Page 54 of Thorns That Bloom (Venusverse #3)

Sam

I slip into one of the empty conference rooms, clenching my phone in my hand while taking deep breaths.

The past week and a half has felt like the longest in my life.

Every day, I sat around, waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for news, or just…

waiting. Because courts never move fast, but they sure move faster with an opinionated, pissed off, and highly driven omega as your lawyer.

All day, I’ve had a pit in my stomach in anticipation of the upcoming video call.

The phone rings in my hand when I’m about to sit down. With a huff, I settle into the chair and quickly rest it against a stack of papers on the table.

After raking through my hair and adjusting my clothes, I accept.

Gail and Magnolia sit next to each other in what appears to be their office. They’re both smiling, which hopefully means good news.

“Hey, Sam,” Gail begins.

Anxiously fiddling with my sleeve, I smile. “Hello.”

“No need to look so worried. It all went well,” Magnolia says, a proud, almost cocky expression plastered on her face.

Some tension releases within me, but things are never this easy, so I still hold on to some skepticism.

She must see that, so she continues, moving some papers in front of her on the table.

“The judge ruled strictly in our favor, alright? The restraining order is in place. Permanently. Here, or in any other state, and it applies to both you and your child.”

I can tell she just came from court because her voice is sharp, matter-of-fact, and focused. A little intimidating, even.

“McCarthy’s argument was deeply flawed and couldn’t stand, no matter how his attorney tried to spin it. All we needed was a sympathetic judge with half a brain to see that he screwed himself with the request for the paternity test itself. Which was denied, by the way.”

Oh, thank god. That’s what I worried about the most.

“Rapid Onset Pheromone-Induced Delirium might be a complete defense in the state where the assault happened, meaning we might not have been able to deny the paternity test request, but the judge here clearly saw through the bullshit. You simply can’t claim that you acted outside of your control in the moment, while simultaneously having enough wits about you to know you were the first one to finish in the act.

The judge did not look at that very favorably.

He told McCarthy that he found his actions deplorable, and he had serious doubts about the ROPID defense overall. ”

I blink, staring at my own image on the screen. Is this really happening?

Gail smiles softly, giving me time to work through it.

“So…I’m safe? From him? He can’t…?”

Magnolia nods. “Brandon McCarthy has no rights or legal standing to demand anything from you or your child. Not custody, not visitation… Not even a paternity test. The judge declared his recent behavior to be harassment and threatening, and, especially coupled with the previous events, granted a permanent protection order. There’s also a no-contact provision, meaning he’s not allowed to contact you or your child by any means.

Texts, mail, calls… All of that’s prohibited. ”

“And from what we’ve heard, he’s apparently leaving the hotel he stayed at tomorrow morning. Soon, he should be halfway across the country again,” Gail adds.

When I look down at my hands with a deep exhale, I notice they’re trembling.

Not the same way as before, like when he came to my apartment, but almost as intensely.

This time, the tight knot of tension is releasing somewhere within me.

The emotions I’ve held onto are lifting off me with every twitch of my fingers.

“Thank you,” I whisper, unsure if they can even hear me. Unsure how to properly express the gratitude and relief washing over me; all of it thanks to them.

A few weeks ago, I was powerless and lived with the knowledge that I would never get the justice I deserved. Now, at least Brandon has no power over my life anymore. He lost. He knows what that feels like.

“You don’t have to thank us,” Gail says gently.

Magnolia still has fire in her eyes when she speaks.

“I’ve also taken it upon myself, like we’ve discussed, to look into bringing the original case back to court.

That endeavor would take quite a bit more time and energy.

I’d propose that we hold off on putting things in motion until after you give birth and get settled,” she says, easing off a little once her eyes glide down to my stomach with a smile.

“Yeah. I don’t think I’d be…up for that right now.”

“Of course. When you are, though, I’m ready to fight for all five of those monsters to get what they deserve.

The time gap works in our favor, actually, since it’ll allow us time to do some preliminary research.

We’ll try to dig up other dirt on them. Criminal histories, rumors, or possibly any previous victims, too.

