Dirty Rich Cinderella Story: Ever After: Lori & Cole

by Lisa Renee Jones

  “I’ll grab a test. I can’t get it to you today, but we’re bound to end up together at our place or yours to celebrate. I’ll have it ready.”

  “Thank you, Cat.” I disconnect, and Cole gives me a curious look, but before I feel I must explain we are at the rear of the building, and it’s time to exit.

  From there it’s pure chaos but the good kind. Everyone wants to talk about the arrest and the press conference and there is not a moment to breathe, most certainly not a moment to think about the birth control pill I don’t have to start for another four days.

  ***

  There’s no celebration and not because we don’t want to, but the rest of the day is pure insanity that just never lets up and Reese ends up with a client emergency. The closest to celebration Cole and I get is falling into bed together and actually sleeping.

  The next two mornings, I’m suffocated by security and we’re on to Wednesday in a blink of an eye, but the press is finally slowing down, the picketers long gone. Finally, we agree that Thursday will be Savage’s last day. Freedom exists and we’re even going to Cat and Reese’s for a celebration Thursday night, and just in time. I have to start back on my pill tomorrow morning.

  It’s mid-afternoon, and I’ve just walked into Cole’s office to review a stack of the associates’ cases with him when Ashley buzzes in. “I have the CEO of Carlson Wright on the line. He’s in jail accused of murder. He says he was set up by his partner, and he needs urgent assistance.”

  “Tell him to find another attorney,” Cole says. “I’m not him.”

  “What?” I gasp at the same moment as Ashley.

  “This is huge,” Ashley says.

  “Why wouldn’t you at least talk to him?” I demand, forgetting Ashley is on the line and setting the files in my arms on the desk.

  He looks up at me, not even bothering to stand, his eyes narrowing sharply, and he’s pissed, really pissed, and I don’t know if it’s the challenge behind a closed door or what exactly. He just is and I am.

  “We do not want this case,” he says to me and refocuses on the call. “Tell him now, Ashley,” he orders, “and let the man make appropriate arrangements.”

  “I’ll tell him,” she says, disappointment and confusion in her voice.

  I cross to the door and shut it, walking back to his desk and pressing my hands on top to lean toward him. “Why did you just turn down that case?” I demand, but I already know. It’s me. He turned it down to ensure I don’t end up in the line of fire again. His demons are alive and well, in fact, they are prospering and winning.

  “We do not need another high-profile press nightmare right now to create chaos for the firm.”

  “What about helping an innocent man?” I challenge.

  “We don’t know that he’s innocent,” he argues.

  “Because you won’t even talk to him,” I counter.

  “No. I won’t.”

  “Explain, Cole.”

  His jaw sets hard. “I just did.”

  “In other words, when you were training me, you’d give facts and reasons, but now that I’m your wife, I just need to get it.”

  “Wife and employee need to understand that I’ve made this decision. It’s done.”

  I push off the desk and start walking. By the time I’m at the door, his hand is on the wooden surface by my head, that spicy perfect scent of him, all dominance and man, teasing my nostrils. But I don’t want him to be dominant right now. I want him to be smart. My chin lowers to my chest, my anger, and his now too, palpable. “I will make the decision I need to make to protect you.”

  I explode on that and whirl around to face him. “To protect me? So, should we both retire? Surely you should break up the partnership with Reese because you won’t be able to bill what you need to bill to do your part. How much money did you just walk away from? For him and for the employees of this firm who want to grow, learn, and earn?” I grab his lapels. “How much, Cole?”

  “We’re on the heels of living hell.”

  “We’re on the heels of a huge win. We’re going to see Cat and Reese to celebrate. We’re married. We’re happy. This is not hell.”

  He cups my face. “I will not—”

  “I resign,” I say. “I quit, Cole. This is my two-week notice. I’ll go to HR and make it official.”

