Page 66 of Cocky Counsel

Thirty

Ethan

My jaw was sore from the one spot that Lance had landed a punch before I took him down. He was a typical douchebag—good at running his mouth and beating up on women but couldn’t hold his own in a fight against a real man to save his life. Nate had confirmed where I would be able to find him and gave me the name of the woman he was screwing around with which made it that much easier to get him where I wanted him.

After a few blows to the head, I had finally knocked some common sense into him, informing him to stay the fuck away from Lucy and drop the custody case. I also reminded him that he was a fucking loser who wasn’t worthy of Lucy and that he would give her whatever she wanted in the divorce. When I mentioned my friend Timothy, who happened to be the husband of the secretary he was sleeping with, he became quick to agree to whatever I demanded. I wasn’t necessarily proud of what I had done, but I couldn’t look the other way when my childhood was staring me in the fucking eyes. Some men didn’t deserve to get whatever they wanted simply because they could buy their way to it, and I was happy to deliver that message to him.

Eva had been at Lucy’s side throughout the night and into the morning, never leaving other than for a quick bathroom break when she felt her bladder might burst. I had offered to bring her coffee and something for breakfast, but she declined, not wanting to eat in front of her sister until she had been cleared to have solid foods.

The doctors and nurses had been bustling through her room since she woke up, running different tests and tracking her vitals. It had been a relief to hear that she appeared to be doing better than they had expected, and the doctor felt confident that she would have a quick recovery. They had a few more tests that they were waiting on before they would decide whether to release her or keep her for another night.

“How’s your pain?” Eva asked, gently fluffing the pillow behind Lucy’s head. “Do you want me to get the nurse?”

“I’m fine,” she laughed, her voice hoarse. “Stop fussing over me. I gave birth without pain meds, I can manage this too.”

“Childbirth is different than recovering from surgery after your husband beat the shit out of you,” Eva muttered quietly. Lucy looked up at her and gave her a sad smile.

“I’m sorry,” Eva said. “I just really hate him and wish that you didn’t have to go through this.”

“I know,” Lucy sighed. “But I meet with Art on Monday and then we’re supposed to have the mediation. Maybe things will be peaceful for once.”

I felt Eva’s eyes pierce me from across the room and looked away. I turned my attention to the tv and pretended to be watching the cooking show that was on.

“What’s that about?” Lucy asked, pointing back and forth between Eva and me.

Eva looked at me and shrugged, forcing Lucy’s attention to me.

“Well?” She narrowed her eyes and gave me the mom look.

“You’ll have to get the details from Eva, but let’s just say that Lance and I had a talk and you won’t be seeing or hearing from him. And if you do, you just let me know.” I smiled smugly and turned back to the tv.

“What details?” Lucy asked Eva.

“I’ve yet to hear them,” Eva said through gritted teeth. “He hasn’t said much about what happened.”

“Exactly. And that’s how it’s gonna stay,” I laughed and got up. “I’m gonna head home and clean up. Do you need anything before I go?” I looked at Eva and watched as she blushed in front of her sister.

“No, thank you. I think we’re good,” she said and gently squeezed Lucy’s shoulder.

“Okay, call me if you change your mind.” I lowered my eyes from Eva to Lucy. “Lucy, I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. Please let me know if you need anything as well.”

“Thank you,” she said sweetly. “I’ll see you Monday morning.”

I had turned to walk away when I stopped and turned around.

“You’re not seriously thinking about coming to work on Monday…”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Her face fell with concern.

“Because you’re in the hospital and need time to recover,” I said as if it should be obvious.

She tucked her chin for a second and took a deep breath.

“Unfortunately, my bills don’t care if I have time to recover. I have a son to take care of and that means that I need a steady paycheck. I’ve already put in my notice with the hospital so I could start there on Monday. So, if it’s okay with you, I’ll be there first thing on Monday.”

“Lucy, Ethan is right. You need to rest. I’m sure mom and dad will let you stay longer with Jackson, and I can give you some money for bills until you get caught up,” Eva offered, looking down at her sister.

“I can’t and won’t do that. You know that.” Lucy stuck her chin out and for a moment, she looked just like Eva. I had seen that look a time or two already.

“If you’re sure, then I’ll see you on Monday,” I said, getting an immediate glare from Eva.

“Can I talk to you?” she asked sternly, nodding toward the hallway.

“Eva,” Lucy warned. “Let it be. Please.”

“Remember the lines,” I said gently, reminding her about our conversation about her relationship with Lucy at work. She huffed and turned her head, looking away from me as I smiled at Lucy before leaving. Sometimes the hardest things to do were the right things.

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