The Hamiltons: Laws of Love

Chapter 5

Seated in front of the stage, Griffin tapped his foot to the music. It had been a while since he’d been out like this, relaxing and listening to a live band. He made a mental note to change that going forward. It was fine to stay focused on work, but Griffin realized that he also needed some downtime to relax. It wasn’t healthy to hold on to pent-up emotions and energies.

The room exploded in applause when the song ended.

Onstage, Colin took the microphone. “It’s wonderful to be back home in Philly,” he said.

“Welcome home,” someone in the audience yelled out.

He laughed. “I have a special treat for you tonight. Who remembers the tall, cool dude that used to sing with us?”

Several people in the audience clapped and screamed in memory.

Colin laughed. “Well, we have Griff in the audience and—”

The sound of applause drowned out the rest of

Colin’s words.

Smiling, Griffin met his friend’s gaze and shook his head. He had not come here to perform. It had been years since he had been on a stage. He had planned to just come out, listen to music and reconnect with old friends.

Colin refused to take no for an answer. “You hear that applause—that’s for you, bro,” he told Griffin. “C’mon…”

Griffin rose to his feet and made his way up to the stage.

Colin handed him the mike.

Music filled the stage and its surroundings.

Griffin moved to its beat and began to sing. He soon felt as if he had never left the stage and he allowed his love for music to take over.

* * *

Marissa could not believe her eyes when Griffin walked up on the stage. She had no idea he could sing.

“I don’t believe it,” Marissa uttered.

“What is it?” Cheryl asked. “You know him?”

She nodded. “That’s Griff.”

“The guy you work with? The one you’ve been telling me about?”

“Yes,” Marissa responded.

Marissa was very entranced by the bass timbre of his voice. Griffin had never shared this side of himself with her before. Obviously, they were not as close as she had imagined.

As if drawn by an invisible web, Griffin met her gaze.

His eyes registered surprise, but he never interrupted his singing.

“He has a nice voice,” Cheryl said.

Marissa agreed.

Griffin received a standing ovation and thunderous applause as he thanked everyone and left the stage. Instead of returning to his table, he walked over to where she and Cheryl were sitting.

Marissa spoke first, making the introductions before saying, “I didn’t know about this side of you.”

He met her gaze and then smiled. “This is the first time I’ve been on a stage in forever. When I left the band, I never really thought much about it. It just became a part of my past once I passed the bar.”

“You never really talk about your life.”

Griffin shrugged in nonchalance. “There isn’t a lot to tell.”

“Well, I guess I didn’t know you as well as I thought I did.” Marissa tried to hide the disappointment she felt. She had shared so much of herself with Griffin, even her personal feelings and insecurities.

Apparently there was much to Griffin that he’d kept private.

“I enjoyed your singing,” Cheryl told him.

“So did I,” Marissa interjected after a moment. “You can really sing.”

“Thank you both,” Griffin replied with a smile. “I didn’t know that you liked places like this, Marissa. I figured you were more of a jazz lover.”

Cheryl chuckled. “Marissa…she hates jazz.”

“No, I don’t,” she countered. “I just like classic R & B more.”

She was saved from further embarrassment when the band took a break and Griffin introduced them to Cheryl and Marissa.

Marissa was thrilled that she had decided to come out with Cheryl. She was really having a great time. It was nice to see Griffin relaxed and having a good time. She really liked this side of him and wished he would display it more.

Marissa was in love with Griffin Jackson and there was a time when she had hoped he felt the same way. But it soon became obvious that he did not return her feelings.

So what else could she do?

After their one night together, Griffin told her that their making love had been impulsive and ill-advised. He decided that they should keep their relationship professional.

Wounded, Marissa had simply agreed. She told Griffin that no one would ever know what had happened that night, and that it would never happen again.

However, it did not stop her heart from aching for him. But Marissa was not going to force herself on Griffin. She tried to keep her distance as much as she could when they were in the office. They were exceedingly polite with each other, careful not to exchange more than casual pleasantries.

In the beginning, Marissa tried to convince herself that this was all for the best. That was before she saw the plus line in the home pregnancy test.

* * *

It had never once occurred to Marissa that she was pregnant. She and Griffin had used a condom the night they made love, so she had no real reason to suspect anything. She had ignored the symptoms for weeks, chalking up the missed period and the constant nausea to stress.

By the time Marissa decided to take a pregnancy test, she was about nine weeks along. Stunned beyond words, she had no idea what to do. A baby was the last thing she needed right now, and she was sure Griffin would feel the same way.

She knew that many early pregnancies ended in miscarriage, so Marissa decided to keep mum. There was no point in alarming her family or Griffin unnecessarily.

For a brief moment, she had even considered terminating the pregnancy, but once she heard the baby’s heartbeat, everything changed for Marissa.

You are my baby. I am going to do everything in my power to protect you.

There were two questions that stayed at the forefront of her mind these days. How was she going to tell Griffin?

Should she tell him?

Marissa’s eyes traveled downward. Eventually she was not going to be able to hide her pregnancy anymore. She was already struggling to wear clothes that would camouflage the roundness of her belly. Marissa had also taken to carrying large handbags—something she used to avoid because of her five-foot-two-inch frame. She still favored high-heeled shoes, but she had to consider lowering them some during her pregnancy.

Her mind traveled back to Griffin.

Marissa was dreading his reaction, and silently rationalized that she had not told him because she could never find the right time.

She couldn’t just blurt it out, but Marissa vowed to tell Griffin as soon as the time was right.

Chapter 6

The next day, Griffin was back to his usual self in the office. The only time he had stopped by Marissa’s office was to ask her to keep quiet about his singing.

