Of course he knows. Natalie said she was going to tell him this weekend, and clearly she did.
By eight twenty-five, I am outside his office, because somehow showing up early feels less risky thanwalking in right on time. His assistant looks up from her computer and gives me a quick, tight smile.
“He’s expecting you. Go on in.”
Ryan is standing at the window when I walk in, hands in his pockets, looking out over downtown LA like he owns it. He might.
“Close the door,” he says.
My heart starts hammering so hard it feels like the only sound in the room. I close the door. He doesn’t turn around right away. When he does, his expression is unreadable. Not angry. Not smiling. Just serious. The kind of serious that makes opposing counsel fold during depositions.
“Sit.”
I sit. He doesn’t take his chair. He leans against the front of his desk instead, arms crossed. It’s a power move, subtle but deliberate. I’ve seen him do it in negotiations. The physical positioning, the controlled stillness. He’s establishing the terms of this conversation before it even starts.
I settle back in my chair, let my shoulders relax. I’m not going to play small here. Whatever he needs to say, I can handle it.
“Natalie told me,” he says.
I nod.
“She told me how you met. That you’ve run into each other at events over the years. That she attended your Fourth of July party.” His voice is calm. Measured. “She also told me neither of you had any idea she was pregnant until you took her to the clinic.”
“That’s all true,” I say evenly. “I didn’t know she was your daughter, Ryan. If I had, I never would have put either of you in this position.”
He watches me for a beat, then nods. “I know. She made that clear.”
The tension in the room shifts slightly. Not gone, but different. He believes me. That’s something.
“What I need to know is this.” He uncrosses his arms, plants his hands on the edge of the desk. “Are you planning to be involved? With the baby.”
I don’t hesitate. “Absolutely. If she’ll let me, I’m all in.”
“And if she doesn’t?” His gaze doesn’t waver. “If she decides she wants to handle this on her own.”
I hold his eyes. “I want to be part of my child’s life. If Natalie doesn’t want me in her life romantically, I’ll respect that. But I’m going to show up for this baby however she’ll let me. Every appointment. Every decision. I’m not going anywhere.”
Ryan studies me for a long moment. The silence stretches. I’ve had easier cross-examinations.
Finally, he nods once. “Good. Because I missed ten years with her.” His voice drops a notch. “Ten years I can’t get back. I wasn’t there when her mom was pregnant. I missed her firsts. All of them. I know exactly what that feels like, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Not even an opposing counsel I hate.” A corner of his mouth twitches.
My throat tightens. “I won’t miss any of it,” I say. And I mean it.
“I’m glad to hear that.” His expression softens just afraction. “She needs people who are going to show up. People who do what they say they will do.”
“I will.”
He uncrosses his arms. “Which is why I’m not firing you, in case that’s been keeping you up at night.”
The laugh that escapes me is half relief, half disbelief. “It crossed my mind.”
“You are one of my best attorneys, Jake. I’m not losing you because you got my daughter pregnant.” He pauses. “Although maybe we don’t talk about that fact in a client meeting.”
“Noted.” The knot in my stomach finally unwinds.
Ryan walks around the desk and sinks into his chair. Then his expression hardens again, and the dad side of him tags the lawyer back in. “That said,” he says, voice quieter but sharper, “if you hurt her, I will make your life miserable in ways that are both creative and fully legal.”
“Yes sir.”
