by Lane Hart
As soon as Drew is a little older and can understand, I’ll tell him all the wonderful things about his mother. I show him pictures of Kelly and talk about her some now, telling him simple things he’s familiar with, like her favorite color was purple, and just like him, she hated peas. When he eventually asks about his father, God, I don’t even know where to start or at what age I’ll have to tell him the truth. In a way, I wish he never had to know. But it’s a certainty that he’ll discover what really happened on his own if I’m not honest with him. All it will take is typing Kelly’s name in an Internet search engine and the articles will be right there for him to read. So how the hell am I supposed to tell him that his father is serving a life sentence in prison for kidnapping his mother? One day he’ll realize how he was conceived, and that’s something I imagine he’ll struggle to deal with for the rest of his life. That’s why I’m going to spend the rest of my life helping victims put criminals away; for him and for Kelly.
Since I’m not planning to practice anything but criminal law, I’ll have to get used to working with Joe. I do actually respect him for leaving criminal defense behind to prosecute defendants instead. Maybe that’s another reason why I was such a bitch to him when we first met. I couldn’t understand how anyone would want to represent rapists and murders. But now we work together, fighting for the same side. I need to lighten up and go easier on him. I’ll just consider the fact that Joe is eye candy as another benefit to my promotion. I'm a professional, damn it, and I will act like it! I'll be nicer to him now that I know we're going to be prosecuting murderers together. After all, I still owe him for coming through for me with my victim the other night.
I’m still watching him, admiring how his jeans hug his perfect ass and strong, muscular thighs when he turns around. Joe’s eyes widen when he sees me and then he laughs out loud. After paying for his coffee, he heads for me with his brown cup in one hand and his carry-on luggage in the other.
"Katie Kat, you're going to be my partner on murders?" He smiles, sliding into the empty seat beside me.
"Yep."
"Are you as surprised as I am?" he asks, and then his broad shoulders slump underneath his blue dress shirt that matches his eyes. "Hell, I bet you're pissed. I can't believe you haven't bolted out of here yet."
I cringe thinking about what a bitch I've been to him, mostly because I want him and can't have him.
"Nah, it's fine," I reply with a shrug. "I'll just make you do all the work."
He chuckles again, and the laugh lines only makes his face even more gorgeous.
"Actually, I bet all the women in the office will be pissed when they find out I'll be working with you," I tell him, forcing my eyes down to the phone in my hands so that I'll quit staring at him.
"Oh really? Why's that? Do they all want a chance to give me a hard time, too?" he asks.
"Seriously? You really don't know?" I ask while trying to judge the sincerity on his face. He always seems so cocky that I assumed he had to know the effect he has on women.
"Know what? That I'm a pain in the ass?"
"Well that, too, but I'm pretty sure you have your very own fan club."
"What?" he exclaims. "That's ridiculous."
"There's actually a reward being offered for anyone who can provide confirmed information about your current relationship status with Lacy Pierce."
Joe's normally happy, upbeat face falls at the mention of the woman. Maybe they aren't together. "Sorry, it's no one's business," I say when he doesn't respond.
I hear his heavy exhale as he flops back in his seat. "It's okay. It's just things with Lacy are simple, yet…complicated. We're not together and haven't been for months," he says, staring down at the brown paper cup in his hands. An absurd amount of happiness fills me at that simple statement. "She's been living in Charlotte with her boyfriend and my good friend Will since June, and..." he takes a deep, shaky breath. "She's pregnant."
Oh, wow. I didn't see that one coming. Hold on. How far along? Does that mean…
"I don't know," he looks up at me with fear, worry, and sadness; all three competing in his eyes, answering my unspoken question.
"What…what do you mean you don't know?"
"The baby may or may not be mine. We won't know until he or she is born in about three months."
I stare at him in shock, trying to figure out how he feels about that or how to respond.
"So you're worried the baby might be yours?" I ask.
He smiles sadly and shakes his head. "I'm torn. Of course Lacy and Will want it to be his, but in a way, even though it's stupid, I want it to be mine."
"Why?" I ask. Most men would be praying to God that it wasn't theirs to avoid the responsibility, and here he is actually wanting it?
"I told you it was stupid. Lacy is…she's my best friend. I love her in a strange way, but I'm not in love with her, if that makes sense. So sharing a child with her and Will would be nice. Better than nice, even if it would be rather...complicated. Sorry, I don't really know how to explain it since I don't understand it myself. And I don't know why I'm telling you all this."
"Don't worry, I won't say anything to the fan club, even for the reward," I joke with him while trying to digest this ruffled, unexpected, sensitive side to Joe Cool.
"Thanks," he replies, shoving his fingers through his hair.
"So, you miss her?" I ask, unable to help myself from prying since he’s being so open and honest.
"Yeah I do. I hate that she moved, but even if she was still in town, we would never be together as a couple. Her and Will are really happy together, and I'm happy for them."
"You are?"
