Chapter 2
Brian
With a long breath out, I shuffled to the sink, where I splashed cold water on my face.
Focus, Brian. Focus.
Why the hell was I having a breakdown over my college girlfriend showing up in my office?
Cal had added the meeting to my calendar as “Yoga Jess.” I had no clue it would be her.
It had been years—no, it had been literal decades—since we’d broken up. Since I’d last seen her.
My body buzzed with adrenaline as I tried to corral my racing thoughts. I was a lawyer. One of the best family law attorneys in the state of New York—and Jersey now too. And she was a client who needed help.
The shock to my system was enough to clear away some of the spiraling thoughts, and the gasp that escaped me when the temperature of the water registered was enough to reset my breathing, allowing me to inhale deeply for the first time in the last two minutes.
Water dripped from my beard as I snagged a paper towel from the dispenser, muttering to myself.
“Get it together,” I said, surveying my reflection in the mirror and noting my aching shoulder from where I’d slammed into the doorframe.
Only then did I realize I still had a fucking tiara on my head.
God dammit. I’d forgotten about the bet I’d lost to Murphy and T. J. I probably looked like an escapee from a psyche ward, not a competent attorney.
“Get it together.”
Lo appeared in the doorway, her expression murderous. “You’re acting ridiculous. You scared that poor woman and almost maimed Sully. Be a professional.” She paused, a slow smile spreading across her face. “And the tiara really brings out your eyes.”
I could be a dick and lash out. Make some mention of her relationship with Cal, which was a walking HR nightmare.
But regardless of Lo’s judgment when it came to dating her boss, I couldn’t do this job without her.
She was my right hand, and even now that I had to share her with Sully and Cal, she was the most efficient paralegal I’d ever worked with.
Even stuck out here in Jersey City, in this hellhole of an office, with its musty gold carpet and peeling paint, she ran a tight ship, allowing us to keep things moving at the same pace we had back in the city.
I couldn’t lose her, so I kept my thoughts about her office romance to myself.
And while Cal was like a brother to me, I would seriously break his kneecaps if he fucked this up.
Luckily, he followed her around like a damn lost puppy. He was obsessed. He knew he’d won the girlfriend lottery, so for now, I pushed any concern about them to the back of my mind.
Currently, I chose to focus on how close we were to getting the fuck out of this state.
We’d survived almost nine months in Jersey purgatory so far, meaning we’d be back in the city by the end of the summer.
In a few short months, I’d be back in my corner office, where I could once again watch the fish tank to calm my nerves.
And I’d be back in my own brownstone. Alone.
Where I didn’t have to share a locker room–style bathroom with my two best friends, their women, and two seven-year-old boys.
I stomped out of the bathroom, tossed the plastic tiara onto the ping-pong table, and jogged down the stairs.
Faced with the choice between ripping off the band aid and telling Lo the whole story, or going downstairs and doing my job, I chose the latter, giving her a firm nod before jogging down the stairs. It was time to be a fucking adult.
“Has the motion been filed?” I asked with a professional smile, trying to salvage this meeting.
I sat, my lungs constricting, as I took in the woman sitting across from me.
She was blond, and the pink floral dress she wore, though modest, accentuated every one of her curves. A wave of nostalgia washed over me with so much force it almost knocked me on my ass.
She was older, her expression more serious, but those eyes were the chocolate brown color I’d seen in my dreams for years. And that dimpled smile hadn’t changed at all. What the hell was she doing in my office?
Jess flipped through the large Redweld folder she’d brought with her. “No. It hasn’t. Will was supposed to have done it, but he kept delaying things. That’s why I’m here. I can’t afford to wait any longer. School will be out soon.”
I nodded, attention drifting to my legal pad as I jotted down notes. Jessica was still beautiful. Long blond hair, full rosy cheeks, and dark brown eyes. The more I studied her, the more her features were familiar to me.
But regardless of her beauty, she was also unlikely to win this. “Relocation cases are notoriously difficult in New Jersey,” I explained, keeping my tone firm.
She nodded. “I know it’s a long shot. But I need this. My daughters need this.” She sniffled.
