IT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER since Gwen had seen Aaron. And to add insult to injury, he no longer represented Release Initiative, so she was up against younger and less experienced attorneys. There was little challenge in that. Gwen missed him. Despite all the things about him she’d told herself she couldn’t bear, she longed to see him again.

In the two weeks that had passed since Clay had capitulated and Judge Landau had decreed full custody of Joshua would remain with Gwen, she hadn’t heard a whisper from Aaron. She recalled him telling her he understood she needed time. Maybe he’d been right about that, but two weeks seemed like enough time. She’d nearly finished her treatment with her psychiatrist and hadn’t had any more bouts of rage or nightmares or confusion between past and present. She felt as free of Clayton Haverty as she ever would.

Joshua saw Ben at karate class, but Phyllis had served as Ben’s chauffeur instead of Aaron. Gwen had asked a few times if he wanted to have his friend over on the weekend. Josh had quietly declined her offers. And there had been no invitations for Josh to go to Ben’s house.

She really missed Aaron—his smile, his serenity, his concern for others. During the day, she was too busy with her job and her son to focus much on this longing. But at night, lying in her bed alone, she had time to remember his kiss and his touch and his passion. She remembered he wanted her to be full partner in their lovemaking. And how her acceptance of that responsibility had made the experience all the more memorable.

When her cell phone rang, she jumped. And realized she’d been sitting at her desk at work, daydreaming. A file and several law books sat open before her, but she couldn’t remember what she’d been researching. The cell kept ringing, and a tingle of excitement ran through her, from scalp to toes, as she irrationally thought maybe Aaron was finally calling her. She answered a little breathlessly.

“What is your problem?” Melody asked.

Gwen fought off disappointment. “What?”

“You’ve got custody of your son and your idiot boss had the sense not to fire you. So what are you waiting for?”

“I don’t understand,” Gwen said.

Melody sighed loudly into the phone. “I just got another call from Aaron. You remember him? Aaron Zimmerman? Used to make you crazy in court and most likely in bed, too?”

“Melody!” Gwen looked around the room to see if anyone had heard that. She remembered too late that she was alone in her office and talking to her friend on the phone. No one could hear. But it felt as if Melody had taken the thoughts right out of her head. Gwen’s cheeks went hot.

“Don’t you ‘Melody’ me. You know full well—”

Gwen cut her off as the words all came to her at once. “Why did Aaron call you? Is everyone okay? Is something wrong with Ben? Is Phyllis all right? Did you say ‘another’ phone call from Aaron?”

Melody didn’t respond right away and Gwen had time to realize what her rush of questions meant. She needed Aaron and his family, needed to be with them. She loved them all—Phyllis and Ben and Aaron. Especially Aaron. It was her turn to sigh.

“Everyone is fine. Aaron called me to see how you and Josh are doing. He’s called me just about every day since the trial with the same questions. I’m not your answering service, Gwen. Call him, for God’s sake. Better yet, go see him.”

“I didn’t know he was calling you. Why would he do that? Why not just call me directly?” Oh, how she’d wanted him to call.

“I asked him that, of course. Something stupid about you not wanting to see him and also that you need time to get in touch with your feelings and how that’s okay, but he wanted to make sure you and Josh are doing fine.”

“I didn’t say I don’t want to see him,” Gwen shouted.

“Harrumph.”

“Okay, maybe I did. But that was before. I only meant that while I was fighting for custody.”

“Then what the hell, Gwen? Why haven’t you called him?”

Now that was a stumper. Gwen had no idea why she hadn’t called him. No, wait, she did have an idea—she didn’t like to take responsibility for her love life. For her whole adult existence, interactions with men had been initiated by them, never by her. She’d been pursued and then somewhere along the way, she decided she’d allow herself to be conquered. That was her pattern. But it hadn’t worked out so well for her.

“Damn,” she whispered to herself. Melody heard her.

“What does that mean?”

“It means I’m an idiot.”

“You sure are,” Melody agreed. She sounded happier than when the conversation had begun. “Okay, then, my work here is done. Call me after you’ve gotten laid.” And she clicked off the phone.

Gwen sat very still and contemplated phoning Aaron herself. What would she say? She sighed again. For a kick-ass attorney, she was a complete wimp when it came to men. Especially Aaron. Because there was this little doubt dancing in the back of her mind that Aaron was really calling Melody to check on Josh and only incidentally to ask about her. What if he rejected her? That would be crushing. And as strong as she pretended to be, she really had a very vulnerable heart. Especially when it came to Aaron.

