from their circle.
“I told them the truth and they never want to see Abigail again. They’ve changed and all they care about is that I’m happy. And you and Kayden make me happy.”
His face lost the tight look. He smiled “They really want to see you and to meet Kayden.”
That made me feel warm inside and tingle with anticipation. Nervousness threatened to overwhelm me as I asked the next question. “What about you?”
“I want to be with you but I don’t know if we can do this Chaz. You keep running away and to be truthful, I’m tired of chasing you. I’m tired of being prosecuted and judged without being given a chance.”
“I want to stop,” I said. “And I will. Just tell me there are no more nasty surprises.”
“There are no other surprises but life comes up with its own nastiness. What do we do then?”
“I won’t run, I promise. If I have to handcuff myself, I will.” I inhaled deeply.
“I put in an offer to buy Mrs. Horace’s property and her son accepted. We should finalize next week,” he said.
Joy exploded inside me. “So Kayden and I don’t have to move?” I was going to cry.
“Not only that but, the deed will be in your name Chaz. The property is yours,” he said.
I covered my face and cried. I heard movement and then Alex’s hand taking me into his arms. I draped my hands around his neck and clung to him.
“I feel like I’ve passed a test,” he said, later.
“I don’t know what to say. I’ve never owned a property. We should have it in both our names,” I said.
“No, I’d rather it was in your name. It’s my genius way of ensuring you don’t bolt. Property ties you down,” Alex teased.
I cupped his cheeks. “I do hate myself you know for always doubting you and I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’ll take it.”
“I love you and Kayden so much. You’re my whole life,” he said.
“I love you so much Alex and I trust you.”
He chuckled and angled his mouth over mine to kiss me. “Let’s go get our son.”
Epilogue
Alex
* * *
Six months later
* * *
“I think we should swap,” my father said after I’d given him a tour of the James Turner and Son LLP offices in town.
Rather than set up offices in Cleveland which was a good two hour drive away from Woodfield, an opportunity had arisen when the only attorney in town decided to close shop and retire to tour the world with his wife.
The location of his office was ideal. It was walking distance to the court house and home. Sometimes I went weeks without using my car unless Charlotte, Kayden and I were going out of town.
Business had quickly picked up and my father’s name brought clients from as far as Cleveland which worked out perfectly for me. I’d even brought in two lawyers fresh from law school and together with a secretary, there were four of us at the office.
There was enough work to keep us busy and I got to live the lifestyle that I wanted. Most importantly I had time to be with my son and to help my wife with her pursuits. Charlotte had resurrected her dreams of opening her own sandwich shop.
She was working part time at the diner and spending the rest of the time looking for the perfect location and working on recipes. Meanwhile, Kayden and I were enjoying being her tasting guinea pigs.
“You should be in New York and I should be here,” my father said and I got the feeling that he was not teasing.
I laughed but he had it wrong. Woodfield was where I belonged. I felt part of a community and I felt as if I was really helping people. I also liked the fact that I was establishing friendships with my clients. I could imagine decades from now, doing the same jobs for their children.
I liked the sense of community and who knew maybe Kayden would want to be a lawyer too, here in Woodfield or in New York. Or he could want to be a chef. Whatever he wanted to be in the future, I would be his biggest supporter.
“I like the slow pace,” he said when we left my office and went back to the street.
“Afternoon Alex,” Jonathan from the hardware store said as he went past. I’d worked on his parent’s estate after his father passed on.
I exchanged greetings with a few more