"Definitely. Besides, Lacy's always known that she's not the woman I want," he says, and when he looks up at me, my breath catches at the intensity in his blue eyes. That's when the intercom announces they’re now boarding our plane.
"Are you ready for Florida?" I ask, standing up to head for the line forming at the gate.
"Damn right, I am," he replies with a tight smile.
I send Candace a quick text message asking how Drew did waking up without me there this morning. As soon as she says he was fine and having breakfast, I relax, turn my phone off, and prepare for the flight. I’m actually a little disappointed that Joe wasn't assigned a seat closer to mine.
…
Joe
I watch Katie as she sleeps with her head on the plane window, her breathing slow and regular. I asked the one other lady in her row to switch seats with me, giving the sweet, elderly grandma three seats to herself across the aisle. I didn't know Katie was so wiped out that she'd sleep the whole four hours. She’s probably exhausted from the trial she just finished. She won a guilty verdict of course. She always wins.
"No!" the exclaimed word escapes her lips. She’s dreaming. Apparently it isn’t a good one based on her furrowed brow.
"Drew, don't! Please don’t…nothing like him," she mutters.
Who’s Drew? Is that her boyfriend? I grow even more concerned when I see the tear slide down her cheek, so I shake her shoulders, trying to wake her. We’re only about ten minutes from landing anyway.
"Katie?" I say, taking advantage of the opportunity to put my hands on her. I rub down her shoulder and arm over her burgundy blouse, shaking her again. "Katie?"
"Stop!" she yells as she startles awake. I jerk my hand away from her, unsure if she was talking to me or her dream.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
She looks over at me and blinks her beautiful greenish-yellow cat eyes a few times before glancing around the plane.
"Oh shit. I was having a nightmare. Sorry." She swipes her knuckles under her eye to wipe away the tear.
"Hey, you don't have to apologize to me for your nightmare. We're about to land, so I thought you might want to start waking up."
"Thanks. What are you doing over here?"
"Oh, I switched seats with the woman who was sitting here. I didn't know you'd sleep the whole time."
&n
bsp; "Oh, sorry," she says softly, sitting up straighter in her seat.
"You don't have to keep apologizing."
This new kinder, gentler Katie is concerning me. I’m used to the abrasive Katie and know what to expect from her. This Katie, well, it’s a whole new ball game. Seeing this more vulnerable side of her makes me want to pull her on my lap and wrap my arms around her. Except she hates me, and very likely has a boyfriend.
"Who's Drew?" I ask.
She looks at me, eyes wide in surprise. "How-how'd you know about him?"
"You said his name when you were dreaming, or having a nightmare."
"Oh," she mutters, lowering her eyes from mine. "Ah, he's my sister's little boy."
"Oh," I say in relief, glad that there's not another man in her life, even if there is one in mine. "Do you have an older or younger sister?"
"Younger."
"So Drew's your nephew?"
"Uh-huh."
"How old is he?" I ask since I'd never heard her talk about her family before. Hell, she's never talked to me before unless it's about a case, or she’s insulting me.
"He just turned three on November first."
"Well, then I bet he's a handful."
"You have no idea," she replies with a smile, her love and adoration of him showing clearly on her face.
The mention of kids has me thinking of Lacy, wondering how she’s holding up. She’s had a lot on her with her mom's suicide and now the pregnancy. Her morning sickness has been really rough, too. I wish I could help take care of her, but I guess that’s Will's job and not mine.
I already know that I'm enough of a wedge between Will and Lacy that I shouldn't force my way into their life any further. I guess I am jealous of Will, because he's in that protector/provider position for Lacy and the baby that I never will be. Sure, if it's my child then they wouldn't stop me from seeing him or her, but it'll never be a permanent situation where we all live together as a family. An outsider, a mere spectator, is all I'll ever be in my son or daughter's life. Damn, that's depressing. Although, that would probably be best for him or her since there's nothing stable about my life, and I don't know the first thing about taking care of babies. What sort of role would Chad play in their life? Am I supposed to just be content with whatever he and I are doing for the long-term? And the flings we have with Lacy and Will can't keep going on forever. Chad could start dating a woman and then where would that leave me? Alone. That's a scary thought, but nothing new. I've been lonely my entire life, so you would think I'd be used to it by now.
My mind is racing a mile a minute on all the what ifs when the seat belt light comes on and then my ears pop, telling me we’re losing altitude. Katie stays quiet beside me, both of us in our own heads as the plane lands and the front passengers begin to file out.
"Do you know how we're supposed to get to the hotel?" I ask her, just to have something to talk about.
"I think they're sending a shuttle."
"Oh good," I reply. Standing up, I grab my bag from the overhead bin, and hand Katie hers.
"Thanks," she says absently when she takes it from me.
"Are you feeling okay, Katie Kat?" I tease her. "You've been nice to me all day."
Her eyes lower and her pale cheeks color to a beautiful pink right before my eyes. "I just figured that if we're going to have to work together, I should try and be a little nicer to you."
"Oh, well, I’m glad."
"And I may have misjudged you," she adds quietly.
