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Aunt Nikki, or as I refer to her for professional purposes as just Nikki, suggested I join her for a meeting with the other attorneys. I welcomed any exposure, though I didn’t expect the meeting to run for over three hours. A room full of attorneys equated to one thing—plenty of aggressive behavior. Nikki is headstrong and will not back down when she thinks she is right, making her a shark in the courtroom.
The remainder of the day was spent on case notes. It sometimes feels like my whole life revolves around reading, so no surprises, the strain on my eyes is beginning to become an issue. Austin jokes I need glasses, but perhaps I am in denial of my deteriorating eyesight.
I close my eyes, resting them for just a moment. The case notes have been weighing on my mind. A husband and wife in the throes of a separation and two sons caught in the crossfire. They both cited irreconcilable differences but the deeper I delve into the case, the nastier it has become. There are accusations of marital affairs, money mishandling—the list goes on.
And all I can think about is how two people who supposedly married for love, according to their statements, found themselves in the middle of a divorce. I can’t imagine bringing a child, or children, into this world and causing them so much pain.
I’d been blessed to be raised in a household by two parents who loved their children unconditionally. Growing up, there were kids around me whose parents divorced, remarried, and their whole lives turned upside down. Mom assured me that raising a family takes a lot of patience and sacrifices. She admitted that she and Dad did not see eye to eye on many things. At times, this caused friction in their marriage, but they have learned the art of compromise and understanding over the years.
When Austin proposed, Mom spoke of the trials and tribulations of marriage. It is not always a walk in the park and loving someone is not a Band-Aid to fix all problems. With Austin, things are easy between us. We rarely fight, and if we do—it is only over something petty.
We’ve grown up a lot from high school, and I can’t imagine him not being by my side. Everything about us is so comfortable, and there is nothing wrong with comfort.
I start to think about family dynamics, aside from my own. Andy’s family comes to mind. Not long after Uncle Julian and Aunt Adriana got together, they adopted my cousin, Luna. According to Mom, she was abandoned in some alley in South America. The horror to think that some woman could do this to a child. Someone was looking over Luna, and how blessed she had been to be adopted into such a loving family.
And then Aunt Adriana fell pregnant with Andy’s younger sister, Willow. It was a miracle given that Aunt Adriana was told she could no longer have kids naturally, especially since she was forty-three at the time.
I must have been around thirteen, from memory, but it was such a joyous occasion for our families. I still remember Uncle Julian’s face when he introduced the little chubby baby, wrapped inside the blanket. It was his first biological child, but even after all these years, you would never know. He treats all three of his children equally.
We all have the ability to love each other no matter the circumstances, and after spending my afternoon and early evening reading these case notes, my emotions are compromised. I’m compassionate toward the family yet professionally—I need to grow a thick skin and remove myself from the emotional components. My job one day will be to stand up in court and legally represent people. When I think about this family, who is best for the children? The father with a gambling addiction or the mother going through a mid-life crisis with her personal trainer.
I straighten my posture, stretching my back muscles while I roll my neck to alleviate the tension. The time on my phone says it’s just after seven, much later than I anticipated staying back on a Friday night.
My phone begins to buzz, and Austin’s name is flashing on the screen.
“Hey, babe!” There’s a loud noise in the background, making it difficult to hear anything. “Are you still at work?”
“I am. Where are you?”
“We had a drink off-campus, then Jonah drove us to some bar in Jersey.” His voice continues to increase in volume, no doubt from all the alcohol he’s consumed. “But now he’s square dancing with some old lady, so there goes our driver.”
My lips press tight into a grimace as I collapse into my chair. There go my plans for tonight. It wouldn’t hurt Austin to give me some notice. This isn’t the first time Jonah has taken the boys on a wild goose chase and probably won’t be the last.
“Listen, I’ll leave you be since you sound busy.”
“You pissed at me?” Austin says loud enough that I’m sure the entire bar can hear him. “I’m sorry, Millie. It just happened.”
There is no point in arguing with him. He won’t even remember this conversation tomorrow.
“It’s fine,” I tell him. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I hang up the call with a heavy sigh. Perhaps it is for the best—today took it out of me. My muscles are all tense, and for some odd reason—my stomach is fluttering in anticipation. I’m not sure what from but assume it’s from the lack of food since I hadn’t eaten anything since midday. The jittery nerves are most likely from all the caffeine. I’ve lost count of how many cups. If it keeps me functioning—that’s all that really matters.
It’s time to call it a day since the office appears deserted behind my closed door. I shut down my computer and grab my purse and phone. As I exit the room, I glance down the long corridor toward Nikki’s office. There is a faint light beneath the door, nothing unusual since she always stays well after hours.
With every step toward her office, the air becomes cooler, causing my skin to break out all over. Tapping gently on the door, she calls to enter, and as soon as I open the door, my phone slides out of my hand and straight onto the concrete floor.
The sound of the glass against the concrete is enough to make me cringe. Shit. I bend down and pick it up off the floor. As predicted, the screen is smashed with one crack straight down the middle. I run my finger along the jagged glass, tracing it while wincing. It appears irreparable, broken with no chance of being pieced back together to perfection.
I should have listened to everyone who told me to protect it, use one of those screen protectors. But of course, stubborn me thinks nothing damaging will ever happen to me, just like when I was a kid, never considering the consequences.
I draw a breath, and my eyes gravitate toward the tanned leather shoes next to Nikki’s desk. Great—some client has witnessed my clumsy behavior. I’m drawn to the black socks with the Armani logo. Who the hell wears designer socks? Your dad does, idiot.
The evenly hemmed navy pants sit just above the shoe, and as my eyes slowly draw upward, the familiarity of the sitting position quickens my pulse unwillingly. Confused at the sudden rush within me, my eyes snap up towards the face of the one and only Will Romano.
My head draws back quickly, unable to break my gaze from the ocean blue eyes which watch me so intently. With a hard swallow, my throat closes in as my skin tingles. I try to get a grip of myself until my stomach hardens like I’d swallowed a lead weight.
He is sitting in front of me, living and breathing, looking as devastatingly handsome as he did all those years ago. In the back of my mind, I had always wondered what this moment would feel like, half-expecting it to feel nostalgic like a childhood toy you’ve found at the back of your closet.
