He pulled away, tucked a stray piece of her hair behind her ear and whispered, “I’ll be outside waiting for you. Let me know if you need me.”
There was more to say. A lot more that belonged between Molly and him only. He’d just gotten started.
He joined his family and friends outside in the hallway and grinned. “I think love is going to win today.”
* * *
THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES after Drew burst into Molly’s custody hearing, Judge Reilly granted full legal and physical sole custody of Hazel McKinney to Molly.
She’d won. For her daughter. For her family. Molly sagged into her chair. Tears blurred her vision and dampened her cheeks. Her thank-you to Judge Reilly was waterlogged and sincere.
Judge Reilly slipped into her chambers and quickly returned without her customary black robes. She walked over to Molly’s table and held out her hand. “I have another hearing in less than ten minutes in this room.”
Molly set her hand in Judge Reilly’s and let the woman help her stand. “I’m sorry. I just needed a moment.”
Judge Reilly patted her hand. “My advice to you is to run out of this courtroom and into the arms of Mr. Harrington. And spend as many moments as you can capture with that man, who loves you very, very much.”
Molly wiped a tissue across her face. “That is advice I’m more than willing to take.”
“Good.” Judge Reilly opened a courtroom door for Molly. “Now, I’ve got five minutes to meet Chase Jacobs and convince him to sign an autograph.”
“He won’t need to be convinced,” Molly said. “He’s good like that.”
“You’ve surrounded yourself with fine people, Ms. McKinney.” Judge Reilly released her. “Don’t ever forget that.”
Molly found herself surrounded and embraced by those fine people. Her friends. And even more, her family. Hugs and well wishes given, the group dispersed. Plans had already been set in motion to celebrate in Brooke and Dan’s backyard. A volleyball rematch had also been agreed to and the menu determined.
Molly suddenly found herself in the hallway alone with Drew. “Why did you kiss me in there?”
“I wanted them to know.” He stepped forward and took her hands in his. “I wanted you to know.”
“Know what?” Molly tightened her hold on Drew.
“That I love you.” He tugged her closer.
“Drew, I...”
“I know I have a lot to make up for.” Drew squeezed her hands and locked his gaze on hers. “A lot more to apologize for. It wasn’t you I didn’t trust, Molly. It was me.”
Molly searched his face. Her heart—the one with so much love for him—swelled.
“I know you need time to forgive me,” he said. “I will wait. I’ll be right here.”
“I don’t need time.” She’d forgiven him the second he’d walked into the courtroom and announced he was her character reference. She’d fallen for him more with every impassioned word he spoke about her. “I love you, Drew. Always have. Always will.”
“You’re my home, Molly.” Drew set his forehead against hers. “My everything.”
“You’re the family I always wished for.” She leaned into him and kissed him like he’d kissed her in the courtroom. Heart-stopping. Breath-stealing. And with all the love inside her for Drew.
For the family of her own.
EPILOGUE
“I CAN’T BELIEVE you planned this.” Drew sat in his seat behind first base at the Bay Area Angel’s stadium, balancing his hot dog in one hand, his extra large French fries in the other.
Molly slid into her seat and kissed him. “I also have an engagement letter in my purse that I wrote up for us.”
“An engagement letter?” Drew dunked one of his French fries into Molly’s cup of ranch dressing. “Really?”
Molly laughed. “I figured it would be a good idea since our relationship started with an attorney–client engagement letter.”
“And now?” Drew chewed on his French fry and considered her. She just kept surprising him. From arranging this baseball outing to her keeping him laughing and guessing.
“Well, it would seem we have another kind of arrangement.” She bumped her shoulder into his. “I had planned to finish the custody hearing, track you down and state my case for us. I had worked out all the finer details.”
“We have time before the first pitch.” Drew waited for her to take a bite of her hot dog, then said, “You could state your case now.”
Molly’s cheeks deepened into an adorable shade of red. She chewed a couple of fries, swallowed and shook her head at him. “It was all part of my plan to win you back. But then you showed up at the custody hearing and beat me to it.”
“And won you back first.” He grinned and lifted his eyebrows up and down.
“Have I thanked you for that?” she asked.
“Every day for the past week.” He kissed her cheek. “But I want to know more about this engagement letter.”
“It was silly.” Molly wiped a napkin over her mouth. “I turned it into a relationship engagement letter detailing the scope, expectations and responsibilities of us being together.”
Drew finished his hot dog and wiped his hands on a napkin. “And this letter is in your purse right now?”
“The outside pocket.” She motioned to the floor near her feet.
Drew pulled out the piece of paper in question. He scanned the document. “Do you have a pen?”
She reached into her purse, pulled the cap off the ballpoint pen and then handed the pen to him. He signed across the bottom of the paper, folded it and handed it and the pen back to her.
“Just like that.” She eyed him. “No changes. No revisions. No edits.”
