Page 34 of Katie 3

She squirms on my lap and stares up at me.

“I know you’re focused. I know you’ve been studying, but stress relief is just as important,” I say, sliding my hand under her shirt to feel her warm skin under my touch.

“I know. You’ve been taking such good care of me. So loving and sweet,” she sighs. “I’ve noticed.”

“Yeah?”

She nods. “Cooking me dinner every night. Falling asleep with me in bed. Reading to me and decoding the law stuff I ask about. I love it. I love you.”

I smile and take her lips. My tongue teases hers and she moans softly. I want her… now. It’s been too long since I’ve felt her melt into the pleasure I offer. An unpleasant buzz crosses my skin as I hear something outside. Our lips part and I peek out the window.

I spot a man in a blue polo and khakis standing at the end of the driveway. He’s holding a clipboard and a manila envelope. Even from a distance, I know exactly what’s coming.

“Shit,” I hiss and he walks up to the front door.

“What is it?” Katie asks.

The doorbell rings before I can answer and she hurries off the bed to the front door.

“Katie, wait!” I call after her but she won’t slow until the doorknob is in her hand.

I’m frozen as she opens the door. Her shoulders tense as she sees the man and before she can say anything, he speaks up.

“Katie Lawler?”

Katie’s hands curl into fists. “Yeah?”

The guy nods and hands her the envelope. “You’ve been served.”

With a last nod, he walks away as if he’s done nothing more than hand over a pizza, even though Katie is shaking. I rub her lower back and look at the envelope in her hand.

Katie rips it open, breath short and sharp. She scans the first page, then the next. Her cheeks redden and her lips tremble slightly.

“Doll?” I whisper as I try to peel away her fingers from the file. “It will be fine.” I know it’s a lie, but it’s better than the truth.

Henry parks and hurries to us. The sound of his shoes doesn’t seem to faze Katie at all. Her eyes keep scanning as they water.

“Give it to me, angel,” Dad says, his voice low and kind.

She’s unsure, but with a trembling hand, she lifts the bundle of papers and hands it to Henry. Katie stays glued on the spot, barely breathing, staring at the papers like they’ll kill us all.

“What—what does it say?” she asks weakly as I pull her back from the door to close it.

“You’re being called as a witness to trial. There’s a reminder about perjury being against the law. That’s all. It’s what we expected. There are some questions for you to expect—the defense seems to have… more information than…”

His brow furrows and dread coils in my belly. I don’t want to think about what they know, what they’ve dug up about us that could affect Katie.

Dad glances at me briefly and I wonder what is going on in his mind. What else could they have on Brad? We buried everything, sealed the files. Unless…

Katie’s shallow breathing draws me back. Her body shivers in my hold.

“Stress is bad for you,” I remind. “So bad, doll. Let me fix it.”

I need the fix, we all do. If they dig up Brad’s past, we might lose it all. And I can’t drown in those thoughts, not if I want to fix it.

And it starts with a distraction…

My dad looks at how my hands are moving over her body. I’m nearly cupping her breast while my other hand is tugging her dress up to reveal her panties. She squirms. “Now isn’t…”

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