You're The One

by Layla Hagen

  “We’ve never seen him like this,” Skye confirmed. “Mom thinks the same too, by the way. And I trust her instincts.”

  “You’re so bad for me.”

  “But what would you do without us?”

  I might not have said it out loud, but I couldn’t pretend with myself: I was falling for Hunter, and I didn’t know how to stop it.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Josie

  A few clichés about the lawyer world had proven to be true within my first year.

  Ruthless competition? Check.

  Long hours? Double check.

  The adage that if you don’t have a mental breakdown your first three years, it means you’re cut out for it? Also true.

  I had found ways to cope with my stress, especially since I’d received my own office. Behind the closed door, I could do whatever I wanted, and I took full advantage of that.

  Usually that meant kicking off my heels and walking around barefoot. I had various tools to help with the back strain from sitting too long. I was currently sitting on a medicine ball, pressing my feet on a small reflex therapy mat.

  September was a busy month for us, and I already needed a time-out. I couldn’t believe the honeymoon was already a month and a half ago.

  I only had phone conferences for the rest of the day, but no physical appointments. Which was why, when one of my assistants called me, telling me they had someone here to see me, I was perplexed.

  I checked my calendar, frowning. “I don’t have anything on my schedule.”

  Drop-ins were highly unusual.

  “It’s someone from the immigration office.”

  I gripped the mouse so tightly that I almost couldn’t feel my fingers anymore.

  “Should I tell her to come in?”

  “Of course.” I forced my voice to remain calm. I couldn’t kid myself that this had anything to do with any of my cases. Immigration officials didn’t just come to one’s office. But I could pass it off to my superiors as research for one of my cases if anyone got wind of it.

  Assistants usually didn’t discuss our business.

  My legs were shaking a little when I rose from the ball. I immediately rolled it away, drawing my chair closer. I also put on my shoes as I watched the door open.

  A woman in her midforties strode in. Her white-blond hair was styled in a strict bun. She wore a suit that made her fit right in here with the rest of us.

  “Hello. I’m Josie Gallagher. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  I stepped from behind my desk, extending my hand. She shook it briefly.

  “I’m the immigration worker in charge of your husband’s file.”

  Nodding, I pointed her to the chair in front of my desk.

  “Please, sit down. Do you want anything to drink? Water, coffee, tea?”

  There. I sounded calm, as if her visit didn’t stress me out. I didn’t know if I looked calm, though. I felt as if I was in front of a judge, about to be sentenced. My entire face felt hot. My mind was racing a mile an hour. I wished I had gone to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face.

  The more I tried to calm myself down, the more I panicked. What if I said the wrong thing? What if the agent could read between the lines?

  “You know why I’m here?” she asked.

  “You said you’re working on my husband’s case, so I’m assuming it’s about that. How can I help?”

  I set my elbows on the table, clasping my hands, hoping I was projecting a calm image.

  “I won’t beat around the bush. You’re under the suspicion of having committed marriage fraud.”

  My stomach bottomed out, but I held my chin high, didn’t allow any emotions to show.

  “What do you have to say to that?” the officer pushed.

  “I’m a lawyer. I work by the credo, innocent until proven guilty. Of course, it’s not true.”

  “The timeline of your marriage is very suspicious.”

  “And why is that?”

  “You went from engaged to married in three weeks.”

  “My parents met at a wedding, and they were married within the month.” It wasn’t even a lie.

  “Ms. Gallagher, you are aware of the penalties for a sham marriage, right?”

  “As I said, I’m a lawyer. You can rest assured I wouldn’t do anything against the law.”

  “I see. And yet your marriage has raised several red flags. Why did you keep your name?”

  “You consider that a red flag? I’m a lawyer, I have a reputation. People know my name. I didn’t want to lose that brand awareness.”

  “Or you didn’t want to have to go through the process of changing it back after Mr. Caldwell received his green card.”

  “Look, you can twist this however you want. I can just tell you the facts.”

  “If you were to confess to the sham, I am sure I can work out a lower penalty for you.”

  I narrowed my eyes. She thought she could turn me against Hunter? This woman didn’t know who she was dealing with.

  “I know you’re just trying to do your job, but there’s a difference between questioning and intimidation. You cannot intimidate me. Frankly, your insinuations are offensive. So unless you have any more questions about facts, we can wrap this up.”

  She scoffed, taking out a small notebook from her bag.

  “When did you two meet?”

  “In high school.”

  “And you were friends for fifteen years?”

  “Yes.”

  “When did that friendship turn into a romantic entanglement?”

  When he kissed me for the first time.

  I couldn’t say that, of course. Instead, I pasted what I hoped passed as a dreamy expression on my face and repeated the story Hunter and I had concocted. One night about a year ago, after he drove me home from an event we’d both attended, I invited him upstairs and we ended up in bed. After that, we were friends with benefits for some months.

  “But both you and Mr. Caldwell were seeing other people at that time.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. Who had they been talking to?

