“Because I can’t control my temper?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m not a kid anymore. I might be a hot head sometimes, but I know there’s a time and place for everything.”
She nods, but it falls flat.
“You don’t trust me?”
“No, I do.” She says quickly, trying to convince herself as much as she’s convincing me, and a heavy silence falls between us.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and she shifts to let me look at it. “Curtis is here. I’m going to help him to the courtroom. Stay here until I come back for you.” I stand stiffly, pulling her to her feet.
She might love me, but she still doesn’t trust me, and that stings.
“Wait,” she starts, but I shake my head as I cross the room.
She might want me in her life, but I won’t be the reason things go south. I won’t let my feelings screw with her head.
“Time to be a lawyer, Liv. Don’t worry about me.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Liv
Hayes locks me into my office without another glance, letting my nerves for today rise to the surface. I have a strong case, I know that, but I also have a lot of friends who are going to be personally affected by the verdict.
Including me.
I haven’t told Hayes, but I was offered a new contract for the prosecutor position if this trial goes well. That means my life here will officially be permanent.
We’re finally figuring things out, and so many life changes have happened within a matter of weeks that I’m fighting the feeling that I’m going to fuck it all up.
Breath escapes me roughly, and I rub my palms across my blazer to dry the dampness before shoving all my papers into my briefcase.
People are counting on me, and I have a job to do. My personal life does not belong here right now.
My job status and my stalker are not mypriority.
It’s getting justice for everyone impacted by Jeremiah Porter.
Curtis. Lochlan. Jo.
A light knock on my door, and Hayes appears. “Ready?”
My breathing comes easier just having him near me, but he doesn’t return my familiarity when I smile at him. He keeps his eyes averted and stays three steps behind me as we exit my office.
He normally keeps a professional distance when we’re in the building, but when everything feels so unsteady, I want him right beside me.
I stop short before walking into the courtroom, and he nearly runs into my back. People are milling about, and more than a few eyes are on us as I turn to look at him, but I only see him.
I thread my fingers through his, searching his eyes for what I need. His brows furrow in confusion, but then a sly smile quirks the corner of his mouth, and his fingers squeeze mine.
He leans down to whisper in my ear. “No time for a quickie, baby girl. You’ve got a job to do.”
A laugh escapes me, needing that bit of unseriousness when it feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders.
He told me he’d be whatever I needed him to be, but I just need him.
