Cassie had one thing over the women in this room though. She was a professional equal. Randall and Higgens would see her merits in a heartbeat. Joseph too. The others would analyze her more deeply, but they would also recognize her abilities.

Brad rolled his shoulders as a fresh case of nerves stole around him. Maybe they’d both missed the obvious solution. Either way, he’d never be satisfied with weekends and holidays. He needed her too much. He would never be part of this family as long as she remained in Colorado.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Brad paced his bedroom, his cell phone gripped firmly in his hand. Three times he’d tried to dial. Three times his stomach heaved and he lost his nerve. If she said no…

He pivoted on his heel and turned back the other way. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he searched for courage. This was insane. He felt like a teenager, but even when he’d asked out his first girl, he hadn’t been this damned nervous. Why now? What the hell was wrong with him?

Cassie had him unraveled to the point he hardly recognized himself. One week. One crazy week, and she’d turned him inside out.

Expelling a hard breath, he tried logic again. She loved him. He loved her. Joseph would help with the Cooper mess, leaving Cassie free to retain Jennifer as her client. The only thing that remained was the intolerable distance between them, and he’d found a perfectly workable solution that would allow them both to pursue their careers.

Determined not to cow to fear, he punched in Cassie’s number once and for all. The ringing line threatened to tailspin him into hyperventilation, but he shoved the nagging questions aside and focused on the outcome. It would be hard. Fucking scary as hell. But they were strong enough to make this work.

“Hey.” The warmth of her voice brought her smile to the forefront of his mind.

Just like that, all the nervous tension dissipated. Brad tucked the phone against his shoulder and dropped onto his bed. He stretched out, reveling in the way she made him feel like his heart slowed and his pulse raced all at the same time. “Hey, sweetheart. How are you?”

“Good. I’d be better if you were here, but I have the fire going, I’m curled up with your pillow, and I’m thinking of you.”

Aw, man, she knew how to make all the impossible feeling choke him. He smiled into the darkness, momentarily at a loss for words.

“How was your dinner party?”

“Pretty good. I think I found a solution to our case problems.”

“Oh?” The covers rustled.

Brad loosened the collar of his shirt and kicked off his shoes. This was the easy part. It didn’t change, no matter what. She couldn’t object. “Joseph—good friend of mine—is going to see if he can take it off my hands. You’d be opposing him. He’ll make you work for every minor victory, but it’s better than the potential alternatives. He won’t back down on Coopers’ claims about Mr. Fischer.”

Again, her smile radiated through the tone of her voice. “I can work with that. Are you sure—what about your billable hours?”

“Waived. My review is Monday. The whole Joseph getting engaged thing I told you about.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was almost asleep.” She let out a soft laugh. “It would be easier if you were here.”

Brad’s chest tightened. She’d given him the opening…

He sucked in a deep fortifying breath and plunged in. “Sweetheart, I’ve been thinking about that too. I don’t like sleeping without you. I don’t like waking up in the morning alone, coming home to an empty house.”

The catch of her breath clanged in his head, and he sat up, passed a hand through his hair.

“What…are you saying?”

That wary edge to her voice ate him up inside. He was scaring her, and damn it, he didn’t mean to. He cleared his throat. “I don’t know what I’m saying. This is all so new. I don’t know what’s right, what’s wrong, where to draw the line. I’m just following instinct, beautiful.” He breathed deeply again, held it. “I’m asking you to come up here.”

Cassie’s mouth dropped open. Her heart raced to her throat, and elation threatened to send her squealing down the hall. Oh, she’d wanted to be invited, wanted to meet this mentor who he valued, get a first-hand peek at his life. Her smile spanned from ear to ear, and a giddy quality crept into her voice. “Really?”




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