“You really don’t have to be here for this. He just said I should come in for an update.”

Kelly had filled Jake in on everything Holcomb had told her, once the holiday was behind them and reality knocked on their door. Holcomb called Wednesday and requested a meeting. Kelly had tried to press him for more information, because he’d been short on the phone, but he said they needed to talk face to face.

Jake had been there when she took the call and immediately made sure his schedule was clear, so he could go with her. Thankfully, Mia was back at work, so the kids didn’t have to join them in the lawyer’s office. Kelly tried to handle everything on her own, but having the nanny available came in handy.

They had only told the receptionist they had an appointment when a door to the right of them opened and the middle-aged man Kelly remembered appeared. He held his wire-frame glasses in his hand and a stack of papers in the other.

“Good, you’re here. Linda, I need three copies of all of these when you get a chance,” he said as he walked over and put the papers on the receptionist’s desk. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Martin.”

He held his hand out to shake her hand. His voice seemed cordial enough, but she couldn’t shake the idea that something was wrong.

“And you’re?” he asked as he held his hand out to Jake.

His eyes lit up a little. Kelly wasn’t sure if that was from recognition or something else. Jake claimed the hockey players in town weren’t anywhere near as popular as the football and baseball players, so they could often go out without a single person noticing them. Since she’d been out with him a few times, she knew that was indeed true.

She’d been recognized more than he had, a fact that did little to make her want to venture out of the house. Kelly was still doing everything she could to stay away from people in her old life, and having people taking pictures of her and asking for autographs didn’t help the cause.

“Jake Hunter. I’m Kelly’s boyfriend.”

Kelly made sure her face didn’t show any surprise at the label. They hadn’t talked about what exactly to call what they had, but with his Christmas present, which was dangling around her neck, she had all the answers she needed as far as what he thought the relationship was. And, she had no problem with it.

She just wished she would’ve gotten him something nicer than an autographed game-worn jersey from the guy he said was his idol. She’d hidden the box under the tree, like he had, but they didn’t get around to opening it until almost noon. He’d seemed happy about it, even making sure there were plenty of pictures with him holding it up, but it didn’t seem like enough for everything he’d done.

“Nice to meet you. Come into my office.”

Kelly took Jake’s hand and followed the man. She’d barely started looking around, trying to remember if it was the same office that she’d been in before, when Holcomb shut the door and started speaking.

“So, is this relationship something new?” he asked as he walked around the large oak desk in the room and took a seat.

Unsure how to answer the question, and how it was relevant, Kelly turned to Jake for a response. Since the word boyfriend had only just been uttered, she wasn’t sure how to respond. It felt like it’d been going on for a while, but the calendar didn’t necessarily reflect that.

“Yes and no. We’ve known each other five months, but it’s only been around three since things have been official between us.”

Jake stretched the truth, but Kelly didn’t contradict him. The fact that the lawyer had even asked made Kelly think the answer was important.

“Okay, we might be able to use that in our favor.”

Holcomb motioned for Kelly and Jake to sit in a pair of chairs in front of the desk. Neither one of them moved. Kelly didn’t know why Jake stayed in place, but she was frozen after hearing they needed something in their favor. That didn’t sound like things with the suit were going to be easy.

“You don’t think I’m going to win the case anymore, do you?”

She’d been surprised he’d sounded so confident to begin with. Things in her life didn’t just fall into place. The fact that there was a case being brought up so long after she’d started to settle into her situation only made that clearer.

Rather than answer right away, Holcomb grabbed some papers from the side of his desk and started flipping through them. When he found the one he wanted, he pulled it out and put it on top of the pile.

“The situation is as I described it to you on Friday. The McKinneys have filed to revoke your guardianship. Evidently, family image doesn’t mean as much to them as Kirsten hinted at.”

Holcomb’s eyes darted over to Jake briefly as he spoke. Kelly shook her head and squeezed Jake’s hand tightly.

“So, they don’t care about it coming out that their poster-boy son was having an affair, as long as I’m not the one with the kids? I sort of remember them from the funeral, and they seemed to commiserate in my grief just fine. What did they do? Read my book?”

Clearing his throat, Holcomb held out his hand, again trying to get them to sit. Kelly’s eyes narrowed as she let anger replace the fear that had made a home inside of her as soon as he’d called before Christmas.

“I think we’re fine standing for now. Just tell us what’s going on and how we make sure Kelly doesn’t lose the kids.”

Jake’s tone was short. When he’d finally let her fill him in on everything, he’d been pissed. She’d managed to get through it all without crying but seeing him mad in her defense brought the waterworks to the surface. He had to be getting tired of all her crying.

She tried to stop. She’d started trying to do some meditation and yoga to work the pain out, but it seemed to only frustrate her. She was used to chemically numbing the pain, but there was no way she could risk it. Not to mention the fact that it was only temporary. Eventually, it would all bubble back up, and usually, it was worse.

“Well, I think you being in the picture even as just a character witness will help. We could also use whatever evidence Kirsten had of the affair and any proof of divorce papers in the works. Have you found that yet? I don’t know that Kirsten’s reasons for her will change will sway the judge, but it helps to have our ducks in a row.”

Kelly looked over to Jake and then back to Holcomb. Jake’s face was tense, trying to not show any particular emotion. Holcomb looked sort of the way she pictured him when he’d set up the meeting, tired and concerned. She wasn’t looking at the guys to get a feel for what they were thinking. She wanted to see if there was a connection between the two of them she didn’t know about.

“You know Jake?”

Holcomb had to if he thought he’d make a good character witness. He hadn’t acted like a fan, but maybe he was a better actor than Kelly gave him credit. She’d thought she had him pegged as someone who wasn’t good at hiding things. Maybe that was just with her, because he wouldn’t be a very good lawyer if that was the case.

