5
A iva had just finished emailing one of her clients when Finx showed Knox in. She didn’t have any calls or appointments before his, and she instructed Finx to show him in whenever he arrived. She stood, reaching over her desk to shake his hand before gesturing for him to have a seat, then retaking her own.
“Thank you for coming in, Knox. I’ll try not to take up too much of your time.” She placed a copy of the divorce paperwork she planned to file in front of him.
“It’s no problem,” he responded, and Aiva had almost forgotten how deep his voice was. How the baritone felt like it was washing over her.
For the next hour, she went over everything the documentation contained and how the process worked, along with the timeframe they more than likely were looking at. Yes, she’d covered those last couple of things with him before, but Aiva always liked to go back and ensure her clients understood everything.
“I know I ask you this every time we speak or meet, but I like for my clients to have all the information necessary. Do you have any questions?” Aiva inquired once they’d finished going over everything.
“Would you like me to send you any calls and messages from Mia after I get a particular number of them, or would you prefer I hold on to them until we get a response?”
“You have more from her?” Aiva questioned with a raised brow.
It’d only been a week and a half since their last meeting. Though she’d read the texts and listened to the voicemails he provided, so she shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d collected more evidence.
“I do,” Knox responded with a nod. “It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that she contacts me, whether it’s via text message or phone call at least twice a day. Those days I consider lucky.”
Aiva shook her head. What was it with this woman? From the information she’d gotten from Knox, they’d been separated for over a year, and he’d told her they weren’t happy for some time before then. However, Aiva had seen women and men like this plenty of times.
“You can send them to me in batches. That way I can have everything organized and sorted by date for mediation, and eventually, for court if we can’t settle outside of it.”
“I’m almost positive we’ll have to move past mediation and go to court,” Knox informed her. “Mia won’t give up custody of Yasmine without a fight.”
“In that case, we’ll be prepared,” Aiva responded, leaning back in her seat. She would file all the documentation on Monday, and she had already contacted a private service to serve Mia. “Once I receive the confirmation that she’s been served, I’ll call and let you know.”
“Trust me, I’ll know. If I know Mia, she’ll be on the phone cursing me out before they even leave the house,” Knox replied.
From what she’d learned about the other woman through the text messages and voicemails, Aiva knew he was more than likely correct. A part of her wondered if Mia had always been that way or if it was something that developed over time; and if she’d always been that way, what changed to make Knox not want to deal with it anymore, or had he been worn down?
“I’d love to tell you that this will be a fast and easy process, and you’ll get some peace at the end, but I’ve never believed in selling fairytales,” Aiva told him. “From what you’ve told me about her, and the evidence I’ve received from you, this is going to drag out. It may even get messy, but I’ll do everything in my power to make it easier on you,” Aiva promised.
“Thank you,” Knox responded. “I knew when I decided I was blowing up my life and starting a war for a bit, but it’s worth it.”
“Speaking of blowing up your life. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I read over your prenup twice to familiarize myself with it. There’s a small clause that mentions infidelity.” Aiva watched as he nodded. “Were you at any point during your marriage, or while separated unfaithful to your wife?”
“I was not. I have not,” Knox responded.
“Do you know if she’s been unfaithful to you?” Aiva asked.
“I…don’t know. Why do you ask?”
“The lawyer that drew up the documentation was looking out for you as well. To paraphrase, it basically says if you are unfaithful you agree to pay her double the agreed-upon amount stated, but if she was unfaithful, she’d leave the marriage with what she came into it with, and any property or assets that are solely in her name.”
“I didn’t remember that being in there. It’s been so long since I’ve looked at it, but it rings a bell,” Knox replied, and Aiva studied him for a long moment.
“Then I’ll ask you again. Were you unfaithful to your wife?”
Aiva knew that this tended to be a sore spot when she had to ask it, and often her clients would initially lie about it. So, her asking again upset them. That wasn’t the reaction she received from Knox. Instead, he smiled at her before chuckling slightly.
“No. Contrary to popular belief, not all professional athletes cheat.”
Aiva was about to tell him that hadn’t been what she meant when she realized he was messing with her. She smiled at him, leaning back in her seat.
“And as far as if she has or not, it doesn’t matter to me in the sense of not having to pay her what’s agreed upon in the prenup, but would it be beneficial to know for sure?”
Aiva thought about it for a moment. The major benefit was if he wanted to get out of having to pay her, but he didn’t seem to care much about that.
“The only other benefit would be the possibility of it helping speed things along. Showing she’s been unfaithful would hopefully allow the judge to see that it’s best to get the divorce finalized quickly.”
Aiva watched as he thought about it for a moment. She figured a part of him didn’t want to know if his wife had been cheating on him, but maybe there was a part of him that was curious.
“I’ll think on it, and if I decide to look into it, I’ll find a private investigator,” Knox responded after a moment, and Aiva nodded at him.
