Top Dog

“Oh. Tanya’s here?”

“She is. Lanie was happy to see her this morning. And so was I. I took some pictures of the home to send to my lawyer.”

“That’s good. Really good,” she said.

“Here. Let me take that.”

I took the hot pan from her hands and set it down on the table. I could hear Lanie giggling outside, and I knew Tanya would bring her in for food when she was ready. I grabbed a couple of plates and glasses for drinks, then I set the table so Amanda and I could sit down and eat lunch.

I wanted to keep moving so she wouldn’t see how badly my hands were shaking.

“I’ll do it.”

I stopped pouring our drinks in midair as I slowly turned my head toward her. She was sitting at the table with her eyes connected to mine. She was holding my stare, her entire body unwavering.

“What?” I asked.

“I’ll do it,” she said again. “I’ll marry you.”

I felt a burst of hope carry me right off my feet. I set the drinks down and ran to her, scooping her off her chair. I held her tightly in my arms as she giggled, then felt her arms snake around my waist. I couldn’t fucking believe it.

Amanda was going to help me keep Lanie.

“Thank you,” I said into her hair. “Thank you so much.”

“There’s a lot we need to talk about and figure out,” she said as she pulled away from me. “So, let’s sit and talk.”

I set her back down on her feet and finished getting our drinks. Amanda seemed different, more confident, and sure of her decision. It was a far cry from the confusion and shock she’d worn plain on her face earlier in the day. She was spooning lasagna onto our plates as I carried our drinks over, and I sat down in front of her before she drew in a deep breath.

“So, the first thing. With us being married—”

She snickered and shook her head as I reached over and took her hand.

“You have no idea what this means to me. To us. Thank you,” I said.

“Trust me, I understand more than you realize.”

I held her eyes, cradling her hand within mine before she looked away and sighed.

“Living together. I’m concerned about how confusing that’ll be for Lanie,” she said.

“We’ll figure it out,” I said. “You can keep some stuff here, and if you’re sleeping at your place for some reason and someone questions it, we’ll tell them what’s happening. You inherited that home, and you’re fixing it up.”

“Okay,” she said with a smile. “Good. Now, making this official. How do you want to go about that?”

“I figured we’d go down to the courthouse. Getting a marriage license doesn’t take long. We could get you a dress from somewhere, and it’ll be a quick ceremony. Legal. We can get all the paperwork filed, and it’ll be done in the eyes of the state.”

“When I am staying here,” she said, “where will I be sleeping?”

“With me.”

A blush crept up her delicate neck and settled in her cheeks. She nodded and cleared her throat.

“And once you’ve won custody?” she asked.

“You’ll have whatever out you need. You can trust me, Amanda. I’m not keeping you here against your will. You’re doing me a massive favor. I would never do something like that to you.”

“Good,” she said. “Which brings me to my next question.”