Legal Attraction Read online

  “Is that why he left the firm?”

  Marissa nodded.

  “Aunt Vanessa called me when I was at Griffin’s apartment,” she said. “She wants me to believe that Griffin is only marrying me to make partner.”

  Jillian shook her head. “I don’t believe that, and you shouldn’t either.”

  “As soon as he found out that I was pregnant, he decided we should get married. Jillian, we hadn’t even been on a real date. Who does that?”

  “Sounds to me that you and Griff need to sit down and really discuss this. Marissa, if you have any doubts whatsoever, then it’s best to get them ironed out now.”

  Marissa nodded. “I have to know without a doubt that Griffin wants me because he loves me and not because I am a Hamilton.”

  * * *

  The next morning, Griffin strode into her office with purpose.

  “I called you last night.”

  Marissa met his gaze. “I know.”

  Griffin sat down in one of the chairs facing her. “Did I do something to upset you, Marissa?”

  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, Griff. When I told you I was pregnant, you immediately decided that we should get married. We went from having a professional relationship to suddenly considering marriage. It happened so fast.”

  “What are you getting at?” Griffin asked. “Is there a question somewhere in there?”

  Marissa met his gaze. “I want to make sure that we are doing the right thing, Griff. Having a baby is not a good reason to get married.”

  “How did we get back to this?” Griffin wanted to know. “What’s going on, Marissa?”

  “What would you say if I told you that I wanted to leave the firm and go work with Harper?”

  “I would say that it’s a bad idea.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Why would you want to leave Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark? Your family built that firm from the ground up. It’s your legacy.”

  Marissa silently noted how worked up Griffin seemed at the idea of her leaving the firm. She had no intention of doing so, but his reaction bothered her.

  “What is this really about?” Griffin demanded.

  “I don’t think we should rush into a marriage,” she stated.

  “I see.”

  “I’m sorry, Griff. I got so caught up in worrying about what my parents would think. I just don’t think I’m ready for marriage.”

  He was watching her. “What is it that you’re not telling me? I know you well enough to know that you’re hiding something.”

  “Aunt Vanessa called me last night,” Marissa said. “You were in the bathroom running a bath for me.”

  “I gathered that’s who you were talking to,” he responded. “What did she say?”

  Marissa inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly. “She told me that you only wanted to marry me to ensure that you make partner.”

  His eyes flashed angrily. “And you believed her?”

  “I just wanted to be sure, Griff.”

  “Do you really think that I would be so deceitful?”

  Marissa had never seen Griffin so angry since she had known him. “It’s not that I believed her. I just thought that maybe we should slow down.”

  He shook his head. “Marissa, I realize that you are the youngest in your family and they tend to baby you, but I had always thought of you as a grown woman.” Griffin paused a moment before adding, “Apparently, I was wrong.”

  His words stung her.

  “Griff…”

  He rose to his feet. “You do not have to worry. The engagement is off. I will provide for my child—you will never have to worry about that.”

  Griffin walked out of the room before she could utter a response.

  * * *

  “Hey, I just saw Griff and he looked upset,” Jillian said when she entered Marissa’s office.

  “He just broke up with me,” she announced.

  Jillian look stunned. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Griff was angry with me,” Marissa said, “but he was hurt more than anything.” She released a long sigh. “Jillian, I think I just messed up badly.”

  “Why don’t you go to him?” Jillian suggested.

  “Maybe this is for the best.”

  Jillian eyed her sister. “Do you really believe that?”

  Marissa gave a slight shrug. “I honestly don’t know what to believe anymore.”

  * * *

  Griffin sat at his desk, baffled.

  How could Marissa believe her aunt after everything they had been through in the past months?

  Vanessa Bonnard did not know him at all. They had only been around each other a couple of times. Griffin could not understand how Marissa could consider anything that woman said, especially after everything she had done to try to ruin the family.

  He wanted no part of these games.

  Griffin meant what he had said about his child. He would never neglect the child he’d created with Marissa. He intended to be very involved in his daughter’s life.

  For the rest of the day, Griffin avoided Marissa and the rest of her family as much as he could. He had enough work to keep himself busy.

  That evening, Griffin decided to leave early. It was a rare occasion for him to quit working at five, but today he needed to get as far away from the firm as he could.

  Marissa was in the parking garage when he walked out.

  “I was just about to come looking for you,” she said. “I would like to finish our conversation.”

  Griffin eyed her for a moment before saying, “There is nothing left for us to discuss. You made it perfectly clear that you think I’ll do anything to make partner. As far as I’m concerned, it’s pretty clear that you don’t know me at all.”

  “Griffin, I’d really like to sit down and talk.”

  Griffin shook his head. “If it concerns the child, we can talk. Anything else—I’m not interested.”

  Marissa looked hurt by his words, but he did not care. “Enjoy the rest of your evening,” Griffin told her.

