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It's as if the judge is in his pocket. He delves into the finer details and ultimately orders Delgado to be placed under house arrest until the trial—a decision I had been hoping for. Bane Delgado appears pleased with this as well.
After the arraignment, I hurry out of the courthouse. I head outside, eager to get home to Roman.
“Hey, you,” someone says.
I glance up and Chloe’s walking toward me. The pale blue maternity dress she’s wearing hugs her growing baby bump, and she’s as radiant as the sun beaming down from the clear blue sky.
“Hey.” I give her a little wave. “What are you doing here?”
“I have to appear in court, regarding a case.” She glances at the courthouse. “Do you have time to grab a coffee with me in the cafe? I’m early and would love a decaf cappuccino.”
“Of course.”
We head back into the courthouse and weave through the hustle and bustle to the small cafe tucked in the lobby's corner. Chloe settles in at a table while I head up to the counter to order.
With both drinks in tow, I cross the hardwoods of the cafe to the table where Chloe sits waiting.
“Here you go,” I say, handing off Chloe’s decaf cappuccino to her. “How are you feeling?” I ask as I sit down.
“I’m ready for this baby to be out. Only like one more week, but it feels like forever.”
I can’t wait until my little niece or nephew is born, so it truly seems like forever. It must be a million times worse for Chloe. “He’ll be here soon enough,” I say with a smile. “Or she.”
Chloe rubs her belly and leans in to whisper, “I’m scared.”
“Aw.” I set my cup down and stare into her worried green eyes. “I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through, but everything will be okay. Dev’s going to be a great father. You're destined to be a rockstar of a mother, and naturally, I'll be the coolest aunt around. We got this, Chloe.”
Chloe shakes her head. “No, I’m scared about labor. It’s going to be horrible. I can already tell. I was talking to this woman at Lamaze class, who’s pregnant with her second baby, and she told me a war story.”
I don’t know how to reassure her, because no baby has come out of me, but I try anyway. “But she’s doing it again, so that’s a good sign, right? And once it’s over, you’ll have this adorable little baby to love.”
Chloe blows on her decaf cappuccino. “It’ll be like something out of a horror movie.”
I laugh as I take a sip of my coffee. “It won’t be like a horror movie.”
“It will be.” Chloe eyes me over the rim of her cup. “I swear, this baby better be cute.”
“It will be the cutest baby ever born.” I laugh. “Come on, stop. You’re the strongest woman I know, and the baby will be perfect.”
“You’re right. Positive thinking.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “Enough about me. What’s up with you? How’s the case?”
“Yeah. I don’t know about this one. It all seems so backwards. It’s crazy to defend somebody who might possibly be a monster”—I lean back in my seat—“but I still don’t know what to do.”
Chloe ponders for a moment, her brow furrowing. “Bane has lots of enemies, so he could be set up. What is the evidence saying?”
I shrug. “I just got done with the arraignment, so now I'm waiting for the evidence from the DA’s office.”
“I’m sure they’ll take forever to get it to you too,” she says with disdain in her voice.
Chloe works closely with the DA on numerous cases, so she knows how they operate. She knows how they intentionally delay everything they can to help their case.
“So…” Chloe shifts in her seat. “How are things going with Roman? He’s staying at your place, right?”
A blush creeps up my neck at the mention of his name.
Chloe’s eyes widen. “Oh my god. You’re blushing. What happened? Did you two have sex?”
“No,” I whisper-shout. “Well sort of.”