  “What?” He releases me and presses his hands on the door on either side of me, his arm caging me in. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “This is your career. You love your career. You love what you do and when you stop doing it for me, you will wake up one day and hate me and us.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Exactly. Because I’m going to go to work with someone else. I’m going to give you space to be you again and then we can help each other, but—”

  “No,” he says, his tone absolute. “We like working together. We’re good together and I never thought I’d say that about anyone. I never thought I’d want to partner with anyone. You aren’t leaving. Not when I know it’s not what you really want.”

  “It is,” I say. “It’s what’s good for you, me, us, and this firm.”

  “You’re wrong,” he says. “And I hope when you get over your anger, you change your mind because not taking this case right now, is as much about you as it is me and us. And even this firm.”

  “When will it be okay to take another high-profile case, Cole?”

  “You haven’t even dealt with the fact that you were attacked. And I haven’t either. We need to fucking breathe, Lori. I’m not my best right now and neither are you. And that’s not fair to the client or this firm. There will be ten offers or more in the next week. This one wasn’t the one. I’ll know when it is.”

  His phone buzzes again. “The district attorney is on the line,” Ashley states.

  Cole’s lips thin. “And we aren’t done with the last case yet or the DA wouldn’t personally be on the line to talk to me right now.” He pushes off the door and walks to his desk in what will obviously be a conversation about the lawsuit he’s promised to file.

  I don’t stay. I open the door and exit without looking at Ashley, needing time to think. Was I wrong in there? Was I right? I cross the lobby, stopping to speak to Maria like normal. I enter my office and shut the door. Cole doesn’t follow. Fifteen minutes later, I haven’t heard from him. My files are in his office and I have no choice but to return when my phone buzzes with a text from Cole: I’m on my way to the DA’s office. I cancelled our dinner with Cat and Reese.

  I’m glad he cancelled because I’ll want to talk to Cat, and if I do, I’ll have to tell her Cole turned down a huge case for the firm. I would never do that. She’s a friend, but she’s also the wife of Cole’s partner. I need to talk to my husband. I need to think. I need to take a pregnancy test. I pull up my computer screen and google: What if you take the birth control pill and you’re pregnant?

  Per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), no evidence has been found that supports taking birth control pills while pregnant will harm your baby, or cause birth defects or complications.

  I breathe out a sigh of relief. I don’t need to take a test today. I don’t need to know today. I need to talk to my husband. I dial his number. He answers on the first ring. “Are you already gone?”

  “Yes. I’m walking to my meeting now. It’s only a few blocks away.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “You didn’t even stop by and see me.”

  “Because if I walked into your office I would have shoved your skirt up, fucked you, and then left for my meeting angry anyway.”

  “Oh,” I say.

  “Oh?”

  “I think I would have liked that better than you just leaving.”

  “You were wrong in there, Lori but that was my fault. I opened us up to this when I told you what I told you.”

  “Are you saying you shouldn’t have told me?
”

  “I don’t know what I’m saying. I need to think and so do you.”

  “I don’t like how that sounds.”

  “I love you, Lori. It doesn’t mean anything besides I love you, I have a meeting, and I need to think. I need to go.” He disconnects, and I suck in a breath. Was I wrong when I challenged him? Or was I right and he doesn’t want me to be right? And who can I even talk to about this? No one. I can talk to no one.

  ***

  It’s nearly seven when Cole finally calls. “I have a problem I need to deal with. Savage is going to take you home.”

  “What problem?”

  “The DA offered us a settlement. I’m meeting with Gabe Maxwell, one of Cat’s brothers, to negotiate the civil settlement for us, our client, and the victims’ families, and unless you have a problem with it, I’d like to donate our portion to the victims’ families.”

  My heart swells with love for this man. “I love that you want to do that.”

  “Good. I might be late. I want Savage to take you home just to be sure that there are no lingering press issues.”

  I open my mouth to argue and decide I’ve done enough of that today. “That sounds good.”

