Chapter 41

SEBASTIAN

Sebastian clung to the love of his life tightly. He stroked her hair and listened to all that she said while crying against his chest.

Jayda finally pulled away from the hug and wiped her tears. She looked at him with her puffy eyes. “I will forgive you only if you forgive me,” she declared.

To Sebastian, Jayda had actually done nothing wrong. He was the one who was at fault. But since she insisted, he replied with a nod.

Jayda smiled sadly and gave him a quick kiss, but Sebastian used it to his advantage, turning the kiss into a passionate one. He poured his happiness, heart, and soul into the kiss, and so did she. They finally separated when they were in need of air.

Sebastian helped Jayda to the couch. He got her a glass of water from the kitchen. She drank half of the water and placed the glass cup on a nearby table.

Sebastian sat beside her and took her hands in his. “Thank you. I promise not to betray you or let you down.”

Jayda nodded. “I promise to be there for the three of you. You, Aaron, and our little munchkin. Aaron is yours; therefore, he’s mine too. I love you so much, and I promise to love him the same way I love our unborn child,” she said sincerely.

Sebastian felt his heart was going to explode with so much joy at this moment.

“Really?” He smiled for the first time in almost forty-eight hours.

“I promise,” Jayda assured him.

He leaned closer to her and kissed her forehead. “Thank you.”

Jayda smiled. “I do anything for the ones I love.” Then her face turned serious. “I don’t want there to be any more secrets between us. I don’t want us to fight anymore. We have two kids to be good role models to.”

Sebastian’s smile got bigger. He raised his pinky and declared. “No more secrets, no more fights.”

Jayda nodded in agreement before snuggling closer to him.

“I’m so relieved we’ve reconciled. The pain in my heart has started to subside,” Sebastian muttered.

“Me too. I have a feeling that so much happiness awaits us from now on. We’ve passed the tests the universe threw at us to see how much we love each other.”

JAYDA

Jayda smiled. She couldn’t believe she was talking like Lilian. She made a mental note to go see her, apologize, and thank her friend for talking sense into her.

“Aaron will be spending the weekend here with me. You are also invited, and we will get to know each other better,” Sebastian said.

“I’m in. I hope he’ll warm up to me.”

Sebastian smiled. “I’ll let you see for yourself.”

“I hope you have food in this house. I haven’t had dinner yet,” Jayda declared.

He ignored her question and asked hopefully, “You’re spending the night here, right?”

She shrugged. “I will if you want me to. I have emergency work clothes in the trunk of my car, but you’ll have to provide me with a nightdress.”

“No problem. I’ll get you one of my shirts to wear.”

Sebastian prepared a bath for Jayda, and while she was in the bathtub, he went to get her emergency work clothes from her car. Then he proceeded to the kitchen to make her a sumptuous dinner.

At last, everything seemed to be going the way he wanted it to. He could only hope there would be no more surprises to get between them.

***

JAYDA

^A FEW DAYS LATER^

Everyone knew that Jayda was an exceptionally brilliant lawyer. Opposing counsel preferred to settle with Jayda and whoever she was representing because they were aware Jayda hardly ever lost a case. She gave her all to every client, and that attitude led to her successful career.

Jayda mostly worked for high-class clients, particularly VIP clients of the firm. Not everyone could afford her services. However, charity was important to her, so every two months, she took a few pro bono cases to help the less privileged who wanted justice and couldn’t afford a lawyer. She’d been doing that ever since she passed the Bar.

Today, Jayda Wright was representing a thirty-six-year-old single mother of four children to help her get the justice she deserved.

Jayda gracefully rose to her feet, made her way to the front of the judge, and gave her closing speech.

Halfway through her speech, she saw Sebastian seated in the audience. She was surprised and wondered what he was doing here when he had a company to run.

Sebastian, on the other hand, had a proud smile on his face. He winked at Jayda when their eyes met.

Jayda quickly looked somewhere else and continued her closing speech before she got totally distracted by her handsome boyfriend.

Jayda went to her seat once she was done with her speech, and the counsel for the defendant rose to give his speech.

After that, there were a few minutes of silence before the judge gave his verdict.

Everyone rose to listen. Judgment was given in favor of Jayda’s client, and her client burst into tears of joy.

