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Love,

Aiden

He never ceases to amaze me, and it's nice to have someone who is romantic. My ex-husband is definitely whatever is the opposite. I pull out my phone and text him, yes. He's right; I might have to work late tonight, but if I don't eat, then I'll be worth nothing. It's nice to know he's thinking about me. I hate that I have to jump right into work when we got back, but that's what being an adult is all about, right? Of course, I wish I could be laid up on the couch, snuggled in his arms, watching whatever binge-worthy tv show, but I'm not.

Aiden: Reservation for Bon Ami Gai at six.

I smile, and try to focus on work until dinner. The stack of papers that needs more documentation is slowly dwindling down between me and a few others that are still here to help with the case. If we can score more documentation to prove his incompetence when selecting jurors, this could be something that can blow the bottom out of the prosecutors case. This could help overturn his conviction. How has no one read more into this until now? Although, if you aren't searching for it, most wouldn't think to look into his past cases and allegations against him.

My alarm goes off at five-forty-five to alert me that our reservation is soon, and as much as I want to continue the deep dive into the prosecutor, I can't bail on him the first night we are back. So, I lock my computer, put the pile of papers into my locked cabinet, and try to think about something else.

I always keep a spare outfit in my office, and right now it's a mid-thigh black and white polka dot skirt from Macy's and a pair of red booties. The black blouse I currently have on will match perfectly. My hair is up in a cute up-do, but I consider letting it down for dinner. Is he going to nibble on my neck? Earlobe? Maybe back me up into the wall and have his way with me? I shiver as the memories of us fling around in my brain.

Work is going to be stressful this week since picking up a brand new client, but even I have to eat. It makes it better that I will have good company for the hour. Aiden has been supportive so far of my career, and long hours, but Roger was too before he started cheating on me. Don't go there. Aiden and Roger are not the same man, and I can't fault Aiden for what he did. He's one hundred percent a better man than Roger will ever be.

I leave my hair up, and throw on some red hoops I found in my top left drawer of my desk. Some might find it weird that I have a stash of extra clothes and jewelry, but you must. You never know when you are going to need to change, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

It's ten-minutes until our reservation and traffic should be light this late, but I hate being late to things. I take one last glance at myself, and strut out into the main walkway to the elevator. As I wait, my foot taps and someone in the desk closest to me starts to stare.

The elevator finally arrives, and it's chalked full, leaving enough room for me to squeeze in. Normally, I would wait until the next one, but I didn't think I could spare the extra few minutes. My nervousness has gotten worse since we both arrived in Massachusetts, because now there is more riding on this. Our personalities have changed a little since we separated and now it's interesting to see what makes him tick, what excites him. Some is exactly the same, like seeing me in red.

The bell rings, alerting us that we have reached the lobby, and the restaurant is down the street from my office. I could have taken a cab, but that's silly. The exercise won't hurt me. As I enter Bon Ami Gai, Aiden is nowhere to be found, so I tell the receptionist I'll be at the bar when he arrives. I tap the bar, drumming on it, and ask for a vodka and sprite. It's not like him to be late, and it's now pushing ten minutes. Did he forget?

I pull out my phone, click on his name, and the line starts to trill.

"Hello?"

I sigh. "On your way? I'm waiting at the bar."

The line is silent for a moment. "I'm a couple minutes away. No, I didn't forget. See you soon."

The bartender slaps my drink down on the bar top and then places a small straw inside. Long work weeks always involve at least a bit of liquor. Stress is a killer and we all have our ways to cope with life. Some weeks are harder than others, but having Aiden waiting for me when I get home makes it all seem a little less dreadful.

A pair of arms wrap around my waist, and then lips are on my ear. "Hi, love. Sorry about that. Ready to eat?"

I spin around and embrace him before the hostess takes us to our table. Something seems off with him.

"So, what were you doing today?"

His hand runs across the back of his neck. "You know I believe I have a drinking problem, and so I went to an AA meeting. I don't want anything to jeopardize my relationship with you or Jake."

He has mentioned his love for alcohol, but didn't realize it has been that hard to quit drinking. Aiden has been nothing but honest with me about that since moving here, and the fact he is willing to attend meetings means he is taking this seriously. This makes me so proud of him.

"That's great. You know I'm here for you if you need to talk. Or anything," I say, flagging down a waitress to take my drink away. Alcoholism is a hard thing to quit and it's not right for me to be drinking in front of him.

She returns back with a notepad and pen to take our order, and we both order the garlic and herb salmon with a side salad and grilled zucchini. One thing I do is order the chef's special almost anywhere I go because it's usually highly rated and the best thing on the menu. Even though it's also the most expensive.

The topic is changed by him when he asks how the case is going. The problem is it's going to be a hard one to win because it's a higher profile case from 1989 where my client, an African American male, was accused of murdering four people inside a family owned general store. All the evidence is circumstantial, and the eyewitnesses that place him around the scene of the crime are convicted felons. It's hard for a felon to turn down a reduced sentence in exchange for information, even if that conversation never happened. The prosecutor has been accused of jury tampering in other cases, but not this one and it might be about time we hit on that. Every single juror on this case was white, and race played a huge part in convictions during that time period. Our justice system is about having a fair trial and innocent until proven guilty, but for him, the first time he was brought in by the local police, it put a target on his back, and he was the talk of the town. Now, of course, most of his case is public knowledge and has been followed by the media since his first trial, and this is no exception.

"Can’t you have everything thrown out since there is no DNA evidence that ties him to the murder?" Aiden questions.

If only it were that simple. "I wish my job was that easy. There are still many eye witnesses who place him there, and a fellow inmate who testified to him confessing to the murders while being in the same cell."

This is all public knowledge so I'm not telling him anything he couldn't look up himself.

"That's such shit. How do people get away with that?" he asks.

"If only I had a definite answer for you, babe."

Our dinner arrives and we focus on devouring it instead of talking about my job. It's not something I like to go into depth on, because I spend enough time worrying about it in the office and don't want it to interfere with our time. I think that was Roger's biggest complaint that I couldn't leave it at the office and always brought it home and never spent time with him.

Aiden starts raving about how good his meal is, and I agree, is my favorite from this restaurant by far, and worth the price. Normally, when you come to upscale restaurants the portions are small, and you leave wanting another meal, but not here. It's just enough.

My alarm starts to go off as I am taking my last bite, and I scoff. "It's time for me to head back. One of the partners wants an update on the case, and it's not something I can be late to." I wipe my mouth with the napkin, and then move over to the other side of the table to give him a kiss. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."


Tags: Ashley Zakrzewski Rough Edges Romance