  “I’ll be home as soon as possible and then we can talk.”

  “That sounds good,” I say again. There’s a voice in the background.

  “I have to go, Lori. We’ll talk.” He disconnects, and I feel disconnected in more ways than the phone line. I need to fix that and fix it tonight.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Cole

  I walk into the offices of Maxwell, Maxwell, and Maxwell, expecting to meet with Cat’s brother, Gabe, who I know well. Instead, I’m led into Reid’s office, and while the two look like a couple of blond Twinkies, Gabe is easygoing and full of humor. Reid is a hard-ass who barely smiles, let alone jokes. “Gabe is tied up with a crisis,” Reid says, as I claim the seat in front of him. “You’re stuck with me and while this isn’t my normal area of expertise, I’ll handle it and handle it well.”

  “I hear you’re a beast,” I say. “That works for me. I threatened to sue over Lori’s attack, which was caused by the inaction of the DA as it relates to actually solving this case, rather than blaming an innocent man. The DA wants to settle. I want double what he offers and for the money to be split between the victims. Additionally, I want a settlement for my client. I talked to him on the way over. He’s on board, if you’re on board.”

  “I’m on board for triple the payout and I’ll get it.”

  “That also works for me. Additionally, another woman was killed in North Carolina while the DA sat on his ass. Walker Security will connect you to the right people to include in the lawsuit. I want them to be taken care of as well. Obviously, you cash out big.”

  “I’ll donate the money and my service to the family as well.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Really? And here I heard you don’t have a heart.”

  “I don’t,” he says. “I’m just borrowing yours.”

  “Right. Just borrowing mine.” I stand up. “It’s in your hands now. I need to move on.”

  “Lori is safe now?”

  I cut my gaze and then look at him. “Roger Adams is being committed, but for how long? So yes. She’s safe… for now.”

  “I can apply a hell of a lot of financial pressure to ensure he’s kept away from her.”

  “Then do it. Be the beast I hear you are. This isn’t about money to me. It’s about my wife.”

  “Understood and so you know I mean it.” His eyes meet mine. “I get it. More than you know. You found her. You don’t want to lose her.”

  In that moment, the understanding that passes between us tells me that “the beast” is a beast because he does get it. His past, while unexplained and unnamed, cuts through the air and collides with mine. I don’t want anyone to understand me as well as I now believe this man does, but I find comfort in the fact that he does. He knows loss.

  I give him a nod and head for the door. Now, it’s time to go see my wife, who I love with all my heart, but this is definitely going to be one of those fight and fuck nights.

  ***

  Lori

  Waiting for Cole to return from his meeting with Cat’s brother over the settlement offer is going to kill me. The apartment is empty and I’m alone in my torment. And I am tormented by what happened today with Cole. One part of me feels I was completely wrong, but every time I go down that path, I am reminded of his desperate need to protect me at all costs. He said that we weren’t ready for another case. He didn’t say the client was a bad choice. It is everything to be loved this much by someone you love, but that is exactly why I have to look out for him while he looks out for me. He’s made my goals and career important, and I just don’t want to hurt him in any way, ever.

  Desperate to do anything to stay busy, I change into sweats and a T-shirt, and end up on the living room floor in front of the coffee table with my MacBook, a bowl of cantaloupe and a glass of wine, when I really want Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The pastries I ate in Paris say I’m stuck with the cantaloupe, but I hope to eat dinner with Cole. I jab at a chunk of fruit which I eat and wash down with wine, which is a horrible idea. The wine is now bitter. My cellphone rings and I hope it’s Cole, but when I grab it where it sits next to my computer I find it’s Cat calling.

  “Did you take a test?” she asks when I answer. “Or better yet, did you start your period?”

  “Nope and nope,” I say. “And I can’t seem to get me and a test in the same room, but I’m officially without a bodyguard tomorrow. I’ll pick one up.”

