Crossing Lines

Chapter 41 - Hayden

I fucking love this woman.

I wake up the next morning, Mila's naked body still pressed against me, her hair sprawled across her face while she snores so quietly, it's almost inaudible. But it's there. And fuck, it's cute.

This woman turned my life upside down. And even if there's a lot going on for both of us, I feel like we're the strongest we've been, helping each other up and sharing our strength when needed.

Mila has this way of grounding me, of making me see things for what they are, and I'm so damn thankful for that. She showed me a new way of life, just by being who she is.

"Ugh..." She groans when her phone starts ringing, and I can't help but chuckle as I lean over her stunning body to grab the phone from the nightstand.

I answer it, and Mila doesn't seem to mind. She just cuddles up to me, her arm flinging around my torso when she nestles in the crook of my neck. "Cross?"

"Hayden? This is Mike—sorry to call this early in the morning, but I really need to talk to Mila," he rambles on, and it takes me a second to realize what's happening, but I know this must be important.

"Yeah, give me a second," I answer, placing her phone on the nightstand next to me before I lean down and whisper in her ear, "Baby, you need to wake up."

She stirs, but only hides further in my neck with a sigh. "No," she mumbles, and as much as I find that extremely cute, I know I have to be insistent.

"It's Mike. You might want to hear what he has to say."

That makes her pull away from me, and she opens her tired eyes, shaking her head to wake up. "What? What's going on?"

"I don't know, he just called," I grab the phone from the nightstand and put it on speaker before I hold it in front of us. "Okay, she's here. What's up?"

"Alright. I'll skip the formalities and get straight to the point."

Mila nods with wide eyes, but suddenly realizes Mike can't actually see her. I stifle a laugh when she turns crimson, clears her throat, and answers, "Yes, please."

"Alright. I hope you're free today, because we have to go to court."

"To court?" I ask.

"Yes, to court. Mila, I told you I filed a proposal to let your father out on bail due to the ongoing appeal. The judge has read over that proposal now, and he agrees to let us plead Sam's case in court today. We need to be there by noon."

Mila looks at me with wide eyes, palm flat on her mouth when she shakes her head, obviously trying to understand what exactly is going on here.

"Wait, so you're saying Sam might get out of jail?" I ask, holding Mila's hand as we wait for his answer.

"That is exactly what I'm saying."

***

I'm skipping training today to fly out to L.A. with Mila. She insisted I didn't have to, but I don't see any way I'm not going with her. I'm glad she stopped arguing when I just packed my suitcase and helped her with her own. She still needs to learn I won't argue about stuff like that. If she needs me, then I'm there. Period.

We're sitting in the courtroom now, Mila to my right and Jas to my left, all three of us watching Mike work his magic in front of the judge. He definitely knows what he's doing, and we have the advantage of Sam's kind face illuminating the room with his altruistic aura. He's such a charismatic person, and even though this must be hard for him, the smile on his face is genuine. Probably because it's mostly directed at Mila behind him.