"Really?" I ask. A crazy sensation of hope wells up in my chest.
"Yeah, you're not the cocky, nonchalant, playboy I thought you were."
"Oh, I wouldn’t go that far." I laugh in relief of hearing her say those words. She's finally getting to know the real me.
"Maybe I just don't want to keep being the bitch you think I am," she says on a heavy exhale.
"Katie, I've never thought that about you," I tell her honestly.
"We should probably go." I think she's actually embarrassed or upset about giving me a hard time. I've always figured she had her reasons for not liking me, even if I wished she'd just give me a chance.
As the passengers in front of us begin to file out of the plane, I squeeze out from our seats to follow. A few rows up, someone's luggage comes crashing down from the overhead, causing me to have to stop abruptly. Behind me, Katie slams into my backside, one of her hands reaching out to grab ahold of my waist.
"Shit, sorry," she says, jerking her hand away from me like I burned her. It’s the first time she's ever actually touched me, and I smile at the contact. Hell, I consider repeating the sudden stop again just to feel her pressed against me.
After we both round up our luggage, we go outside and search for the Coconut Grove Resort's shuttle, the place where we'll be staying all three nights and attending seminars in their conference rooms during the day.
When we pull up out front I’m surprised by how nice the place is, an enormous, oceanfront resort with palm trees lining the front canopy, and a large waterfall sign. The state has gone all out for setting us up here for the whole weekend. Everything about the place; the salty smell of the ocean air, the cool breeze, the environment as a whole instantly invokes this calming effect on me. Miles away from the courthouse, I'm already starting to de-stress.
The lobby, a restaurant, and bar are all packed full of people. Not people, but attorneys based on their attire. We're an entirely different breed, especially the ones running around this place, most of them in suits instead of the casual floral shirts like you'd expect in this touristy place. This group here makes up the best trial attorneys our districts have to offer, which is why we've been assigned homicides. I have no problem admitting I’m pretty damn good in trials, but I think what sealed the promotion for me was my prior defense experience. I know all the lies, tricks, and plays in the criminal's handbook, so now I can prepare for them and attack their weaknesses.
"There are a lot of arrogant bastards running around," Katie says from beside me while we wait in the long check-in line.
"I was thinking the same thing. That and we're about twenty years younger than everyone else."
"That too. Are there any other women here?" she asks, glancing around. Now that she’s mentioned it, there does seem to be a majority of men in attendance, which is strange. In the legal field, the number of women is equal if not greater than the number of men in most offices. For some reason women must steer clear of murder cases.
Finally, after a long wait, it’s our turn at the front desk.
"Hi, Joseph Montgomery and Katie Albright checking in," I tell the young clerk.
She types on her computer, and then says, "Found you. However, check in is not until three. If I can get your cell number, we'll call when the room is ready."
"Wait, did you say room, as in one singular?" I ask, thinking there's no way I can be that lucky.
"Yes, a non-smoking suite with two queen beds."
"Hell no," Katie speaks up from beside me, throwing her elbows up on the desk. "There should be two rooms, one for each of us."
The wide-eyed, nervous clerk looks at her computer and types some more. "I'm sorry, but your reservations were just made last week for the one room that someone happened to cancel at the last minute. As you can see, we're full this weekend for the seminar."
"Who made the reservations?" I ask.
"Let's see. All it says is Brandy."
"That bitch," Katie mutters. Brandy is DA Caldwell's assistant.
"So, what number should we call when the room is ready?" the clerk asks.
I give her my cell number and ask if they have a place to stow our luggage until then, so we won't have to lug it all around for the next several hours. Thankfully there’s a storage room for it, so we ditch our bags.
Katie has her phone out a second later, calling the office, I'm sure.
"Brandy, is there a reason you only reserved one room for two people?" she asks. I smile at how sexy she is when she�
��s pissed off. Hand on her hip, lips pursed, eyes narrowed. The fiery redhead is so fucking hot.
"You thought we'd make do? You could've asked us if we could make do!" she yells into the phone.
"Katie, it's fine. It's only for three nights and there are two beds. It's not that big of a deal," I tell her.
She doesn't look happy at all. I, on the other hand, am ecstatic. Sharing a room with the woman I've wanted for months? Hell fucking yes. This is the perfect opportunity for me to seduce her. I can already hear Lacy's response when I tell her. She'll probably say something like, "Wake her up with a tongue-fucking, then she'll be yours forever." I can't help but grin at the thought of how amazing that would be, which only seems to piss Katie off more based on her scowl. Then I'm suddenly struck wondering if Chad would care if I make a move on her. He knows I've wanted her forever. We haven't discussed it, but I guess I should warn him ahead of time.
When Katie finishes yelling at Brandy, she marches back up to the counter. Cutting to the front of the line, she asks, "Can't you find another cancellation?" The clerk looks like she really is trying her best, her fingers flying frantically over the keyboard. I hold my breath praying that there won’t be any other rooms. A few minutes later, I get my wish when the clerk shakes her head at Katie with a sincere frown.
