She nodded and smiled.
“Really? The baby’s mine?” My voice broke, and I couldn’t say anything else because I was tearing up like a bumbling idiot.
“Yes, you’re going to be a daddy for real,” Marilyn told me.
I jumped out of my chair and lifted her out of hers. I took her in a hug and squeezed her.
“Be careful. You’re going to break me or squish your offspring. Do you want to know the sex?” she asked.
“You found out?” I asked. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“I did. I wanted to make sure I had all the appropriate things. I don’t do well with change, and it would drive me crazy not knowing, so I found out the sex of the baby immediately. You don’t have to know, but then you can’t go in its room, ever, because I plan to paint the baby’s room in the color that corresponds with the sex,” she told me.
“You meanI’mgoing to paint it, right? So, if I don’t want to know, I’ll have to paint the room with my eyes closed. Hmm. That likely won’t look very good. Hey, that’s how I can get out of it. I can’t paint the room if I don’t want to know the sex of the baby,” I said.
“You’re a jerk. I’m going to tell you anyway, alright?” She raised her eyebrows, waiting for me to agree.
“Fine. Tell me. It better be good,” I said, laughing. It felt so good to joke around with her. I missed it.
“We’re having a girl,” Marilyn told me.
My heart soared. “A girl? That’s amazing! I’m going to be a father?” I asked and hugged her again.
“Yes, you are, and likely an amazing one at that.”
“You’ve just made me the happiest man on the planet. Faith will have a cousin! And they’ll be close enough in age to become good friends, I hope,” I told her.
I looked down at Marilyn, who was still in my arms. A moment passed between us that couldn’t be explained in words. I cupped her chin with my hand and leaned down to take her lips with mine. I felt the electricity shoot through my veins when flesh touched flesh, and I couldn’t help but deepen the kiss. She responded by throwing her arms around my neck and moaning while we shared this moment together.
She pulled back, looking at her phone. “Breaks over. I have to go,” she said. She looked sad that she had to leave. “Thank you for the files. Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need luck, Marilyn. You’ve got this,” I told her and winked.
I watched her leave and then went back into the courthouse myself.
Watching her rule the courtroom was something to see. She held herself together with poise and confidence and shot down everything the opposition said with the facts in the files I gave her. I could see the other lawyer lose each argument until nothing was left for them to say. Marilyn made her closing remarks to the jury, and I could see she had them in the palm of her hand.
It was no surprise when the jury came back in favor of Marilyn. Everyone sitting in the audience on our side gave a standing ovation, and she hugged her client. It was a big win, and I could see Mr. Farthington and Mr. Wright waiting to talk to her. It was a great day for everyone!
SEVENTEEN
MARILYN
Going into work today felt great. Everyone at the firm congratulated me on my big win as I made my way to my office. I wasn’t prepared for what awaited me upstairs as I rounded the corner to the hallway outside my office. Chris was waiting for me with a bouquet of deep pink roses.
“Here you go, amazing lady,” he said. I blushed pinker than the roses and took them.
“Thank you. I truly couldn’t have done it without you,” I told him. “I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if you didn’t bring me those files.”
“Then don’t think about it. I did. You won. End of story,” he said. “I’ll go put those flowers in a vase for you while you get settled.”
I sat at my desk and took a deep breath in. It felt good to be here after winning a court case. I felt so empowered and self-confident. I couldn’t let that happen again, though. Forgetting files that are detrimental to a case was almost a sin.Damn pregnancy.I was five months in, and luckily, I could still cover up the bump so that the higher-ups didn’t notice. I made sure that whenever I left my office that I had papers in my hand, covering my stomach. I felt a little bad keeping the secret, but it might be the thing that kills my opportunity to become a partner, so I had to keep up the charade for my future.
When Chris came back, he had a goofy grin on his face. He extended his hand to me and said, “Come with me.”
I stood up and took his hand. “Where are we going?”
“Just wait and see.” He let go of my hand just before we reached the boardroom where everyone was waiting. As soon as I approached, everyone said, “Congratulations, Marilyn.”