I nodded. “Okay. Your family is waiting at the courthouse for you. I’m pretty good at my job, Mr. Lampert, so I have faith that things are going to work out in your favor. Even if he doesn’t get the death penalty.”
He gave a curt nod, and we both stood. I grabbed my briefcase, and we left my office. Once we made it to court, his family sat in the lobby, waiting for us. When they saw him, they all stood, gathering around him and hugging him. There were so many of them, and I loved that they were all here to support him.
We still had a few minutes before court started, so I allowed James space to be with his family while I stood back, silently praying the very verdict worked in our favor.
“Hey, Alicia.”
I turned to see DA Yumi Aldana walking toward me, her protruding belly leading the way as her skin held an illuminated glow. I smiled as she approached me and wrapped her arms around me. “Yumi, how are you?” I asked when we separated.
She smiled. “As good as I can be with this darn belly.”
I laughed. “I remember those days. Congratulations though. Being a mom is beautiful, and children are a blessing.”
“They are.” She smiled, rubbing her round belly. “So, you’re on the Lampert case, huh?”
“Yes. In ten minutes, we’ll have the verdict.”
“They asked me to represent the defendant . . . I didn’t take the case.”
The look on her face gave away her reason. Yumi was one of the lawyers whose success rate was just as high as mine, so for her to turn down the case meant she either knew he did it or knew they wouldn’t win. That gave me the hope I needed with winning this for James and his family.
“I’m going to head out. My back is on fire, so I’m headed to get a maternity massage, courtesy of the mister.” She beamed.
“I love that for you.” We both laughed. “How is Emery?”
“Annoyingly adorable. He wants me to take my maternity leave now, but I’m not ready. I’m only seven months, geesh.” We laughed. “Well, good luck. I hope he gets the justice he deserves,” she added.
“Thanks. Enjoy your massage.”
She smiled and walked away.
James’s eyes landed on me, and I gave a soft nod of reassurance before taking a deep breath and guiding them into the courtroom.
As predicted,the Lamperts got the justice they deserved. The judge gave Ian twenty-seven years with time served. It wasn’t what James wanted, but it was better than the five years the defense was shooting for.
Ian would be in his late sixties when he got out.
As I got inside my car, I sat for a moment. I had been in and out of court since nine this morning, and I was completely exhausted. For three days, my spirit had been unsettled as I thought about Basil. He stood on his word and kept everything professional concerning us, and he rarely talked to me or gaveme eye contact unless it was concerning the kids. I apologized for hurting his feelings, and although he forgave me, I still felt his disconnect from me. I wasn’t mad at him or anything. I just felt as if he should have understood where I was coming from.
I was finally free from my sham of a marriage.
I didn’t agree with him getting them, because the bastard didn’t even want them. But I knew Leanna pushed for it since I hadn’t been answering any of her calls and had been ignoring her text messages.
I was sure that was where my kids would be during his time of having them, and I was going to make another court date to file for full custody. I wasn’t going to subject my kids to Leo’s bullshit. If he wasn’t going to be there, then he didn’t get to pawn them off to his mother, no matter how much she loved them.
Although I was happy to be free from him, his betrayal still haunted me, and I’d find myself feeling sad about it. I knew I needed to get over it—for my sake and the kids’ sake.
I still wanted the friendship with Basil. His genuine spirit and words of encouragement gave me the boost I needed to get through the days when I thought of the fuck shit Leo did to me. But I couldn’t expect that from him now that he viewed me as his boss and not a potential love interest.
I wouldn’t deny that I hated the feeling. I wanted him to hold me in those strong arms and tell me everything was going to be okay.
I wanted a hug.
I needed one real bad. And Basil’s hugs felt like the warmest and softest place on Earth. It was protective. It was loving. It was a lollipop after getting a shot and the calm after a storm.
It was everything.
I was still having flashbacks of the way he fucked me, talked dirty to me, and ate me like a fresh peach from the trees of Georgia.