  He walked over to his car and drove away before he changed his mind and went back to Marissa. He loved her dearly and it hurt being apart from her, but without trust, there could be no future.

  * * *

  Marissa wiped away her tears.

  She could not believe she had allowed her aunt to plant doubts in her mind about Griffin. She should have known better.

  Was it too late for them now?

  Marissa picked up the gift-wrapped package that sat on the chaise in her bedroom. It was a Christmas present for Griffin. “I’m so sorry, little one,” she whispered tearfully. “I really messed things up with your father.”

  She loved Griffin with her whole heart.

  He had shown Marissa love by his faith in her—the way that he looked at her, and the way he made love to her. How could she so easily doubt his true feelings for her?

  “I am not going to let your daddy get away this easily,” Marissa whispered. “He loves me and I have to trust that love.” She picked up her purse. “Let’s go see your daddy.”

  The road was slippery, thanks to an ice event that was not forecasted, but Marissa drove slowly. Along the way she practiced what she was going to say to Griffin.

  She was stopped at a red light a couple of streets away from Griffin’s apartment when her car was hit from behind by another vehicle.

  “Marissa…” someone yelled.

  She looked around. It was Griffin.

  “Honey, are you okay?” he asked, running up to her car.

  Marissa tried to open her door, but Griffin would not let her. “No, stay inside,” he told her. “It’s too slippery and I don’t want you to fall.”

 
The driver of the car that hit her approached them. “I’m so sorry. I skidded on the ice. Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m fine.”

  They exchanged insurance information while waiting for the police to arrive.

  Griffin refused to let Marissa out of the car. He tried to convince her to be checked out at a hospital, but she refused. “It’s just a little fender bender,” she told him. “My car hardly got scratched.”

  When they finally made it to Griffin’s apartment, he made Marissa settle down on the sofa.

  “Were you coming to see me?” he asked.

  Marissa nodded. “I owe you a huge apology, Griff. I don’t know what I was thinking—I wish I could blame it on hormones, but I can’t. You have always been there for me. When you found out I was pregnant, you stepped up.”

  She met his wary gaze. “I know without a doubt that you love me, Griff. If you give me another chance, I promise I will not ever doubt that love again.”

  “I want to believe you.”

  “You can,” Marissa assured him. “You’re right. I need to grow up and trust my own mind. You’ve been telling me to do that since I started at the firm. Griff, I love you so much and I will prove that I am worthy of your love.”

  Their eyes met and held in the tense silence.

  “Please say something,” Marissa pleaded. “Please tell me that we still have a chance. I want to be with you, Griff. I want to be your wife.”

  “Marissa, I am in this for eternity. If you’re not sure, then we can just be friends and coparent.”

  She shook her head. “That’s not what I want, Griff. It’s not what I want for our daughter.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Marissa took his hand in hers. “I am very sure. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Griff.”

  “If you want to leave the firm, then I’ll go wherever you go,” Griffin told her. “But leave because it is something you want to do—not because of me.”

  Marissa smiled. “I love you so much.”

  He kissed her on the lips. “I love you, too.”

  She placed a hand on his face. “Remember that massage you promised me? I could really use one now.”

  Griffin grinned as he gently massaged her shoulders. “Are you sure that you weren’t injured in the accident?”

  “I wasn’t,” Marissa said. “I—”

  He was instantly alarmed. “What is it?”

  Marissa took Griffin’s hand and placed it over the swell of her belly.

  “She’s kicking,” he said in awe. “She’s got a strong kick, too.”

  “She certainly does,” Marissa agreed.

  “I might have to buy you a football, little girl.”

  Marissa laughed. “Men and their footballs…”

  Later that evening, they lay in bed together.

  Griffin stroked her arm softly. “Hungry?”

  She nodded. “Starved.”

  Griffin reached for the phone and sat up in bed. He ordered a sausage, pepperoni and mushroom pizza for delivery. It was Marissa’s favorite.

  They showered together and got dressed.

  “You are so good to me,” Marissa told Griffin.

  “I intend to take care of you for the rest of my life, sweetheart,” he said with a tender smile.

  “You’re going to the firm’s Christmas party this weekend?” she asked. It was always the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season.

  Griffin nodded. “Do you think your aunt will be there?”

  “She might, but I don’t care. Aunt Vanessa can choose to forgive or she can continue to harbor bitterness—I’m just not going to let her pull me back into her drama.” It had almost cost her Griffin. Marissa would never allow her aunt to influence her again.

  “Good for you,” Griffin said. “We need to focus on our future.”

  Marissa could not agree more. “I really don’t know why I believed Aunt Vanessa in the first place. I should have trusted you.”

  “She strikes me as someone who can be very convincing when she needs to be.”

  “Griffin, I was wrong for not believing in your love for me. I’m really sorry.”

