MONROE
Iyanked off my tie, and tossed it onto the bed as I sat down. Sighing, I hung my head, rubbing my hands through my hair. I thought my battle with Brittni had been over when I’d gained custody of Levi. The reality was it had only begun. Today was her arraignment and charges were officially filed against her, but she’d been let out on bail, free to see Levi as long as it was supervised. It was ironic, in a way, but I didn't want her to have any contact. Especially with my current role as the prosecutor’s star witness.
It wasn’t how I’d intended to spend my time in court, but at the end of the day, the only silver lining was that I got to come home to Levi. And if it helped keep her locked away from him, then so be it. I’d sit through however many hearings I had to.
Sitting up, I unbuttoned my shirt and laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Turning on my side, I pulled the pillow closer, sniffing it. It might be strange, but I could still smell a faint whiff of Wells’ cologne and Loren’s perfume. It somehow mixed together on the pillow they’d laid on, creating my new favorite smell. Snuggling with it, I dozed off as memories of our time together replayed in my head.
When my phone vibrated, I jolted a little, the feeling waking me from the midday sex dream. Sleepily, I reached into my pocket, bringing it close to my face to see who was texting. It was the group message Loren had made with a message from her. Clicking on it, I sat up when I read it. Quickly, I brushed my shirt all the way off and grabbed a sweater out of the closet, putting it on as I made my way to the door.
Within two seconds, I was unlocking Loren’s door with the key she’d given me, and I bounded into her living room, sliding to a stop. She was sitting on the couch, Christine next to her. They both looked up at my arrival, mixed expressions on their faces.
“What is it? What did you find?”
“I haven’t told her yet,” Christine admitted, and I exhaled in relief. Loren was used to dealing with the heavy stuff on her own, and I wanted to show her she didn’t have to. Not ever again. I’d be the person for her to lean on when she needed it. It was something I could do for her, offering her that reprieve.
Walking over to the spot next to her, I sat, taking her hand in mine without even thinking about it. Our level of comfortableness had increased over the past few weeks, and I no longer had to think about my interactions with her. It had become that natural.
“Okay, let’s hear it,” I said, hoping to spur Christine on. Before she could respond, Loren’s phone rang, causing her to jump. I picked it up for her, finding an incoming video call from Atticus. Hitting accept, I found Loren smiling into my neck as I answered with a smirk.
“Hello, suited one.” Atticus stared at me, clearly not amused. His eyes shifted to Loren, who was barely visible at the bottom, and I watched him relax. It was the first time I’d witnessed some real emotion from him, even if it was slight.
“Lore, I’m here.” He ignored me, which was the usual, so I tilted it down so he could see her. She nodded, her hair tickling my neck.
“Thank you, Attie.”
“You’re gonna be placed on the table. I have better things to do with my hands.” He rolled his eyes, but I caught the slight tilt of his lips and the crease around his eyes easing.
Sitting it down on the table, I used some of Jude’s books to leverage it up so he wasn’t looking at the ceiling and then gave my attention back to Christine.
“Christine, apologies, I didn’t ask how you were? Paisley?”
She smiled, a serene look crossing her face. “We’re so much better thanks to your and Loren’s help. I feel awful that it took me that long to leave, but I’m glad I did. Paisley is a different child.”
“I’m glad we were able to help. Do you need anything else? I know Brian’s been out. Has he tried to contact you since?” Loren asked, letting her worries go for a second.
“No, thank goodness. Whatever you said to him has kept him away, which made it easier to find what I needed.”
Loren’s hand tightened in mine as we waited for Christine to take a breath and a sip of the water she had. When she took a deep breath, her eyes lifted, and she held Loren’s. It made me respect her for not taking the easy way out.
“Brian was real careful. He didn’t leave much at my place. The last time he was there, though, he must’ve been distracted because I found something that connected some of the other information I’d overhead. Did you ever find anything else out about the trust?”
A throat clearing from the table had us remembering Atticus was listening in. “I’ve recently uncovered some information that I think connects to your mother and ex-husband, Loren.”
Christine nodded, accepting she didn’t need to know, and continued. “Well, good, it might help make sense of it all. The thing Brian left behind was an invoice to a storage facility. The name was strange, though, so I looked it up.” She pulled out a torn piece of paper and handed it to Loren.
“Descendents Storage,” she read, “I’ve never heard of it. He must’ve gotten it after our divorce.”
Christine froze, a panicked look on her face. “Something tells me it’s not a regular storage facility, and he’s had it longer than they’ve been divorced?” I asked, my heart sinking when Christine nodded, fidgeting in her seat.
“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this then, Loren. But it’s a storage facility for um, ovum… mature oocyte cryopreservation.”
“Ovum? Like women’s reproductive eggs?” She asked, her nose scrunching in confusion. “Why would he be storing anything there?”
“I, uh, I don’t know. But he’s been paying a monthly fee for three years.”
“Three years! But that was when we were still married…”
Loren froze, her face going white, and I worried she was about to pass out. When she didn’t appear to be able to form any words. I moved the phone to her hands and walked Christine out.