Chapter 19
Nineteen
The next morning, Dan was still asleep when Owen called.
“Morning,” Dan said in a mumble.
“Sorry. I had no idea it was still so early. We’re on baby time over here.”
“No problem. What’s up?”
“Laura’s divorce is what’s up. What’re you hearing?”
“Should have the final decree any day now.”
“Will it be in time for the wedding?”
“You’ve got plenty of time, Owen. Try not to worry. I’m keeping a close eye on it, and we’ll get it done.”
“Okay.”
“How you holding up?”
Owen grunted out a laugh. “Fantastic. Never been better.”
“I don’t want to fill you with platitudes, but it’ll all be over soon, and you can move on.”
“That’s what everyone is telling me. I’ll be much happier when this business with my father is settled.”
“If there’s anything I can do for you or your mother this week, you only have to ask.”
Dan was helping Owen’s mother, Sarah Lawry, with her case against her ex-husband, a retired air force general, who’d soon stand trial in Virginia for assaulting Sarah the previous fall. In an amazing twist, she was now dating Stephanie’s stepfather, Charlie.
“Thanks, Dan,” Owen said. “It makes us both feel better that you’ll be with us in Virginia.”
“I’m glad to be going. The greatest satisfaction I get out of my career is seeing justice done—no matter what form it takes.”
“I just hope we get justice.”
“You have a good case. Is it a slam dunk? No, but I think it’ll go your way in the end.”
“That helps. Thank you. I’ll see you Tuesday morning.”
“I’ll be there.”
After he ended the call with Owen, Dan returned the phone to the bedside table. He’d tried to get up when the phone woke him out of a sound sleep, but Kara’s arm around him had kept him in bed while he talked to Owen.
He turned toward her. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.” By now, she was certainly used to the phone calls he received at every hour of the day and night.
While working on his memoir and juggling a few local cases on Gansett, Dan consulted frequently with the team of lawyers working on his innocence project.
They held down his Los Angeles office while he was on the other side of the country becoming more entwined every day in his life on a tiny island that had begun to feel like home, especially since he met and fell in love with Kara.
He kissed her shoulder. “Go back to sleep for a while. It’s early yet.”
“Mmm.” Her smooth leg slid between his, coming to rest just below his groin.
Dan’s hand, which had been caressing her back, moved down to cup her bottom, bringing her in even closer to him.
“Looks like one of us is wide awake.”
“He can’t help himself when you’re all naked and soft and warm.”
Her hand on his stomach did nothing to help the growing problem below.
“Today is going to be a very long day,” she said with a sigh.
He knew she was dreading the engagement party but was determined to make sure she had a great time with their new friends.
“I’m so glad they didn’t have much to say about our decision to get married here.”
“They know better than to put up any kind of fuss where I’m concerned. They’re probably relieved that I’m engaged so they can stop feeling guilty for supporting my sister when she made off with my boyfriend.”
“Ex-boyfriend.”
Her soft giggle made him smile. “Extremely ex. So ex he barely warrants a mention.”
“That’s right, and don’t forget it. Your fiancé is the jealous type who doesn’t want you pining after old loves.”
“My fiancé has nothing to worry about, and he knows it. I was never really in love until I met him.”
“Kara…” He held her even closer if that was possible. “You don’t know what it does to me when you say stuff like that. How anyone could ever be stupid enough to let you go is beyond me.”
“You’d better never let me go.”
“No worries there, babe.” He kissed the top of her head and breathed in the arresting scent of her hair. “You going to be okay at this party today?”
“Of course I am. My parents want to celebrate our engagement. I’m all for that.
It’s just hard sometimes to forget the way they acted when Kelly and Matt got together.
It was like they forgot all about me, and now that I’m marrying Mr. Famous Celebrity Lawyer, suddenly they’re all excited about me again. It feels sort of… I don’t know…”
“Hypocritical.”
“Yeah.”
“I hate the way they hurt you, baby. I never want you to feel that way again.”
“I love you for that. I really do, and for putting up with this party idea of theirs when I’m sure you have a few things you’d like to say to them.”
“I’d never do that to you. They probably know how we both feel, and this is their way of trying to bridge the gap.”
“Maybe. I thought they’d flip out when I told them I don’t want to get married in Bar Harbor, but they didn’t say a word.”
