Updated

Now we know what Peter Cook wanted: $2 million. That was the price for him to walk away from his kids and his marriage.

In his divorce settlement with Christie Brinkley, Cook agreed on Thursday to take that money and run. He gets none of the real estate — 18 properties — he wanted from the supermodel, and none of the boats including the Sweet Freedom, which he sailed around on in front of the press on July 4.

Cook, now revealed as a pervert on the Internet, has lost custody of his daughter and stepson to Brinkley. He has no decision-making power in their lives. Brinkley will dictate his exposure to them. Literally.

But now the bigger problems are still out there. For one thing, the IRS may come knocking over that $350,000-plus in cash that he dispersed to his 18-year-old lover. No one has paid taxes on that.

And Cook's career in the Hamptons as architect to the stars may be over too. Clients would be well-advised to keep him away from their computers.

The best thing about the settlement is that Brinkley and her kids can try to resume normal lives, and pick up the pieces from this mess. On another upside, maybe it's given Billy Joel a whole album of new material. He could call it "The Stranger."

I'm told the basic agreement was reached around 1 a.m. Thursday morning, but that it took until around 6 a.m. for all the i's to be dotted and t's crossed.

"Christie sounds very happy," a friend told me.

Sources tell me that Brinkley stayed all night at a hotel near the courthouse in Islip, Long Island, and even had a change of clothes brought to her. She's relieved, since the prospect of more testimony at this point only could have hurt her children.

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