LITMIR.BIZ

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dead body will I ever be separated from my child. As far as I’m concerned, you can take this…this prenuptial agreement and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.”

      He raised one dark eyebrow and stared back at her in silence.

      “You don’t seriously think that I would give up custody of my child, do you? If indeed it turns out I am the father.”

      She threw up her hands in exasperation. “You just don’t miss a chance to take your potshots at me. I’m well aware of the fact that you don’t believe this child is yours. Believe me, I get it. Reminding me at every opportunity just serves to further piss me off. And haven’t you ever heard of a thing called joint custody? You know, that thing called compromise, where the parents consider what’s best for the child and agree to give her equal time with her parents?”

      “If the child is mine, I don’t intend to see her on a part-time basis, nor do I intend I should have to work around your schedule. I can certainly provide more for her than you can. I’m sure she’d be much better off with me.”

      She curled her fingers into a tight fist, crumpling the document as rage surged through her veins like acid.

      “You sanctimonious bastard. Where do you get off suggesting that my child would be better off with you? Because you have more money? Well big whoop. Money can’t buy love, or security. It can’t buy smiles or happiness. All the things a child needs most. Quite frankly, the fact that you think she would be so much better off with you tells me you don’t have the first clue about children or love. How could you? I doubt you’ve ever loved anyone in your life.”

      Her chest heaved, and the paper was now a crumpled, soggy scrap in her hand. She started to hurl it at his feet, but he quickly rose and gripped her wrist, preventing her action. His eyes smoldered with rage, the first sign of real emotion she’d seen in him.

      “You assume far too much,” he said icily.

      She wrenched her hand free and took a step backward. “I won’t sign it, Piers. As far as I’m concerned this marriage doesn’t need to take place. There is no amount of desperation that would make me sign away my rights to my child.”

      He studied her for a long moment, his face as immovable as stone. “All right,” he finally said. “I’ll have my lawyer strike the clause. I’ll call him now and he can courier over a new agreement.”

      “I’d wait,” she said stiffly. “I’m not finished with my stipulations yet. I’ll let you know when we’re done.”

      She turned and stalked back into the lawyer’s office, only to find him standing in the doorway, amusement carved on his face when she’d sworn he couldn’t possibly have a sense of humor.

      “What are you looking at?” she growled.

      He sobered, although his eyes still had a suspicious gleam. “Shall we get on to your additions to the agreement?”

      Three hours later, the final contract had been couriered from Piers’s lawyer’s office, and she and Piers read over and signed it together.

      Jewel had insisted on an ironclad agreement that stated they would share custody of their child but that she was the primary custodian. She could tell Piers wasn’t entirely happy with the wording, but she’d been resolute in her refusal to sign anything less.

      “Clearly you’ve never learned the art of negotiation,” Piers said dryly as they left the lawyer’s office.

      “Some things aren’t negotiable. Some things shouldn’t be negotiable. My child isn’t a bargaining chip. She never will be,” she said fiercely.

      He held up his hands in mock surrender. “All I ask is that you see my side of the equation. As determined as you are to retain custody of your child, I am equally determined not to let go of mine.”

      Something in his expression caused her to soften, some of her anger fleeing and leaving her oddly deflated. For a moment, she could swear he seemed afraid and a little vulnerable.

      “I do see your point,” she said quietly. “But I won’t apologize for reacting as I did. It was a sneaky, underhanded thing to do.”

      “I apologize then. It was not my intention to upset you so. I was simply seeking to keep my child where she belongs.”

      “Maybe what we should be doing is working to prevent a divorce in the first place,” she said tightly. “If we manage to make this marriage a success as you have suggested, then we won’t have to worry about custody battles.”

      He nodded and opened the car door for her. She settled in but he stood there for a long moment, his hand on the door. “You’re right. The solution is to make sure it never comes down to a divorce.”

      He quietly closed her door and strode around to his side. He slid in beside her and started the engine.

      “Now that the unpleasantness is out of the way, we should move on to the more enjoyable aspects of planning a wedding.”

      Thus began an afternoon of shopping that made her head spin. Their first stop was at a jeweler. When they were shown a tray of stunning diamond engagement rings, she made the mistake of asking the price. Piers clearly wasn’t happy with her question, but the jeweler answered her with ease. It was all she could do to scrape her jaw off the floor.

      She shook her head, putting her hands out as she backed away from the counter. Piers caught her around the waist and pulled her back with tender amusement.

      “Don’t disappoint me. As a woman it’s supposed to be ingrained for you to want to pick the biggest, most expensive ring in the shop.”

      “Indeed,” the shop owner said solemnly.

      “It’s not good form to ask the price anyway,” Piers continued. “Just pick the one you want and pretend there are no price tags.”

      “Your fiancé is a very wise man,” the man behind the counter said. Laughter shone in the merchant’s eyes, and Jewel relaxed at their teasing.

      Trying not to think about the fact that what one ring cost could feed an entire third world nation, she went about studying each setting. After trying on no less than a dozen, she found the perfect ring.

      It was a simple pear-shaped diamond, flawless as far as her untrained eye could tell. On either side was a small cluster of tiny diamonds.

      “Your lady has exquisite taste.”

      “Yes, she does. Is this the one you want, yineka mou?” Piers asked.

      She nodded, ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach. “I don’t want to know how much it cost.”

      Piers laughed. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll match the cost of the ring with a donation to the charity of your choice.”

      “Now you’re making fun of me.”

      “Not at all. It’s nice to know my new wife won’t break me inside of a year.”

      He was trying hard to keep from laughing, and she leveled a glare at him. She marveled at the ease in which he flipped his credit card to the cashier, as if he were paying for a drink instead of a ring that costs thousands upon thousands of dollars.

      He slid the ring on her finger and curled her hand until it made a fist. “Leave it on. It’s yours now.”

      She glanced down, unable to keep from admiring it. It was a gorgeous ring.

      “Now that the ring is out of the way, we should move onto other things like a dress and any other clothing you might need.”

      “Wow, a man who likes to shop. However have you existed as a single man this long?” she teased.

      His expression became shuttered, and she mentally sighed at having once again said the wrong thing at the wrong time.

      Determined to salvage the rest of the day despite its rocky start,

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