Much later, as she lay in bed with the covers pulled up to her chin, alone again, Gwen went over several ways she could approach a phone call to Aaron. She reviewed different strategies, talked through several possible speeches, imagined as many varieties of responses from him as she could. Then she realized she was planning her first contact with Aaron the same way she planned her questions to a witness. Frustrated, she turned on her side, determined to sleep.

TWO DAYS LATER, AS SHE walked to the coffee shop—the same one where she and Aaron had accidentally picked up each other’s BlackBerries, she held her phone to her ear, listening to Logan.

“So the meeting with Ms. Smith-Calley was postponed,” he said. “It’ll be rescheduled for early next week. I’ll take care of that for you.”

“Thanks. You’ve been a big help, Logan. I’ll be back in the office in an hour or so.”

“Wait. There’s one more thing,” he said. There was a note of tension in his voice.

Gwen stopped in her tracks on the sidewalk, despite the cold wind whipping at the hem of her coat and skirt. She hoped he was not about to declare his barely concealed romantic interest in her. They’d been dancing around his attraction for weeks now, and Gwen just didn’t have the reserves to deal with it today.

“I really have to get going,” she said, but he started speaking before she’d finished the sentence.

“Melody Michaels left a crazy message for you on the office answering machine. Why didn’t she call your cell, like she usually does? Whatever. Here’s the quote from her message. ‘Tell Gwendolyn to call him soon or so help me I will bring him to her office in person.’ That’s the whole message. What is she talking about?”

Gwen had to laugh. “She’s just being Melody. Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay, well, that’s it,” Logan said.

Gwen felt a pang for her long-suffering assistant. “Listen, Logan. There’s this pretty young college woman I know. Very cute, very smart, unattached. You may have seen her at the custody hearing. Misha? I think you two would hit it off. Can I give her your number?”

Silence for a few beats. Then, “Sure. Why not? And if she calls me, you’ll be forced to give me the time off from this crazy schedule you make me keep.”

Gwen laughed outright, feeling really good about Logan for the first time in a while. “That’s a deal. And I’m pretty sure she’ll want to call if I put in a good word for you.”

“Okay,” he said. “Not certain I really want to date the boss’s babysitter, but what the hell.”

“Okay, then. I’ll see you in an hour.”

As she clicked off the connection, Gwen started walking again, desperate for a venti latte. The door to the coffee shop jingled merrily as she entered. The gas flame in a tiny fireplace embedded in the wall warmed the interior against the November chill. The aroma of coffee and cookies reminded her of her mother and father, who were already talking about coming for another visit, hoping for a less dramatic experience over the Christmas holiday.

The barista was the same one who’d been serving here for several months. Gwen smiled at her. “How are you today, Sandra?”

“It’s a great day for coffee. What can I get for you?” she asked, as chipper as ever.

“Venti latte, no sweetener.”

“Coming right up.”

Gwen paid for her drink, then moved to the end of the counter to await her order. She glanced around the room, only half full at midmorning. Her gaze was drawn to the table where she and Aaron had begun their odyssey, and she froze. He was sitting there again, in the same seat.

He’d cut his hair. And he wore an actual suit that must have been recently purchased. It appeared to be tailored to fit him, for once. He looked a little tired. But he was smiling and that warmed her heart. She drank in the sight of him.

As she looked at him, he laughed lightly and she wanted to know what made him happy. That’s when she realized he sat across from a woman. A pretty woman, also in a suit, who wore her blond hair down around her shoulders and gestured with her hands when she spoke. Aaron’s eyes danced with amusement as he listened to her.

Gwen’s thoughts crashed together like dark clouds; she’d waited too long to contact him, but she would not let him go without a fight. She left the barista holding her steaming latte and marched toward Aaron’s table. She had no idea what she would say or what the possible outcomes of a public confrontation might be. She acted on impulse. An impulse completely outside her comfort zone.

“Hello, Aaron,” she said as she came to stand beside the table. She pointedly ignored the blonde, though she knew this was rude.

He got immediately to his feet. “Gwen,” he said, almost a whisper.

“I’ve been meaning to call you,” she began. “I should have done it a long time ago.” The words started to flood out of her mouth and she had little control over what she was saying for the first time in her life. “I guess I was hoping you’d call me, because you know I’m not good at taking the lead in relationships. But then again, I suppose I should work on getting over that tendency. It hasn’t done me a bit of good so far. And anyway, I just want to say that I’ve been thinking about you and that, well, to be honest, I’ve missed you. Because when I was with you, I felt better about everything. You just have this calmness and sureness about you that helps me focus and get past the unimportant things.”

