chapter 34
HUNTER
I LEAVE THE DOOR UNLOCKED for her, even though I know she hates it, and hear her steps just as I’m out of the shower.
“Babe?” I call out.
“Hey,” she says, stepping into my room, looking as tired as I feel. “Did you have dinner? I brought you some food, just in case you didn’t.”
“I didn’t, I was about to make something for us,” I tell her, wrapping the towel around my waist and approaching her. I give her a kiss, then take the bag with a grin. “Thank you. What did you bring?”
“Burger and fries,” she says, sitting down on the bed. “The only thing that survives takeout.”
“Thank you,” I tell her again, putting the bag down on the bed and sitting next to her.
She looks down at the floor and then back up at me. “Jeremy came into work today.”
I freeze, gritting my teeth together. “For what? What did he say?”
“He just wanted to tell me he was suing you, and to see if I knew about it. I think he just came in to try to ruin my day, to be honest,” she says, jaw clenching.
He actually had the nerve to come into her work? If I was there, I’d probably be in jail right now.
“Can you write down everything he said for me?” I ask, taking her hand, and running my thumb along her knuckles. “I might need that information. If he comes near you again, maybe we should file a restraining order. Jeremy has no proof, he’s just sour that you got everything you wanted in the divorce and now wants to claim back his loss, which is the money he had to pay you.”
“So he’s trying to sue you for the money he had to pay me?” she asks, shaking her head. “The money I didn’t even ask for? Fucking hell.”
“He’s bitter and has to blame someone,” I tell her, thumb making circles on her knuckles. “We’re going to handle it. This isn’t your fault, Riley, this is him being a sore loser and an idiot. He’s just going to lose more money in the long run. I didn’t do what he’s accusing me of—there was no information I passed on, and he didn’t even tell me anything that no one else knew. There’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“I’m annoyed that you have to even deal with this shit in the first place,” she says, watching our joined hands. “I’m sorry, Hunter. I hate the fact you have to defend your professionalism, all because I came along and fucked things up by not telling you I needed a lawyer in the first place. If I had let go of my stubbornness and pride, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Nothing is ever smooth sailing, babe. I can handle whatever he throws at me. I don’t lose, and he’s about to learn that the hard way.”
Her ex has no idea what he’s dealing with. Jaxon knows people. I know people. And his accusations are laughable. I feel sorry for whoever his lawyer is this time around. Yeah, it’s an inconvenience, but that’s about it. I’m not scared, nor am I worried. Yes, I hate that my morals and dedication to my position as a man of the law will be questioned before a courtroom, but I can’t control that. All I can do is prove the truth.
And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
She buries her face in my neck and brings her arms around my waist. “Why is he such a c-word?”
I grin into her hair. “Did you just call him a c-word?”
She nods. “I feel like we keep getting obstacles thrown at us.”
“It’s just going to make our relationship stronger.”
“Is that what this is? A relationship?” she teases, lips pressing into my neck. “Should I change my social media status?”
“You haven’t already?” I joke. “What, no cute pictures or captions—nothing? Are we even together then?”
“Well, we never had the discussion,” she says, moving to straddle me. “And you never asked me to be exclusive, remember?”
“Didn’t have to, babe,” I tell her against her lips. “You were mine the second you kissed me.”
I kiss her lips to make a point, showing her what’s here between us. There’s no denying this shit. She can argue all she wants, but she’s mine.
“And are you mine, Hunter?” she asks, eyes hooded.
“Yes,” I breathe. “I am.”
“Good,” she whispers, our lips back on each other, deep, hungry, greedy kisses, her tongue tasting mine, and mine sucking on hers. Kisses that wouldn’t be appropriate in public.
She pushes me back on the bed, her body following me down, and everything else is forgotten.
“KAT, WHY ARE YOU sitting on the floor?” I ask as I step into her office. She’s sitting cross-legged and reading over some documents.
She looks up at me and shrugs. “Because someone stole my office chair, and I don’t have the time to find it.”
I scrub my hand down my face. “It’s way too early for this shit, I haven’t even had my morning coffee.”
“Hey, no one made you walk in here, buddy,” she replies, seemingly not fazed by the loss of her chair.
“What are you going to do when clients come in?” I decide to ask.
“No clients today,” she replies, dusting something off her black pants. “I’ve got court today. I’ll probably leave in about an hour.”
I watch her, sitting on the floor like she does it every day, and call out Yvonne’s name.
She appears in the doorway, dressed in pink stripper heels and a white pantsuit, delicious coffee in her hand. “What?”
“Can you find her chair? And can I have some coffee? I’m dying and won’t be able to function without any.”
She sighs and hands me hers. “Here. I haven’t had a chance to have any yet. And as for the chair . . . where the hell did yours go, Kat?”
I take the coffee and drink it like my life depends on it. My sanity does anyway. Tristan walks past, and I stop him, pointing at his woman. “I feel like this is your situation to deal with.”
He sticks his head in, frowning when he sees her on the floor. “Kat, why are you on the floor?”
“Is she having a nervous breakdown?” I whisper to him, glancing over his shoulder. “Well, she hasn’t shaved her head yet, at least.”
She glances up at Tristan, something vulnerable in her expression, and I feel like maybe Yvonne and I shouldn’t be here to witness whatever she needs to say. I’m about to walk away, when she murmurs, “I’m pregnant.”
Tristan stills next to me. “What?”
“I’m pregnant,” she says, sniffling. “And I broke my chair. Probably because I’m pregnant and fat, and my chair knew I was about to get fatter, so it committed suicide because it didn’t want to have to support my fat ass any longer.”
Yvonne and I share a look and then slowly back away. I practically lock myself in my office. Am I meant to congratulate Kat on her pregnancy? Or apologize? I don’t know what to do, so I hide. I send Yvonne a message asking her to send Kat some flowers, or something, I don’t know. Kat is pregnant. That means she should step away from the firm for some time. Maybe she’s overwhelmed, because her career is just starting to take off, but at the same time, she’s carrying a baby with the man she loves.
That’s a different kind of beautiful.