“So in short terms, you and my client had a dynamic where he was primarily in charge?”
Jessa looks like she wants to roll her eyes. “It’s not that simple, but yes, he was the authoritative figure in our relationship. Probably because he was my professor when we started dating,” she says, and I have to hide my smirk behind my hand at her little dig. The lawyer was trying to make her seem like a deviant, and she just turned it around on him.
The lawyer ignores her, and Sean hasn’t let his gaze drop from Jessa, or her ring that publicly marks her as mine.
“But, it’s safe to say that Mr. McPherson was bringing you back home because of your relationship dynamic and there was no clear separation when you left Virginia.”
Jessa raises an eyebrow at the lawyer and looks over at Sean. She looks so strong sitting up there, not letting this piece of shit man take anything else from her.
“No, there was no confusion. I had a conversation on the phone that was overheard by my old coworker where I explicitly told Sean that we were no longer together and to stop calling me and reaching out to me.”
“But with your dynamic—”
With balls of steel Jessa interrupts the lawyer. “No, because I have the same dynamic with my fiancée and he would never disrespect my boundaries like Sean did. Not only did he break into my home with a deadly weapon, hit me, and ruined my peace, he left me with emotional scars that others can’t see. His actions have nothing to do with the dynamic we had in or out of the bedroom. He is a small man who threw a tantrum because he was told no, and he should be locked away so he can never do this to anyone else again.”
“No further questions,” the defense lawyer says, and Jessa is dismissed. Sean tracts her movements until she’s in my arms. I lean forward and kiss her cheek, placing my hand behind her head and giving him the middle finger in a way that no one can see.
“So proud of you,” I tell her and she exhales thickly.
“Can we leave now?”
“Penny is out in the hallway. Why don’t you sit with her while I finish up?” She nods against my chest and I squeeze her close to me. Sean is shaking in anger in his seat, his arm is limply hanging against his chest, and it’s a dark thought, but I wish the cop would have aimed just a little higher and toward the middle.
Jessa hugs me one more time before leaving the courtroom. My testimony is short and to the point. I think the defense knows he doesn’t have a case, especially when the officer on scene talks about him threatening all of us with his weapon.
I give Sean a look that says I won. Being petty feels better than I imagined. Jessa had a point. I leave the courtroom feeling proud and lighter. This only proves how strong Jessa is and something like this isn’t going to break her. We’re stronger together and we always will be.
32
KITTEN
I showmy engagement ring off like it’s a championship ring. Anyone who even looks at it, I go into how Aiden proposed and how much I love him. We’re a bunch of lovesick idiots, and I truly don’t care who notices or feels like we’re too in their face. It’s taken me a while to realize we both deserve this happiness, and I’m not going to hide it.
I certainly didn’t when we went to Sean’s trial, and I’m not ashamed of how I acted at all. I’ve just been so tired of being this person who accepts everyone stepping all over them. Aiden entering my life really helped me realize how often I let people take advantage of me. Having him there, knowing I’m protected and safe, makes me feel like I have the spine to stand up for myself. And if I’m at a point where I can’t fend for myself, I know he will carry the weight. It’s something I’ve always wanted, to be someone’s person. For someone to love me so much, they would do everything and anything to take care of me, and it’s sad, but being with Aiden is the first time I’ve ever felt like that.
Despite the fact that there are so many other people who had the opportunity to fill this position in my life, I’m glad it was Aiden. I finally know what truly loving someone unconditionally looks like, and I plan on reciprocating as often as I can.
I squeeze into the small black dress and put on my cat ears before I head downstairs. I can tell that Aiden didn’t want to dress up, but he did for me. He’s wearing a white and black striped shirt and black trousers, so I’m a cat, and he’s the cat burglar. I give him a wide smile as I step between his legs at the kitchen island. He pushes my hair behind my back and kisses my collarbone.
“You ready to go, kitten?” he asks with a devious smirk.
I fiddle with the end of my dress, excited to go back to Avalon, but there’s also a nervous tension from what happened last time. “Will Leo be there?”
“I don’t know, but if he is, I’ll make sure he comes nowhere near you.” The thing is, that promise out of another man’s mouth I wouldn’t believe it. Aiden saying it, however, puts me completely at ease. I nod and lean my body more against his. “You look very pretty, baby.”
“And you look like the Hamburglar, let’s go,” I say, gripping his shirt. He gives me a dark look that just says he wants to spank my ass for that comment—perfect.
He swats at my ass as he grabs our bag of spare clothes as we head out to the car. I felt bad about not leaving candy out for the kids in the neighborhood, so I put a bucket on the front porch even though Aiden said the first little fucker to the house would probably take the whole bucket. Sure enough, as we pull out of the driveway, there’s a little boy dressed like the Hulk dumping the whole bucket into his pillow case bag. I just shrug my shoulders while Aiden gives me a look that screams I told you so.
“We had to leave out candy, we don’t want to be that house,” I say, and he shakes his head.
“What house?”
“The house that everyone knows is the dickhead couple. I might not want kids, but I do like them. Plus, don’t you want them coming to the door to sell Girl Scout cookies?”
He shrugs his shoulders and acts like I don’t know about all the Thin Mints in the freezer that I steal on occasion.
“Fine, it’s not like you didn’t get your way, anyway. Now that Bruce Banner took all the candy, can we go to Avalon so I can get my treat?”
