"I'm so sorry for your loss."

I never realized what a useless phrase that was until I heard it a couple hundred times. It felt like we had just done this not that long ago with Charlie and now here we were again.

But this felt different. Charlie's death hurt. It hurt me and Corri even more. The mood in the room was overwhelmingly sad the day we came back to the gym for his wake. But today wasn't like that. People didn't idolize Katrina like they did Charlie. Most of the stories they told were of wild times, days long parties, and chasing a high.

I wondered if I ever really knew her.

The turnout was small. I didn't expect it to be many people at all and yet I found myself scanning the room to see who had bothered to show. Besides her aunt Maria, Katrina didn't have much family. The stoner friends were easy to spot but my eyes kept looking for the one person who could tear my whole world apart.

Laughter erupted from one corner of the room and I couldn't take it. I wasn't a hypocrite. I didn't expect mourners bawling but laughing? No. It wasn't fair to Kash.

I brushed past a few people as I hurried to Corri's office. The room was in no way crowded, but I needed some space, some air and a minute to think.

I released a deep exhale as I closed the door behind me and sunk into Corri's leather chair. My head was pounding as I glanced at the wall clock and calculated how much time was left until we could go home. I wanted the comfort of my little family.

I knew Kash was struggling but he seemed better after that first morning. Corri explained how conflicted he felt and that he was worried I wouldn't understand his anger.

Oh but I did.

I could feel it brewing in my stomach every time I thought about Kash's custody or how I kept seeing that sad look in his eyes when he saw the photo of him and his mom on his dresser. I was angry alright. There were so many things out of my control. I needed the reassurance that no one else would be coming to take my son from me. I needed to know I wouldn't be losing him.

"Hey...are you okay?"

I looked up to find Corri slipping into her office with a concerned expression. I had seen her watching me all day, stealing glances as she kept herself busy and tried to make it through the day. I opened my mouth to respond but words escaped me when she moved behind me and began to knead the corded muscles clenched tightly in my neck and shoulders.

Satisfied groans slipped through my lips and massaged the tension away. "That feels amazing," I sighed deeply.

Corri lowered her mouth to my ear and hummed. "Good. Just a little longer and then I can take you home and..."

Corri gasped when I spun around and pulled her into my arms. "And what?" I taunted, my gaze dropping to her pretty pink lips. "Tell me."

A sly smile spread across her face as her fingers speared into my hair and anchored me just where she wanted me. I glanced over her body, covered in a knit wrap dress that hugged her body in all the right places. Her legs were draped over my lap, her dress inching up her thighs and nearly showing off the lacy panties I knew were hiding underneath.

Corri gripped my chin between her fingers and gave me a shy smile. "We can do whatever you want, watch whatever you want, eat whatever you want."

I growled as I dipped my head and captured her lips with mine. She tasted perfect with the faint hint of Moscato on her tongue. I was hungry for her. The need to escape the nightmare of a day was strong.

I needed to get lost in my girl.

Hesitantly I tore my mouth from hers, never loosening my grip on her curvy body as she lay across my lap. "I just want you...and Kash. Nothing else matters."

I knew she heard the hitch in my voice when I mentioned Kash. We hadn't talked much about it, but the possibility of losing my son was so close I could nearly taste it.

Corri had hired a lawyer to look into the custody case, see what the birth certificate said, sift through any legal paperwork that may be filed by anyone trying to claim him.

Like the unknown father.

Corri assured me that this lawyer was good. Charlie had used him over the years for different things and had always been fair. We had kept things upbeat between us, never giving much attention to what could happen if I lost him.

I couldn't go there.

Corri's soft touch brought me back to the present. Her fingers stroked the rough stubble peppering my jawline. "What can I do for you?"

I chuckled as I held her against my chest, tucking her face into my neck. "You're doing it, baby. You've been amazing. I know this has to be hard for you. You just went through it with your own dad."

Corri leaned back until her hazel eyes found mine. "But I didn't let you in. I pushed you away when I should have let you be there for me. And I'm so sorry for that..."

Her voice cracked as it trailed off and I shook my head at her regret. "That doesn't matter now. You let me back in and we helped each other heal," I tried to reassure her.

"I hope I'm doing that for you now. I just don't want you to worry about anything or be stressed about what comes next."

I stood up with Corri still tucked safely in my arms. "You've helped me, I swear. You've kept me from shutting you out and running away. You've kept me present for Kash so I didn't let him see my frustration. You've held our little family together and I love you for it, Butterfly. Fuck...what would I do without you?"

Corri gasped at my mushy declaration and I used the sight of her parted lips as a reason to kiss her thoroughly. I placed her back on her feet while never breaking contact. I backed her against the door, growling when I realized I needed to slow this down.