“They knew better. You might not see it, but you’ve changed a lot since you’ve been here. You’re much more assertive than you used to be.”
“I’ve had to become more assertive dealing with you,” she said dryly.
“Exactly, and that’s carried over into all areas of your life. No doubt they see it, too.”
“Thank you for that.” She propped her chin on his chest. “I needed to learn how to stand up for myself, and you showed me how.”
He gathered her long hair into a ponytail that he let slide through his fingers in silky waves. “Nah. You had it all along. I just helped you find it.”
She left a trail of kisses from his chest to his chin and moved along his jaw until her teeth found his earlobe.
The painful clamp sent a jolt of heat all the way through him, which only made him harder.
He loved playful, lighthearted Kara so much.
It had taken him months to find her underneath the wounded veneer she’d hidden behind when he first knew her.
Over time, though, she’d begun to recover from the awful betrayal at the hands of her sister and ex-boyfriend. The showdown she’d had with Kelly earlier in the summer had gone a long way toward helping Kara put the past to bed once and for all.
“You’re awfully frisky this morning, my love.” Dan arranged her on top of him, aligning his hardness with her heat. “Have I also succeeded in turning you into a morning person?”
She snorted with laughter. “That’s one thing I’ll never be.” As she came down on him, she said, “Consider this a very rare exception.”
“I’m considering this the perfect start to a day that’ll already be perfect because I get to spend just about every minute of it with you.”
Her smile made her golden-brown eyes twinkle. “All that money your mother spent on charm school was a very worthwhile investment.” She swiveled her hips and made him groan.
“No charm school, babe. It’s all in the wiring.”
“It’s good wiring. Really good wiring.”
He grasped her hips, intending to turn her over and take control.
“Don’t even think about it. This one’s all mine.”
“I love when you get bossy with me.”
“I can tell,” she said, gritting her teeth as she accommodated his expanding length.
Dan laughed and drew her down to him so he could kiss her. The taste of her lips and the press of her breasts against his chest were nearly enough to finish him off. “I can’t believe we get to do this any time we want to for the rest of our lives.”
Her hair came down around him like a silky curtain that closed them off from the rest of the world. “Not any time.”
He squeezed her bottom with both hands. “Just about any time.”
“I’ll give you that—and this.” She moved in sexy, teasing circles on top of him.
“I see, so you’re looking for a quickie, then.”
She smiled and kissed him, lingering for a full minute before she sat up and got serious about finishing him off.
After having breakfast together, Charlie walked Stephanie to her car and gave her another hug before he sent her on her way with a wave.
He was so damned proud of her. She’d been a bright, happy, joyful kid growing up in a nightmare with an abusive, neglectful, drug-addicted mother.
After her mother had accused him of kidnapping and abusing her, they’d walked together through the fires of hell and made it to the other side, somehow still whole and healthy despite their ordeal.
He hadn’t thought about Renee in a long time.
In fact, he went out of his way to never think about the day he’d walked in on her beating the hell out of the girl he’d come to love as a daughter.
He’d done what anyone would do in that situation—he’d gotten Stephanie out of there and had paid for that decision with fourteen years of his life behind bars.
Seeing her now, grown up, beautiful, glowing with happiness and in love with a great guy, Charlie knew he’d do it all over again if he had to.
She was worth every minute he’d spent locked up.
As he was about to start his yard work, another car pulled into the driveway, this one a low-slung black Porsche that made Charlie want to drool with envy every time he laid eyes on it. He’d always appreciated cars, and Dan Torrington’s car was one of his favorites. It suited the LA lawyer to a T.
Charlie had learned the hard way to be wary and cautious around lawyers, who were often out to protect their own interests over those of their clients.
Dan was a notable exception. Charlie owed him everything.
With one phone call from the notoriously successful attorney, Charlie had suddenly been granted the hearing he’d been denied for years.
“Hey, Charlie.” Dan unfolded himself from the car. He’d once told Charlie the car had originally belonged to his brother, Dylan, who’d been killed in Afghanistan. Charlie had seen the depths of Dan’s grief over his loss that day when he’d talked about his only brother.
Charlie shook the hand he offered. “Counselor. What brings you out this way?”
“A rather intriguing phone call from a friend of mine in the state attorney general’s office.”
“On a Sunday? You all never take a day off, huh?”