“Why do you want to keep something like this a secret? You have a beautiful voice, Griff.”

“I don’t want anyone thinking or assuming that my loyalties are divided. Your father and Albert frown on associates taking on anything that might take the focus off being a good lawyer.”

“I understand,” Marissa said. She knew that he was correct. The partners of the firm demanded complete loyalty from all of the associates, including her. “I won’t say a word.”

Griffin thanked her and was gone without another word.

Marissa turned her attention back to her computer monitor.

It was not easy working in the same office as Griffin. Her feelings for him made it a daily challenge. Then there was the fact that she was carrying his baby.

She couldn’t keep her mind off the baby for the rest of the day. She was still thinking about it when she walked into Integrity shortly after six o’clock that evening.

“Marissa, I’m glad you’re here,” her mother said as soon as she opened the door.

She glanced up at her sister and then her mother. “Why, what’s going on?”

“I thought we’d have dinner out,” Jeanette announced cheerfully. “Just us girls.”

“You two go ahead,” Marissa suggested. “I’m going to have a hot bath and then watch some TV. I’m in the mood to do absolutely nothing.”

Her mother seemed disappointed. “Honey, you have to eat. We haven’t spent any time together in weeks.”

“I’ll eat something if I get hungry,” Marissa told her. “You and Jillian have fun.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to join us? We hardly see you these days and we all live in the same house.”

“We’ll do it another time,” Marissa promised.

She was very angry with her mother. At some point, they would have to sit down and have a discussion, but Marissa was not ready for that. Some of the shock had worn off, but it was still too soon.

* * *

“Marissa, have you been sleeping?” her doctor asked.

“More than usual,” she responded. “I’ve been trying to clear my caseload so that when the baby comes…”

He nodded in understanding. “You look tired. Are you taking your vitamins?”

“I am,” Marissa said. “Dr. Benton, I haven’t been able to really keep any food down. I thought the morning sickness would be gone by now.”

“It should ease up and you’ll begin to feel a whole lot better.”

She had read up on what to expect in her pregnancy. She knew her baby was about the size of an avocado, that the eyes were closer to the front of the head and the ears in close to their final position. Marissa felt a surge of excitement every time she heard her baby’s heartbeat, and she yearned to be able to share this with someone. Even her best friend had no idea that she was pregnant.

Marissa held her secret close to her because she did not want to admit that she had made a huge mistake by having sex with Griffin. In fact, she had no right to judge her mother so harshly, but Jeanette was a married woman, whereas she and Griffin were both single.

She left the doctor’s office and drove straight to work. Marissa would have to say something soon because she’d be showing shortly. Meantime, she did not want any rumors spoiling her secret before she had a chance to prepare her family.

At the office she saw Griffin, Jake and Harper in a conference room discussing some case. From the looks of it, her brother and cousin were on opposite ends. Nothing new there.

Poor Griff, she thought. He was caught in the middle and trying to play peacemaker.

Marissa hoped that her baby shared Griffin’s handsome features, especially his long lashes and perfectly shaped lips.

He glanced up and saw her in the hallway.

Embarrassed at being caught staring at him, Marissa gave a tiny wave and headed to her office.

* * *

The next morning, all of the associates gathered for the weekly staff meeting.

Marissa grabbed a bottle of water and sat down beside her brother Marcus. She had some saltines in the pocket of her jacket, in case she needed to eat something to settle her stomach. Marissa hoped to make it through the meeting without experiencing a bout of nausea. She did not want her family or Griffin becoming suspicious.

Griffin walked in a few minutes later and sat down at the conference table in the empty chair across from her.

“Victor Ewing was arrested last night at the airport,” Jacob announced. “The federal authorities spent three years looking for this guy. He’s wanted on tax-evasion charges.”

“He wants us to represent him?” Jake inquired. “What happened with his last attorney?”

“Is he the guy who left the country before they could arrest him?” Jillian asked. “He owned several hair salons.”

“I remember reading something about this,” Marissa interjected. “He went to Nigeria and the authorities were not able to extradite him. Why did he come back to the U.S.?”

“His mother is gravely ill and Victor mistakenly believed that the statute of limitations had expired. It is one of the reasons he fired his last attorney. Victor believes that the feds were tipped off. He says that the only person who knew he had come back was his attorney.”

“I’d like to meet with Mr. Ewing,” Marcus stated. “This is the type of challenging case I’ve been looking for.”

“Do we even want to represent a man like Victor Ewing?” Jillian asked. “The cost to try a case like this is going to cost at least a million dollars. Does he even have any money?”

“He’s facing four counts of filing false tax returns and two counts of structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting requirements,” Jacob said. “The feds say that he also used business proceeds to buy a million-dollar home in New Jersey, and to transfer funds to Nigeria.”

Marissa could feel the heat of Griffin’s gaze as he silently observed her. She kept her expression blank. She was afraid that he might see the truth that she was keeping something from him.

After the meeting, Harper followed Marissa into her office.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“As well as can be expected,” she said. “How about you?”

“Same here.”

Marissa gave him a sidelong glance. “How are things going between you and Uncle Frank?”

“I don’t have a whole lot to say to him,” Harper said. “We don’t talk unless we have to, and that’s mostly here in the office. By the way, your mom invited all of us over for one of the Hamilton family dinners on Sunday.”

Marissa groaned. “I don’t want to do this.”

Harper nodded in agreement. “Neither do I. In fact, Azure and I won’t be in attendance.”

“You should rethink your decision,” Marissa said. “I think we should both attend—if we don’t, then the rest of the family may get suspicious. That’s the last thing we need.”

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