Page 39 of Prairie Nights

Bea shook her head as she responded, “You forget I know you, Hayden. You fiercely protect those you love, whether they need it or not. Maybe you need to back off on this one. Whitney has been independent for a long time, and you need to respect that. Isn’t that part of what you love about her?”

“Yes.” Hayden answered, meeting Bea’s gaze.

“Then trust her when she says she's got this.”

Hayden knew Bea was right. Whitney wouldn’t be facing this alone unless she needed to. Her words about facing her past echoing in his mind confirming it. He had to give her this. Give her a chance to stand strong on her own and find the closer she needed to move on with their future, no matter how hard it was to watch her go.

* * *

Whitney rummaged through the closet and pulled out a few of her suits, laying them on the bed. The court hearing was three days away, and she was flying out tomorrow morning, so she had time to meet with her lawyer and get debriefed as to how this was going to go.

“Packing?” a deep voice asked from the doorway.

Whitney glanced up to see Hayden, looking exhausted and a little sheepish. Neither had gotten much sleep over the past few days. Hayden fell asleep in front of the TV each night and Whitney found herself tossing and turning in an empty bed. An invisible wall seemed to have been erected between them, and neither knew exactly how to cross it.

He approached her gingerly, the awkwardness thick between them. “Whitney, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed you wanted me to come with you to Toronto.”

Whitney looked up at him, her eyes sad. “Hayden, I understand your desire to protect me, but you can’t protect me from everything. Some things I just must face on my own.”

“I realize that,” he said, meeting her gaze. “I love you so much, Whitney. I can’t think of you being in that room with him. The thought of it is killing me.”

“I know.” She acknowledged, coming closer to him. “I appreciate that. This is simply something I need to do. For the first time in years, I feel confident and brave enough to face him and the reason I do is because of you.” she confessed, her eyes holding his gaze as she stepped into his space and reached up wrapping her arms around his neck. “I need to close my past fully, so I can move forward with our future.”

Hayden gave her an understanding smile and leaned down, kissing her gently. The feel of his lips on hers, something she had missed and craved over the past couple of days. Whitney pulled him in closer, deepening their kiss, allowing their deep commitment to each other to wash away all the tension from the past few days. Pulling her lips away from his, Hayden raised his eyebrow in question, flashing her his familiar frisky grin.

“Can we have make up sex now?” he asked with a coquettish waggle of his brows.

Whitney threw her head back in laugh as she replied, “I thought you would never ask.”

* * *

Whitney’s taxi pulled up in front of Burke Hatheway Law office in downtown Toronto. Gerald Burke, a family friend and her lawyer for her divorce years ago, knew her history with Paul. Although Gerald specialized in Family Law he was also well versed in Criminal and Civil Law and there was no one else she trusted more in this situation.

Checking in with the receptionist, Whitney went to take a seat, but before she could sit down, Gerald rounded the corner and greeted her with a big hug. “Whitney! It is so nice to see you! Are your parents well?”

“They are. I was just down in Arizona about a month ago to visit them.”

“Wonderful. Let’s go to my office and discuss the hearing. There are some interesting developments I want to go through with you.”

Whitney followed him into his office and sat down.

Gerald took his seat and opened the folder in front of him. “Let’s get to it. It seems Paul has changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on all counts, including Breaking and Entering and Criminal Harassment. With the surveillance footage, his fingerprints were found at the scene and with the evidence found in his apartment, his case was not strong enough for a not guilty plea. Also, because he moved into the apartment building in August and the order of protection didn’t expire until September, he’s in violation of the protective order, so we can charge him with that as well.”

“So, what does that mean?” Whitney asked.

“It means we’ll not be going to trial and there will just be a court hearing and sentencing. It means this is going to be over quickly and you can move on with your life,” he answered, offering her a compassionate smile. “Paul is looking at a minimum sentence of 10 years without parole and a max of 20 years if found guilty on all charges, possibly more. He will get parole but will have to serve at least 10 years before that becomes an option.”

Whitney looked down at her hands. Paul wouldn’t be able to get near her again. “Will I be required to take the stand?” she asked, looking up at him.

“No, but as the victim here, you have the right to speak and say your piece if you want to.”

Whitney glanced towards the window and reflected for a moment. Am I brave enough to say what I need to say? Knowingly, she looked up at Gerald and raised her chin. “I want the opportunity to speak.”

* * *

Whitney was nervous as she paced the courthouse hallway. She felt her cell phone buzz in her hand and checked the message.

Hayden: You got this gorgeous. Remember how brave you are. Say what you need to say and come home to me.

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