“Yes. Just like that.” He reached over and wiped the tiny spot of ketchup from her lip. “There’s nothing I would change about you. Or about us.”
“And you read the whole page,” Molly clarified.
He worked to keep his smile contained. “Is there a section you think I missed?”
“Under scope, I listed vacations.” Molly fiddled with the paper. “We have to take more than one every year. No excuses.”
“And I have to plan at least one of those vacations.” Drew nodded. “That’s manageable. I have ideas.”
“There was also a section about family.” Molly tucked the pen and paper into her purse. “You read that one too?”
“Expanding our family. Subsection one, possibilities.” Drew rubbed his chin. “I saw it. The thing is, it’s already happened.”
“What do you mean?” Molly grabbed his hand.
“I spoke to Sophie the day before your custody hearing. Sophie explained she’d found homes for all the puppies, except Wish.” Drew laced his fingers in Molly’s. “I told her I wanted to adopt Nala and Wish. I even filled out the adoption paperwork to make it official.”
“It’s going to be a lot, you know? Two dogs, and Hazel isn’t even walking on her own yet. We have work and—”
“And we have each other.” Drew leaned over and kissed her. “We’ll figure it all out. That’s what families do.”
“Family.” Molly touched his cheek. “It’s becoming my favorite word.”
“Mine too.” Smiling, Drew grabbed her hand and heard the crack of the bat. “Now, it’s time for the fun to begin.”
* * *
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A Marriage of Inconvenience
by Amy Vastine
CHAPTER ONE
“I’M RUNNING TO the bank now to deposit the check from the Mahoneys and get pennies for the Westbergs’ wishing well. I should be back in the office in about twenty minutes.” Sophia Reed pulled open the door to the Wharton Bank and Trust. “Can you ask Cassie to check with the Chalet and make sure there will be someone to let us into that private dining room Friday before the actual dinner? I don’t want to end up standing outside a venue for an hour like we did last weekend.”
“I’m on it.” Fallon Best always lived up to her name. She was the best business partner a woman could ask for. The two of them had started Engaging Events eight years ago after meeting in college. What began as only the two of them working out of their apartment was now a real company with an office and four full-time employees on staff.
Being at Wharton Bank reminded Sophia of one more thing. “Did we ever hear back from Miss Wharton about the meeting tomorrow?”
“All confirmed,” Fallon replied, and Sophia sighed with relief. The possibility of planning a wedding for the Wharton family had her absolutely giddy.
She got in line behind a man who glanced back at her and gave her a friendly smile and nod. His gray suit was expensive-looking, giving him the first impression of being someone who wasn’t afraid to spend money to look good. His shoes, however, gave him away as someone a bit more practical. This guy wanted to fit in with people who had money, but perhaps didn’t have as much as the crowd he ran in.
Sophia could tell everything she needed to know about a person by the way they dressed. It was her gift.
Sophia turned her attention back to her phone. “Great. See you soon,” she said.
“Okay, b—” That was all Sophia heard Fallon say before a gunshot rang out, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.
“Everyone down on the ground! Down on the ground right now!” someone shouted.
Four men had entered the lobby dressed head to toe in black and each wearing an animal mask. The one in the tiger mask had a gun pointed at the security guard.
“Hands where I can see them,” the man in the monkey mask said to the teller behind the counter. “Everyone else down on the ground like my friend the giraffe said!”
Sophia’s heart stopped before jumping back to life and beating at a pace that it hit only during her toughest spin classes. The shock had her frozen in place. The man in front of her took her by the hand.
“Let’s do as they say and they won’t hurt us,” he said, guiding her down to the ground.
There was kindness in his eyes. Kindness was something she’d never take for granted again. This was a bank robbery. A real-life bank robbery. Sophia knew they happened, but she never thought she’d actually witness one.
The two of them and the woman who had been at the counter were the only customers in the lobby. The robber in the lion mask led two bankers and a customer out of the cubicles where people opened accounts and applied for mortgages.
Sophia had done that recently. She had gotten a mortgage from the banker with the blue tie so she could buy her first house. A real house with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. It was charming in its own special way. She loved it. Wouldn’t it be a terrible twist of fate if she died in a bank robbery less than a month after she bought her first home?
“You aren’t going to die,” the kind-eyed man said. He squeezed her hand. “You’ll be home before you know it.”
Had he heard her thoughts or had she said them out loud? It didn’t matter. The way he reassured her made her believe she’d sleep in her bed tonight.
“Okay, people, listen up. Toss your wallets and jewelry on the floor.” The robber in the monkey mask lightly kicked Sophia’s foot. “You, gather them all up and put them in this bag.” A black drawstring bag dropped near her head.
She didn’t move. Her lungs had simply forgotten how to work, and it made her light-headed. If it wasn’t for the fact that her whole body was trembling with fear, she would have thought she was paralyzed.
