The past eight months had gone by in a blur. The details of Matt’s plan had finally been completely exposed, and he was facing the rest of his life in prison pending trial. Kate had no doubt he would be convicted—the evidence against him was substantial, especially given Bradley’s corroborating testimony.
MPC was still operating as a company, and the new CEO vowed to make things right by trying to instill public confidence with a new PR campaign. She wasn’t certain that would ever be possible, but with all the players who wreaked havoc gone, they might have a fighting chance. MPC would be under the microscope for years to come, though.
She walked into the private room they’d reserved at the restaurant for Sophie’s birthday party, and saw Ethan walking toward her.
“Kate.” He hugged her. “Thanks for inviting me to Sophie’s party.”
“Of course.” Their friendship had survived the MPC case. He’d put forth the effort and time to rebuild her trust.
“I’ve decided to extend my sabbatical from the firm.”
“Really?”
He’d taken a much-needed sabbatical once the MPC settlements had been completed.
“Yeah. I’ve had some time to evaluate everything about my life and my priorities, and I’m still not content with where I am. I’m thinking of giving teaching a try. I don’t think I can ever look at Big Law the same way again, and I don’t want to do a disservice to my clients.”
“I’m so proud of you for taking a stand like this.”
“I always thought you were naïve and idealistic, Kate, but now I see that I want to be more like you. I was the one who was naïve to think I could make any decision I wanted without facing the consequences. I’m not saying I’ll never go back to the firm, but just not right now.”
“You’ll know if the time is right.”
Landon walked up to them. Fortunately, Landon and Ethan had patched things up and were even friendly with each other.
“I wondered where you had run off to.” Landon wrapped his arm tightly around her. “Good to see you, Ethan,” he added.
“You too. Hope you have a fun time tonight. Let me go say hello to some friends. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”
Kate smiled as she looked up at Landon. The two of them had fallen into a normal routine, and she had never been happier. She was under no illusion that their road together would always be easy, but she knew she could count on him to be by her side no matter what.
She watched as Ethan walked up to Nicole. After the settlement, Kate had asked Ethan to introduce her to the brave woman who helped turn the tide of the case. She and Nicole had immediately clicked, so much so that Kate had offered Nicole a job on the plaintiff’s side, and Nicole had gladly taken it. Kate had also spoken on Nicole and Ethan’s behalf to the bar ethics committee. Given the extenuating circumstances, the committee had let them off with only warnings.
Sophie joined them, and Kate gave her friend a big hug. “How’s the birthday girl?”
“I’m great. So glad the two of you could make it.” Sophie grinned and then gave Landon a wink. Kate wondered what that was all about.
“We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” she said.
“I better enjoy tonight, because I’m going to be working around the clock if we decide to file charges in this case I’m working on.”
Kate didn’t push, because she knew that as a prosecutor, Sophie could only say so much. But she hoped her friend would be ready for this big challenge. Being a prosecutor was extremely stressful.
“We’re about to do the cake,” Mia yelled from across the room. “Come on, Soph.”
Sophie walked up to the center table. A large chocolate cake with pink frosting was brought into the room, and everyone started singing “Happy Birthday.” Sophie’s bright blue eyes sparkled as she blew out the candles.
“Everyone, thank you so much for coming tonight to celebrate my birthday. It’s amazing to spend time with such awesome and caring friends. Everyone should have some cake and enjoy the rest of the evening. But first, there’s something Landon needs to say, so I’ll turn it over to him.”
Kate realized everyone had stopped looking at Sophie and instead was looking in her direction. What was going on? The room quieted down.
Landon took her hands. “Kate, I’ve thought long and hard about this. I know you’re a private person, and so am I. But I also realize how much our friends mean to us. They’re really our family, since neither of us has close family anymore, so I believed that they should be here for this. And Sophie thought this would be the perfect time, since everyone is here.”
Her heartbeat sped up. Is this really happening?
“So in front of all of our friends, I want to ask you the most important question of my life.” He took a deep breath. “Kate Sullivan, will you marry me?”
He pulled a sparkling diamond solitaire out of his pocket and presented it to her.
Peace settled over her as she let his words sink in. Thank you, God, for sending this man into my life. “Yes, Landon. Definitely, yes.”
He slid the ring onto her finger to shouts and applause. She pulled him up off his knee.
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. “I love you, Kate. You have my heart.”
“I love you too, Landon.” As she looked into his eyes, she knew she’d found the only one for her.