Has she used me as a power play? It seems likely with how driven she is and how much she seems to want partner. Here I thought she was looking out for me and Emme, but really she was looking out for herself.

  I pull at my tie. It feels too tight, like it’s choking out the air in the room.

  “Daxton? Are you all right?”

  “Fine. Thank you. It’s been a difficult day.” All I can focus on is how the one person I thought was truly on my side has been playing me all along.

  I step out into the hall and find Emme in the same place I left her. Beside her is Kailyn, dressed in one of her pencil skirts, legs encased in patterned hose, one red heel hanging off the end of her foot. Their heads are bent close, fingers laced together.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  They both look up, smiles fading.

  “Are you okay?” Kailyn asks.

  “I’d like a moment with you in your office. I’m sorry, Emme. I promise I won’t keep you waiting much longer.”

  “Did something else happen?” Emme asks, nervous again.

  “I’ll be back in a minute.” I motion in the direction of Kailyn’s office.

  It’s quiet in the building, well after hours now. Kailyn smooths her hands over her hips and follows me down the hall, quickening her pace to keep up with me. She puts a hand on my arm. “Emme told me what happened, we’ll get it figured out.”

  I step away from her touch and wait until she’s inside the office before I close the door and spin to face her. “What kind of game are you playing?”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “You know what, it doesn’t even matter. You used me and my sister to further your career.”

  “What are y—”

  I take a step forward, hands clenched, anger and devastation colliding. “Don’t lie to me right now, Kailyn. Don’t do it. I trusted you. I let you into my life, into my sister’s life, and for what? What do you get if you bring me over to your firm?”

  “It’s not—”

  “What do you get?” I yell.

  “Whatever Beverly sa—”

  “Save the bullshit,” I snap. “You sure fucked me in lots of ways, didn’t you?”

  “It’s not what you think, Dax. I care about you.”

  I ignore her imploring tone and push for the facts, because those are what I need right now. “What exactly were you offered to bring me on board here?” It all clicks together. “Partner? Is that it? You get a partnership?”

  She sighs and closes her eyes. “Yes, but—”

  “Stop. You don’t get to throw a ‘but’ in there. So all the time you’ve been spending with me, with Emme, it’s all been about you making partner.” Jesus. I feel like I’m going to throw up.

  “At first I wanted to make sure you weren’t out to get Emme’s money. She was my top priority. I didn’t know you, didn’t know your circumstances or what your motivation was.”

  “And after that it stopped being about Emme’s trust being safe and it started being about you making partner. I get it.”

  “It’s not that simple, and you know it.”

  “Isn’t it? You could’ve told me what was going on. You didn’t need to keep that from me if that’s not what this was about.” I motion between us and then reach for the door. “I hope you’re happy with yourself. You’ve just broken a little girl’s heart and it was already in pieces.”

  “Dax, please, you need to hear me out on this.”

  “No. I don’t. What I need to do is make sure my bitch aunt doesn’t get custody of my sister. And I need to start by cutting the people out of my life who are going to cause more damage than good.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Bad Judgment

  Kailyn

  Sometimes the biggest mistakes are made with the best of intentions. I want to follow Dax but I don’t want to make an already terrible situation worse, and I also don’t want to needlessly upset Emme more than she is.

  So I let him leave. Because I have no other choice.

  The irony is, I planned to speak with Beverly tomorrow morning about the partnership and that I’d prefer to make it on my own merit, not on my ability to persuade Daxton to come to Whitman. And now I’m too late.

  I feel ill as I drop into my chair and splay my hands out on my desk. The high of winning yet another case where the right people are granted custody of a child for the right reasons this afternoon is crushed by the weight of my actions. Dax deserves to have Emme, and I feel like everything I’ve done recently compromises that. Dax needed someone and I came in to play savior, only I made an even bigger mess to clean up.

  I take several deep breaths, hoping to calm the swell of emotions as they slam into me. I don’t want to cry, not with Beverly still here. But judging by the pricking behind my eyes, I don’t think I’m winning the battle.

  A soft knock has me clearing my throat. I want it to be Dax returning to hear me out, but that’s highly unlikely. “Come in.”

  Beverly peeks her head in and purses her lips. I have no idea what my expression is. I feel like I’ve come down with the flu. I’m pretty sure the last meal I had is going to come up before this night is over.

  “You don’t look very happy for someone who just won her second pro bono custody case.”

  “I am.” I give her a weak smile. “I just have other things on my mind.”

  “Ah, you mean Daxton.” She leans against the doorjamb and crosses her arms over her chest. “You should’ve told me how involved you are.”

  “I think that’s past tense now.” I start to laugh, but it dissolves into a terrible, broken sound. I’ve messed up so badly this time. Worse than I ever could’ve imagined, and not just with Dax but with Emme. What will he to say to her? How much is she going to hate me? I’ve put him in a terrible position, and all for what? A career move? One that no longer means what it once did. Not when it’s going to cause so much unnecessary hurt.

  “If I’d known, I would’ve approached my conversation with him differently.”