When people do something like that and get away with it, there’s usually more that was swept under the rug.

By the time you’re ready, we should hopefully have all of that information at our disposal,” she says, glancing impishly at Gail next to her.

The thought of going to trial, of seeing them again and testifying and reliving everything, feels heavy and almost impossible, but…it could mean those men might finally face jail time for what they did. As they should’ve all those months ago.

It could also mean that any other victims there might have been would be vindicated, too. If for nothing else, I have to do it for them. And so it never happens to anyone else.

“Thank you so much. I will… I’m gonna prepare myself for it. I’ll do anything I can to help put them away,” I say, finally finding the confidence somewhere inside me.

Magnolia seems pleased. “You are braver than you know, Sam. Hopefully, we’ll speak again soon enough. In the meantime, Gail will be your point of contact. She’ll send over the essential paperwork and keep in touch about any additional questions or inquiries.”

Just as she says that, I get a notification about a message from Theo.

A wide, stupid smile appears on my face, no matter how much I try to hide it. The two women notice me getting distracted and share a quick glance.

“Well, that is all. We won’t take any more of your time. I know you said you were still at work,” Gail says, straightening her back.

“Thank you again. I…thank you so much.”

“You are very much welcome, Sam. I’ll email you the paperwork and let you know if there are any other important updates.”

We end the call, and for a few minutes, I simply sit in the quiet room, motionless. Cradling my belly with one hand, I rub my face with the other, still trying to believe it.

I won’t have to see him again. At least until the court, but that would be on my terms. In my control.

“We’re okay,” I whisper with a deep exhale and lean back into the chair. For a moment, I close my eyes, letting myself experience how good this peace of mind is. It washes over me like a cool, calming wave. It’s been some time since I’ve experienced it. Since I’ve felt this light.

Well, as light as I can feel while dragging around a five-pound melon inside my stomach. With a chuckle, I grab my phone and open the message from Theo.

What should I wear for the class? Is it like a casual type of thing?

My grin only grows wider. I wonder what Gail would think if she knew I’ve asked her alpha brother to come to the antenatal class with me.

It’s a pregnancy class. No one cares how anyone looks. Wear whatever.

I just finished the call. They said everything went well. I’ll tell you more later.

I rest my chin against my hand, swirling playfully on the office chair.

I’m excited. More than I should be. Mostly about the fact that I won’t be the only person alone again, but also because I want Theo to be there with me to experience it.

It’s the final one, and I haven’t been enjoying them very much so far.

Not with the lovey-dovey couples always touching each other and kissing and excitedly chatting about their future all around me.

Now, just the idea of Theo being with me fills me with joy, and I wish I had asked him earlier.

That’s so AWESOME!! I knew they would be able to help you. I KNEW.

Okay. You’ll pick me up at six thirty. After the class, are we still coming to my place for dinner? It’s a fancy celebratory dinner now, I guess! *winking emoji*

My finger hovers over the empty text field. Going to Theo’s house is a big deal. Do I worry he would ever hurt me? No, of course not, but the smallest sliver of hesitancy is there.

I need to get over that reluctance. I want to push through, and I want to be happy again, the way I deserve.

That’s the plan. See you soon, handsome.

Biting down on my lip, I hesitate before pressing send.

After a little while, Theo sends back a winking, kissing emoji. I imagine him all the way downstairs and across the building, standing by his machine with that cute smile on his face.

I’ve wasted enough time, so I waddle back to the office. Without the cloud of stress and worry hanging over my head, the hours fly by.

I click away, filing information, inputting data, and as I look around the room, I realize I’ve gone through nearly all the backlog. It feels like yesterday when I started. Now, I’m almost done.

After I come back from parental leave, things might be a little different. I’ve gotten used to my little private area, but I don’t even hate the idea of moving into the office with the others that much anymore…

A lot of changes are coming. Pleasant changes.

I finish my shift and head home for a bit.

Theo sends me updates every so often—about leaving work, about being excited and nervous, and then apologizing for texting too much.

Snacking on some popcorn to hold myself over until another of his scrumptious meals, I clean up the apartment and then rest with my laptop sitting atop my belly.