Page 129 of The Keeper

My temper flared again, but I tamped it down. From their perspective, I could understand how they’d reached those conclusions, even if those conclusions were wrong. But I’d listened to their side of the story; it was my turn to speak.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to make amends with Sarah, but with all due respect, you saw what you wanted to see,” I said. “I didn’t engage in any behavior that’s outside the norm. I don’t get trashed at the pub. I don’t drink and drive. And yes, I went through a lot of nannies, but that’s because none of them were the right fit for Evie. You can ask her yourself. As for ‘inadvisable romantic relationships,’ Carina is the first person I’ve dated since Sarah.”

Oswald scoffed. “You can’t expect us to believe that.”

“Believe whatever you want, but it’s the truth,” I said coolly. “My love life has no bearing on my capabilities as a father.”

“She was your nanny,” Oswald said. “Dating her while she was looking after Evie was a blatant display of unprofessionalism, and⁠—”

“If I may, I’m going to cut in, since you’re talking about me while I’m sitting right here,” Carina interrupted. “It’s true I was Evie’s nanny when Noah and I started dating, but I only had days left on my contract. We did everything we could to keep things professional, but I fell for him partly because of how wonderful he was with Evie.” She looked the Andersons straight in the eye. “Did you know he braids her hair every day she has a big presentation at school? Or that he makes his nannies go through these ridiculous full-day trial runs before he’ll hire them? It’s insane. But it’s proof of his devotion, and Evie turned out as well as she did because of the father he is. You think her opinion of him is biased because he’s all she’s ever known? Then talk to her friends. Talk to her teachers. Talk to his Blackcastle teammates. They’ll tell you the same thing I’ll tell you now—that he’s an incredible father and an even more incredible person.”

My ability to breathe ceased as Carina’s words landed somewhere deep inside me.

I’d defended myself for months against the Andersons and, more recently, the media. I’d fought against people who questioned my choices, my priorities, my ability to raise Evie.

But no one had ever looked at me the way Carina did. No one had ever stood up for me like this.

The room went hazy, and I had to look away before the burn in my eyes spilled into something I couldn’t control.

“Anyway, that was all I wanted to say,” Carina finished, her face pink. “Please continue.”

“Well,” Elizabeth said after a long silence. “That was touching.” For once, she sounded sincere.

Oswald didn’t have a response.

I took a breath to collect myself and turned back to the Andersons. We’d spent enough time talking about the past. It was time to move forward, but first, I had to make one thing clear.

“My personal life is personal, but since we’re here, I want to set the record straight: Carina is not a passing fancy or a so-called flavor of the week. I care about her deeply, and she’s here to stay. If you have a problem with that, tell me now so we don’t waste any more time.”

I didn’t look at Carina, lest I lose my composure again, but I heard her breath catch.

Neither of the Andersons said a word.

“Good,” I said. “Then let’s get back to the matter at hand. I empathize with what happened between you and Sarah. I do. But you lost her long before she was gone because you thought you knew better than her. You decided her dreams were wrong and that her choices weren’t good enough.” I held their gaze. “Can’t you see you’re doing the same thing with Evie?”

Neither of them moved.

“Instead of listening to what she wants, you’re forcing her into the life you think is best for her. We can go to court. I’m prepared for that. But even if you win legal custody, Evie will resent you for taking her away from the person she loves most.” I softened my voice. “You said you wanted to be better grandparents than you were parents. Then do that. Put aside your pride. Listen to her. Don’t repeat the same mistake you made with Sarah.”

The silence that followed was so total, so complete, that I could almost hear the weight of my words settle over the room.

Oswald sat rigid-backed, his hand strangling his knee. Elizabeth’s expression was unreadable, but her eyes were brighter than before.

Despite my calm exterior, my nerves were fraying.

This was it. My last shot at resolving this outside the court system. If I didn’t get through to them today, we would go to war.

“You make good points,” Elizabeth finally said, her tone stiff. “We may have…overreached in our desire to make things right with Sarah through Evie. And I suppose we failed to recognize that, in trying to protect her, we were repeating the same mistakes we made with our daughter.”

She exchanged a glance with Oswald, who looked uncomfortable but didn’t argue. For the first time since I met him, he was stripped of his usual bluster.

“It’s also possible you aren’t as bad a father as we originally believed,” he added begrudgingly.

It wasn’t exactly a compliment, but coming from Oswald Anderson, it was probably the closest thing I’d get to one.

“Let’s say we’re open to alternative arrangements,” Elizabeth said. “What would your suggestion be?”

I didn’t want to offer a solution without Evie’s input, so we set up another meeting for the following weekend, this time at my house with Evie also present. I’d explained the situation to her beforehand, giving her time to process and think about what she wanted.