Chapter 38 #2
Cooper stiffens, his entire body coiling tight like he’s preparing to go to battle for me.
I reach over and lay a hand on his arm, a weird sort of calm settling over me as I size up Austin and his smarmy little henchman.
It was always going to end this way, I realize.
That partnership was never going to be mine, and it feels right, somehow, that I finish this right here, right now.
My life is going to change in more ways than one today.
Putting a hand on my hip, I lock my gaze with Austin. “And what, exactly, does reassessing my eligibility entail?”
Austin nods, like he’s taking it on faith that I’m going to accept whatever bullshit he’s about to dish out.
He’s about to be very disappointed.
“Seeing as you’ll be returning from your leave just as partnership decisions are being made, and we don’t know what that return is going to look like, I believe it’s in all of our best interests to delay your partnership assessment until next year, or potentially the year after.
Because of your impending four-month absence, you won’t be advancing to your eighth year with your associate class.
Instead, you’ll join the class below you and repeat your seventh year upon your return. ”
It takes heroic effort for me not to roll my eyes at him. “No.”
“Excuse me?”
I lay my hands on the table, mirroring his pose.
My stomach clenches tight again, but I barely feel the pain through the pure, unadulterated rage rushing through my veins.
Fuck making partner and my parents never thinking I’m enough and working myself to death trying to prove something to them.
Fuck absolutely all of it. The only person I have anything to prove something to is myself, and it’s about time I started acting like it.
“I said no. No to reassessing my eligibility for partnership and no to repeating my seventh year. No to all of it. I’ve been working in BigLaw for seven years, Austin, and I’ve seen all kinds of bullshit, but I think this really tops it all. ”
Austin furrows his brow like he’s actually confused. Honestly, fuck this guy. “What are you going on about, Evangeline?”
“I’m going on about you, standing there, telling me with your full chest that you’re pulling my eligibility for partnership and sabotaging my career, all because I had the absolute audacity to get pregnant and take leave when the baby is born.
You’re really telling on yourself and saying the quiet part right out loud.
I knew you were a crap lawyer, but I didn’t think you were stupid enough to hand me a discrimination lawsuit on a silver platter. ”
Austin blanches, and I love to see it. “Now hold on a second—”
“No, you hold on,” I interrupt. “You are everything that’s wrong with BigLaw, Austin.
For years, I’ve worked five times as hard as any man in this firm to get a fraction of the recognition.
I thought if I just did more, stayed later, worked harder, I could prove myself, but I could work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and it wouldn’t make one bit of a difference because I made the mistake of lawyering while female.
Well, fuck that. I don’t want to play the game anymore. I’m done.”
“Take him down, Rhodes,” Cooper murmurs, low enough for only me to hear.
I suck in a breath, standing up straight when another contraction hits because I’ll be goddammed if I show these two shitheads one single second of weakness.
“I’m resigning from this firm, effective exactly eighteen weeks from today.
” I hold up a hand when Austin opens his mouth.
“I’ll be taking my entire maternity leave, for which I will be appropriately compensated, and I won’t be returning when it’s over.
If anyone at this firm makes any attempt to mess with that compensation, I’m marching right across the street to our biggest competitor and having them file the biggest, splashiest pregnancy discrimination lawsuit BigLaw has ever seen naming this firm, and you, specifically, as defendant.
” Leaning forward again, I look Austin dead in the eye, barely suppressing a smirk at the dumbfounded look on Fidget Spinner Kevin’s face as he tries to figure out what the fuck is going on.
“You’ve been underestimating me for years, but that ends today.
Let’s see how well you do without me here to carry you.
My guess is, not well at all, and I can’t wait to watch you crash and burn. ”
Austin opens and closes his mouth like he can’t figure out what to say. Somehow, I’m surprised when he decides on, “What are you going to do instead?”
Now I really do smirk. “That’s on a need-to-know basis, and you really, really don’t need to know.
But in about nineteen weeks, I’d keep an eye on your inbox.
I’m pretty sure there’s a high-profile client departure headed your way, and it’s going to sting.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere really important I need to be. ”
Without another word, I grab my bag and turn, rushing out of the conference room.
The second I get past the door, I turn into the quiet hallway by the restroom and sag against the wall, dropping my bag on the floor and bending over with my hands on my knees, breathing deeply as my entire body tightens.
“So…not Braxton Hicks,” Cooper says, crouching down and laying a hand on my back, rubbing slow circles.
I would laugh at his matter-of-fact statement if this whole situation wasn’t so entirely fucked up.
When the pain subsides, I stand straight and Cooper does the same, cupping my face in both hands.
His eyes on mine help staunch the terror that’s hitting me like a tsunami now that the adrenaline from the confrontation is draining out of me. “I just quit my job,” I whisper.
Cooper nods, smiling. “You did. It was pretty spectacular.”
“You’re going to come with me to Pierre, right? Milo said I could hire any lawyer I want to work for me, and I want you.”
His smile turns into a wide grin. “It’ll be so hot having you as a boss.”
“My water broke in the bathroom earlier, and I’m pretty sure we’re having a baby today.”
Cooper strokes his thumbs over my cheeks, leaning in and pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Your contractions are like four minutes apart, so I’m pretty sure we’re going to have a baby really soon.”
“You’ve been timing them?”
He shrugs. “I’ve been counting in my head, so it’s probably not exact, but close enough.”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “We should probably go to the hospital.” My eyes fly open.
“Fuck,” I say sharply, panic gusting through me.
“I thought I had more time so I didn’t pack a bag yet or even do any research about what needs to go into a hospital bag so I have no idea what I need and I’m supposed to be pregnant for three more weeks so what if it’s too early and something goes wrong and—” I break off, doubling over as another contraction hits, biting my cheek as hard as I can to keep from crying out.
“I’ve got you,” Cooper murmurs, sliding around behind me and pressing his hands to my lower back like he did in the conference room.
The fact that he is so calm and seems to know exactly what I need even though I have no fucking clue cuts through my panic enough for me to breathe through the contraction.
“I called my brothers when you texted me. Elliot and Amelia are downstairs waiting in El’s car to drive us to the hospital so I can sit with you in the back seat.
Amelia packed your bag for you, and if there’s something you need that isn’t in there, Jo or Hannah can bring it later.
” As the contraction ebbs, Cooper steps back around, bending low so we’re face to face, rubbing those calming circles on my back again.
“The doctor said thirty-seven weeks is considered full term, so the baby is going to be fine, and so are you.”
“You’ll stay with me?”
Cooper leans his head against mine, and the feel of his warm, strong body calms me down the rest of the way. “Always and no matter what.”
I stand, pressing my hands to my back. “How did you know what my text was about? I just told you to come to the conference room.”
The love in Cooper’s eyes when he looks at me is so fierce that tears blur my vision.
Setting his hands on my shoulders, he rubs them up and down my arms. “I love you, Rhodes. It’s my job to know.
To take care of you. Both of you,” he says, dropping one hand to my belly and smiling when the baby moves against it. “Ready to go?”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly then nod. “Ready.”
Cooper picks my bag up off the floor, sliding an arm firmly around my waist. And together, we leave our office for what is probably the last time, heading straight into whatever comes next.