“Alright, great. Everyone’s here,” Maxwell says, striding in like a man with a purpose. He drops a thick stack of papers onto the table in front of me, the corner of the pile thudding against my sweater-covered chest.
“What’s all this?” I ask, flipping through the pages but already knowing the answer. I’m stalling for time just hoping that Rosie breezes in here to kiss me in public again and tell me sheloves me too.
“That’s your agreement to keep us on retainer for your legal fees,” he replies briskly.
“Right.” I knew this was coming. Until the law firm representing the ManhattanMayhemdecide to reinstate me under their umbrella contract, which hinges on whether I sign their new three-year contract, I need the Prescott’s to continue being my lawyers.
Just in case.
Just in case what exactly? I’m not sure. I don’t go out with my teammates anymore. I don’t date. I don’t drink. I hardly even go out in public unless I’m with Rosie.
I scribble my signature on the first page anyway and slide it back toward him. Because it keeps me linked to Rosie, even if she never wants to talk to me again.
“And the next one,” Maxwell continues, pushing another sheet forward, “is for the dissolution of your marriage to my daughter.”
The word hangs in the air, sharp and unrelenting. My chest tightens as I stare at the paper in front of me. The letters blur, smudging together until they’re nothing but meaningless shapes.Dissolution of marriage.My fingers twitch, but I don’t pick up the pen.
There’s no way in hell I’m signing that shit without looking into her eyes first.
I can feel Cain’s curious gaze on me.
“Where’s Rosie?” I ask again, my voice quieter this time but no less urgent.
Maxwell’s brows draw together, his expression twisting in confusion like he can’t imagine why I’d ask that question.
“She’s gone.”
My pulse spikes and my heart races. “Gone where?”
“Not that it should concern you,” he says, his tone clipped, “but I’ve sent her to Los Angeles on assignment. Thanks to our work with you, we’ve secured another hockey player as a client. She’ll be managing his case from there over the next three months.”
Three months?
The words echo in my head, loud and disorienting. Three months without her? Why the hell didn’t she tell me she was leaving? Is this really over for her?
No. It’s not possible. She loves me too. I know it.
“I… I need a day,” I stammer, my voice cracking under the weight of the emotions that are building in my chest.
Maxwell looks at me in stunned disbelief. “A day for what? What’s there to review? It’s a simple dissolution of marriage statement. Do I need to break it down for you?”
I glance at Cain, whose lips are tugging into a knowing smirk. He leans back slightly in his chair, arms crossed as if daring me to say what we both know is true.
He knows that I love his sister. He’s always known. My feelings for Rosie are real. I don’t want this.
And I don’t think Rosie does either.
But I need to hear her say it. I need to see her face, look her in the eyes, and hear the words fall from her lips. If this is over, I need her to tell me herself.
This isn’t the end.
This is my test. My chance to fight for her. And I’m going to.
I stand abruptly, leveling her father with a sharp look. I don’t want to be disrespectful to Rosie’s father, but I also want to be sure he understands that I’m not signing this shit today.
“Look, sir,” I say, forcing my tone into something thatmightpass as respectful, “I’m not signing this paperwork.”
“What?” he roars, his voice reverberating through the room so loudly I swear his whole office can hear outside the glass. I don’t care.