"We should go back out there," I sighed.

"Yeah," she nodded, brushing the back of her hand over the bulge in my dress slacks. "Better put this away for later."

"Better stop teasing me before I take you against this door," I retorted, not missing a beat.

A sinful gleam sparkled in her eyes as she gazed up at me. "Rain check," she promised with a smirk.

I nodded and let out a grumpy groan. I wanted nothing more than to hole up the rest of the day with my girl in private. But that wasn't fair to Maria or to my son. As we stepped out of the hallway and back into the large space on the new side of the gym, my eyes darted around until I saw my son. He looked content as he sat with Big Mike's grandson and they were pouring over a video on the older boy's cell phone.

Corri headed toward the food table and I mingled my way around the room. I wasn't in the mood to be sociable, but it needed to be done. It didn't take long before I noticed an unfamiliar face. He seemed out of place, not a family member or someone she partied with. This guy looked a little older, a little uncomfortable, and when his gaze caught mine, I had a pretty good idea who he was.

I strode over to where he stood with Maria and made my presence known. Maria smiled up at me wearily and waved her hand in his direction.

"You don't need to introduce us, Maria. I have a pretty good idea who this is."

Maria nodded and turned toward her friends. When the man tried to speak to me, I ushered him out the front door and a ways down the sidewalk. "I'm sure you can imagine why I wouldn't want to talk to you inside, right?"

My tone was harsh and words pointed, but I couldn't help it. I knew what this asshole was here for. And I'd be damned if I were going to let him get away with it.

"I'm glad we got a chance to meet, Colt. My name is Gregory. Im.. uh..." He paused as he glanced back inside, nerves getting the better of him. "I'm an
old friend of Katrina's."

"Old friend?" I scoffed. "That's what you call yourself when you knock up a young girl and then leave her to fend for herself? You're disgusting. How old are you anyway?" I was seething. No doubt spit flying from my mouth along with the accusations I was hurling at him.

I watched as he ran a hand through his smooth, almost white blond hair. It hung in his eyes for a moment. The same blue eyes I'd seen every time I'd looked into my son's sweet face. Tension rolled off of him and I was tempted just to put an end to our torture by punching him in the gut, but I held back.

"I was in love with her."

That's not what I thought he'd say. When I didn't respond, he continued.

"Katrina was taking a class with me, at the community college. I was very drawn to her and even though I knew it was wrong, I began an affair with her."

"You're married?"

"I was. At that time," he clarified. "I'm not that much older, but I still knew better. I just couldn't seem to stay away."

"And when you found out she was pregnant?" I pressed.

"I didn't handle it well," Greg admitted. "I freaked out. I was more worried about what my wife would say than anything else. I told her to just...that we couldn't."

"You wanted her to get an abortion?"

He hung his head and nodded. "I gave her the money but as the weeks went by, I couldn't get past the guilt. And I couldn't stop thinking about Katrina. She dropped my class and the next time I saw her, she was shopping for baby things...with you."

"I confronted her at school after that. I asked who you were and why she was still pregnant. She lost it. She told me she found someone who wanted to help raise her child and there was nothing I could do to stop her from having it." Greg let out a deep breath and his eyes found mine. "She tried to give the money back but I wouldn't take it. I told her I was glad she was keeping the baby and I asked her for another chance. But she wouldn't have me."

"And you're here for what?" I demanded. "You can't just show up and...and...take him from me! I'm the only dad he knows."

My hands were balled up into fists. I was ready to fight for what was mine. No way would I let a stranger into my son's life.

Greg held up his hands, his eyes wide. "I'm not. I wouldn't. I just thought maybe I could meet him. You don't have to tell him who I am. Then maybe later, we could spend some time together."

Once again, I scoffed. "You're crazy. That will never happen. Kash has been through too much. This would be devastating. He doesn't know...."

Greg nodded slowly and I steeled myself for whatever response he was planning on throwing at me. Would he really battle me for custody? Maybe I should've been more agreeable.

When Greg opened his mouth to speak again, the glass door to the gym swung open and Kash's little blond head twisted back and forth until he spotted me on the sidewalk. Before I could tell him to go back inside, he was sprinting toward me, his smile wide and eyes dancing.

It had been a while since I had seen him that happy. "Can I go out back and play basketball with Trey? I would've asked Corri but I didn't see her."

Kash's attention switched to the blond stranger standing beside me. He shot Greg a disarming smile and raised his hand. "Hi. I'm Kash. Are you a friend of my dad?"

