Chapter Eighteen
Damien
“Mr. Evercore! Mr. Evercore! How does it feel to be a cleared man?”
As I step out into the bright sunshine with Emma on my arm, I can hardly believe this is real life. My appeals process has just ended, and my conviction has been overturned.
“I feel like I’m dreaming,” Emma says. I can hardly hear her soft voice over the din of the crowd. The courthouse stairs are packed with reporters and I have to elbow a man out of my way to make sure Emma can squeeze through.
I laugh drily. “Me, too,” I admit. “I had no idea this would happen.”
Emma nods. “I guess my dad going crazy was definitely for the best,” she says quietly. “Ever since that last time we saw him, Mom said that he hasn’t been right.”
“Well, the fact that he confessed was a huge help,” I reply. “Without that recording, I’m not sure how things would have played out.”
Emma nods again. She’s deep in thought. “I’m going to forgive him,” she announces.
I narrow my eyes at her. “Surely you’re kidding,” I say. “After all that?”
Emma takes a deep breath. “Not like that,” she amends. “I mean, I’m going to forgive Jason … and then I’m going to forget him. He’s not worth wasting any mental energy on.”
I nod in agreement. “I admire you,” I say honestly. “That’s very mature.”
Emma bats her eyelashes at me. “And you think I’m just a kid,” she says in a teasing voice.
Before I can reply, there’s another tug on my arm and I look to see Jed standing there with a huge grin on his face. He pulls me into a tight bear-hug and for once, I don’t resist. It feels so good to have this weight lifted off my shoulders.
“Man, I knew we could do it,” Jed says heartily. “We had an airtight case!”
“We had a taped confession,” I say as I extract myself from his strong grip. “And of course, all of the evidence that you found.”
“Well, you can never have too much,” Jed replies. He looks at my face and smirks. “Definitely an improvement without the beard.”
“Well, I had to look the part,” I mutter under my breath, too low for him to hear. “Now that I’m a freed man, I’m going to grow it back out.”
“Not just a freed man,” Jed says. “But a rich one too. All of your shares have been restored just in time for the IPO. You’re going to be filthy fucking rich! I should definitely increase my retainer,” he continues. “You could probably send all three of my kids to school.”
I roll my eyes. “Never change, Jed,” I tell him. “By the way, I’d like you to meet Emma. Jed, Emma. Emma, Jed.”
Jed raises an eyebrow as he drinks in Emma’s curvy figure. In a designer suit and heels, she doesn’t look like a little girl at all. She’s transformed into a mature, confident woman who knows how to carry herself.
“Nice to meet you,” Jed says. He’s practically salivating as he reaches for Emma’s hand and I feel a hot flash of possessive jealousy. As they shake hands, I slide a hand down her back and squeeze her ass as if to tell her that she belongs to me and me alone.
“Nice to meet you,” Emma says. She flushes and gives me a seductive look. “Thank you for all of your hard work.”
A reporter pushes through the crowd and makes her way over to us. She eyes me, then turns her attention to Emma.
“Miss Hadley! Miss Hadley!”
Emma frowns, but gamely turns to face the reporter. I can tell that she’s exhausted. There are huge dark circles under her eyes, but she plasters a smile on her face anyway.
“Yes?” Emma asks. “What is it?”
The reporter smiles a wolflike grin. “How did you do it?”
“What do you mean?” Confusion mars Emma’s features. “What are you talking about?”
The reporter cracks her gum. “How did you have the guts to betray your father like that? How could you do something like that to a member of your own family?”
The confusion vanishes from Emma’s face, replaced by a calm, icy look that I haven’t seen before.
“I didn’t betray my father,” Emma says smoothly. She tucks a loose brown curl behind her ear. “He brought this on himself, and I never made any choices for him.”
Her response makes my jaw drop. As she continues speaking to the inquisitive reporter, I have to marvel at the woman she’s become. She’s no longer the scared little girl in muddy pink sneakers. She’s really grown up and taken charge of her identity.
I’ve never loved her as much as I do in this moment. This woman has done everything for me. She forced me to open up my heart and home to her. She made me realize that not everyone in the world is heartless and cruel. She made me believe in humanity once again.
Without even thinking about it, I drop to one knee. Emma gasps.
“Damien! He’s hurt,” she says in a panicked voice as she pushes the reporter away. “Get away, give him some space!”
“I’m not hurt,” I assure her. Taking Emma’s hand in mine, I look into her soft brown eyes. “I’ve just realized something.”
Emma cries out. Her lips part and she licks them with her little kitten tongue. She’s breathing hard and I know that she can tell what’s coming.
“Emma Hadley, you’re the woman who brought me back to life,” I say in a deep voice. “I never thought that anything about the outside world would make me want to return, but I can’t live without you.”
Tears come to Emma’s eyes and she reaches up with her free hand to wipe them away.
“Oh, my god,” Emma whispers. “Damien!”
I chuckle. There’s nothing that I love more than making my beautiful baby girl smile.
“I don’t have a ring,” I say. “But as soon as we’re done here, we’ll stop by Cartier and I’ll have them close the store just for us.”
Emma’s face crumples and she starts to cry in earnest. She’s smiling widely as the tears stream down her cheeks and I want nothing more than to pull her into my arms.
“But I’m getting ahead of myself,” I say smoothly. “Emma, I love you. I can’t live without you, and I want you by my side every day. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Marrying you would make me the happiest man in the world.”
Emma’s crying so hard that she can’t speak, but as soon as she nods affirmatively I get to my feet and sweep her into my arms. Her curvy frame trembles against me and I tangle my hand in her brown curls and twist her head back for a deep kiss.
I don’t care who’s watching.
I want everyone in the world to know that Emma Hadley is mine forever.
Reporters’ bulbs are flashing blindingly bright when I pull away from Emma.
“My sweet baby girl,” I whisper in her ear. “Now let’s get out of here. I want to get you a ring … and then I want to see you in nothing but that ring for the next week.”
Emma’s cheeks are bright red as she nods happily. “Yes,” she whispers. “I love you, Damien.”
“And I love you, baby girl,” I say in a low voice. “I always will.”
As I lead Emma away from the courthouse, I know that I’ve finally gotten my life back. Because with this woman at my side, we’ve defeated seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Her father. My shattered reputation. A protracted legal appeal. And yet, here we are with my ring on her finger … and the future laying before us in all its glory.