  “I grabbed a couple for you because I know you’ll want to test and retest the results. And of course, I thought you two were coming over. Reese said maybe tomorrow night?”

  “Yes,” I say. “Hopefully we can, though I’d like to take a test before then.”

  “Do you feel pregnant?”

  “What does pregnant feel like?” I ask. “Because other than gaining five pounds, I feel the same. And I’m pretty sure I earned those five pounds in Paris by way of food, not a baby.”

  “They say you feel different. You just know. I, however, wouldn’t know, because I’ve never even thought I was pregnant.”

  “Do you want to have kids?”

  She sighs. “Me and Reese, mom and dad? Maybe. I mean, it’s Reese. That man would make beautiful babies, but right now Reese is at the top of his career. Every case he takes is high profile and he and Cole are both superstars. It’s one intense case after another, and I love watching him work and succeed. Now is the time for him to stay focused and build the firm.”

  “Right,” I say, my throat going dry. “You’re right. Now is a bad time.”

  “Oh God. Lori, I didn’t mean this is a bad time for you to be pregnant.”

  “But it is. Cole and Reese came together for a reason. They’re on top, and they have a firm to build.” I change the subject with a hard push. “Did you hear the DA called Cole to his office?”

  “Yes, and I know about the settlement and also know that you just changed the subject.”

  “I just need to take the test and stop talking about it and babies.”

  “Where’s Cole now? Can you go grab one?”

  “He’s meeting with your brother to deal with the settlement negotiation. He could walk in the door any minute.”

  “If you two don’t come to dinner tomorrow night, come by and read my new project. I’ll have the tests waiting for you.”

  We chat a few more minutes and disconnect, which is a relief. I can’t think about pregnancy tests right now. I can’t think about a pregnancy making Cole even more crazy. I can’t ruin his career because he won’t take the cases he needs to take to push forward.

  I need to think about what happened today with Cole. I key my computer to life and search the client he turned down today. It’s not long before I find him to be a vicious killer in business, with connections
to Texas, Houston specifically, which explains why he was so quick to call Cole when he was in trouble. Maybe Cole knows him or knows things about him. Maybe, but I know that wasn’t the entire problem.

  The door buzzes with the security system telling me that Cole is home. I don’t move. I’m frozen here, and I’m not even sure why. I just—I know we’re in one of those bumps in the road. We have fought them before, but this feels different. I suck in a breath and Cole appears, his tie at half undone, his jacket over his arm. He stares at me for several beats, his eyes unreadable, the lines of his handsome face hard.

  He sets his jacket and briefcase on the couch and looks at me, but I’m on this side of it and he’s on the other. He presses his hands to the back of the couch. “I’m staying over here so that I can talk to you, rather than fuck you, because fucking you might feel good, but it doesn’t solve anything.”

  I swallow hard. “I would agree.”

  “Do not threaten me with leaving in any way shape or form. That doesn’t work for me or for us.”

  I suck in a breath with the barely contained fury in his voice. “You mean when I resigned.”

  “Yes, I fucking mean when you resigned. You talk to me. You fight with me. But there is no quitting or leaving. We are either in this together all the way or not. I need to know now.”

  “Leaving my job isn’t about leaving us.”

  “Isn’t it? Because that was part of what we wanted. To be back at work together. To live this life together. And if you just want to do something separate because you need independence, I get it. I’ll support that and you, but do not use it to manipulate my decisions. That will not go well for us.”

  I go down on my knees on the couch in front of him. “How can you even begin to think I was threatening you or manipulating you? That’s not me. That’s not us.”

  “You’re right. It’s not. So, what the hell was that, Lori?”

  “You can’t make decisions based on me.”

  “The hell I can’t.”

  “You can’t. If we’re to work together, you can’t. We both want to work challenging cases, high-profile cases, Cole. Any client could lead to a problem. We’d have to change professions to avoid that and even then, there could be some other risk.”