  “We were not exclusive.”

  “When did things change?”

  “When I told him that I could no longer do this casually. That I wanted more... some sort of commitment. I honestly thought he’d end things. You know men can be fickle when it comes to commitment.”

  I got no sympathy smile from her.

  “Anyway, he surprised me. Said his feelings for me had deepened too.”

  “Did he propose then?”

  “Yes. It was... as I said, completely unexpected. He didn’t even have a ring.” In a flash of inspiration, I added, “He made this very romantic gesture where he had an employee from Tiffany’s bring by a selection at my place so we could choose together.” I held up my hand, pointing to my ring finger. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

  There. She could check with the store employee and confirm this story.

  “How long have you lived together?”

  “Two months, I think? He’d been house hunting for a while, but when we decided to take the next step, he involved me in the process too. We had an excellent realtor. Her name is Darla Lopez. She showed us this beautiful house, and I fell in love with it. Hunter bought it right away.”

  She pursed her lips, jotting down notes.

  “He bought it? You didn’t buy it together?”

  “It’s in both our names,” I said, almost through gritted teeth.

  “What is your morning routine?”

  “I do thirty minutes of yoga, then hop in the shower. He exercises in the evening, so he sleeps in every morning.”

  “What kind of aftershave does he use?”

  “You’re kidding, right? I barely remember the name of my own body lotion.”

  “What’s his favorite food? What is yours?”

  “We both like steaks.”

  The officer threw question after question at me. I also detected some classic witness interrogation tra
ps, such as rephrasing a question several times in the hope that the subject would give different answers.

  My experience as a lawyer served me well. I didn’t fumble. Still, once she was out of my office and I slumped back in my chair, I discovered that I was shaking slightly. I needed to get a grip on myself, because I had a phone conference in twenty minutes.

  I used the break to head to the bathroom and splash some much-needed cold water on my face. That went well, didn’t it?

  Or was I being overly optimistic?

  Shit. I had to let Hunter know—warn him in case he’d be questioned too. I hurried back to my office and sent him a quick message.

  Josie: An immigration agent just came into work. I think it went okay.

  I wanted to give him more details, but I came up blank. The adrenaline still hadn’t left my system and it was making it very hard to focus. Damn it, Josie. Pull yourself together. You have a conference call with a client.

  I could ask my assistant to postpone it, but I didn’t want to give anyone any reason to doubt me. I could pass off the agent’s visit as work related. But if I cancelled a meeting right afterward? Someone might put two and two together.

  The phone call was scheduled in one of the conference rooms, where we had a professional sound and image system.

  I left my office armed with a legal pad and a pen, as well as the client’s file, and casually stopped by my assistant’s desk.

  “Hey. Everything went okay with the officer?”

  “Yes. She was here for some research I’m doing. I completely forgot to add her to my calendar.”

  Eleanor’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s unlike you.”

  I smacked my forehead playfully. “Freshly married brain and all that. Don’t fall in love. Messes with your memory.”

  She chuckled, nodding.

  “I’m heading to the conference room for the call. It might take longer. You know how these things go. Don’t wait for me.”

  “Sure.”

  I arranged everything in the conference room, armed with the summary page of the case, listening to the client. But half my brain cells were still rewinding everything I’d told our case worker. Had it been enough? Had it been too much—as if I was trying too hard? Had they questioned Hunter too?

  Even though I didn’t like checking my phone while I was in a conference, I glanced at the screen, grateful that the client had preferred to do this audio-only.

  My phone’s battery was dead. Great. Just great. What if Hunter had called or messaged, wanting more details? What if he didn’t remember my favorite food or whatever and he wanted to double-check?

  “What’s that sound?” the client asked sharply. Shit. I was tapping my fingers against the desk. I needed to get a grip on myself.

  “Better now?” I curled my left hand into a fist, laying it in my lap.

  “Yes. So... Josie, do you think we can win this?”

  I was great at my job. I loved helping people, fighting for them. But I didn’t like to give them false hope before I’d had a chance to sink my teeth into their case.

  “I’m certainly going to do my best. I need to review all the facts, but we’re going to put up a good fight.”

  My mind was still spinning an hour and a half later, when I ended the call. I’d taken copious amounts of notes. I walked straight to the elevator, heading first to my office to drop all the case files and pick my bag.

  All the assistants on my floor had already left, but when I descended to the lobby, both receptionists were still there. One of them waved at me.

  “Josie, someone’s waiting for you.”

  Was the case worker back? I couldn’t deal with her again today.

  “I’ve been fighting with him for half an hour. He insisted on going up to your office. Told him we don’t allow anyone in our lawyers’ offices alone. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  I had a slight suspicion who he was.

  “My husband?”

  “Yes. He’s in the lounge.”

  “Thanks.”

  I rounded the reception corner, heading straight to the lounge—an elegant room with leather couches and oil portraits hanging on the wall, tracing the origins of the founders back to the old world.

  Why was Hunter here? Had the case worker accosted him too? Had something worse happened?

