Starting Over Read Online Free PDF Page A

I should have come to you and forced you to talk to me.” Her fingers rubbed small circles down his chest.
    He kissed the top of her head. “Shh, sugar. It’s the past, what matters is now.”
    She glanced up at him. “We missed so much.”
    She was right, they did miss so much, but now was their chance to get it all back. He wasn’t about to let go of this second chance. “Stay with me.”
    “What?”
    He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “No, stay here permanently. I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m doing, but stay with me.”
    “Why?”
    “I love you and there’s so much we have to make up for.”
    She just stared at him for a moment before she finally nodded. “Let’s go to Paris. We’ve always wanted to go there and now is our chance. You need to get away from New York and I can’t reasonably expect to be able to return to my job after I ran out in the middle of the day claiming some big emergency. Let’s start over together.”
    “Let’s do—” He wasn’t able to finish it before his cell phone rang. He glanced at the clock, just after two in the morning. Who the hell was calling him at this time of the night? He grabbed the phone from the nightstand and the screen read Dan . “Shit!”
    “Who is it?”
    “Dan Marino.” When the name left his lips, fear lit up her eyes. “I’ve got to take this and I want you to be quiet.” He laid back on the bed and brought the phone to his ear. “Hello.”
    “We need to talk,” the Dan said.
    “I’m assuming it’s important due to the time of this call. Otherwise, I might get upset.” He had to trust his gut, even as Liz tensed in his arms. Dan Marino had always liked that Scott spoke his mind and was willing to risk it all for what he believed in.
    “Marcus is upset you’re not going to represent him during his upcoming trial.”
    Marcus was Dan’s nephew and had been moving up in the ranks over the last few years. “I understand, but you’ve known for months. The law field isn’t what I want to do any longer. Marcus has a very capable lawyer and I have no doubt that everything will be fine.”
    “He needs you,” Dan pressed.
    “I thought we had an agreement…”
    “We do. I wanted to let you know that tonight he’s decreed that if he’s convicted, he’s holding you responsible. If he’s imprisoned, he’s already declared who will hunt you down and kill you. Is this a chance you still want to take for this so-called new life? Why not come back and work directly for us?”
    “Because it’s not what I want. I just want to live a quiet life, leave the city, and maybe do some traveling.”
    “Then you’re risking your own life. But if you think the new lawyer can handle it, so be it.” There was a pause before Dan spoke again, disdain lacing his voice. “He’s very young.”

    “Young, yes…but with a drive like I had when you found me. It’s the reason he’s taken over my practice. He’ll be perfect. You’ve got to make Marcus trust him, otherwise Marcus will seal his own fate.” He didn’t wait for Dan to reply, instead he hit the end button, and tossed his phone aside. It was New Year’s and all fates would be decided in the end, but he knew he was finally doing what was right.

Epilogue
     
    Every morning Scott took his coffee out onto the little balcony off their bedroom and enjoyed it while looking across at the Eiffel Tower. He couldn’t believe only six months had passed since Liz had strolled back into his life. They had spent every waking moment making up for lost time. Traveling to places they’d always wanted to go to, exploring each other, most of all falling in love all over again. There was no better place to do that than Paris.
    Marcus had managed to get off with a slap on the wrist, leaving Scott off the hook once again. He hadn’t heard from Dan or any other mafia connections since that New Year’s call and for the first time in over fifteen years he finally felt like he could