Legal Attraction

by Jacquelin Thomas

  “I had forgotten that Albert and I were having lunch today with a potential client,” Jacob responded, “until he called me.”

  A wave of nausea hit Marissa unexpectedly. She had thought those days were over.

  She clamped a hand to her mouth and closed her eyes, silently praying that she would not embarrass herself.

  Jacob was instantly concerned. “Marissa, are you feeling okay? Your mother mentioned that you have not been looking quite yourself. Maybe you should take the rest of the day off.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll be fine, Daddy.”

  Marissa secretly felt like leaving, but decided against it, as she did not want the other employees to think that she received special treatment from her father.

  “Sweetheart, I agree with your mother. You do not look well. Go home and get some rest. All of this will be here tomorrow and the day after that.”

  Marissa considered her father’s suggestion. She was still feeling a bit nauseated and unsettled. Although she and Griffin needed to finish their conversation, Marissa did not feel up to it today. Their conversation had left her with much to think about.

  Griffin walked by her office just as Marissa stepped into the hallway, her father on her heels. She did not have a chance to let him know that she was leaving for the rest of the day because her father whisked Griffin away.

  Just then her uncle walked out of a conference room. Marissa used to adore her uncle Frank, but now…she was not sure what she felt about him.

  “Marissa, how are you?” Frank inquired.

  “I’m fine,” she responded dryly.

  His brows rose in surprise. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Marissa lied. “I have my dream job and I’m keeping busy. What could possibly be wrong?”

  Her uncle did not look convinced. “You sure? I’ve never known you to act so distant before. You and I—we have always been pretty close.”

  That was before I knew about your affair with my mother.

  She nodded. “See you later, Uncle Frank.”

  Uncle… What if he is my biological father? He can’t be. It just can’t be true.

  * * *

  Jeanette was home on the phone with a caterer ironing out the final details for the charity gala.

  Marissa waved at her and then went upstairs to her bedroom.

  She lay in her bed thinking back over her childhood.

  Was my mother unhappy? Did my parents fight? And what about Uncle Frank and Aunt Vanessa?

  Marissa racked her brain looking for signs that gave credence to Harper’s claims. But all she remembered was a blissfully happy childhood, growing up feeling secure and loved.

  What if it was all a lie? What if my parents don’t really love each other?

  That thought scared her more than anything.

  What am I going to do about Griff?

  The question remained on her mind even as she fell asleep.

  The telephone rang, waking her.

  It was Jillian.

  “I heard that you went home sick,” she said. “Do you need me to bring you anything home?”

  “No, I’m feeling much better now. I think I was just really tired.”

  “Marissa, I hope you’re not pushing yourself too hard,” Jillian said. “I know how much you want to prove yourself to Daddy.”

  “I’m not,” Marissa said. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Well, call me if you need anything.”

  Marissa smiled. “Thanks for calling, Jillian.”

  She hung up and then lay back down. She had not realized just how exhausted she was until she came home and got in bed. Marissa knew that some of what she was feeling had to do with stress. She was going to have to make some lifestyle changes, she decided. For the sake of her child.

  An hour later, she climbed out of bed and went downstairs to make a salad.

  Her mother had left a note saying that she had gone to the club for a late lunch with her friend Estelle.

  Marissa was surprised when the doorbell sounded. She wasn’t expecting company and was pretty sure that Jeanette hadn’t planned on any.

  Marissa was even more surprised to find Griffin standing there when she opened the front door.

  “I heard that you were sick,” he said.

  “I’m feeling better,” she told him. “There is no need for you to worry about me.”

  Griffin glanced around. “Are you alone?”

  She nodded. “I suppose you came here so that we could finish our conversation.”

  “I’d like to do so, if you feel up to it,” Griffin admitted. “If you’re not well, we can do it another time.”

  Marissa gestured for him to follow her. “Come into the kitchen. I just made some lunch.”

  Griffin walked into the kitchen with Marissa. He sat down at the breakfast table.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked. “There’s more than enough for the two of us.”

  “I’m fine,” he assured her.

  Marissa carried her plate to the table and sat down facing him. “Griff, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the baby sooner. I just thought it was best to wait.”

  “I don’t agree,” he countered. “This concerns both of us—not just you, Marissa. You really should have told me about the baby as soon as you found out.”

  “Why?” she asked “Were you going to suggest that I have an abortion? Are you upset because it’s too late to terminate the pregnancy?”

  His eyes flashed in anger. “I told you before that I would never consider aborting my child.”

  “I considered it,” Marissa confessed. “I panicked when I first found out, but then I realized that I could never terminate this child.”

  Griffin seemed to sag with relief. “You didn’t have to go through this alone, Marissa. That’s why I wished you’d come to me. We could have… Anyway, it is done, and we can’t go back.”

  “Griff, I don’t want to rush into any decisions right now. There is so much going on in my life.”

