning forward and bracing my forearms on the table, spinning my coffee cup. “That’s just shitty. I’m not just saying this for me, I’m saying it for Lewis, too. We deserve to have a say in where our children live. I want Jake in a safe place.”

“I was actually hoping that you’d help us find a place. You know, wherever you’re going to be.”

My Spidey senses were lacking, overwhelmed with everything else going on, but I felt like I was missing something. I knew I was. “What are you trying to say? Stop talking in circles and spit it out.”

She sighed dramatically. “The kids and I want to go where you go. We all love you, we’re all happier when you’re around. I want you to think about letting us move in.”

I stared at her, gaping, for a few long minutes. “You and the kids? Meaning now that Lewis is gone you want to play house with me?” She’d lost her mind. “Does Lewis know that’s why you’re not contesting the divorce and holding out for the house and the bank accounts?”

“No. He’s the one who made the most of our money. Without a mutual child, I wouldn’t get anything, even if I did contest.”

She was an idiot who obviously needed a better lawyer. “You have a mutual child, Jules.”

She took a deep breath. “Legally, Janet is yours.”

I glared at her. She’d told me years ago that she’d gotten the birth certificate amended and that I had no legal right to Nettie. “Says an outdated piece of paper. Biologically, she’s not. That should be the only documentation a court needs to make sure he provides for his child.”

She fidgeted with her tablet. “I didn’t want to tell you here, like this.” She waved her hand around the room.

“Tell me what?” I demanded, the cold tone in my voice making her flinch.

“Lewis wanted to add Janet onto his insurance policy, but unless a child is born in marriage, they demand DNA proof.” Her voice dropped to a whisper and she avoided my eyes. “When the results came back, he wasn’t a match.”

“What?”

“You knew she came early. I was under so much stress that pregnancy…” She trailed off, finally looking me in the eye. “I told you that I couldn’t be sure. But that there was a small chance she was yours.”

I shook my head, not knowing if I should be running out to find my daughter—my daughter—or if I should even listen to a word the psychopath in front of me was saying. “You are a fucking bitch.”

Julie didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed. Instead, she shrugged. “Oh, like you’re innocent here. You could have asked for a paternity test when I told you. You could have insisted that you were her legal father and gotten a parental rights and responsibilities order written. Instead, you ran away. So save your judgemental bullshit, okay?”

She was a fucking piece of work. “I won’t make that mistake again, I can promise you that.” I sat back, worried that if I was too close to her, I’d hurt her. “You don’t have to worry about moving with the kids, Jules. ‘Cause I’m going to take them, and you are never going to see them again.”

She laughed. “I’ve heard that one. Before you deployed the last time, remember? You promised me that when you got back, you were taking Jake. Instead, you got your stupid convoy blown up and your men killed. If that wasn’t a sign, I’m not sure what is.”

If she’d been a man, I would have knocked her goddamn teeth down her throat. Leave it to Julie to hit below the belt.

“You’re not taking my kids away from me. And if you keep spending time with home-wrecking whores like Molly Ray, who are horrible influences for our young, impressionable daughter, I’ll be forced to explain to the judge just how crazy you went after your accident and how you once told me you didn’t feel safe alone with the kids. Don’t fuck with me, Michael. Or I’ll make sure the only time you ever see them is during your quarterly supervised visits.”

I had to get out of there before I hurt her. I needed to get out of the building, away from the people I cared about before I exploded. I rushed out of the room, Julie’s smug face burned into my mind.

I felt helpless. Fucking disgusted with my ex-wife and my own stupidity. I’d believed her. I’d fucking bought every lie she’d ever told me. I had no way to know if she was telling the truth now. The only thing I knew for sure was that I needed to talk to someone.