  “I was planning to talk to you about it in the morning. I didn’t want to complicate an opportunity for him to work here.” Which is true. More than the partnership, I worried that being involved with him could affect his chance at the firm. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, Beverly.”

  She laughs. “No one ever means to fall in love.”

  Denying it seems pointless, as if I’m trying to support a position that doesn’t require any defense. “I don’t want my partnership contingent on whether Daxton accepts a job here. I can’t have those two things tied together.”

  Beverly is silent for a few moments before she speaks. “I can understand that, considering the circumstances. Regardless of how you get there, Kailyn, you’ve put in the time and dedication for the partnership to be yours. Why don’t we talk about this later, when you’re thinking rationally and not with your heart. You should go home, try to get some rest. I don’t think this aunt of his is going down without a fight based on the shit she’s slinging, so it’s going to be all hands on deck for the next little while.” She moves to leave but pauses. “In case you weren’t aware, in regards to the nonfraternization policy, already established relationships are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Mostly it’s to keep the lawyers from screwing their assistants or bosses. Just something to think about.”

  It would be if Dax didn’t hate me.

  I make it home before I have a complete breakdown. When I’m semicomposed, I call Holly. It’s after nine on a Monday, we both have to work early, but my craggy voice and sniffles mean she drops everything to come over.

  I’m not one for emotional outbursts. I cried when my mom passed and again when my dad went a few years later. I almost cried when I humiliated myself the first time I met Dax, but other than that, tears don’t fall easily for me. I’m pragmatic most of the time. But not when it comes to Dax and Emme.

  The possibility of losing them terrifies me.

  Half an hour later Holly shows up at my door with an overnight bag. “What happened?”

  “I messed up.” My eyes start leaking again.

  “Oh, peanut.” She drops her bag and hugs me.

  It takes less than fifteen minutes to spill the entire story once I’m composed enough to speak.

  “I think the most important question is whether or not you see this thing with Dax as long term.”

  “I can.”

  Holly tips her head to the side and waits for me to continue.

  “We understand each other.”

  “You’re sure you’re not just playing rescuer?”

  It’s a valid question. If I had more space, I’d probably have ten cats instead of two. Once I saved an entire litter when a feral mother gave birth under the back deck. I was so desperate to keep them I even suggested building them a house in the backyard because both of my parents were allergic. Despite my pleas, they insisted we give them up for adoption. I put up the ad and vetted those families like the lawyer I now am.

  “It’s not uncommon for people who have experienced similar losses to find comfort in each other.”

  Holly smiles. “That’s true.”

  “I love him. And Emme.”

  “Enough to walk away from an opportunity to be partner?”

  “Yes.”

  “You didn’t even have to think about that.”

  “I was going to tell Beverly tomorrow morning that I didn’t want my partnership to be based on Daxton coming to Whitman anyway. That I wanted it because I’d earned it. You know, for years I had this goal based on a bet with my dad, but he wouldn’t want me to forfeit the chance to have something real and meaningful just to further my career. And honestly, Holls, trust law isn’t what I want to do forever. I’d rather not make partner and shift gears than keep going in the same direction I am now.”

  “So then you shift gears.”

  “I want to move to family law. Help people who really need it. Like the Lipsons and the Wilsons and Dax and Emme.”

  “It’s a great fit. I think until now it was just too close to your heart, and you didn’t have enough of your own people to love to really take it on.”

  My chest aches as I recall just how upset Daxton was in my office earlier. “I might’ve lost two of those people tonight.”

  “He’s hurt and he’s dealing with more than is reasonable. The stress of what happened with his sister, the custody battle, all the uncertainty, he’s been relying on you for a lot.”

  “And I let him down in the worst possible way, Holly. He thinks I did it all to make partner, not because I care.”

  “Do you really think he believes that?”

  “You didn’t see him today. He was so angry and hurt. I did a lot of damage.”

  “So how do you undo it?”

  “I don’t know. Find a way to help him keep custody of Emme, I guess?”

  “You’re resourceful, smart, and determined. You always find a way to make it happen if you want it bad enough.”

  There’s no way Emme’s aunt wants what’s best for her. It’s the trust she’s after. Now I just need to find a way to prove it, and make Dax see it was never about the partnership for me when it came to him and Emme.

  Leading up to the final custody hearing, I only hear from Dax when it’s absolutely necessary. He uses email and cc’s his lawyer. Everything is polite and professional. He doesn’t text, doesn’t call, and avoids stopping by the office when he knows I’ll be there. My heart aches on a daily basis. The only similar pain I can recall is the loss of my parents. But, no matter how much it hurts, I don’t regret falling in love with Daxton, I just regret not telling him what I should have before I damaged what we had.

  Heartache is the worst affliction. It robs a person of rationality, of logic, of forethought and patience. It makes everything good painfully bright and magnifies the bad with an intensity that’s difficult to tolerate.

  Thankfully, the one light in my darkness is the constant texts from Emme. Whatever Dax has said to her, it hasn’t been enough to make her turn on me, too, which gives me hope.

