Chapter Forty-Eight

**

�You gonna stick by me?�

�Maybe��

**

�Okay, so that�s all I need to do until after the kid�s born?� I asked, pushing my chair back from the desk.

�Right,� Thomas answered as he stood up. �I�ll keep in touch, let you know if anything else comes up.�

�Thanks,� I said, shaking his hand before I walked out of the office.

I still couldn�t believe this was all really happening, couldn�t believe I was actually in this situation. Also couldn�t help but compare Thomas to the last lawyer I�d had�

His name�d been Larry� Forty-something year old white guy who looked like he was pushing sixty, one of those guys who starts out thinking he�s gonna save the world and ends up dying of a heart-attack the day after retirement �cause he�s spent so many years stressing about how to make enough money to feed the kids and keep the wife from bitching at him.

Larry told me that he didn�t care if I was guilty, innocent, whatever. All he wanted was to get done with my case as soon as possible. And he did. Simple guilty plea, and just like that I was sentenced to five years, without really knowing what was happening.

Thomas was different. He was young, just a few years out of law school. Taught a couple classes at Mia�s college. She was in one of them�ethics or something like that. Mia got to talking to him about the situation, asking if he knew any good lawyers who wouldn�t be too expensive, and he volunteered to take the case for free. Still not really sure why�prolly just �cause he had the hots for Mia and wanted to get on her good side. But he was a pretty decent lawyer.

I was practically on auto-pilot the whole drive home, thinking over what Thomas had told me about the whole process. I tried not to get frustrated about how long it was all taking, tried to just relax and wait for things to happen, but I couldn�t help being nervous. Imagine, me willingly talking to a judge. Never thought that would happen�

The garage was dark when I drove up, and I wondered where the hell everyone was, since it was just barely seven. Heard a car driving up as I walked in the door, but I didn�t stop to see who it was. Figured it�d be Leon, coming back from some errand or another.

�Hey Dom,� Letty sighed, her voice barely louder than the bells on the door.

�Hey,� I answered, surprised to see her instead of Leon. �You just getting home?�

�Yeah,� she grumbled, scowling a little. �I have had a long ass day��

�What are you wearing?� I asked, walking up to her. Letty was dressed like it was the middle of winter or something� Well, like she was sixty years old and it was the middle of winter�

�Come on, Dom,� she laughed. �These are respectable clothes��

�And since when are you respectable? I didn�t think you even owned any sweaters��

�I don�t,� she sighed. �This is Jamie�s.�

�Jamie?� I asked, trying to place the name.

�You know, Jamie! The girl who was here yesterday?�

�Oh, yeah�okay. So how come you�re wearing her sweater?�

Letty reached up, pulled the sweater off over her head before answering. A piece of hair came loose from her braid, and I noticed how perfect her hair looked - like she�d spent hours on it or something.

�Apparently Jamie�s parents don�t think girls should wear tank tops, or something�� she sighed.

�And�why do you care what Jamie�s parents think girls should wear?� I asked, confused.

�Because they have to like me, if they�re gonna let her stay over after the race Friday. Oh yeah, by the way, Jamie�s staying over after the race. So, you know�have your guest room ready or something.�

�Jamie�s staying over after the race?� I echoed, still trying to figure out what was going on and why Letty was falling all over herself to be nice to this new chick.

�Yeah, she is. Well, assuming that Mia and me can convince her parents we aren�t a bunch of criminals and that someone in the house is actually an adult��

�Okay�� I said slowly. �Now�why is Jamie staying over?�

�She likes Vince.�

�So you�re what�Dr. Ruth, all of a sudden? Thought that was Mia�s job��

�Dom�� Letty growled, �don�t you get it yet? She likes Vince. Likes him. Like, wants to be his girlfriend� God knows why, but she does. So��

�So if she and Vince hook up, then maybe I�ll get some actual time to spend with my girlfriend?�

�That would be the plan��

�Hey, you know we�re alone again�� I said, raising my eyebrows at Letty as I pulled her closer to me.