CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Mia

I wake in our chair with Grayson curled around me, his body sheltering me the way I know he tried to do last night, the way he was trying to shelter me even when he fired me from that case, even if he went about it the wrong way. I roll around to face him and find him awake. “How are you?” he asks.

“I’m here. I’m perfect.”

One of our phones buzzes somewhere in the distance. “Yours or mine?”

“Probably both. They’ve been going off for an hour.”

“Don’t we need to get them?”

“Yes, but I just couldn’t make myself get up with you laying here with me.” He kisses my temple. “I’ll go find our phones.” He throws off the blanket and walks across the room and any worry I have is momentarily lost to the sight of his perfect, naked backside.

He disappears into the bathroom and I sit up, pulling the blanket around me. “I don’t remember where my purse or briefcase are,” I call out.

Grayson exits the bathroom in a pair of pajama bottoms with my robe in his hands. “I don’t either actually.” He crosses to sit next to me and I eagerly accept the robe as he glances at his phone. “Blake, Eric, Davis, Courtney, and your father have taken turns calling.”

“Courtney. Oh God. I didn’t even think about calling her.”

“I’m texting Courtney and your father in a group text,” Grayson says, “Because I need to call Blake first.” He looks at me and reads the message he’s just typed: Mac and Courtney, we were asleep. We’re fine. Mia lost her phone. We have a few calls to make and then we’ll call you both in a few.

“Perfect,” I say. “Hurry and call Blake. I need to pee and I don’t want to go until I know what’s going on.”

“Go, baby. I’ll be right here.”

“Yeah. I better go.” I stand up and race across the room and leave the door open as I hear, “Blake. What’s happening?”

Of course, I can hear nothing else and by the time I exit the bathroom, Grayson is meeting me at the door, no longer on the phone. “Blake is having one of his men bring your phone and purse up to us. He had to get it cleared with the police to give it back to you.”

“And?”

“And the police will want to interview us again this afternoon. Blake took the liberty of calling our attorney and offering to host the interview at his office. It’s a non-event for us, outside of them going after anyone that was helping to set me up.” He snags my hand. “Coffee. I need coffee.” He starts walking, pulling me along, and I find myself smiling. I love coffee and Grayson, but in our kitchen, together, it’s even better.

A few minutes later, we both have steaming cups in our hands and I’m using his phone to assure first Courtney, since she knows nothing at this point, and then my father that all is well when the doorbell rings. Grayson heads for the door and returns with my purse. He’s barely handed it to me when my phone starts ringing. “I need to go, dad. I have to return some calls. We’ll come see you soon. I love you, too.”

I trade Grayson his phone for my purse and quickly pull out my phone “Kevin,” I say, “my boss at Ri’s firm. He’s a good guy. He knew Ri was a problem and he wanted to protect me. I have to call him back, but my client called too, and she must be freaking out. She has to come first but I need some idea of what’s on the news and what she’s heard.”

Grayson grabs the remote and turns on the small TV under the kitchen counter which offers us nothing. “The internet,” he says, searching his phone and a few minutes later we both finish reading up on the press which amounts to questions about the future of Ri’s firm.

I dial my client. “Mia, what the hell is going on?” she answers. “Are you okay? God, am I okay?”

“I’m fine. You’ll be fine. I’m not going back to the firm. I’m—” I look at Grayson, who arches a brow. “I’m going to be with Grayson Bennett’s firm. He’s my—” I turn away. “We’re together. I’m sure you saw that on the news. I want to take you with me but I need to be sure legally I can do that. No matter what I’ll take care of you.”

“I’m in limbo. Please say that isn’t so.”

“I’ll handle this for you one way or the other. I promise. I’ll be in touch by tomorrow.” I hang up and Grayson steps in front of me. “I assume I’d come back to the firm. That’s okay, right?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, but let’s do this a little differently this time. You don’t work for anyone but the firm. Take the cases you want but I’d really like you to work on the bigger picture with me that reaches beyond the firm. Then we can travel together.” His hands come down on my arms. “If you want to. I know you want to forge your own career, but you have a brilliant mind and insight I value. You always make me think wider. I’d be lucky to have you work with me as the fourth in my team; you, me, Eric, and Davis.”

“I’d like that. I would. I do love criminal law though and I have to take this case all the way. I believe in my client.”

“Then you will take it all the way and you’ll win. I’ll get the case moved. Under the circumstances that won’t be an issue. I’ll make the calls right after I call a mover to get your things.” He folds me against him. “You belong here with me.”

“Yes,” I say softly, trying not to think about that awkward moment when I didn’t know what to call Grayson. “I do.”

He strokes my hair from my face. “I’m your future husband,” he says. “Don’t forget that. I don’t plan to.”

All those weird feelings fade away. Of course, he’s not going to ask me again the morning after we were both covered in a dead man’s blood. He’s not going to ask me until this is over, because he still doesn’t get that I will go to hell and back with him, but I’ll have a lifetime to show him that I’m here to stay. I will show him every single day.