Hoop woke up early and made love to Cici before leaving her nestled in the rumpled bed, sleeping. He wanted to call in sick to work, the first time that had happened in a really long time.
But he didn’t. He was going to have the rest of his life with Cici. He only felt a slight twinge of worry that he wouldn’t as he left her apartment. He took a cab home to his, then packed a few essentials to bring to her place that night.
Hoop had three other meetings scheduled back-to-back and a deposition he had to take for the case he was working on. He wanted to get out of the office at a decent hour since he had plans with her so he ignored it.
The first two meetings ran long and when he finally stepped out of the fifteenth-floor meeting room, his colleague Lilia was waiting for him.
“Hoop, do you have a minute?” Lilia asked.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I’m not sure where to start,” she began and then bit her lower lip. “I wanted to give you a head’s up because you are friends with my client and referred her to me and I have the feeling Martin is going to get you involved in this.”
“This concerns Cici?” he asked.
“Yes. The father of her child is already a client of the firm,” she said.
“How did we not know that?” Hoop asked.
“We only had the name Rich Maguire but when I entered his address a file popped up and he’s actually Richmond Maguire Hallifax III. Martin has handled his family for years. I wanted to discuss it, especially with him bringing you on board.”
“He’s already mentioned me to you?” Hoop probed further. Of course, he had. Martin had been brining Hoop onto all his cases to prove he was worthy of being junior partner. He’d have to excuse himself from this one. And things could get awkward.
“Thanks, Lilia,” Hoop said.
“Do you have a few minutes to discuss this with me?” Lilia asked.
“Sure. Let’s talk in my office.” He walked down the hall with Lilia following him. Already trying to figure out how he was going to handle the situation with Martin.
“Martin’s waiting for you in your office,” Abby said.
“Thanks. Hold my calls,” Hoop said.
“Obvs,” Abby said with a wink.
He just shook his head and then he and Lilia entered his office, closing the door firmly behind him. Martin wasn’t sitting in one of the guest chairs, instead he stood by the window that looked down on the busy city streets, staring out at the skyline. Hoop put his computer bag on his desk and then walked over to stand next to his boss.
“Good afternoon, sir.”
“Hoop, sorry for dropping by unannounced. Oh, Lilia, I’m glad you are here as well,” Martin said.
“Thanks,” Lilia said.
“We have a delicate case that I’d like you to handle, Hoop. It’s with one of our oldest clients. Lilia, I assume that’s why you’re here,” Martin said.
Lilia looked uncomfortable and Hoop gestured for her to have a seat.
“I’m happy to get stuck into it, Martin,” Hoop said. “But if it’s the Johnson-Maguire paternity issue, you should know I’m dating Johnson. I had no idea that Rich Maguire was represented by our firm when I referred her to Lilia. I’m actually the one who suggested she get the papers together and have them signed.”
The silence suddenly seemed louder in the room and Hoop wondered, if in this one case, he should have lied. But the truth seemed the only way to move forward with this situation. And he liked his job. He didn’t want to do anything to place it in jeopardy.
“I would have done the same thing,” Martin said. “You have been in the system so you know how important it is for legal matters with children to be formalized. There is just no other way to ensure that everyone behaves rationally otherwise,” Martin said. “I think it would probably be in the best interest that I don’t bring you in on this one. Which is too bad because the Hallifaxes are one of our longest standing clients.”
“Is this going to be a problem?” Hoop asked.
“It’s not unheard of for us to rep both parties but it’s not the way I like for this firm to operate. Tell me about the woman,” Martin said.
“She’s a friend of a friend…I think it was one of those things where neither of them expected any consequences,” Hoop said. He was not sure how much he should say to his boss. But this wasn’t anything that Rich wouldn’t have already told his family.
“Okay. Well that complicates matters. The Hallifaxes didn’t know about the baby until the paperwork was filed here. I…I’m afraid I’m responsible for this newest wrinkle. I assumed we were representing Rich and phoned them. They want to meet the mother and they want access to their grandchild.”
“He told her to get rid of the child and said he wanted nothing to do with it. She is moving forward as if this were her child alone,” Lilia said. “She did ask me to reach out and see if he would be open to meeting the child if he or she wanted contact later.”
“Good, sounds like she’s sensible,” Martin said.
Hoop wasn’t sure how Cici was going to feel about meeting Rich’s parents. He also didn’t really want to be in this conversation about her and the strategy for the company.
“I think I shouldn’t be involved in this any further,” Hoop said.
“I agree,” Lilia said.
“I’m sorry, Hoop, I just want to get the best result for everyone,” Martin said. “Lilia and I will continue this discussion in my office.”
As soon as they both left, Hoop went to his desk and picked up the phone.
