As incensed as he felt, his heart ached to think she might actually call his enraged bluff. “My attorney is Ted’s son. I can’t afford an attorney, Orlando. You don’t get the privilege of a public defender when you’re trying to reduce charges you’ve already been convicted of. And Ted had already retained his son to represent me before I broke things off with him. I thought I’d lost even that when I left him, but then Blaine called to tell me he’d signed a contract and he was required to represent me to the end now, regardless of what happened between his father and me.”
“So, this asshole gets to fucking hold your hand and act like you’re still his throughout this shit? Of course, he’d offer to pay for it all.”
She brought her hand to his face her, eyes welling up with tears. “Only reason I didn’t tell you is because I didn’t think he’d be showing up for any of this. He never had before. Blaine’s been completely professional about the attorney-client privileges. He wouldn’t even tell his dad the details of my case except to let him know when I’d be in court again. But after he showed up last time to ask me how it went because he said he still cared and just wanted to know how it was going, I told Blaine he could share with him about my case. I did it so Ted wouldn’t have an excuse to show up and ask me about it again. Only the new district attorney is an old friend of his, and when Blaine told him about it, Ted decided to put in a good word for me to get this going faster. He hadn’t mentioned it until this morning when I got here that he’d told him about me a few months ago when he last talked to him and we were still together then. He thought the guy would be more persuaded to help him out if he thought we still were. It’s why we walked in holding hands and had to pretend to be a couple.”
“That mother fucker!” Orlando spun around, feeling ready to kill again, but spun right back to face her. “You see what he’s doing here, right? He’s using everything in his power to control you. Cut him off. Cut him and his son off now. I’ll pay for your attorney fees from here on. I don’t want that asshole to have any say or reason to be around you anymore. I’ve been patient enough, Dani. I want him the fuck out of your life.”
“Okay,” she said, reaching out, and just the feel of her hand caressing his face magically relieved some of the tension he’d been feeling from the moment he saw her walk in that courtroom but not entirely. “I’ll do whatever you want. I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t afford an attorney, and I wanted so desperately for this to be over. I’d already accepted that I’d have to wait years possibly to get this taken care of because I’d rather do that than give into anything Ted might want from me in exchange for his continued help with this. But when Blaine informed me about the signed contract he had to see this through the end, I figured I may as well take advantage of it. I just hadn’t anticipated Ted being involved in any way.”
Orlando shook his head. “Fuck Blaine. Fuck Ted. They’re both gone. You understand? I just about lost my shit waiting for you to get out of that courthouse after seeing you walk in there holding his hand. I can’t—”
“Okay,” she said again, shushing him, touching his lips with her fingers before kissing them softly. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. But this is almost over, and I’ll cut him off tonight. I promise.” She kissed him again, staring deeply into his eyes. “I love you.”
Orlando stared down into those beautiful eyes, feeling like a sap because, even as his heart pounded and the blood thrummed through his veins in anger, all he wanted was to have her in his arms again. He wrapped his arms around her with a groan. “I love you, too. But holy shit, Dani.” He closed his eyes as his heart thundered away in his chest. “You drain my life.”
“I had no idea he’d be here today. I swear.”
“Just get rid of him,” Orlando said, burying his face in her neck. “Get rid of him, block his ass so he can’t even text you anymore, and we’re good.” He squeezed her even tighter, relieved that he’d been wrong about the thoughts that’d begun to manifest as he’d waited so impatiently for her to exit the courthouse: that maybe there was more to her interest in this guy’s stupid texts. A guy he’d heard her declaring her love to just last month, and her being here today holding his hand was proof she hadn’t gotten over him that quickly. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear, needing desperately to hear her say it again.
“I love you too, Orlando,” was her instant response. “So much.”
Chapter 26
Danica
They were down to one night a week where Danica didn’t spend the night at Orlando’s. She was basically living with him now as he’d so emphatically told Ted they were. But she still came back to her sister’s one night each week to pick up more clothes and spend time with Dominic, who was always so excited about it. Tonight was that night since Orlando would be working late anyway. She’d come straight home from the shop after her shift, put her dirty laundry in the washer, and helped her sister put dinner together. They’d had a pleasant enough dinner, and Danica decided to walk down to the panaderia afterwards to get some sweet bread for Dominic’s dessert. She’d been in there for a little bit, speaking to the owner’s daughters working the counter. It seemed the petition was really getting some traction because a local news crew was set to come in and do a story about one of the neighborhood’s pioneer businesses.
Walking out smiling because the girls seemed optimistic that they’d be able to save the bakery from being closed, Danica froze when she saw him. Ted was leaning against his car parked just outside the panaderia. It’d been days since the confrontation outside the courthouse, but she hadn’t had a chance to speak to Blaine until today about her getting new representation. Blaine had been understanding given the altercation between Orlando and his father, but he was also optimistic that she may not even need further representation, since everything was already set in motion.
Danica knew she owed Ted for that. Blaine had done an excellent job of presenting her case of being a completely reformed, straight-A student and model citizen. The DA had not only agreed accept the request to reduce the charges from felony to misdemeanor, he also said he was moving forward to expedite the request to have the charges expunged altogether. Blaine had already told her before they even walked out of the courthouse that day that she may not even have to stand before the judge for that.
“Beautiful evening, isn’t it?”
Slowing her walking a bit, Danica nodded but refused to give into anything he might be there for. “Why are you here?”
“Oh, it was just so nice I thought I’d go for a drive.”
“To the end of my block?” she asked, rolling her eyes.
“Your block? I thought you lived with Orlando now?”
Gulping hard, she wondered how much his obsessive ass had looked into Orlando and the shop. Obviously, he knew his name now. She didn’t think he’d remember it from way back. Refusing to give into his baiting, she didn’t respond to his comment and kept walking.
“I had an interesting conversation today in the elevator with Felicia.” This stopped Danica in her tracks, but when she didn’t look at him, he went on. “She asked me about the scene outside the courthouse the day of your hearing. Said she was just curious because she knew you two.”