Page 135 of A Legal Affair
In one corner of the tent, Governor Bernard Chambers stood drinking and socializing with Crandall Thorne, Deacon Hubbard and nine or ten other men. His wife was holding court in the other corner, surrounded by adoring acolytes who hung on her every word. She wore an impossibly elegant royal blue dress that made her look as regal and intimidating as a queen. (Sidenote: The combined security details for the governor, the first lady and Brandon had the place guarded better than Fort Knox.)
Daniela lingered at the entrance to the tent, smiling at her new stepfather. Her mother and Deacon Hubbard had gotten married four months ago in an intimate candlelit ceremony at their church. Daniela had bawled like a baby at their wedding, completely overjoyed for her mother, who had never looked more radiantly happy in her life.
Catching Daniela’s eye across the tent, Crandall raised his champagne glass and winked. Few people were more thrilled than him when Caleb and Daniela reconciled. He’d invited them to the ranch for a celebratory five-course feast, which had since become a monthly ritual that included her mother and Deacon Hubbard. Crandall had embraced Daniela as his own, becoming the doting father figure she’d been missing all her life.
She beamed and waved back at him, then stepped away from the tent and continued walking until she finally located her fiancé in the furthest corner of the huge lawn, in a moon-dappled courtyard with lush greenery and a bubbling fountain in the middle. He stood in a circle with her beloved cousin Dane, Brandon, Noah, Evander, Dre, Cornel and Justin, another one of Brandon’s longtime friends. They were all laughing, drinking champagne and joking around, a sight that brought a smile to her face and made her think of well-dressed gangsters enjoying some downtime in a Scorsese film.
Two days after Caleb and Daniela got engaged, Kenneth and Noah took Caleb out for drinks and humbly apologized for conspiring against him and his father. The three of them had hashed things out and were now good friends. To further demonstrate that all was forgiven, Caleb and his father had been sending a steady stream of new business to the agency. At the rate things were going, they’d have to hire new staff to meet the growing demand. Definitely a good problem to have.
As Daniela approached the fellas, Caleb tossed back the last of his champagne and gave his glass to a server who’d beenhovering nearby, looking a little starstruck as she watched the handsome group of men.
Daniela didn’t blame her. But she only had eyes for Caleb.
She watched as he accepted a hot towel from the server and wiped his hands, laughing at a joke cracked by Cornel. As he passed the used towel back to the server, his head turned in Daniela’s direction.
Heat seared her skin when their eyes met across the lawn. An electric arc pulled them toward each other like magnets, the pull growing stronger as the distance shrank, until they stood face to face under the starry sky.
“You’re back,” Caleb drawled, his deep voice tinged with amusement. “Thought you might’ve skipped town or something.”
“That’s what I was about to say to you,” Daniela teased. “I was beginning to think you were hiding from me.”
“Now why would I ever do that?”
“I don’t know,” she said, toying with the top button of his white bespoke shirt. “Maybe you’re getting cold feet, wondering if you really want to spend the rest of your life with this shoe-obsessed broad who needs a whole separate closet just for her hair products.”
He let out a rumbling laugh that resonated to the very core of her. God, she loved his laugh. She’d never get enough of it—or him.
He cupped her face in his palms and dropped his forehead to hers, his eyes glimmering with mirth. “Holy shit, I’m crazy about you.”
“I’m crazy about you, too,” she cooed in dulcet tones. “But I’m still waiting for you to assure me that you’re not worried about my shoe collection or endless hair products overtaking your space.”
“Well…”
She playfully slapped his chest.
He laughed again and kissed her forehead, his lips lingering on her skin as if to brand her. “I love you, baby,” he said, low and husky. “The only thing that worries me is waking up tomorrow to find out this was all just a dream.”
Everything inside her melted into one big puddle of feels.
“Good answer, counselor.” Smile softening, she reached up and stroked his cheek. “I love you so damn much, Caleb. Just three more weeks and you’re stuck with me and my fifty-’leven shoes for life.”
He gazed down at her, smiling hard, and just like the day they met, she felt like he could see into her soul.
A burst of raucous male laughter broke the spell between them.
Daniela grinned, and gestured behind him. “Why are you guys hanging out all the way back here?”
Caleb’s mouth quirked up. “Someone wanted to smoke a blunt without getting caught by Brandon’s mother.”
“Really? Who?”
“Can’t tell you. I’m not a snitch.” His eyes twinkled. “Did you put Tatiana to bed?”
“Her mommy did, but I supervised.”
His soft chuckle floated over her skin, making her body tingle as he tipped up her face to gaze into her eyes. “Dance with me, sweetheart.”
“With pleasure,” she purred.
