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“You okay?” he asked her When she nodded, he said softly, “Re, but I can do so And I will not let what I cannot do interfere hat I can do’”
“‘And by the grace of God, I will,’” she finished “I know I just wish it was over”
“It will besoon enough Just think about how much this means to every woman as ever trafficked—and those ill never be trafficked because of your willingness to stand up and testify against these men”
“‘This stops here,’” she quoted softly, nodding to herself as she reo when he’d first convinced her to testify Drawing courage from the memory “‘This stops now!’”
“A verdict was reached in a federal courtrooton, DC, today,” announced the CNN news anchor, “in a co conspiracy case Correspondent Carly Edwards is standing by at the courthouse with the verdict Carly, can you hear me?”
“Yes, Tom,” Carly Edwards said into the microphone from the top of the courthouse steps “Guilty on all counts for all the conspirators Let uilty on all counts The verdict was announced an hour ago, in a trial that was postponed when two gun the lead prosecutor and wounding—”
Liam clicked the remote to turn off the TV in their DC hotel room He’d been in the courtroom with Cate this afternoon when the verdict was announced, but it still gave hiuilty on all counts” Later tonight he and Cate were elina for a victory dinner to celebrate
They also had so Alec had confided in hielina were expecting a baby So to be an uncle for the second time
Cate had been ecstatic for thenancy news had laid to rest Lias for Alec He hadn’t known that doubt still existed—until it was dispelled Until she’d slipped her hand in his, her eyes like stars, and whispered, “If there is a God, that will be us, Liam Someday”
Cate had refused to ht be sterile and why she suspected it, and it had nearly broken his heart Not sochildren of his own had been a body blow—but for her Because it was just oneto add to her insecurities One more potential heartbreak for a woh heartbreak in her relatively short life
Cate had wanted a fertility test perfor, but Liam had adamantly refused “Hell no!” he’d told Cate, the only tinant we’ll adopt” And though she’d argued with him that her problem didn’t have to be his, he’d stood resolute, and eventually she’d conceded
So they were trying Maybe soe, but Liam was thirty-six and ready to be a father Not that he’d actively been seeking a mother for his children when he’d met Cate—he hadn’t But now that he’d found the woman he would love and cherish for the rest of his life, he was ready to give her all the children she wanted—he hadn’t worn a condom since the day they were o, shortly before the trial began He’d been out of the hospital only a week at that point and still recovering, so their honeymoon had been somewhatlimited
Liaed to make their honeymoon memorable Creatively e His shy bride had been transformed into every man’s bedroom fantasy, and he hadn’t complained It was proof she trusted him completely—with her body as well as her heart
Now that the trial was over, now that all the conspirators had been found guilty and faced long prison sentences, he still wasn’t sure where they went from here D’Arcy was confident Cate didn’t need to assume a new identityand Liaht But he’d already resolved in his o with Cate wherever she needed to go He hadn’t told her that—she had enough to worry about with the trial The king of Zakhar had made him a respectable offer, too— Cate wasn’t aware of But he didn’t really want to leave the DSS unless he was forced to He’d only consider the king’s offer if he couldn’t stay in his current job, if he and Cate couldn’t make the US their home base