Page 29 of Katie 3

“I’m not going to tell the truth! You’d go to jail!” I argue. “How could I do that to you when…” I touch my stomach. “I need you to stay in my life.”

He chuckles softly and kisses my forehead. “Even if I go to jail, you have Carter and Henry.”

I know that, but I want them all. Ilovethem all. I can’t just shove Brad into jail myself. I swallow. “I don’t know what they’re talking about. We were home. We were studying and it got really heated and hot and I don’t want to share things like that on the stand.”

“See, you’re doing it well already. Dad is really good at what he does. Carter is going to help. Their legal team isn’t stupid, but…”

“But juries aren’t professionals,” Carter chips in.

“I told you I’d handle this,” Brad says sharply.

“Juries are just people. They can understand things like motive. They can be swayed by the best story. A lot can sway them. Pregnant women always get sympathy, for example. Genuine emotions connect with the jury. We’re not trying to convince anyone of the truth,” Carter finishes.

My brow furrows and I look over at him. “What?”

“That’s not what matters in a courtroom. What matters is whether the jury believes the story we tell. It’s two competing narratives. The evidence is what we have to take into consideration. Witnesses say Brad punched Dan. Witnesses know that Dan was going to keep…pursuingyou.”

Brad grunts. “Not the word I’d use.”

And they’re still keeping things from me. I can tell. Their eyes shift and they have one of those silent conversations that only brothers can have, I’m sure of it, but Carter continues. “We don’t know what their witnesses will say and what they’ll own to. We have to rely on our evidence and what we’re sure of just like theother team has to rely on theirs. Brad will own up to having a temper. He’ll own up to punching Dan. They’re going to go after his character and history. You have to defend him.”

“It’s easy to defend. He’s passionate and sometimes acts out, but he would never plan something like that and he would only punch someone or go after someone to protect family or a friend,” I whisper.

“Or this one woman I happen to love,” Brad answers.

Carter shares a little more, not everything, but it keeps me from feeling hopeless, which I think is the best they can manage right now. It will have to do.

“We were supposed to have a nice time here,” Brad sighs when Carter finishes. He hasn’t stopped touching me since this conversation started. “We were supposed to forget reality and just enjoy what we have.”

I yawn, exhausted by sheer information overload and stress. “I’d rather know.”

“Katie,” he warns. “This isn’t like knowing what kinks someone’s into.”

“It’s more important. It’s about you,” I argue and press a kiss on his lips. “I love you. Carter and Henry love you too or they wouldn’t be fighting this hard, so I…” I put his hand on my belly. “Weneed you to fight in the right way for yourself. I’ll be very upset and stressed if you’re put in prison.”

Carter

I take another sip as Katie’s last comment plays in my head again and again. I know what stress can do to pregnancies. The doctors were inescapably clear about it on our visit.

If we don’t handle her stress, make sure she gets good sleep and stays balanced mentally and physically, she could lose the baby. So far everything has been good, but she’s still in the first trimester. It’s a dangerous time to stress her out.

Brad glances behind him and I follow his gaze through the doorway to see Katie sleeping on the couch. Her head is propped up by a pillow and her feet are up too. I shake my head. “Her feet are going to fall asleep.”

“That’s how she fell asleep. I just put a pillow under her legs so she wouldn’t miss my lap,” Brad answers.

I down another gulp of the drink. Brad steals the bottle and chugs some. “Odds of me walking away free?”

“Strictly based on the case… low. Even if they don’t have hard evidence to put you there, the circumstantial sucks. Even the recording we have just gives you more motive to do exactly what you did. Plus, Katie’s going to have to be careful with her wording and lie successfully.”

We hear a car door shut and both of us perk. I glance at the door and lean back. Dad said he’d try to be here too. I know it’s for Katie. We’re all addicted to her. Henry has been dealing with enough. A marriage ending, sharing a girlfriend with his sons, trying to keep work afloat, now all of Brad’s shit and a baby. No wonder he’s going gray so fast.

Brad glances at Katie. “Why do I have a feeling I should take her upstairs?”

I take another drink. “Just do it.”

He doesn’t say anything about me giving him orders this time. He just walks out, scoops Katie into his arms, and gently talks to her while taking her upstairs. I hear her mention me, but Brad soothes her, teases her, and I’m sure she’s going to end up right back asleep.

It takes Dad ten minutes to walk in. I’m sure he’s trying to process whatever news he got. I’m sure he’s trying to dust off his shoulders and make himself presentable in case Katie’s awake.

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