Three Makes a Family--A Clean Romance by Cari Webb (i want to read a book txt) 📕

smoothed her palms down the front of her suit jacket and tugged on the sleeves. Her briefcase, not the diaper bag, hung from her shoulder. She wasn’t the part-time mom, part-time attorney discussing strategy in her yoga pants.

Today, she was Molly McKinney, top-notch criminal defense attorney. From her favorite black heels and courtroom suit to her controlled composure. Today was about business and doing the best job for her client.

She offered a tight don’t-question-me smile to the receptionist and pointed down the hall to Brad’s office. “I’m here to see Mr. Harrington.”

The receptionist opened her mouth and nodded.

Molly swept past the receptionist’s desk. At the door to Brad’s office, she knocked and said politely, “Sorry for the intrusion. Is this a bad time?”

“Molly. Come in. My meetings don’t start for another hour.” Brad motioned her inside and watched her closely. “Have you spoken to Drew?”

“Not since he left my apartment last evening.” She had texted Drew. No response. She’d left a voice mail. Again, no response. Still, she had work to do. A case to conclude. “Have you seen him?”

“I saw him last night.” Brad rolled his chair away from his desk.

An ache pulsed in her chest. Drew had shut her out, but not his brother. She was grateful Drew hadn’t been alone, and yet she hurt. “I need that folder on Gina Hahn.”

Brad twisted, picked up the purple folder from the shelf behind him. He stood and handed her the file. “How can I help?”

“You’ve done enough.” Drew wasn’t alone. He had his brother beside him, as it should be. Family came first for both Drew and Molly. What she accomplished over the next few days on Drew’s case would benefit her small family of two. “I can handle things from here.”

“What about Drew?” Brad’s gaze tracked her with that same shrewd sharpness that Drew possessed.

Drew had walked away last night, refusing to talk. With everything at stake once again, she had to break a promise she’d given to Drew. How else would they prove it was Vinson, not Drew, in the video without Reuben on the stand to officially identify Cory Vinson in the recording? Vinson could just deny it all and push the claims of witness tampering back on Drew. There was no other way to win and thereby get Drew his old life back.

Her heart was always destined to lose. She’d known that all along and still let herself fall for him anyway. “I’m getting Drew exactly what he wants.”

“And that is?” Brad leaned into the corner of his desk and crossed his arms over his chest, his posture casual as if he hadn’t quite taken a firm position. As if he could be swayed. She recognized the stance.

But Molly had already defined hers. Already knew where she stood. “Drew wants his old life back.”

Brad’s eyebrows lowered. “He told you that?”

“Last week on our way to Sacramento.” Okay, Drew hadn’t said it since then, but Molly hadn’t asked either. Afraid he hadn’t expanded his wants to include both herself and Hazel.

Once she called in Gina to testify, and truly broke her promise to Drew, she knew she’d destroy any chance that he would want to be with her. Trust, once broken, was almost impossible to regain. She lifted her chin. “The right decision is to get Gina Hahn to testify.”

“I agree,” Brad said.

No challenge. No argument. Why couldn’t Drew see it, as well?

But she already knew why. Drew protected everyone before himself. And he didn’t want Gina Hahn in harm’s way. He already carried so much regret and guilt for Van Solis’s wrongful conviction. So that left Molly to watch out for Drew. And she would do it her way. “Can I call you if I need more information?”

“You can call me for anything,” Brad said. “I mean that. Anything. You’re not alone either.”

“I appreciate that.” Molly walked toward the door. “I’ll be in touch if anything comes up.”

She slipped out of Brad’s office and headed for the elevators. The glass elevator descended to the lobby, and a different kind of loneliness draped over Molly. As if she’d already lost Drew and so much more. But she’d never allowed her emotions to interfere with her judgment or her decisions as an attorney and she refused to start now.

As soon as she stepped off the elevator, she pulled out the file folder on Gina Hahn, located the woman’s current address and opened her ride share app to request a car. She detoured into Roasted Vibes Café, sent a text to Brooke to check on Hazel while in line, then placed a to-go order with Brandie.

The contents of Gina Hahn’s file studied and absorbed during her ride-share trip, Molly stuck the folder back in her briefcase, gathered her to-go order and thanked her driver. She had the information she required to approach the woman for her testimony. She never reconsidered her plan. Simply descended the stairs that led to Gina’s basement-level apartment and rang the bell.

The front door cracked open. Gina glared at her through the small gap. “I knew you would return.”

“It wasn’t planned or my first choice.” Molly shifted to reveal the twin coffee cups she held. “Can we talk? I need five minutes of your time.”

Gina opened the door wider, aimed her chin at the coffee. “What is it?”

“Double café macchiato. It was always a favorite at my old firm.” Details mattered. Always. Drew had told Molly what he wanted, and her heart hadn’t listened. Details she should’ve heeded.

Molly handed the woman one of the cups, hoping the caffeine might help whatever might be weighing on Gina’s shoulders. “And strawberry lemon cream cheese scones.”

Gina accepted the coffee, opened her door and padded barefoot across the nicked hardwood floors in the modest apartment.

“We received the flash drive.” Molly noticed the stack of legal textbooks on a bookshelf next to an array of kid’s books crammed in the corner. “Thank you.”

“Then you have what you need.” Gina stood in her kitchen and cradled her coffee in both