  That pessimistic train of thought came to a screeching halt when I noticed Hunter. He was standing, hands in his pockets, molten eyes trained on me, oozing testosterone.

  His tan had faded a little, but his hair still maintained that bronze look, with a few blond waves here and there.

  I smiled; I just couldn’t do otherwise.

  “They didn’t let me up to your office,” he said.

  “We have a policy.”

  “I’m your husband. If I want to see my wife, I will see my wife.”

  God, I loved the sound of that. Would this come to a natural end when the three years went by? I wasn’t sure how I’d handle it. How could I go back to not having Hunter be such a huge part of my life? How could I be just his friend when I’d had a taste of how he could light me up with a kiss, a touch? When I knew how it felt to lie in bed and laugh with him?

  When he walked up to me, cupping the back of my head, slanting his mouth over mine, my worries melted away on the spot. Oh, Hunter. Was there anything his hot kisses couldn’t just push to the back of my mind?

  “Mmm,” I murmured when we paused to breathe. “You should be on those danger signs. Like they have for blinding sun... only this would be ‘hot guy in a suit.’ Warning, don’t stare for too long. May cause accidents.”

  He laughed, and the melodic sound relaxed me as well.

  “If that deserves a warning sign, how about this hot guy out of a suit?”

  “Are you offering to strip for me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, but what exactly did I do to earn that?”

  He traced his thumb on my forehead. “I just want to make this frown disappear from your beautiful face.”

  My insides felt all warm and fuzzy.

  “How can you be so relaxed?” I asked.

  “Because I’m sure you did great.”

  “Has no one from the immigration office contacted you?”

  “No.”

  I relaxed a little.

  “So, striptease is on the menu. What else?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “Give me hints.”

  He cupped my jaw, tilting my head up slightly, giving me a quick peck.

  “Come on, curious girl. I want to take care of you.”

  He’d come by car again, and we drove to Brooklyn, getting out in front of a red-brick building. The large neon sign said Climbing Hall.

  “Why didn’t I know about this place?”

  “It only opened a week ago. I knew you’d love to try it out.”

  He knew me so well. I was ecstatic as they gave me gear, and even more so when Hunter also borrowed some.

  “Husband of mine, you’re going climbing with me?”

  “I’ll give it a try.”

  “You feel awfully brave now after scuba diving, huh?”

  He walked right next to me as we headed to the changing rooms. I thought nothing of it until he pinched my ass.

  Amusement flickered in his eyes. “You were the one afraid of sharks.”

  “Any sensible person is afraid of sharks,” I countered, but stood a little away from him.

  I loved climbing. Reaching for the next milestone, focusing on one move at a time was the best way to shut down the constant mind chatter.

  From time to time, I glanced down at Hunter. I wasn’t going very fast, but he was still a good way behind me.

  “Did you have fun?” I asked after we finished the session.

  He waggled his eyebrows. “I had an excellent view.”

  So that explained why he’d always remained behind me.

  “You’re unbelievable.”
<
br />   “What’s next?” I asked as he led me to the car.

  He kissed my hand, opening the door for me. “We’re going home, and I’ll keep taking care of you.”

  That sounded like a dream.

  He’d ordered all my favorite food, and we arrived at the same time as the delivery guy. We relieved him of the bags, carrying everything to the kitchen.

  “Bringing out the big guns?” I murmured.

  I intended to put it all on plates, but someone kept distracting me. Hunter kissed the side of my neck, dragging his hands down the sides of my body. How was I supposed to go back to a life where we didn’t have all this? He bit my earlobe, pressing my ass against his crotch. Holy hell. He was semihard. He fondled one ass cheek lightly. I gasped, already anticipating his next touch.

  “You’re so beautiful, Josie. So fucking sexy.”

  He trailed his fingers from my ass cheeks up my back, resting them over the clasp of my bra before dropping his hand altogether.

  “You’re mean,” I murmured.

  “On the contrary. I am on my best behavior.”

  “But I don’t want that.”

  I turned, flashing him a pout to let him know I was only semi-okay with this. I mean, I wanted dinner, but I wanted Hunter more. Then I decided on another strategy.

  “You’re right. Dinner is an even better idea than sexy time.”

  “Babe, I’m offended.”

  I peeked at him sideways.

  “Offended enough to do something about it?”

  He gave me a sly smile, bending to kiss my shoulder.

  “You little vixen.”

  “Learned from the best.”

  He turned me around, kissing me so deep and hard, gripping my hips so possessively that I couldn’t help letting out that moan I’d been holding in.

  When we pulled apart, we were both fighting for breath. I smiled, and we both finished putting our dinner on plates.

  “By the way, you still owe me a striptease,” I informed him as we moved to the living room.

  “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

  “You’re impossible.”

  “But you’re still into me.”

  I sighed dramatically. “I totally am. What does that say about me?”

  He pulled me close, planting a smooch right on my lips.

  “That you’re adorable.”