Chapter
Twenty-Five

Mia sat in one of the Warren McGee conference rooms across from Bonnie and a smiling Kate. It had been two weeks since Harper’s death, and while Mia was still reeling, she knew one thing clearly. She could no longer work at Finley & Hughes. There were far too many painful memories and too much baggage for her to move forward in her career there. The other senior partners had been completely understanding of her decision—and it was probably best for them too. Everyone wanted to put this horrible chapter behind them, and having Mia around would be a constant reminder of Chase’s death and Harper’s bitter betrayal.

“We’ll be flexible with your start date,” Bonnie said, “but the biggest question is whether you’re truly interested in the job.”

Before Mia could answer, Kate spoke up. “And please, Mia, you need to think hard about this and not think about me. I’d hate for you to accept a position out of some sense of loyalty to me. This decision needs to be for you and your career.”

Mia smiled at her friend. “Thanks, Kate. I really appreciate those words.” And she had done a lot of thinking. “At the end of the day, it would be nice to be in the same firm as you, but that’s not my driving factor. I’ve experienced so much over the past couple of months, and I think working on the plaintiff’s side would give me a fresh purpose for being a lawyer.”

Bonnie cleared her throat. “And we already know she’d have the best mentor at the firm.”

Mia’s relationship with Bonnie had been one of the many surprises to come out of this experience. She didn’t agree with many of Bonnie’s tactics, but she thought she could learn a lot from her.

There was something else bothering her, though. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Bonnie said.

“Do you think the other lawyers at the firm will be okay with this move? For the same reason Finley & Hughes is fine with me moving on, I’m worried that people here might be wary.”

Bonnie leaned forward in her chair. “The people who matter are welcoming you with open arms. And if there is any idle gossip, it will soon pass once you start working your cases and life becomes more mundane again. People have a very short attention span these days.”

“And for what it’s worth, I’ve only heard positive things about your possibly coming here,” Kate added. “Absolutely no one thinks any of the craziness that happened was your fault. If anything, your true character has shown through all of it. You’re a woman of principle and integrity, and that’s exactly the type of attorney we need at Warren McGee.”

Bonnie nodded. “I’m never quite as idealistic as Kate, but I agree with what she’s saying. You’d fit right in here and be a great addition. I think you’ll find that doing our type of work is good for you.”

Mia was sold. Her mind was made up. “When can I start?”

“I owe you an apology.” Anna’s dark eyes met Ty’s. They sat in a Midtown coffee shop. She had invited him to meet, and he’d accepted. “And I should’ve done this much sooner. Honestly, things just got a bit crazy, and I was trying to do damage control. But that’s no excuse.”

Ty was moved by the sincerity in Anna’s voice. “You were put in a very difficult position, and I believe that you acted on your conscience. And at the end of the day, you got it right.”

“But I was wrong for too long, and in my business, being wrong can be costly. So costly it can result in the conviction or even the death of an innocent person. I realize that you probably think the worst of me, but that’s the last thing in this world I would ever want.”

He couldn’t help himself as he reached out and squeezed her hand. “That didn’t happen here, Anna. You can’t beat yourself up over this. Mistakes happen, and everyone was fooled here.”

“Not you. You said the entire time that McDonald was innocent.”

“Right, but I didn’t have any idea what a tangled mess this was. Everyone was taken off guard by how this all played out.”

Anna tucked a curly lock behind her ear. “And I only get one guilty party to prosecute. Ultimately I think Morrow will try to cut a deal to get a reduced sentence, and the Feds may pressure me if Morrow can give us Van Thompson. Morrow’s already given us the backstory on how Ed sought him out.”

“What all did Morrow tell you?”

“That Ed talked to Chase about the fight—saw his black eye. Chase had asked Ed if he had any contacts at the apartment management company. Armed with the information about David, Ed went to work, discovered David’s background story, and in that found the perfect fall guy. Morrow was more than happy to oblige—he got the money for the hit job plus he made Thompson happy.”

Ty could see how much this was eating at her. “I know courtroom justice would’ve been preferable, but at least they can’t ever hurt anyone else again. They’re either dead or locked up.” He paused. “And don’t forget, you still haven’t come to complete closure on Baxter Global’s involvement.”

“Oh, you don’t have to remind me. If there’s anything criminal there that I can make a case on, I will do it. The process is just slowgoing, and the evidence isn’t there at this point.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Ty, the bottom line is that I really hate being wrong—especially about something this important. I was bullheaded and didn’t fully take into account what you were trying to tell me. And for that, I’m sorry.”

“Really, Anna, it’s okay. An innocent man is free to live his life, and the bad guys have been stopped. I won’t lose any sleep, and you shouldn’t either.”

“Thank you.” She gave a weak smile. “What’s next for you?”

“Always the next case, right?”

“Yes. I hope I won’t see you in the courtroom again for a while. It’s easier to do my job when I dislike the opposing counsel.”

He laughed. “Thank you, I think.”

“I’ve learned from this experience and hope that I can be a better lawyer going forward.”

She took her work as a prosecutor more seriously than most. And even though they would rarely see eye to eye, he had formed a respect for her. “We can all learn from this. And while you’re right, I did think you were a bit stubborn in this case, we need more straight-shooting prosecutors like you. Ones who really eat and breathe their jobs and aren’t influenced by external forces.”

They sat in silence for a moment. “I appreciate you saying that. Coming from you, it means a lot. Thanks for meeting me,” she said. “I know you have many other things you could be doing.”

“No problem.” And he really meant that.

“I won’t take any more of your time.” She stood. “Take care, Ty.”

He watched as she walked away. He felt he hadn’t heard the last from Anna Esposito.

“What do you think?” Mia asked Noah. They were walking through an apartment in Midtown.

“Do you like it?” That was the more important question for him. After everything Mia had been through, he wanted her to feel comfortable in her new home.

“I think for now it’s a good short-term solution.”

She’d told him that she wasn’t ready to think about getting into another mortgage, and it was going to take a while to get all the insurance issues vetted. But she couldn’t live out of a hotel anymore, and he totally got that.

“I think it will work well. You’re close to your new job too.”

She smiled. “You’re right.”

“I know you’re making the right move. I can see it in your eyes, and I feel it in my gut.” He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her.

Mia sighed as she rested her head on his chest. He breathed in and had never felt more content in his life. He knew they needed time together in more normal circumstances to build their relationship. That was for the best, especially so that Mia could know for certain how she felt. But he didn’t need more time. He was completely in love with her and wanted to be with her every single day for the rest of their lives. But she was more than worth the wait.

“How long is the lease?” he asked.

“A year,” she replied softly.

A year. He could work with that. He would be patient, because he knew Mia needed time to heal. But in the meantime, he needed her to know how he really felt. He pulled back a little so he could look into her pretty brown eyes. “Mia.”

“Yeah?”

He debated a long prelude or explanation, but that wasn’t him. What he felt for her didn’t require rambling. It was pure and simple—but also everything. He wanted to open his heart. “I love you.”

Her eyes softened. “I love you too. I didn’t think it would be possible for me to feel this way about anyone, but you’ve changed so many of my preconceived notions about men and relationships and what love can really be.”

“You’ve changed me too. I never thought I’d be able to open up again and trust someone after being burned so badly, but you’ve made it easy. I only wish I could’ve taken your place and borne your pain, because I hate seeing you hurt. If I could take it away, I would.”

Mia nodded. “I know that, and you’ve done so much for me. Now I just need to get back to having some sense of normalcy. I hope you’ll stick around for that.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

He pulled her close again and pressed his lips to hers, sealing his words with a kiss.