While everyone made their way out of the courtroom, Jayda’s client hugged her and thanked her for taking the case. She was happy to be out of jail and go back home to take care of her four children.

The woman only pulled away from the hug when she felt someone tug on her dress. It was her youngest child, a four-year-old girl. She wiped away her tears before picking her up. The four-year-old’s older siblings joined the hug too.

Jayda could not help the smile that crept to her lips. This made her day. The woman had been apart from her children for three weeks for an offense she’d been wrongfully accused of. She was happy she’d reunited her with her family.

“I honestly don’t know how to thank you, Miss Wright. I couldn’t afford a lawyer who would even represent me to get bail. But you took up my case without asking for anything in return. Thank you.”

Jayda smiled. “You’re welcome, Magda. I’m glad I was able to be of help. I have one more thing for you,” Jayda said before reaching for her purse.

She took the check she had written the previous night and handed it to Magda. “I decided to take your case because I was touched by your story. Please accept this check and use it for your family.”

Magda’s husband had been a gambler, and since he died she’d been working multiple jobs to pay the debt her late husband had left behind.

Magda sobbed harder when she saw the figures on the check. She’d never seen or held such a huge sum.

“Thank you so much, ma’am, God bless you.”

Magda’s three older children, who had tears in their eyes, also thanked Jayda.

“It’s okay. I hope you can now start a new life with your family,” Jayda said.

The money was more than enough for them. It would pay off her late husband’s debt and help with the necessary bills Magda had to pay.

Jayda gave Magda one final hug, and she and her four children made their way out of the courtroom. Only Sebastian and Jayda were left in the room.

Sebastian had a proud smile on his face as he approached Jayda. He saw and heard her conversation with Magda.

“You almost made me forget all I was saying.” Jayda playfully rolled her eyes.

He chuckled. “I didn’t mean to.”

“And how did you get in here? Shouldn’t you be in the office making some money for me and our kids?” she teased.

Sebastian shrugged. “I came to support the love of my life, and I don’t regret showing up. I came pretty early. You just didn’t see me on time.

“This is my first time in the courtroom, and I enjoyed watching you. You were amazing, my love. I think I’ll start coming to watch you whenever I get the chance.”

Jayda blushed. “Thanks.”

He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes sincerely. “And what you did for that woman was amazing. You have a heart of gold, Jayda. You are everything and even so much more than I would ever want in a woman.”

Jayda smiled. “I try my best to help people whenever I can. Thanks for coming to watch me do my thing.”

Sebastian smiled proudly. He kissed her forehead.

“Are you free for the rest of the day, or do you have to return to work?” Jayda asked. It was just past 2 p.m.

“It depends. What do you have in mind?” Sebastian asked.

“I couldn’t fit into the pants I planned to wear this morning because I woke up to this.” Jayda unbuttoned her blazer and showed him her cute little bump.

Jayda had always been into slim-fitted clothes, so her pants had no extra space for that sudden bulge. Thankfully, her blazer did a great job of hiding her belly.

“Wow!” Sebastian said with a priceless smile on his face. He couldn’t stop himself from caressing the bump over Jayda’s dress.

“I know.” She chuckled. “Now will you please accompany me to the mall?” She pouted.

“Sure, anything for you, wifey.”

Jayda blushed. She knew he was teasing, but she also wanted to be his wife for real. The thought surprised her! She’d never imagined she would ever feel that way.

“So, can I have my card back?” she asked shyly.

Sebastian obeyed. He gave her the card, and she put it in her purse. Sebastian assisted her in carrying her fancy briefcase, and they walked out of the courtroom with their fingers intertwined.

“So, it’s only you today. You didn’t come with any of your interns,” Sebastian asked, and they both stopped in their tracks.

“Yes, as much as they would love to, they had so much to do at the firm today I had no choice but to come alone. I guess that’s why I’m very happy you came to watch me. Thank you.”

Sebastian smiled and placed a quick kiss on Jayda’s lips.

“Seb, there are cameras all over.” Jayda whisper-blushed.

Sebastian shrugged like it was no big deal. “I’m not shy to express my love for you anywhere, so let them deal with it.” He placed his hand on her lower back and guided her out of the courthouse.

If any photographers tried to get their pictures, he was going to make sure they had the best ones.