  “You can’t keep this pregnancy a secret much longer, Marissa.”

  She glanced down at her belly. “I know.”

  “We have to have some kind of plan.”

  Griffin was right. They needed to have something in place. Her family would want to know how they were going to handle this situation. Marriage seemed to be the best solution, because Marissa knew that her mother cared what others would say about her pregnant unmarried daughter.

  “I should talk to your father.”

  “About what?” Marissa asked. “The baby?”

  “He needs to know before someone else figures out the truth and tells him.”

  “No,” Marissa said. “We will tell him when the time is right.”

  “And when will that be?” Griffin asked.

  Marissa gave a slight shrug. “I don’t know, but just don’t say anything for right now. Please, Griff.”

  He reached over and took her hand in his. “We have to tell your parents soon. You won’t be alone in this. I will be right there beside you.”

  Marissa scanned his face. “I know that you’re afraid that you’re going to lose your job. Griff, I won’t let Daddy fire you. He can’t.”

  “It’s his company. He can do as he pleases.”

  “He won’t fire you, Griff. I promise you.” She was quiet for a moment and then said, “Now I get it. That’s why you want to marry me. You want to keep your job.”

  “You’re wrong,” Griff said. “I want to marry you so that our child will have a family.”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m not. You are only trying to stay on course for making partner.”

  “I care about you, Marissa,” Griffin stated loudly. “I thought you kn
ew that.”

  “You find me attractive—that’s all.”

  He looked frustrated. “Marissa, I can’t get you out of my mind. You infiltrate my thoughts at the most inconvenient times. When I’m preparing for a case…when I’m trying to focus…”

  She met Griffin’s gaze. “You never told me any of this.”

  “That’s because I tried to fight my feelings for you. I kept telling myself that this was the time to focus on my career. Time for love would come later. That night has changed everything, Marissa.”

  “Griff, I had those same dreams, and you’re right—this baby changes things to a degree. But we can still have what we’ve dreamed.”

  “We have to put this child first and that means that we have to work on being a family. I don’t want to wait until after the child is born,” Griffin stated. “I want our family established before he or she is born.”

  “My mind is made up, Griff. I will not marry someone without love.”

  * * *

  He was going to be a father.

  Griffin repeated it over and over in his head. He and Marissa were going to be parents.

  He loved children and he wanted to have a family, but he had not considered that it would come as soon as it had.

  He was in love with Marissa, but how could he convince her that his feelings were real—that his wanting to marry her had nothing to do with keeping his job? Griffin knew that he was a good attorney. He would not have a hard time landing employment with another firm. Recruiters contacted him weekly to see if he was interested in moving to another company.

  Griffin knew that Marissa had feelings for him, as well. However, he did not understand why she did not trust him. She kept mentioning some secret about her family. He had been so focused on the baby that he had not questioned her further on the subject.

  He was determined to find a way to get Marissa to trust him again. I’m not going to lose my family, he vowed.

  Griffin sat down to watch television but could not concentrate. His mind stayed on Marissa and the child she carried.

  She looked so beautiful, her healthy complexion clear of blemishes. She no longer looked pale as she did in the weeks past. Griffin had been concerned that she was working too hard and making herself ill.

  He felt foolish now for not recognizing the weight gain and the sickness that seemed to disappear as the day wore on. Perhaps it was because of the distance between them. Griffin wanted to think that he would have noticed sooner, but he could not be sure. Her own family had no idea that she was pregnant.

  Griffin thought about her brothers Jake, Anthony and Marcus. He worked closely with them and wondered how they would react. It did not matter, because their feelings would not change anything. He and Marissa were still going to have a baby together.

  He still cared how Jacob would react, but Griffin decided to take it one day at a time.

  First he had to convince Marissa of his love for her and their child.

  Chapter 13

  Over the next several days, Griffin had Marissa work with him as he prepared for trial. They were seated in the conference room along with Harper and Jillian.

  “One of Morton’s victims just filed a suit against him,” Jake announced as he strolled into the room. He sat down at the head of the table. “This is going to be the first of many, I have a feeling.”

  Jillian agreed.

  Marissa silently noted how tired her brother looked. Jake, Harper and Griffin had been pulling longer hours than usual as they prepared to defend Morton. Even Griffin’s eyes sagged with exhaustion.

  “The feds are going after Houston,” Griffin stated before stifling a yawn. “He had a heart attack over the weekend and is in a hospital in Costa Rica. They are trying to get him extradited upon his release.”

  “I hope they can get him here in enough time to turn this around for Morton.” Jake picked up a legal document, scanning it. “We need Houston to confess his part in all this and how he defrauded Morton, as well.”

  “The district attorney wants to charge Morton’s wife,” Harper announced. “She was picked up at the airport with a bag of money and trying to board a plane to Mexico.”

  Griffin groaned. “What is this woman doing?”

