Page 133 of Reckless Love

Stephen hesitates, but his shuttered expression never changes.

“It seems to me you have a history of questionable choices,” the defense says, when Stephen doesn’t answer right away.

“Objection,” the prosecution says. “The defense is adding commentary. Mr. Foster’s dating choices are not on trial.”

The defense attorney doesn’t miss a beat, just continues trying to draw Stephen’s character into question.

But Stephen keeps his cool, refuting anything outrageous with a calm correction. His skill on the stand probably comes from the years he spent as a police officer. Testifying in court isn’t new to him, and neither is having his behavior or findings scrutinized. Those were all points Stephen raised to me whenever I’d get nervous, worry that something could go wrong and nullify his immunity. The only person going to jail will be my mother. That’s the only outcome I’ll accept.

The questioning by the defense team seems to go on forever, digging into every little detail, testing Stephen’s memory over and over. But Stephen never wavers, never shows a hint of unease beyond the question about his sister.

When he’s finally allowed to step down, he heads straight out of the courtroom, and I scoot around Ember and Gage to follow him.

I find him sitting on one of the benches in the wide, high-ceilinged hallway of the courthouse, his head in his hands. I take the seat beside him, and I lay my palm between his shoulders, and I press a kiss to his temple.

“You were great,” I say.

“I’m glad they aren’t just relying on my testimony,” he says. “They made me look pretty terrible. Untrustworthy. Questionable morals.”

“The prosecution standing up again at the end and asking if my mom had ever threatened you to get you to comply was a good move. Made you sympathetic again.”

“Maybe,” he says with a small nod. “Hard to tell sometimes when it’s just one judge and not a jury. Regular people are often easier to read.”

“You did your part,” I say, leaning against him. “We’ll just have to see if all of this was enough.”

Once all the testimony is over, the judge doesn’t take long to render her decision. My whole family piles into the courtroom again, but this time, Stephen sits beside me, our hands joined.

After each count, the judge reads her decision, and each guilty is bittersweet. Had all of us paid more attention sooner, others might not have suffered. We might not have suffered. Even her version of protection was toxic.

“I wish it hadn’t come to this,” Gage says after Mom is led out of the courtroom, and we’re filing out the doors into the sunshine. “But after everything I heard in there, a guilty verdict seems like justice.”

“Amen,” Nathaniel says, squinting into the sun. “It’ll be nice to no longer have to wonder what she’s up to and who she’s going to hurt next.”

I lean into Stephen, and he puts an arm around me, drawing me close.

Nathaniel’s right. No longer having my mother’s or Raul’s influence hanging over my head is a fresh start, a chance to remake my life into something I never knew I could have.

The only direction I’m looking from now on is forward because I’m sure the best is yet to come.

Epilogue

Ava

Baby fever has taken over my life, and I set the latest pregnancy test on the bathroom counter to wait it out. Where I was blissfully ignorant to becoming pregnant last time, this time, I think every time we have sex is the time. Since every month has led to disappointment so far, I’ve poured myself into other things that feel worthwhile.

With my mother and Raul in jail, my divorce finalized, and all Landon’s official paperwork switched to reflect Stephen as his rightful father, I’ve begun reorganizing The Nile into a company that cares about its workers.

Step one? Installing my sister, Maren, on the board of directors. She’s my humanitarian representative, or as I like to call her, the moral compass of The Nile’s board. Reckless is still my priority, so at least I’ll have my sister at The Nile to tell me when the board starts to prioritize profits too heavily over people.

We’re still in the process of hiring a new CEO to replace Raul, but with Gage and Nathaniel’s help, I’ve been able to keep The Nile floating along nicely enough. Julia Jensen, who also married into the royal family, has agreed to interview for the job. After having two children with Nicholas Summerset, she wants a role outside the royal realm. At least I know her moral compass is closer to that of my siblings than my mother or Raul.

The timer on my phone goes off, and I glance at the pregnancy test, bracing myself for failure before I move closer.

“Holy shit,” I whisper out loud, grabbing the package to check the instructions again. Not that I haven’t read them so many times in the last few months. But there’s no mistaking the two lines of the test result. “Holy shit,” I say again. Then I grab my phone to text Stephen, but after I open the message, I pause.

Sending him a text message to tell him he’s a father?

Bad idea.