Sitting in the sheriff’s office sucked, but it could have been worse. Sam didn’t lock us up in a cell. He took our statements while we ate the fried chicken and waffles he’d ordered for us, then he sent us home.

“What did he say?” Grace asked as soon as we got back to her place. She hurried around the house straightening up. Grace was a neat freak already, but add in some stress, and the feather duster and damp mop always appeared.

I pulled Blue from his carrier and held him close to my chest. I’d just found my happy place, and I would lose it. I kissed his head a dozen times, knowing I’d never be able to give him enough kisses before I would have to leave him.

“He said to get a lawyer.” I sat on the overstuffed red chair and cradled the baby in my arms while Grace moved everything from the bookshelves and removed the invisible dust.

“Okay, we’ll get a lawyer.” She looked around for something else to clean.

“Grace.” I moved to the cream-colored sofa and patted the space beside me. “Come sit down.”

She looked at the duster and then at me and tossed the duster to the floor in the corner. She sat next to me and burst out in tears. “Silas, I can’t lose you.” She buried her head in my shoulder and put a hand on Blue’s leg.

It hadn’t taken long for us to become a family. We were connected in ways I still hadn’t figured out. I gazed at this redheaded spitfire who stole my breath, and then I looked down at Blue, the baby who’d stolen my heart.

Months ago, I couldn’t imagine a life shared with anyone, and today I couldn’t imagine my life without them.

“This will not go well for Ryker and me.” I cradled Blue in one arm and wrapped the other around Grace, who was trying to get her tears under control.

Acid churned in my stomach and threatened to burn a hole through me. Finally, I had two good things—four if you counted my brother and Ana, five if you added Mona—and I would lose them all.

Jail didn’t sound appealing no matter how you cut it. I’d stepped in to take the fall so Ryker wouldn’t end up there again, and now we’d both be going to jail. We had two strikes against us. First, we were Savages. That alone came with a reputation that hadn’t died when our father did. Second, Cameron Longfellow’s father was the mayor, and you didn’t get in a position like that without a lot of support from people in high places. Guilty or not, we were going down.

Grace covered Blue’s ears and then whispered, “It’s bullshit.”

“I agree, but it is what it is, and we’ll figure it out.”

“If Hannah would have just stepped forward …” Grace growled. “I like her, but I hate her.”

“You can’t blame her. She’s right. It’s her word against his, and with his connections, his word will carry more weight. She’d come out of court broke and beaten down.” Deep inside I wished that Hannah had stepped up too, but I understood. People like us didn’t get the benefit of the doubt.

Later that night I made love to Grace. We spent hours wrapped in each other’s arms. I wasn’t sure how many nights I had left in those arms. All I knew was that I wanted every minute I could get.

A week later, we were in court for the first time. We stood in front of Judge Davis while he looked over the facts of the case.

On paper it looked like two thugs from Fury, Colorado, beat the pulp out of an upstanding citizen. This was a preliminary meeting to decide whether we wanted a jury of our peers or the judge to decide.

Given that our family name preceded us and the name Savage rarely added up to a vision of model citizenship, Ryker and I opted to have the judge hear the case and deliver the sentence. One peer didn’t seem as frightening as a group of peers.

The gavel hit the desk with a thud that sounded so final, and I wondered if it was a sign. Would he drop that gavel as hard when he decided our fates?

“Given the charges—” He looked at Ryker. “—and the prior conviction for violence from one defendant, I will hear the case.” He flipped his calendar to the next month and set up the hearing.

Our lawyer said nothing. We weren’t paying him much, and his silence proved he wasn’t offering us much for our money.

The judge looked at Ryker and me. We’d dressed up for the day. Both of us were in slacks, a button-down shirt, and a tie. Requirements from Ana and Grace. We knew it wouldn’t sway the court, but it made the girls feel better, so we’d done it.

“Court date set for four weeks from today.” The gavel struck the wood desk with another boom, and we filed out of the small courthouse to a sunny day. I had four more weeks of sun and sweet Grace.