Greg shot me a look, a questioning expression that I knew meant he wanted to tell Kash the truth. I furrowed my brow and shook my head. Greg nodded in understanding before crouching down to Kash's height. "No actually I knew your mom. It was a long time ago, but she was a beautiful woman. And I'm guessing a good mom too."

Kash only stared at him for a moment before he answered him finally. "Yeah my mom was the best," he answered unenthusiastically. I let out a breath when Kash stepped back, his hand sliding easily into mine.

Greg noticed it and rose to his feet. "Well I'm glad I got a chance to meet you both. This was a wonderful celebration of Katrina's life. You did a great job with it," he directed toward me.

"My girlfriend actually did most of the work," I admitted, suddenly feeling as though I shouldn't take credit for her work.

The door swung open and more people began to file out. Corri found us still standing there and strode over to join us. I pulled her close and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Greg's focus bounced between the three of us and something in his expression changed. "You've got a wonderful little family here, Colt."

"Yeah...I just hope it stays that way," I replied, my eyes conveying what my words couldn't say. Don't take my boy from me.

Greg shook his head, silently answering my question. "I don't see why anything should change. This young man looks very happy with you two. I'm sure that would make his mama proud."

And with that, he walked away. I lost sight of him as he crossed the street. My attention falling back to the two people I loved most. "Everything okay?" Corri murmured as we began trekking back into the gym to clean up.

I glanced back to find Greg was long gone. "I think everything is gonna be okay now," I sighed.

Corri looked over my shoulder as she put the pieces together in her head. Her eyes went wide but I reassured with a sweet kiss and promise of a night for just the three of us.

....

The next morning I was up early and heading to the lawyer's office before Kash had woken up. There had been a message left during the wake, but Corri convinced me to wait until today to find out what the lawyer had discovered.

To find out if I could keep my son.

I was nearly out the door when I heard Corri's voice. "Good luck."

I turned to find her leaning against the wall, legs crossed and her teeth pressing into her bottom lip. "Come give me a kiss for luck."

Her face lit up as she barreled across the room and straight into my arms. I lifted her up and pulled her mouth to mine. I savored her soft kiss and made myself walk away before I went too far. "We won't lose him," I promised Corri with my hands cradling her face. "I need you both, so there's no way this can fail."

"Even if it does," she whimpered softly. "We can fight. We won't give up until he's back where he belongs. You're his dad. No piece of paper can change that."

I squeezed Corri one last time, mumbling a thank you into her hair as I felt my resolve growing stronger. She was right. If it came down to it...we would fight.

...

I sat across from my lawyer, Barry Bachrach with my nerves causing my hands to shake. I needed to know what he knew. I couldn't wait anymore.

Barry smiled as he opened the file on his desk and began sorting through the paperwork. "This all went a lot smoother than I had anticipated, Colt. The way you made it seem, there were going to be people coming out of the woodwork to take this child from you."

I nodded. "Well one in particular. I met a man claiming to be Kash's father. He said his name was Greg."

Barry furrowed his brow and thumbed through a few pages until he landed on the one he was looking for. "Greg Tramer?" he clarified but all I could do was shrug. I didn't catch a last name. "According to this document here, Katrina had him sign his rights away back when she was still pregnant. The lawyer who filed the paperwork left a note saying he didn't want the baby, so she asked him to sign it."

Anger caused my scalp to tingle. "He acted like he wanted to get to know him. He asked if he could meet Kash."

"You are under no obligation to do that. I have sworn statements from his teacher, your neighbors, his school counselor and more. Every single one says the same thing. Colt is a wonderful father and the home he provides with Corri is a loving one that any kid would enjoy living in. He's happy and healthy and you've always been there for him."

I beamed at all the kind words. But I needed more. I needed concrete proof that no one could take him away. "So that's it? No chance of anyone else coming to make a claim for my son."

"There is one more thing," Barry added ominously. "Take a look at this."

Barry passed over yet another sheet of paper for me to examine. "Kash's birth certificate? I don't understand..."

"You're gonna wanna check the box that's marked 'father's name.' That tells you what you need to know, Colt."

My eyes scanned the typed words, searching for the name she provided.

Colt Anderson

Me? She named me as Kash's dad?

"Katrina did right by you, Colt. This proves he's yours and anyone else trying to say differently will have a battle on his hands. Katrina gave you the ammunition to fight."

"We can fight. We won't give up until he's back where he belongs. You're his dad. No piece of paper can change that."

Corri's words echoed in my head. Lucky for me, this piece of paper said he was mine. And I couldn't have been more relieved.

I was nearly through the door when I got an idea. "Hey, Barry. Do you think you could help me with something else?"

I should probably ask first but this was too perfect. I could finally give my boy something special and I couldn't wait to see his reaction.