He and Cici were just starting to build their own life. There was so much family tied to this unborn baby…and at a gut deep level he was happy for that child. Apparently, he’d had no family at all beyond the mother who’d left him in the hospital. No grandparents, no one else to care for him. But Cici’s child had a lot of family.
He sat down in his office chair and didn’t reach for his cell phone. If there was ever a time when he needed to make the call from his office phone it was this one. It was business and not personal. Yet how could anything with Cici ever be business? He glanced at his watch and knew she’d be in her office at the Candied Apple & Cafe, probably doing some new forecast for the classes that Hayley wanted to offer in the fall.
He dialed her number and listened to the phone ring. He held his breath when the line clicked and he thought it might be going to voicemail.
“The Candied Apple & Cafe, Cici speaking.”
“Cici, it’s Hoop. We need to talk,” he said.
There were a few seconds of silence. “Did you see Rich’s poster in Time Square this morning? Is that what this is about? I mean, I think him being in a blockbuster movie shouldn’t make that much difference.”
He turned on his desktop computer as his assistant poked her head around the corner of his open door.
“Coffee?” she mouthed.
“Vodka,” he mouthed back.
She arched her eyebrows and then backed out of the doorway.
Cici twirled the cord of the phone around her finger. She should have mentioned Rich being a famous actor last night but she had been enjoying the evening. For once, she’d felt like they might make it as a couple.
“No…what poster?”
“Well that TV show he mentioned he had shot has turned into a huge sensation. Apparently, he’s the hottest up and comer in Hollywood and according to the article that Iona forwarded me last night, his show is on everyone’s must-see list,” she said. She wanted to bang her head on the desk but instead had a little acid reflux and reached for the bottle of Tums that was becoming her constant companion. “I guess that’s probably why he didn’t want to be involved in the kid’s life.
“I hadn’t heard that,” Hoop said. “What’s the name of the show?”
“I’ll forward you the article,” Cici said. “If it’s not about his newly famous status, then what are you calling about?”
“Just wanted to give you a head’s up about the legal case. And I’m calling simply as your boyfriend.”
Something melted in her stomach and she felt flushed and warm. That was the exact reason she hadn’t mentioned the poster last night.
“So, what is going on?”
“Our firm represents the Hallifax family, that’s Rich’s legal last name: Richmond Maguire Hallifax III, and when the paperwork went through our system a flag was raised and a notice sent to my boss who has been representing the Hallifax family for his entire career. He read the papers and contacted Rich’s parents, assuming they already knew. And well, they didn’t. And now they want to meet you and have contact with the child.”
She dropped the phone as stars danced in front of her eyes. She swallowed as she felt that acid burning in the back of her throat and then turned, grabbing her trashcan in the nick of time and threw up into it. Through the ringing in her ears, she thought she heard Hoop’s voice but she just put her head down and threw up again.
Rich’s parents wanted to know her baby. She’d sort of hoped that the child would be able to make contact someday but she wasn’t sure how she felt about meeting them now.
“Cici…oh my God. Are you okay?” Hayley said.
Cici looked up at her, her throat burned from throwing up. Her sight was blurry from the tears and as she saw Hay she just lost it. She tried to tell her what was going on, but all that emerged from her mouth was a stream of nonsense.
“No I’m not okay…Rich’s parents…he’s famous, the baby isn’t just mine…what am I going to do?” she asked her friend.
Hayley knelt next to her chair, took the waste bin and set it aside before hugging Cici. “I don’t know but you are not alone. I have your back. You know that.”
Cici nodded.
She’d freaked but she was starting to calm down a little.
“Take some deep breaths,” Hayley said gently.
Cici closed her eyes and tipped her head back, breathing deeply. “Okay. I…I need to brush my teeth. Oh, crap, Hoop!”
She reached for the phone, lifting it to her ear as Hayley opened up her middle desk drawer and got out her at-work toothbrush and toothpaste.
“Hoop?”
“Thank God. Are you okay?” he asked.
She heard the concern and panic in his voice and she felt a pang. He was a good guy. The best she’d ever had in her life and the last thing he deserved was the big ball of crazy she was bringing to the table.
“Yes. Sorry. It’s the pregnancy hormones…well part of it was. The other part was straight up panic. Listen, can I call you back to discuss this? I assume there is something I need to do.”
“There is. You have to decide if you want to meet the baby’s grandparents. Lilia will be in touch with you.”
“Okay. Thanks for this. I’m sorry you are caught in the middle,” she said.
“I’m not in the middle. I am by your side,” he said.
That solidness. The no fear in his voice slayed her. She didn’t know what to say. A part of her realized that she wanted to cling to him. To let him be her support and tell her what to do next because she had no freaking idea what the hell she should do. She noticed that Hayley had left the office.
