“Addison,” her father warned.
“No, Dad. You might not have committed murder or attempted murder, but you tried to buy Maddox out of my life. You’re not that much better.” She marched up to him. “And I know Maddox’s lawyer asked me to testify twelve years ago. You never told me.”
Her father blanched and started stuttering, “I-I—”
“Don’t even bother lying at this point. Maddox’s lawyer has the attorney’s notes from his first conviction. There was a copy of the letter in the files.” A tear fell from her eyes. “You were willing to let an innocent man go to prison for something he didn’t do just to get him out of my life.”
“He’s hardly innocent.” Brantley seemed to have regained his voice. “I know what you two were doing that night and why you were able to alibi him.”
Addison rolled her eyes. “So what? Teenagers having sex is not a criminal offense. And Maddox was not guilty of the robbery.”
“I—”
“I don’t care,” she cut him off. “I don’t want you in my life, I don’t want your money, and I don’t need your blessing. Just stay away from me.”
I took her hand. “Come on, Addy. Let’s go.”
With a slight tug on my part, she came with me out the door. I took her around the corner and pulled her into my arms to let her cry.
“Oh my God, what happened?” Olivia yelled as she made a beeline for us.
“No, Olivia, it’s not—”
“Why didn’t you wait for me?” She pulled out her phone and began pacing back and forth.
“Olivia.”
She was shaking her head back and forth. “This is what happens when clients don’t listen to me.”
“Olivia, shut up,” Addison said from my chest.
Olivia froze as her eyes widened.
“Will you just listen to Maddox, please?”
I bit the inside of my cheek to not laugh at the two women.
Olivia looked at me with raised eyebrows.
“They found out that Simon had done it,” I told her. “Brandon woke up this morning and told them it wasn’t me.”
“And Simon just confessed,” Addison mumbled.
Olivia clapped her hands. “Yes. Victory.” She pointed at me. “I’m still billing you for the hours.”
“Okay,” I said as Addison said, “No way.”
Olivia backed up, so she could look from the corner we’d just come around. “Do you think Simon has an attorney?”
Addison lifted her head. “If you represent him, I’ll cut you.”
Olivia rolled her eyes and held her hands up in surrender. “Fine, fine.”
“You don’t want to be his lawyer anyway,” I told her. “He confessed, and the victim can identify him.”
She smirked at me. “But I do love a challenge.”
Yikes. I bet she did.
She looked at Addison. “But I’ll stay away from him. Out of respect for our friendship.” She raised her phone and began typing away on it.
Addison put her hand on her hip. “Then, what are you doing?”
“I’m contacting the media. We need to do a press conference.”
“No,” I said.
She sighed and looked at me. “An interview then?”
I hesitated.
“I’ll waive my fee,” she said in a singsong voice.
“Five-minute interview. Not a second more.”
She grinned.
“And no talking about my time in the service, or the interview is over.”
Olivia frowned and lowered her phone. “But that’s one of the things they’ll want to talk about.”
“I’ll answer basic questions but nothing about what I did while overseas.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
“And I’m not dressing up. You can take me as I am.”
She looked horrified. “But…you’re wearing cargo pants.”
“Fatigues,” I corrected.
“Tomayto, tomahto. They look the same.”
I shrugged. “Take it or leave.”
“Fine,” she said as she turned around and put her phone to her ear.
“Ooh, my man is going to be famous,” Addison teased.
I frowned at her. I didn’t want to be famous. Not even a little bit.
She tapped her chin. “Of course, then everyone’s going to see how hot you are, and you’ll be getting letters and used panties in the mail.”
I wrinkled my nose. No, thank you.
She gasped and grinned. “I know. I’m going to write Addison’s Man on you. We’ll put Addison on your forehead, and then the M on your left cheek, an A on your nose, and the N on the right cheek.”
She outlined her plan on my face with her finger as she said it, and I shook her hand away.
“I don’t think so.”
She blew a raspberry at me. “You’re no fun.”
I wiggled my left hand. “Why don’t you just put a ring on it?”
Her eyes widened. “I’m going to pretend like you didn’t just say that because that is not how you’re going to propose to me.”
“Why not?” I teased.
“The sheriff’s department. Really? And you don’t even have a ring.”
“Well, it is where we met up again after twelve years.”
“No,” she said and turned her back to me and walked away.
I laughed as I followed her out.
Fifty-One
Addison
There were several groups of townspeople crowded outside as Maddox prepped with the reporter and Olivia. He’d opted to have the interview on the edge of town, next to the sign that said Brook Creek. Word had spread like wildfire about the interview, and people were coming in droves. They hadn’t even turned the camera on yet.
Olivia broke away from the news crew. “Are Maddox’s friends still here?” She looked around at the people in the crowd.
I smirked. “No. Why? Did you want to see Flash again?”
She met my eyes. “No.”
I nudged her. “Liar.”
“Okay, yes. But only because it would look good for him to have his friends here.”
“They wouldn’t be seen on camera anyway.”
I saw Maddox’s family off to the side. His mother, sister, and niece all wore smiles, but Foster looked almost sad.
“Excuse me a moment,” I said to Olivia.
“Okay.”
I walked over to his family. I wasn’t sure how they’d respond to me because it was my father’s assistant who’d tried to frame Maddox, but they were all smiles as I approached.
“You did it, Addison,” Serena said.
I blushed from the praise. “Not really. But I’m super glad that everything turned out okay for Maddox.”
Betty took my hand. Her fingers were ice cold, a reminder that she was sick and that she and Maddox didn’t have a lot of time to spend with each other. Just another reason I was happy that everything had ended up the way it did.
“We know how hard you fought for him,” Betty said.
I looked behind me at Maddox. “He means a lot to me. I wasn’t going to let him go without a fight.”