  “What is the charge?” Jake wanted to know.

  “Something about unjust enrichment under Pennsylvania law,” Harper explained. “It’s a crock.”

  “She started divorce proceedings against Morton last month,” Griffin stated. “The media are going to have a field day with this.”

  “I thought she was going to stay with Morton at least until the trial was over,” Jillian said. “You know, the whole united front.”

  Harper shrugged. “Apparently, Mrs. Morton has changed her mind. She’s probably tired of living a lie.”

  Marissa glanced over at her cousin.

  She was grateful when Blaine Morton walked into the conference room.

  Griffin rose to his feet and said, “Mr. Morton, thank you for coming. We need to discuss the trial.”

  Marissa surveyed their client. Blaine Morton looked nothing like the monster the media made him out to be. The bags under his eyes showed that he had not been sleeping well, if at all. There was a sickly pallor to his complexion.

  “I understand why clients hate me,” he said. “They think that I ruined their lives and lived off their hard-earned money. I had no idea that Houston was swindling our investors of billions of dollars. I didn’t know. I trusted the man.”

  Marissa listened as Jake explained the trial process to Morton.

  When the subject of his wife came up, Morton said, “She asked me to let her go. She does not deserve any of this. She has changed the home phone number six times, but people keep finding out the new number. I no longer live at the house, but still they call and harass her. It’s not right.”

  Marissa felt sorry for Morton. He seemed weary emotionally and physically. Blaine looked as if it was a struggle just to breathe. The ordeal had clearly taken a toll on him.

  After their meeting with Morton ended, Griffin’s assistant brought in a tray of sandwiches.

  “I noticed that you haven’t eaten anything,” Griffin whispered as he sat down beside Marissa.

  “I’m not hungry,” she said softly. Marissa’s gaze bounced around the room to see if anyone was paying attention to her and Griffin. She hoped that he would just take a seat and drop the “concerned” act altogether.

  “Marissa, you have to put something in your stomach.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t right now.”

  Griffin grew alarmed. “Are you feeling sick?”

  She sent him a sharp glare. “Griff, keep your voice down. We can’t talk about this right now.”

  Marissa pushed away from the table and walked away briskly. She returned to her seat a few minutes later with a bottle of water. She opened her planner and pretended to go over her schedule.

  She could feel the heat of Griffin’s gaze on her.

  Although he seemed concerned for her health, Marissa could tell that he was angry with her for keeping the pregnancy a secret. She had done what she thought was best at the time and hopefully, one day he would understand.

  He wanted to get married.

  But he did not love her. She believed that he cared for her, but Griffin was not in love with her.

  Marissa did not want a marriage in name only, and there would be no compromise.

  * * *

  “Knock…knock…”

  “Jillian,” Griffin greeted politely. He had no idea why she had come by his office to see him, but judging by the expression on her face, this had something to do with Marissa. He knew how close the Hamilton siblings were and they were also very protective of one another. Griffin leaned back in his chair, h
is eyes never leaving Jillian’s face.

  She closed the door behind her so that their conversation would not be overheard. “I need to talk to you,” Jillian said. “About my sister.”

  Griffin was instantly on guard. Had Marissa confided in her sister? He did not think so, because they had discussed keeping the pregnancy just between the two of them for now.

  Jillian sat down in one of the visitor chairs facing him. “What’s going on between you and Marissa?”

  He was careful to keep his expression blank. “What are you talking about, Jillian?”

  Griffin could tell that Jillian was not buying his “dumb” act.

  “Something is going on, Griff,” she stated flatly. “I could practically see the tension in the air between you two earlier—it was that thick. Marissa hasn’t dated much, you know. I can’t stand by and let you hurt my sister.”

  He settled back in his chair. “Jillian, I think this is a conversation you should be having with your sister.”

  “Why is that?” she asked.

  “If there is anything Marissa wants to share with you, she should be the one to do it,” Griffin responded.

  Jillian met his gaze without blinking. “I’m going to say this again, Griff. I do not want to see my sister get hurt.”

  “Neither do I,” he told her.

  “Then you’d better see that she doesn’t get hurt.” Jillian rose to her feet. “Marissa is still young and—”

  Griffin interrupted her. “Your sister is a very beautiful and intelligent woman, Jillian. Marissa is not a little girl and she knows exactly what she wants.”

  She inclined her head. “You seem to know an awful lot about my sister.”

  “We work together and I am her mentor, Jillian. I’d like to think that Marissa and I are also friends.”

  Jillian shook her head. “Nooo…I have a feeling that it’s a whole lot more than friendship going on between you and Marissa. You just better not hurt her.”

  The damage has already been done, Griffin thought.

  * * *

  Marissa was glad to have the huge house all to herself. Her father was at a business function, her mother was either out shopping or tending to the charity-gala tasks and her sister was out with friends.