I gave Atlas a clap on the back and shook Colt’s hand while Rosie gave the girls a hug.
The blonde—obviously Rachel—looked up, glanced at me, then did a double-take before her gaze slid toward Rosie and widened.
I wondered if this was the first time she was seeing her man’s ex-wife in the flesh.
She gave Evan a nudge, and he looked our way, and I caught his lip curl slightly as his hard stare settled on me.
The Smirk slid across my face, and both my hands slid around Rosie’s belly from my position behind her, and I pulled her against me.
Her face twisted around to look up at me, and I kissed the end of her nose.
I heard Evan’s growl from where I stood. Rachel turned to him and glared, and I had to stop myself from throwing him one of my cocky grins.
Atlas, however, wasn’t so restrained and barked out a laugh that not even Evan could miss as a dig.
Kennedy looked down at her thin, high, black-heeled shoes, smiling.
“Where’s Imogen?” Atlas asked.
“Mam took her shopping in town,” I replied. “All day in a courtroom will be too much for her.”
“Hopefully, we won’t be here all day,” Kennedy said quietly. “Perry’s out working his magic, so we’ll have some company soon.”
Atlas snickered.
Colt rolled his lips together.
DJ’s eyes narrowed at us. I could almost hear the penny drop when it dawned on him that we were up to something. The minute it did, he sent his dad a glower that made Evan look back at him in shock.
“Hey, kids,” Evan called over, but he was met with cold silence.
DJ literally turned his back on his dad, and Gabby slid closer to her mom.
Evan’s face fell, but he recovered quickly and called over, “Rosie, can we talk before the judge calls us in?” His tone was pleasant, friendly even.
Immediately, a red flag started waving, and a bad feeling unfurled inside my chest.
Rachel’s head whipped around to face Evan, her expression clearly shocked, while his lawyer leaned closer and muttered what I could only assume was a warning in his ear.
“What do you think?” Rosie asked Kennedy.
“No,” I growled.
Kennedy looked between us and grinned. “Your choice. If you say no, his lawyer could say you refused to mediate. He’s left negotiations late, but still, it wouldn’t hurt to hear him out.”
Rosie thought for a minute before turning her body into mine. “Don’t you want me to talk to him?”
“No,” I bit off.
“What if he wants to try to work something out?” she asked.
I took one hand from her waist and scraped it across my jaw.
There was no way I liked the idea of Rosie even standing in her ex’s vicinity, but a bigger part of me hated the notion of her having to go through what was about to happen. Every instinct screamed at me to tell Evan to eat shit, but wanting the best for Rosie overrode the urge.
“Go talk to him,” I relented.
“Really?”