  So do the reports from Emme that Dax is sad, and whenever she brings me up he gets all cagey and dejected. While I wait out his silence, I dig into his aunt, dissecting the emails she sent me, looking for more in them. I seek out more information on her past jobs and her husbands, trying to make connections, but without input from Dax, it’s difficult to make any progress.

  Emme’s still worried she’s going to have to live with her aunt, but since the journal entries and the social media pictures—which were a stretch considering Emme was with me and I have the pictures and receipts to prove it, Linda hasn’t made any more moves.

  Regardless, I can’t shake the feeling that she has more to do with the whole underage alcohol situation than we know. She was too smug, too all-knowing and just waiting for Dax to blow. And none of the girls had been drunk according to the police reports, since it turns out they’d all taken Breathalyzer tests. It doesn’t make sense that a group of girls would steal alcohol and not bother to drink it.

  A few weeks after the whole blowout at my office, Emme texts about an assembly she’s performing in and wants to know if I can come.

  I’m not sure if Dax is aware Emme and I are still communicating on a regular basis. I don’t ask about him, even though I want to. Although I certainly don’t stop her when she wants to share. He’s home every night. He’s overly attentive. He’s a terrible cook, but he’s trying.

  She misses me.

  I miss them both.

  I decide the conversation warrants a phone call. “Hey, sweetie, how’s it going?”

  “Okay, I guess. Do you think you’ll be able to come?”

  “Does Dax know you invited me?”

  She’s silent for a few seconds. “Everyone gets two tickets, so I can invite whoever I want.”

  I smile at her defiant tone. “You don’t think it would be better to let him know instead of surprising him?”

  “Why is he so upset with you? He won’t tell me anything and he’s, like, moody and stuff when I ask about you.”

  I sigh. “I made a mistake and I hurt him.”

  “Can’t you say you’re sorry?”

  “Sometimes it’s not that simple, Emme.”

  “He misses you, though, I know he does. You left a ring here and he’s always sitting in front of the TV at night, playing with it.”

  Well, at least I know I didn’t lose it. It’s not particularly valuable, apart from sentimentality. “Hopefully with time Dax will be able to forgive me.”

  “Was it really bad? Your mistake?”

  “It was.”

  “Oh.” She’s quiet for a few seconds. “Does that mean you won’t come to the assembly?” I want to reach through the phone and hug away her sadness.

  “Of course I’ll come.”

  “Maybe you can try to tell him you’re sorry again. I could tell him for you if you want?”

  Her sweetness chokes me up, and I have to clear my throat before I answer. “It’s probably better if it comes directly from me.”

  “Yeah. Probably. Okay. I’ll text you the date and stuff. I can’t wait to see you. I’m gonna give you a huge hug.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” I end the call and exhale a steadying breath, willing myself not to get my hopes up, but the heart doesn’t always listen to the head.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The Pieces

  Kailyn

  I leave work early on the night of the assembly and change into a nice pair of normal black dress pants and a family-friendly blouse that’s still a little sexy. Dax is going to be there, after all. I check my voicemail on the way into the school—I’m half an hour early, obviously hoping to run into Dax before the performance begins, and if the universe is on my side, possibly snag the seat beside him before one of the vulture-like single moms does. That’s provided he’ll speak to me.

  I have a voicemail from Holly, but I can’t hear it with the noise in the foyer, parents chattering excitedly as they wait for the auditorium doors to open.

  I can’t see Dax anywhere in the throng of waiting families, but I’m short, so my ability to see over all the heads is compromised. I navigate my way through the crowd, looking for a quiet room. I push through the first door that opens and step inside. I’ve found the library, and it appears to be empty.

  I’m about to listen to the voicemail when someone else speaks. For a moment, I consider making my presence known, until I realize the voice is familiar.

  Setting my phone to silent, I creep a little farther into the room. I can’t see Linda, but I can certainly hear her.

  “As soon as this custody business is wrapped up, we’ll head to Vegas for the weekend, my treat this time.”

  There’s silence for a moment, and I move toward the sound of her voice. How can Linda be planning a trip to Vegas when she’s battling for custody of a thirteen-year old? I hit the Record button on my phone, hoping to catch what I’m overhearing on the off chance it’s somehow incriminating.

  I peek around a shelving unit and find her sitting in a chair, behind a desk on the other side of the room, the space made up to look like an office. She holds her phone in one hand, the other curved around a mouse, her attention divided between the call and whatever’s on the laptop screen. She stops clicking and throws her head back as she laughs. “I’m not worried about that. Once I have custody I’ll have lots of money to play with. We’ll hit the blackjack table and double what we lost last time. By the time we get back, no one will even know it was missing.”

  She looks over her shoulder. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. She can stay with her brother on weekends. It’ll make me look like I’m being accommodating and it’ll get her out of my hair. Two birds, one stone, right?” She laughs again. “It shouldn’t be long before I get what should’ve been mine in the first place.”

  Before I can make my presence known or make a move to confront her, a buzz fills the room. “Linda, are you available? I need your assistance in the office, please.”