  He kissed her. “Honey, I understand. Going forward, I want you to talk to me before you just assume the worst.”

  “Hopefully, we won’t have another issue like this,” Marissa said. “Especially since you’re going to be my husband.”

  “Your husband,” Griffin repeated. “I love the sound of that.”

  * * *

  Marissa followed Griffin out onto the dance floor.

  The annual Christmas party was something that the associates and other employees looked forward to each year.

  “Your mother really does know how to throw a nice party.”

  Marissa looked up at him. “If you really want to see a party, just wait until our wedding. Mother wants to hire an orchestra and a harpist for the ceremony.”

  Griffin smiled. “I thought we were going to have something small and simple.”

  “That was before we told my parents.”

  He laughed.

  “You know…we can always just elope.”

  “We’re getting married in a week. I do not want to be on your mother’s bad side by whisking you away and eloping.”

  Marissa sighed. “I guess you’re right. She has pulled out all the stops and called in a few favors to get this done in such a short time.”

  When the song ended, they found a quiet table and sat down side by side.

  “Griffin, I can’t tell you enough how grateful I am to have you in my life. Our little girl is so lucky to have you as a father.”

  He took her hand in his. “Marissa, I love you so much. What matters to you also matters to me. We’re going to make a great team, don’t you think?”

  Marissa smiled. “Yes, I do.”

  She gazed at him lovingly. Marissa gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I trust you, Griffin. I never should have doubted your love for me.”

  “Marissa, I need you to know that you will always own my heart,” Griffin told her.

  “And you will always own mine,” she said.

  Without a word, Griffin pulled Marissa into his arms, touching his lips to hers.

  Her kisses would last him an eternity, he decided. There would never be another woman who would make him feel the way he did around Marissa.

  Epilogue

  Marissa stepped around a bag stuffed with Christmas ornaments.

  “Put this one up there,” she told Griffin. They were decorating their first Christmas tree as husband and wife. They had only been married for a week.

  She handed him another one.

  Marissa glanced down at her belly. She was visibly pregnant and Griffin refused to allow her to stand up on the stool to finish the tree. He had taken over for her.

  Although it could be irritating at times, Marissa loved that Griffin was so protective of her and the baby. He made her feel safe and secure.

  She glanced around the room. The floor was scattered with shopping bags—presents for both her family and his. Marissa and Griffin would be spending Christmas Eve with his parents, and then they would all join her family for dinner at Integrity on Christmas Day.

  “It was nice of your parents to invite mine to dinner.”

  Marissa agreed. “I really love your mother. She is so sweet.”

  Griffin nodded. “She has a mean streak in her, though—don’t let her fool you. She was the disciplinarian in our family.”

  “Really?” Marissa found that hard to believe.

  “Harper looks really happy,” Griffin said.

  “I noticed it, too,” she said. “That’s probably because he’s convinced Cameron Childs to
leave us and sign with him. I’m wondering if Ben and Shawn will leave Hamilton, Hamilton and Clark, as well.”

  “Childs was Jake’s client,” Griffin announced as he stepped down off the footstool.

  “I know and my brother is not happy about this at all.”

  “I hope that those two will learn to put aside all the competition,” Griffin said. “Family is more important than anything else in the world. Maybe one day they will learn that.”

  “Maybe it will happen once the babies start coming,” Marissa said. “Our little girl definitely changed our lives. As for the firm—we will survive no matter what.”

  Griffin picked up the shopping bags and arranged them neatly in a corner of the apartment.

  “Daddy told me that he and Albert had a conversation about you. Albert wants to place you on the leadership track.”

  Griffin glanced over at his wife. “Really?”

  She nodded. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “It hasn’t happened yet. Let’s not get our hopes up.”

  “My dad has a lot of respect for you, Griff. You’ll make partner in no time.”

  Griffin sat down beside Marissa. “You know, all I ever wanted was to make partner, but then I started thinking about what your parents went through. The long hours and young children—I’m not so sure I want that right now. I would rather come home to you and our little girl. I want to read her stories and attend all of her recitals. I don’t want to miss any of the important events in any of our children’s lives.”

  “Daddy did not make any of my recitals when I was growing up,” Marissa said. “He missed a lot of the boys’ games and Jillian’s cheerleading competitions. We just understood that he was busy. I do remember being angry with him at times, but it never lasted. Daddy always made us feel loved whenever he was home.”

  “I don’t want that for our daughter. I intend to be present for everything.”

  Marissa smiled. “I love you for this, but you have worked very hard, Griff. You deserve to make partner one day.”

  “And one day I will. I’m just not sure I want it anytime soon. My parents worked all the time and I just don’t want our daughter to look at me in that way. I want her to know that I will be there whenever she needs me or wants me.”

  “You are such a wonderful man, Griff.”