As an uncomfortable sort of sensation unfurled in my chest, I pushed the box of tissues on my desk toward her.
“The kids need a fresh start,” she said, wiping a tear from her cheek.
“I need a fresh start. It’s been four years since the divorce.
My ex doesn’t even live in the state anymore.
He’s engaged. Again. I think this is fiancée number three.
He doesn’t respect our visitation agreement and has no interest in his daughters. ”
I clenched my fist in my lap, my teeth gritted. That motherfucker. There was nothing worse than a deadbeat dad.
“I’m not sure if you remember, but I’m from Vermont,” she explained, her lashes fluttering as she continued fighting back tears.
Oh, I remembered. I remembered every detail about her. Including the constellation of freckles on the top of her right thigh. Since the moment she walked in, memories had been hitting me at warp speed, like a highlight reel of my college days.
“The farm?” I asked. “How are your parents?”
Her face fell, and the tears she’d barely gotten under control welled once again.
“They passed.” She dabbed beneath one eye, then the other.
“Dad a few years after his heart attack and Mom last fall. My brother Josh runs the farm now, with help from Jasper. And Jenn lives in town with her wife and kids.”
I smiled at the mention of her siblings. They were good people. Memories of Jenn, especially, stuck out to me. The first time I met her, she’d sat me down and grilled me about my intentions, looking me in the eye, her shoulders pulled back the whole time.
That sensation was quickly followed by one of sympathy as the comment about her parents sank in. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
She nodded, her shoulders sagging. “I can provide my kids with a much better quality of life up there. I’m exhausted, and I miss my family and my community.”
Lips pressed together, I searched for the right words. As a lawyer, I knew this was a tough case. But as a man? I felt a bit breathless at the thought of her leaving.
In the twenty minutes I’d been in her company, so many memories and emotions had come back. The calm that washed over me when she was close. The joy I felt when we carried on a conversation.
She’d once had the innate ability to make even the most mundane things joyful, and already, it was clear to me she still did.
“Will probably mentioned how difficult cases like this are to win. Especially if your ex-husband is actively opposing the move.” I scanned the papers she’d handed me.
“And because he’s represented by Burns and Glenn.
” They were among the most elite and expensive firms in Manhattan.
We did pretty well for ourselves, but those jerks lit their celebratory cigars with hundred-dollar bills.
“Will thought it was doable, especially since my ex has moved out of state,” she hedged. “And my prior firm spent months working on this.” She pushed another folder at me.
I flipped this one open, impressed with how organized she was, even if I gritted my teeth knowing Will Fucking Higgins had probably gleefully taken this woman’s money, then dragged his feet. I hated that fucker, and it didn’t look like he’d done anything substantive.
“New Jersey is notorious for this,” I explained. “Even if he’s moved, the legal system will still want the child support payments flowing through the state.”
Her lips tipped down. “That’s so unfair.”
“It’s how things work here.” I smoothed out the corner of one page.
“But in this county, there is a chance. And his disinterest in seeing your children during his allotted visitation will work in your favor.” I flipped to the next document and scanned it quickly.
“We need to show you have a plan in place. A home for the kids, school choices, and sufficient income to support them.”
She nodded. “He’s only fighting to mess with me. He gets some sick satisfaction out of knowing that I’m stuck here, away from my family, miserable, while he’s off gallivanting with his twenty-six-year-old fiancée in Palm Beach.”
I knew nothing about the asshole she’d married. We’d lost touch after college, when life had thrown us curveballs and we’d gone our separate ways. But from the multi-year divorce battle and this bullshit, I knew in my bones he was nowhere near worthy of her.
“What does your ex do for a living?”
“He’s a principal at Excel Enterprise Capital. He’s obsessed with his job, his watch collection, and his boat,” she said, her voice shaking with underlying rage. “His kids don’t even make the top ten on his list of priorities.”
I figured the guy was rich when I discovered who represented him, but this confirmed it.
The asshole was loaded. I flipped through the pages, looking at the marital settlement agreement.