“Are you sure you still want to be there?” she asked. “I am not going to hold you to anything you said before this started. I mean, dating a pregnant woman was a big ask, but this…I’m not really sure I want to be in my life right now.”
He didn’t say anything for about thirty seconds but to be honest it felt like two years. “What kind of man do you think I am? Abandonment just doesn’t sit right with me. I thought you knew me better than that.”
Hoop left the office late. Cici had texted him after he’d hung up on her but the truth was he didn’t want to talk. This baby had so many people that wanted it. But issues that he thought he’d dealt with, if not resolved then at least learned to live with, had raised their ugly heads once again. He’d been the baby no one wanted and Cici’s child…well, it had grandparents and a mother and friends and aunts and uncles. It made Hoop go down the dark alley that led to the question of his biological parents. No one existed in a vacuum. Not in this life. So why hadn’t there been anyone to claim him?
He had a great family now. The absolute best. On his lunch hour he went out to Central Park and walked. Listening to a playlist that his dad had set up on Spotify for him and his siblings. It was a summertime bunch of songs and as he walked and listened to it, his center returned. He no longer was in the dark place that Cici’s comment had sent him to.
Only his dad would mix Kid Rock, The Eagles and Kayne West in a playlist. His dad. No matter who had been his biological father, there was no doubt in his mind that Pops was his father. He had influenced so much of the man that Hoop was today. He got back in the office and his assistant had a list of messages for him and handed him a package as he walked back to his desk.
“What’s this?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “It was delivered by courier a few minutes ago. Martin wants to see you at 5:15. He said that you were aware of the topic and not to be late.”
Hoop nodded. Martin hadn’t stopped mentoring him just because of the case with Cici and the Hallifaxes. Something that Hoop was grateful for. He was trying to stay out of the case but he’d been copied in on Martin’s email correspondence with the Hallifaxes. The protocol had been set up when he’d first started being mentored for junior partner.
He noticed that Martin was trying to get a decision from Lilia today. Hoop’s gut said Cici might need more time to decide what to do.
The tactic of time pressure worked well to get results. He could see what Martin was doing. It was a technique that he had deployed himself in contentious divorce cases and custody battles. Family law was complicated because there was no way to stay objective for the parties involved. Something Martin was no doubt counting on with Cici.
“What’s my afternoon looking like?”
“I moved Marlie Henderson to tomorrow so you have an hour free. What can I do to help with Martin this afternoon?”
“I’m not sure you can help. I’m waiting to hear back from the client to find out if the agreement is acceptable. I’m going to make a call and then do you mind seeing if Pete can take my 3pm? It’s an initial consult.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” she said.
He walked into his office and set the messages on his desk as he held the package in his hand. It was a box wrapped in craft paper and tied with a piece of twine. His name had been scrawled on the top and he was sure it was Cici’s handwriting, having seen her grocery list on the counter at her apartment the other day.
He undid the tie carefully and then took off the paper, using time to delay because he was unsure. He’d just found his center again and he needed to be lawyerly, not human. He needed to be bringing his A game and for some reason Cici wasn’t inspiring him to do that. But then he opened the box and saw the card on the top.
He pulled it out, holding it loosely in his hand.
It was a piece of stationary that had her monogram on the top. He skimmed down to the note.
Hoop,
All my life I’ve been alone because I was afraid to let someone stand next to me. A part of me keeps hearing you say you will be with me but I don’t want to trust. That’s not fair to you. It’s my fear, the same fear that led to the situation I’m in right now. I lash out when I’m scared and the way I feel about you is stronger than anything I’ve felt before. It scares me more than anything else. And while I know it’s not fair to ask anything else from you, you’ve been great. Please know that I’m not really ready to say goodbye to you.
Cici
That she’d taken the time to write a note instead of texting or calling told him that she’d thought about it. Underneath her note was a box of Candied Apple & Cafe martini truffles. The ones that he always purchased when he stopped by to see her. She’d noticed his favorite.
He grabbed his cell phone and texted her.
Hoop: Thanks for the note and the candy.
Cici: You’re welcome. I’m sorry.
Hoop: It’s okay. Do you need to talk about the case? I know Lilia is a great attorney but if you need any advice. I’m here.
Cici: I’m not sure yet. I haven’t even spoken to Rich. He might not want his parents involved since he didn’t want a kid.
Hoop: I’m here if you need me.
Cici: Thanks. Uh, I have a favor and it’s okay to say no.
He smiled.
Hoop: What is it?
Cici: Lilia suggested I call Rich and I need to figure out what to say. Could you help me? I want to make sure he knows I didn’t go to his parents and just want what’s right for our baby. Lilia sent over some text but it’s not me and I think Rich will know it.
Hoop: Of course. Do you want to come to my office?
Cici: Yes. I should be done here in thirty minutes. Would that work for you?
Hoop: Sure. See you then.