Bad Boy (Invertary 5)

“Are you going to marry my Muma?” Katy asked him over their usual bedtime story.

This one was about Brazil’s spectacular record in world football, followed by their equally spectacular screw-up when they hosted the World Cup. Flynn had moved on from players to teams, in the hope Jonathan’s mother would stop comparing him to every player Katy mentioned to her son.

“Do you want me to marry your mum?” He was surprised to find he was actually quite anxious about the answer.

“It’s okay with me if you want to. I know you like kissing her.”

The relief Flynn felt was a solid lump in his throat. “I think you’re a little obsessed with kissing. Are you and Jonathan kissing at school and not telling me?”

She scrunched up her nose. “Ew, no. I still haven’t decided if I want to marry him or not. He says I have to, but I want to wait and see. I’ll kiss him if I marry him, but I’m not doing it before then.”

“Good plan. Let’s keep it that way with all future boys too.” Flynn thought he heard laughter coming from downstairs. Sometimes Abby still listened in to story time because she thought they were funny. Katy and Flynn kept explaining to the woman that there was nothing funny about football.

“If you get married, can I have a little sister?”

“That’s up to your mum, but there would be no guarantee you’d get a sister. These things are a crapshoot. It could be a boy.”

“Don’t bother, then,” Katy said in disgust. “Just get me a puppy.”

Flynn rolled his eyes and carried on reading about the Brazilian national team.

“Flynn?” Katy said when he was mid-sentence, making him wonder if she was even listening.

“What now?” he whined.

“I think you make a good daddy.”

His heart stopped dead. He swallowed hard.

“I love you, Flynn.” Her eyes were wide and sincere. And damn if she didn’t look exactly like the evil, conniving cat in Shrek.

“I love you too, kid.”

Her whole face lit up and he felt like he’d been handed the world. “If you really love me, you’ll make sure I get a baby sister. Or a puppy.” She batted those eyelashes at him. “You can get me a sister, Flynn. I know you can.”

Flynn found himself wondering if a fertility clinic could get Abby pregnant with the kid of his choice. A girl. For her sister. His eyes narrowed. The evil genius was messing with him.

“Time to go to sleep, monster.” He put the book on the shelf and she did what she did every night. Sat up, opened her arms and waited for her hug. He held her tight to him, this precious little bundle, and hoped Abby would be open to adding to the family. He’d love another ten just like the terrorist—enough for his very own football team.

“Sleep well,” he ordered as he kissed her cheek.

He tucked her into her bubblegum-pink bed in her Pepto-Bismol room and went to find her mother.

She was standing in her office, a look of shock on her face and the phone in her hand.

“What is it?” He rushed to her side.

Her wide eyes blinked at him, filled with disbelief. “That was Millicent’s lawyer. She’s giving up on taking Katy from me. He requested neither Victoria nor I ever contact her again.”

“That is fantastic news.” Flynn swept her up into his arms and spun her around.

“It’s over,” she breathed against his neck.

“About bloody time.”

He kissed her gently, then put her back down at her desk where she’d been working on her designs.

“We should celebrate,” he said.