“Yes, and they started dating shortly thereafter and were married on the thirty-first.”
“Very well; bring her in,” the judge says, requesting Saylor’s presence.
The guard that is stationed at the back of the courtroom opens the door and motions for her to enter. From the moment she steps in, my eyes are on her, taking in every inch of her body that I have had the privilege of getting to know. Repeatedly, I might add. And thanks to her mother and my parents, they’ve kept Lucy occupied for the past few days so our honeymoon could extend to every room, surface, and available space inside my house. I have no doubt the reporters outside are getting a nice dose of her screaming out my name.
Saylor’s dressed in a black skirt that hugs the contour of her hips and a red blouse, likely paying homage to the Renegades. Yesterday, we spent hours listing the pros and cons of staying in Boston and continuing my career. For every con I gave her, she came back with multiple pros, beating me at my own game. On paper, the reasons to stay are perfect, but in my heart, I’m not sure it’s going to be enough. She says the fans will come around after today’s hearing and subsequent press statement from Irvin. Her faith in me has been unwavering from the start, and I can’t thank her enough.
She winks at me as she passes by the table. I watch the sway of her hips as she prepares to take the stand.
“Please raise your right hand,” the court bailiff instructs. “Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth under pains and penalties of perjury?”
“I do,” she says, taking a seat.
“Ms. Blackwell-Kidd, where were you on the night in question?” Irvin asks. Earlier this morning we rehearsed everything he would ask Saylor, even though the judge might find it a bit damaging to me. It’s my hope that her testimony is enough to get this case thrown out, and I can move on with my life.
“I was at the bar on Langdon Street.”
“Was Mr. Kidd there?”
“He was,” she says.
“Was he alone?”
Saylor shakes her head. “No; he was with a woman. They were playing a game of pool.”
“Did you observe Mr. Kidd with this woman?”
“I did, briefly.”
“Why?” Irvin asks.
She sighs, and by the slight movement of her arm, I’m guessing she’s playing with her rings. I caught her staring at them the other day, holding her hand out so the sunlight would hit her diamond perfectly and cast prisms onto the ceiling.
“Because he’s my client, and because I had residual feelings for him stemming from an encounter we shared years prior.”
“Would you say that you were jealous of this other woman?”
“In a way, yes.”
“Please explain,” Irvin instructs.
“Well, due to the nature of my previous job, being with Mr. Kidd wasn’t possible. I was jealous of the freedom she had with him.”
“And what did you do about it?”
“I left the bar.”
“Is that the only reason you left?”
Saylor looks down at her hands and takes a deep breath. This is the part of the testimony she wanted to avoid, but Irvin told us that she’d look more credible if he was asking her the tough questions and leaving nothing for the ADA to discredit her on.
“I’m on probation and not allowed in bars.”
“But you were, on this night in question.”
“Yes, I was.”
She looks at me, and I offer her the most genuine smile I can. When we’re done here, I’m going to take her home and fuck the memories of today away. I know how hard this has been on her, how much stress she has endured. I also know I haven’t made it easy, and she questioned my motives when I asked her to marry me. Each day, I’m finding new ways to prove to her that I want to be bound to her.