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“And he doesn’t want a family one day?
“You’d be surprised how many men don’t want children.”
“Why didn’t you have any kids? I’m sorry… Is that too forward?”
“No, Grace. It’s all right. At first I thought I didn’t want kids because I couldn’t find a partner. I come from a large family of siblings who have kids, so I babysat nieces and nephews, and they were always enough. Being an aunt made me really enjoy spoiling them all. I won’t lie—not having children gave me more time for myself. It may sound selfish, but before I knew it, my clock had run out, and after a few tearful nights, I realized I had exactly what I wanted. A career, a partner, and a family full of children who loved their Aunt Mary.”
I smiled. “It’s not selfish. We each have one life, and nobody can tell us how to live it. Kids, no kids, single, divorced… A woman will be judged no matter what path she takes, so fuck it. Live the life you desire. It’s yours, and we only get one of those.”
“Exactly. And what do you desire, Grace?”
My heart drummed hard in my chest. I finished my glass of water and set it on the table. “I don’t want my clock to run out. I want a family with Hunter.”
“Keep going with your treatments, then. Miracles happen.”
“Thank you.” I hugged her and took my gifts.
If miracles were going to happen, it would be wise to use my aunt’s new collection tonight.
CHAPTER 15
HUNTER
Imarched inside the Wagner office full of arguing lawyers and slammed my hand on the table. I’d received a call from Axel Wagner, Grace’s oldest brother, soon after she left. He didn’t have good news. The room fell quiet, and a wave of heads turned my way.
“What’s the problem now?”
I grabbed a turkey sandwich off a platter, pulled back a chair, and sat down.
Axel cleared his throat. “Chad bought out the judge. The chance he’ll make bail on Monday is no longer a chance but reality. The judge will add an ankle monitor, but it won’t stop Chad from fleeing—”
“Or from coming after Grace. What are our options?”
Silence and tension spread through the room. They had no solution; and if Chad walked on Monday, Grace couldn’t be here. I opened a bottle of water and washed down the sandwich. “I don’t think she’ll want to leave the country again. How quickly can they start the trial? How long do we have?”
“Chad’s team is ready to drag this out for as long as they can.”
I drummed my fingers on the desk. There was no doubt Chad would go after Grace the moment he smelled freedom, and I wasn’t sure she’d let me take her away again.
“Where’s Grace now?” Axel asked.
“With your parents, learning that she’s not your sister. Where’s Scar?”
“He’s still tracking Grace, so he’s likely nearby. Until that bastard is transferred to ADX, we sleep with our eyes open.”
My head flew up. “What about a transfer before the bail hearing? Different county, different judge… But you’d have to work fast. We only have six days to the hearing.”
“That could work. Judge Harris is going on a vacation right after. But we’d need a reason for transfer.”
“He’s in Nassau County?”
Axel nodded and typed something into his phone.
“I have someone on the inside,” I said.
“I’ll arrange to have Chad transferred as soon as you confirm.” Axel stood up and pulled the chair away from the table. I did the same.
“She’ll need every single one of us to win,” he said.