“Did you not hear me?” the monkey-mask robber asked, his voice rough.
“You’re scaring her,” the man next to Sophia said. “I’ll gather them up. Please leave her be.”
With her cheek pressed against the cool tile floor, Sophia watched as the thief placed a foot on the man’s back, causing him to wince. “Who do you think you are? A hero? I don’t need heroes here. Maybe I want her to be scared. Maybe I want you to be scared, too. What do I need to do to make you scared?”
Sophia did not want to find out what he was willing to do to ramp up everyone’s fear. She forced herself to move and pushed up. “I’ll do it. I’m sorry.”
The monkey robber stepped away from the nice man. “Ah, now that’s what I like to hear.”
Still shaking, Sophia began stuffing the bag with wallets and jewelry just like the teller was filling the bank robbers’ duffel bag with cash.
“We’d like to thank you for your cooperation, ladies and gentlemen,” the giraffe said, zipping up the duffel bag and sliding the strap over his shoulder.
“Let’s move,” the lion said. “Cops will be here any minute.”
Sophia felt someone behind her. The man in the monkey mask snatched the drawstring bag away from her. He brushed his gloved hand against her cheek. “Until we meet again, sweetheart.”
Sophia felt sick and terrified. The only time she wanted to see him again was when he was in handcuffs and on his way to jail.
He glanced back at her. The grinning monkey mask made her skin crawl. As he slung the bag over his shoulder, a thought struck Sophia like a bolt of lightning. He had their wallets—wallets filled with credit cards they could cancel and cash, at least in her case, that couldn’t pay for more than a large coffee. However, her wallet also held her driver’s license. The one she got about three weeks ago. The one with her new address on it.
She dropped to her knees. What if he truly meant he planned to see her again? The thought struck fear in her heart. Arms wrapped around her, causing her to flinch slightly.
“You’re okay. It’s over. They’re gone. They can’t hurt us.” The man who had tried to protect her may have been a stranger, but he made her feel safe and she needed that right now. She allowed herself to lean into him.
Rising to their feet, she said what she was thinking, her voice trembling like the rest of her. “They have our wallets, our IDs.”
He placed gentle hands on her shoulders. “I know. We’ll tell the cops everything. I’m sure all they want is the cash and the credit cards. Maybe they’ll get caught because they use our credit cards somewhere. This could be a good thing.”
“But he said—” Her fear had to be palpable. She could feel it coming off her like heat.
“Listen, that jerk clearly enjoys being scary. He just wanted you to be afraid. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
“You’re not afraid?”
The man shook his head. “Something tells me that Monkey Man wouldn’t act so tough without a mask on and a gun in his hand.” The sound of sirens blared outside. The police were here a little too late. “Hopefully the police catch them quickly.”
He stepped back and his hands slid down her arms and held her hands.
“I wish I felt the same way.” She tightened her grip on his hands. “Thank you for helping me.”
“Of course.”
She let him go and felt less steady as soon as she broke contact. “I don’t even know your name.”
One side of his mouth smiled. “Evan,” he said, holding out his hand in greeting.
She shook it. “Sophia. Nice to meet you, Evan.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Although, I wish we had met any other way than this.”
Sophia felt herself smile. “Me, too.”
The police entered the bank
and Sophia was placed in a cubicle to wait for a detective. She texted Fallon that she was alive and well but wouldn’t be coming back to work. She couldn’t think straight and wasn’t sure how long she’d be stuck answering questions.
When she sat back in her chair and craned her neck just a bit to the left, she could see Evan sitting in the cubicle across from hers. He was giving his statement to someone and was using his hands to emphasize whatever point he was making.
“Miss Reed?” A female detective walked in and sat behind the banker’s desk. Sophia nodded and the detective continued. “My name is Detective Gibson. I am going to ask you some questions and then we’re going to get you on your way. I’m sure you didn’t plan to spend your day at the bank.”
Sophia answered all of the detective’s questions. Told her everything she could think of about the robbers, even though there didn’t seem like much to tell. She couldn’t see their faces, they wore gloves and she was still in quite a bit of shock.
“You didn’t notice any distinguishing marks, tattoos, jewelry, anything on any of the men?”
Sophia closed her eyes and searched her memory for something. She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. All I remember is their masks and their voices.”
The detective slid a business card across the desk. “Don’t apologize. You’ve been through one heck of a traumatic event. Once the shock wears off, if something comes to you, anything, give me a call, okay?”
Sophia took the card and promised to do so. Evan exited his cubicle at the same time. Seeing him immediately relieved some of her anxiety, and she seemed to bring a small smile to his face at the same time.
“All done?” he asked.
“Yeah. You?”
He ran a hand through his dark hair. “Yeah, I really should go back to work, but I feel like I’m going to be useless.”
“I already texted my business partner that I’m not coming back today. I want to go home, but I’m also terrified to go home.”
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