“Not even close to as much as I love you.”
Rowe got his turn for a hug that was so hard it was like boulders crashing against each other. Rowe turned his lips to Heath’s ear, murmuring something too low for me to hear. Heath jerked back, looking at him in surprise, then crashed his mouth to Rowe’s. Liam’s hug came last, and it was full of a different sort of love. One that said we did it, we’re here, and that this was all finally over.
The judge cleared his throat, and we all stopped. He had some papers clutched in his hand, and he peered down as he read from them. “The three of you are Mae Donovan, Rowe Pritchard, and Liam Banks. Is that correct?”
We all paused to nod. “Yes, Your Honor.”
“I’ve just been reading over the charges brought against you for aiding and abetting a wanted fugitive.” He peered over the top of his glasses. “You truly believed in this man so much that you not only helped him escape a prison, but then kept him hidden for weeks?”
I didn’t dare say anything, Linda’s warning to keep my mouth shut still ringing in my ears.
“Yes, Your Honor. We did believe in his innocence that thoroughly. We were also the ones to bring forward the real killer.” Liam addressed the judge as confidently as he did when he was defending a client. Even though this time, it was his own hide on the line.
“I see.” The man shuffled his papers, tapping them on the desk so they all fell into a neat pile. “I’ll be recommending these cases be dismissed. I don’t see any point wasting the court’s time when the three of you were the only ones who seemed to see sense in this case. I’ll also be requesting legal action to be taken against certain individuals within the police and judicial services.” He stood, straightening his robe. “To all of you, I apologize for what you’ve gone through.”
I swallowed hard so I could reply. “Thank you.”
He nodded, then smiled. “Well, go on. Go enjoy your lives.”
I intended to do just that. I stared at the three men I loved more than anything in this world and put my hands out to them. Then the four of us walked out of the court.
Free.
Epilogue
Mae
“I can’t believe that just happened.” Liam laughed to himself. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Rowe had run his hands through his hair so many times it stuck up at odd angles. “I still don’t believe we actually just walked out of that courtroom, and now there’s nothing hanging over us. No psychopath trying to take our child. No pending charges, murder or otherwise. No prisons—”
“Except the one we work in.”
Rowe shrugged. “Gotta pay the bills somehow. But do you know how much better I’ll feel going there knowing that Heath isn’t sitting in our cabin just waiting for the cops to show up?”
“Vincent still might,” I added cautiously.
None of us had seen him since that night. Rowe and Liam had gone looking for evidence of the murder that had taken place and had come back claiming that they couldn’t find anything even remotely amiss. It was like it had never even happened. If I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes, I would have thought I dreamed it.
Heath beamed at me, and I shifted on the back seat so we were closer. I’d always thought him beautiful, but there had been a sadness in him. I was sure I’d never seen him truly happy.
Until today.
He picked up my hand, slowly bringing it to his mouth. While Rowe and Liam chattered out their relief in the front seats, Heath kissed my fingertips, my knuckles, and then my palms. Every touch was featherlight, and yet each one told me exactly how much he loved me. “Thank you.”
I leaned back into the comfortable leather of the seat. “You should be thanking Linda. Or that judge. But I don’t think he’d appreciate this sort of thank you as much as I do.”
Heath smiled against my hand. “Thank you for not giving up. I don’t know why you believed me. But I’m glad you did.”
I drew my hand to his cheeks. “Because I know you.”
That was all I needed to say. I knew him. I knew that he was good, no matter what the evidence said. I knew he never would have hurt Jayela, even if he had been mad at her. Just like I knew he’d never hurt me.
“Do you think she knows?” he murmured.
I knew what he meant. “I have no doubt. I’ve felt her presence so many times since this all happened. Each time it urged me on to find the truth. “
“And now?”
I smiled. “She’s quiet. She’s at peace.”
He closed his eyes briefly, and I knew he was thinking of the version of Jayela he’d once loved. “I want that for her.”
I did, too. And now she had it.
There were other things I wanted for myself, though. Things of a much more tangible nature. I leaned forward, sticking my head between the two front seats. “Can Steve and Alora have the kids for a bit longer?”
“I thought the case would go a lot longer than it did, so I organized for them to have them all day. We have hours to spare.” Liam glanced over his shoulder at me. “Whatever shall we do with them?”
I wriggled my eyebrows suggestively. “I have a few ideas.”
Heath’s gaze turned heated. “Does one of them involved you taking your panties off right now?”
It hadn’t, but heat instantly surged through me. “We aren’t even home yet.”
“I’ve been back in prison for days, and I just found out I’m never going to have to go back there. Mae, when we get home, I don’t even want to think about having to take your clothes off. I want you ready for me by the time we pull in the driveway.”
My breath hitched. Liam and Rowe went still in the front seat, but my gaze was trained on Heath.
I would have given him anything he wanted in that moment.
I drew my skirt up to my knees and then slipped my fingers beneath the soft fabric. At my hips, I tucked my fingers in the sides of my panties and lifted my ass so I could draw them down my legs.