“I know of him. We’ve had a suite at the arena for years, and while I don’t enjoy the music shows it opens up for us, I try to get to at least a dozen games a year. If it was another player, I wouldn’t be so optimistic about how much the connection would help,” he paused so he could point at Jake. “But, you run a well-known charity that works in our favor.”

Kelly had followed the finger to look at Jake, so she didn’t miss the slip in his eyes as he looked down to the ground. Whatever Holcomb was talking about made him uncomfortable. At the same time, it confused Kelly.

She’d looked him up and thought she’d found all there was to know about him according to the all-knowing internet. She didn’t remember reading anything about a charity.

“What’s he talking about?”

“You don’t know?” Holcomb asked, sounding almost as confused as Kelly.

“No, she doesn’t know.” Jake turned towards Kelly, pushing her to do the same with their attached hands. “I didn’t want you to think it had anything to do with us. I’m not even sure how he knew I was part of it.”

There was a quick glare in Holcomb’s direction, but Jake was quick to refocus on Kelly. His hedging towards an explanation did nothing to clear things up.

“What exactly is this charity? Bring a sad puppy dog home for the day?”

Jake chuckled and shook his head. “No, it has nothing to do with that. When I was seventeen, my best friend overdosed on heroin. Then, when I was eighteen, I came home from grabbing some food to find my roommate with a needle in his arm and no pulse. He lived, but that drug becoming a major factor in my life twice in a little over a year, pushed me to action once I started making money.”

Kelly stood there, her eyes dropping to his chest, because she wasn’t sure how she felt about the revelation. How in the world did the internet not know about that?

“It’s not a big deal. I throw some events and raise money for a couple of rehab centers in Texas. Whatever you’re thinking, I’m going to say the same thing to you that I did when you asked me if I thought you were a charity case. I was attracted to you before I knew about your past and knowing didn’t change a thing. If anything, it made me want to be with you more, because it shows how strong you are.”

Jake had an issue with knowing exactly the right things to say. They always made Kelly feel better, but it was slightly infuriating that she would probably never be able to stay mad at him. He put his hand under her chin to tilt her head up, ensuring she saw the truth he conveyed in his eyes.

“I can give you guys a few minutes, if you need it.” The lawyer should’ve made the offer as soon as he realized she didn’t know about the charity.

“No, we can talk about it at home later. You think the fact that I’m dating someone who’s known for his work against drugs will be in my favor.”

Kelly turned to look back at Holcomb. She wanted to talk to Jake more about his crusade, and whether she’d stayed at one of his facilities during her last stint of rehab in Dallas. That all could wait until the more pressing matter of keeping custody of the kids was figured out.

“It definitely won’t hurt,” Holcomb admitted.

“What if we get married before the case goes in front of a judge?”

It was hard to tell who was more surprised by Jake’s outburst. Kelly saw Holcomb’s eyes widen and his mouth drop slightly. He was clearly shocked, but Kelly felt all the blood rush out of her body. The sudden lack of feeling made her stumble forward, so she could hold one of the chairs she’d refused to take.

In the process, Jake’s hand let go of hers. It wasn’t off her long. She felt its heat on her lower back as she tried to take in a breath.

“Can you get her a glass of water or something? A candy bar would be best. She needs to get her blood sugar up.”

Kelly heard Jake’s words, but a whooshing in her head made it sound like he was talking under water or down a long tunnel. Her head definitely felt like it was under water. She tried to inhale again after failing to get air during her attempts. She thought she heard a wheeze and hoped that wasn’t her.

 “Here, sweetheart, put this on your tongue and let it dissolve.”

Her eyes weren’t closed, so Kelly saw Jake’s hand move in front of her face to accompany the words. She wasn’t sure if she opened her mouth or he helped, but she tasted sweet chocolate in her mouth. She let it melt until she felt her arms start to tingle. Once the sensations started coming back, she moved her jaw to bite down on the square to help it get in her system faster.

“Can I have another one?” she asked after the first one was gone, and her head cleared a little.

She was fairly certain there wasn’t enough chocolate in the world to make sense of what Jake had asked. Had he really asked about getting married? The question wasn’t directed at her, but it obviously involved her.

“You can have all the chocolate you want, but first I think we should get you sitting down.”

Jake didn’t finish his words before he swooped her up and sat both of them in one of the chairs, with Kelly on his lap. Her head didn’t feel as full of water closer to the ground, but the more it cleared, it just seemed to start asking more and more questions.

What would she say if Jake was serious, and Holcomb said it would help? Would she let him make that sacrifice if it meant keeping the kids?

“Open,” he commanded.

Her mouth instantly followed the instruction, so he could put another piece of candy inside.

“Good, now that you’re feeling better,” Jake said. “I’m going to ask the question again, so cover your ears if you don’t want to hear it.”

When Kelly didn’t say anything, he raised his brow as if he was looking for verification she wasn’t going to do anything. As bad as her initial reaction had been, she needed to hear the answer. It was the only way she’d know how to answer the questions rolling around in her head.

“Would it make a difference if we were married?”

He didn’t bother looking up at Holcomb. He stared right into Kelly’s eyes as the words escaped his lips.

She’d marry him if it helped. She’d marry him even if it didn’t matter to keep the kids. In that moment, she knew without a doubt that she loved the man holding her. Since she’d never felt that way about someone else, it was hard to understand. Her chest felt like it was full of something, something warm and happy. Trying to decide exactly what was pulsing inside of her was impossible, so she took a deep breath as she waited for Holcomb to reply.