“Okay. Is there anything else you need from me?”
“Not at the moment,” he replied with a smile, standing. “Thank you for seeing me today.” Knox held his hand out.
Aiva stood as well, shaking it. “Thank you for coming in.” Knox smiled at her again, and Aiva had to stop herself from biting her lower lip. She retook her seat as he left her office.
This was definitely going to be a long journey because her client was attractive, and Aiva knew he knew it. He held himself, carried himself in a way that spoke to his confidence but was far from conceited. Not that she hadn’t had clients who were nice to look at before, because she had. Aiva just knew the difference between an indifferent man, who would allow you to get away with whatever you wanted to, and one who would not allow you to, and handle it in a way that you couldn’t help but enjoy. Which was why she was so confused about how Knox ended up with someone like Mia.
K nox slid into his vehicle and headed to his condo. He still had several hours before he needed to pick Yasmine up from school. There was a teacher in-service day scheduled, and she would be out tomorrow, with the following Monday being Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday. So, Knox was getting her for the long weekend.
He’d be dropping her off when he picked her up so she could spend the night with his parents, and he’d pick her up from there Saturday afternoon. Knox wanted them to spend time with Yasmine since Mia was going out of her way not to let them, and his parents didn’t always like to take time from the two of them.
The long weekends and breaks made it perfect for that because he could split the time with his parents.
As he drove home, he thought about Aiva’s question. No, Knox hadn’t cheated on his wife during their marriage or their separation. He hadn’t even thought about it. That is, he hadn’t until the first day he’d walked into Aiva’s office. The thought hit him like a freight train then.
He was attracted to her in a way he hadn’t been to any other woman before. Knox couldn’t even be 100 percent sure it had been that way with Mia. Though that had been nine years ago. Whether he had been then was outweighed and overshadowed by the evolution of her attitude.
Knox’s attraction to Aiva was one he didn’t mind acting on. However, he wouldn’t. He wasn’t foolish enough to do so because she was his lawyer. She was representing his best interest, and asking her out would just make things messy and complicate matters. He was going to wait until his divorce was finalized, wait until she was no longer representing him before pursuing Aiva because doing so before then was unfair to her. It also gave him time to find out if she was single. He knew she wasn’t married, but the chances of her being unattached were slim.
When Knox made it home, he headed into his bedroom to change. He had nothing he needed to do for the day until picking up his daughter and decided he’d go to the gym. Having one on the first floor of the building was one reason he’d chosen it when he moved out. It was also in a good neighborhood and wasn’t too far from Yasmine’s school.
Once changed, Knox went to the gym. There were only a few people there, but he had expected nothing else. It was right before lunch on a Thursday, so he knew most people were working. He liked to come during those times. It was less likely that anyone recognized him.
Though after being out of the spotlight for the past three years, attention had died down a little, but it hadn’t gone away completely. Knox knew what he was signing up for when he began playing professionally. However, now that he didn’t anymore, he was even less fond of the attention than he was when he played. He was sure that with a few more years, he’d be a thing of the past to everyone other than die-hard sports fans.
Knox warmed up with some stretches before getting on the treadmill for a bit. Typically, if he just planned on running for his workout, he would prefer doing so outside, and he could run the trails or in the park. Since he planned on doing some reps with the free weights, the treadmill would have to work.
When Knox finished his workout, he returned to his condo and took a shower, getting dressed. Going into the kitchen, Knox rummaged through it for something to make for lunch, settled on a smoothie, and made a mental note to pick up some salmon to cook that night.
Smoothie in hand, he went into Yasmine’s room and sat it on her dresser. He grabbed her overnight bag and packed her some clothes for his parents’ house. Though he was sure she had a few over there, he always liked to send her some. He also packed her tablet and charger.
Knox entered her bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush, placing it in the travel case, before packing the products he used for her hair into her PJ Mask toiletry bag with the toothbrush. He placed it in her overnight bag, grabbed his smoothie, and carried it out of the room to put by the front door.
Sitting on the couch, Knox pulled his phone from his pocket. He’d placed it on silent when he went to see Aiva and realized it still was. He found a text from his friend Ezra asking him if he had plans for tomorrow night.
Knox responded, letting him know he was free, before turning the sound on his phone back on and placing it on the table. He turned the television on, leaving it on the episode of Hannibal that was playing.
He picked up his phone a few minutes later when his text notification chimed. Knox read Ezra’s response, telling him to be at his house tomorrow at eight. He assumed that the other man was having some sort of small get-together. This was the way he planned them and invited people. Knox didn’t have a problem with going. He hadn’t gone out in a while, and while this wouldn’t exactly count as doing that, it would get him out of the house for something other than checking in on his investments.
Attention back on the television, Knox drank his smoothie, as the doctor on the screen spiraled into an elaborate trap.