Jeannette frowned. “I’m his lawyer, too. I can’t really share what we discussed except that he told me that if you wanted this, he’d sign.”
“But it would hurt him financially.”
She put her forearms on the table and leaned forward. “It would hurt him, yes. I think the financial part was secondary.”
What did that mean? I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t stop hope from blooming again that maybe he loved me.
“I don’t like coming between my father and Mo,” I said. “But there isn’t anything I can do that won’t hurt one or the other.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Funny, Mo said something similar.”
“He did?”
“I got the impression he didn’t like that you were in the middle, or that he was hurting your relationship with your father.”
My eyes filled with tears. “Of course he would. My father, though…he doesn’t see that.”
“Look, when you’re between a rock and a hard place, you have no choice but a difficult one. At that point, maybe you also consider what it is you want. Mo is significantly older than you—”
I glared at her. “I don’t care.”
“He’s also your boss and could get an ethics investigation.”
I didn’t want that.
“Then there’s this crazy marriage, which not only makes Mo and your dad look bad but also I could quite possibly lose my license over it since I had an idea that it wasn’t legit.”
“You’re not helping.” I sagged back.
“You could tell me it was legit,” she said.
I stared at her for a moment, feeling like she was trying to lead me somewhere, but I wasn’t sure I knew where.
She huffed out a breath. “Do you love him?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Then, why are you here?” She said in an exasperated tone. “You’re an adult.”
“My father said he’d ruin Mo,” I said. But even as I said it, I finally understood what Tucker had been trying to tell me. I was giving away my power to my father because I still felt like his child. If I wanted to be treated as an adult, I needed to take my power.
“Listen, there’s no doubt that there are things in this situation that won’t look great for Mo, although the age thing is the least of it. But the same could be said about your father, or even you.”
“Me?”
“Gold digger.”
“No. I don’t care about that.” I pressed both my hands on the tabletop. “And I won’t sign these because I don’t want my father to hurt him financially.”
“It doesn’t matter whether the marriage stays intact. You’re not living with him as his wife. That is cause enough for him to have to return the money or be charged with fraud.”
“What? No. I’ll go back. If he’ll let me stay with him, he can keep the money, right?”
She sat back and studied me. “You know, when Mark and I got together, it was clear from day one that he was my life mate. I don’t understand you people who dance around it. Why don’t you just tell him you love him?”
I looked down. “He…he doesn’t love me, and he worried about my father and the age. I don’t want to make it harder for him.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. If you two ever end up in a happily ever after, it will be a fricking miracle.” She stood. “Life’s too short, Brooke. You’re young. You have a lot to learn and experience. Trust me when I say, if you want something, go get it. You can’t live your life trying to please your dad or Mo.”