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"Phew! I'm happy, too, in that case. I spoke with my dad this morning and he said he'd do some checking around, see what he could find out through his contacts. Josh, he said he thought you were a good solid man and that you wouldn't be involved in anything illegal."
"He did?" Josh replied, sounding pleasantly surprised. "Score! I figured this would sour your father on me, if he found out."
"No, he really seemed to be certain you weren't involved in anything criminal."
"That's a definite bonus, considering he's going to be my only father now."
"I know," I said. "The only question is who would be trying to get revenge on you and for what? I hope they find out soon, so we can move on with our lives."
"Me, too. Let's go out and celebrate tonight. What do you say?"
"There's a Knicks game today..."
"Oh, yeah. How about we stay in and celebrate tonight," he said with a laugh. "I'll pick up some Korean."
"Perfect."
We ended the call and I sat back in my chair, happy that the whole FBI DOJ business seemed like it might all be a tempest in a teapot.
* * *
Josh arrived at the apartment at around seven, bags of Korean takeout in hand. I went to him at the door and took the bags from his hands, while he removed his coat and boots. I had the coffee table set with plates and cutlery and napkins, so we could sit down and watch the game, which was recorded from earlier in the day.
I went to the refrigerator and took out a couple of Korean beers and opened them for us. Josh came over and took one from me and we kissed.
"Thank you," he said. "For everything."
"Thank you," I replied. We clinked the necks together and then took a sip before sitting down and dishing out the food.
"You don't mind that we're staying in?" Josh asked, while he scooped out some rice onto his plate.
"I don't mind at all," I said. "All that matters is that we're together."
"That's true," he said and leaned over to kiss me once more."
It was true. I was so glad my father seemed to have come around towards Josh. He really was a good man and once more, I was thankful for how my life had changed for the better when I moved to Manhattan. But I was also aware of how fragile it all was and how much luck played into my life.
If I hadn't crossed the street that morning, I would never have run into Josh and met the love of my life.
I watched him dishing out the Korean Spicy Beef Barbecue and tried to do just what my father advised.
Focus on each other. In the end, that was all that really mattered.
22
Josh
The next weeks while we waited for the results of the FBI investigation into the hack were tense, but I felt better and better as each day went by and the news from the FBI was good. I felt less and less stressed that Keith or one of his staff had been cooking the books without his knowledge.
While Ella and I waited for the final verdict, we tried to focus on the upcoming wedding in California and the renovation to the penthouse we bought. But it wasn't easy -- the length of time it took the FBI and DOJ to look into the hack and determine whether we were set up was excruciating. I wanted to put it in the past as soon as possible.
While we waited, we spent our time when we weren't working getting the wedding arranged with David in Los Angeles. He was excited to be hosting the wedding and spent a great deal of time on the phone with us, on Skype, showing us where we might hold the ceremony on his property overlooking the valley.
"Here," he said and held up his cell, showing us a panorama of the LA scenery spread out below his property, which was on the top of a hill. "You can see the entire city from up here. It's fantastic. We could put the table here and hold the ceremony over here."
He went to a spot below a large tree and I had to agree that it looked like it would be the perfect location for us to say our vows.
"I like it," Ella said and squeezed my hand. "I can see it in my mind's eye. It will be perfect. Thanks David."