The woman was listening with interest, but Gwen went on before she lost her nerve. Looking once more into Aaron’s warm gaze, she said, “And you’re smart, smarter than I gave you credit for when we opposed each other in court. Plus, you’re good with Josh—and I know I was upset at first when you thought you were the one who put the idea into the kids’ heads to take matters into their own hands, but I talked to Josh and found out how desperate he’d been feeling for a long time, and that running away was something he’d been toying with for a while.” She shook her head ever so slightly, knowing she was getting off track and trying to remember all the things she’d planned to say to him if she ever got the chance.

“Gwen,” Aaron said again, very softly. He placed one of his hands on her upper arm, as if to stop her.

“No. Let me finish. This all needs to be said, even though I can see you’ve moved on. It’s important that I say the things I should have said long ago, even if they’re too late. The thing is, I need you in my life and wish I hadn’t been such a fool, waiting for you to make it happen. I should have gone to you right after the custody hearing and celebrated with you the way I wanted to. You’re the reason I have my son with me and I should have thanked you for your awesome legal work and told you how much I appreciate all you’ve done for Josh and me. You’re a wonderful man and an amazing attorney. We would have made such a great team, with me bringing the stability and you bringing the adventure. The boys would have done well with us as their parents. I would have done well, too.” She glanced again at the woman Aaron had been talking to. The blonde seemed stunned.

But Gwen figured she was in pretty deep now and there was no reason to stop. “I just want you to know, well, you’re an amazing person and I will always love you.”

She stopped, hardly believing she’d said those last words out loud. Had she ever said them to any other man? Not that she could recall. And now she’d spoken them in public in a humiliating display. Embarrassing to the max, for Aaron and for her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be,” he said. “I fell in love with you a long time ago. I’m damned relieved you’ve come around to doing the same.” And he drew her into his arms and kissed her, right there in the coffee shop.

As surprise and relief and happiness suffused her, she thought she heard some whoops and cheers and clapping all around her. But then she was lost in Aaron’s tender kiss and the realization that he wanted her still, that she was not too late. By the time Aaron pulled away from her, she felt weak-kneed and breathless.

“Okay, you’re hired,” said Aaron’s companion.

“What?” Gwen didn’t understand.

“I was interviewing Mr. Zimmerman for a position with my nonprofit legal service. After hearing all his qualities, legal and otherwise, I’d be a fool not to hire him.” She got to her feet and slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “What do you say, Mr. Zimmerman? Do you want the job?”

“I do,” Aaron said to her. “Thank you, Ms. Walker.” He held out his hand to shake.

Gwen felt fresh embarrassment creep over her. “I’m so sorry for intruding.”

Ms. Walker remained focused on her newest employee. “How about we see you in the office a week from Monday. Does that work for you?”

“Yes, it works very well.” Aaron said.

The woman turned to Gwen. “Way to get your man, Ms. Haverty. Gutsy. So don’t be sorry. I doubt I could have done the same.”

“Desperation sometimes makes us do crazy things,” Gwen said.

The woman laughed. “I hope you and I will be getting to know each other in the near future. For now, enjoy what you fought for.”

Gwen smiled at her. “I will,” she said as she watched Aaron’s new boss head for the door. That’s when Gwen realized everyone in the coffee shop stared at them, smiling. She wanted to crawl under a table and hide, she was so horrified by her public emotional nakedness. It was one thing to be center stage in a courtroom and another thing entirely to be stared at for baring her soul.

But Aaron saved the day again. “Refills for everyone on me!” he shouted.

The crowd cheered and headed for the smiling barista. At last Gwen could breathe again.

“I have to show you something,” Aaron said to her. He didn’t wait for her to agree, but just took out his BlackBerry and thumbed through the menu until he found what he wanted. “Look at this and know you are loved.”

She took his phone and looked at the text message from Ben. Did u get job? I no u did. Now pls call Gwen so me & Josh don’t hve 2 do r plan. Luv, B.

Gwen looked up into Aaron’s eyes. “Is he joking or threatening?”

“Don’t know yet,” Aaron said with a grin.

“What was their plan?” she asked, feeling a little afraid of the scheming these two kids were so good at.

“I have no idea,” Aaron said. “But together, I’m sure we can cope with all the plans our boys have in store for us.”