The child support was adequate, but given his income, she could have easily gotten more, and honestly, she should have.
“No alimony?” I asked, looking up again.
She shook her head. “I waived it.”
It took all the strength I had to school my features. Never in a million years would I have let her do that if she’d been my client from the beginning.
“Okay.” I scratched at my beard. “In our petition, we need to make it clear that you have the means to provide for the children in Vermont. Home, job, schools, social support. Is that feasible?”
“Yes. I’m a social worker,” she explained.
“Oh, sorry.” I sat straighter. “I thought you taught yoga.”
“I do.” Her face lit up. “That’s my second job.
But I have a master’s in social work and have been at Brooklyn hospital for the last few years.
I’ve already filed the paperwork to have my social work license transferred to Vermont and have put feelers out.
There aren’t a ton of job prospects, but I’ve got a few leads, and the owner of the yoga studio in my hometown is willing to let me take on a few classes if I need the income. ”
Pen in hand, I tapped the glossy surface of my desk. “And a home for the kids?”
“My brother took over the farm. He lives in my parents’ house and insists the girls and I move into a cottage on the property. It used to be a rental, but when the last tenants moved out, he kept it vacant with the hope that this would work out for us.”
“Schools?” I asked, scribbling notes again.
“Maplewood has award-winning schools,” she explained.
Ah, that was it. Maplewood. I’d forgotten that her hometown had a funny name.
“As soon as my motion is granted, I’ll get them enrolled.”
I put my pen down and studied her. Her expression was hopeful, though she fidgeted a little, like she was keyed up. Her nails were short and bare, like maybe she still bit them when she was nervous.
She should be nervous, unfortunately. These cases were pains in the ass, and depending on the judge, this could be a total nightmare.
But I’d always been a sucker for an underdog. And as we silently surveyed one another, all I could think about was making her happy.
I wanted it.
More than that, I needed it.
I had no life of my own.
No wife.
No kids.
No pets. Except the damn cat. I’d tried my hardest to stay away, but since the day Cal brought him home, the menace had decided that I was his human servant.
My entire existence revolved around my job. I’d long ago given up on having more than this. But I could make her life a little better. Even if it would be an uphill battle.
“Can you take the case?” With her head lowered in uncertainty, she had to look at me through those long, dark lashes again.
The answer should have been no. My workload was barely manageable as it was. Relocation cases were time-consuming, and I couldn’t in good conscience bill this single mom my usual rate. Especially when she’d already spent so much money on the parent coordinator and guardian ad litem.
But there was no universe in which I wouldn’t help her. From the little information I had, it was clear she’d been in a bad marriage and then suffered through an even worse divorce.
“Yes.”
The smile that spread slowly across her face was worth every late night I’d endure while prepping this motion.
Eyes crinkling and dimple appearing, she stood. “Thank you, Brian.” Her voice wobbled on my name, and once again, her tears got the best of her.
“Happy to help,” I said as I guided her to the door. “And I’m sorry about earlier. Seeing you was kind of a shock.”
She smiled, and I felt warmth spread through my chest. “Don’t worry about it. I gotta say, though, between this office and you running off, I was planning to climb out that window.”
She gestured to the old metal-crank window on the side of my office.
“Joke’s on you,” I said. “That thing hasn’t opened for twenty years.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Isn’t that a fire hazard?”
“This entire building is a fire hazard, and I’ll save the story of why we’re here for our next meeting. I want to call the court and see if I can file the notice of representation before it closes in an hour.”
Her face brightened, and before I could realize what was happening, she threw her arms around me and crushed me in a hug.
She was a lot shorter than me, but she was strong, her body toned in some places but soft in others.
The feel of her lit up emotions I no longer thought I was capable of experiencing.
I froze, my breath held. I didn’t hug my clients.
But the warmth of her body and the strange familiarity felt right. Maybe it was muscle memory. Maybe it was some strange response from my olfactory system as her scent washed over me.
But nothing had felt this right in a long, long time.
Wrapped in her arms, it felt like I was finally home after years and years away.
So I hugged her back, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply.
Knowing full well she would be my downfall.