Page 71 of Faking it with my Bad Boy Crush

My phone buzzed with a text from Maya: "How did the interview go? Are you okay? Miss you."

I typed back: "Interview was rough. Meeting with prosecutor tomorrow. Miss you too. More than I can explain."

Three dots appeared. "When are you coming home?"

Home. She'd called Lopez Island home.

"Soon. As soon as I can. We have that conversation to finish."

"We do. And Ethan? Whatever the ethics board decides—we'll figure it out. Together."

"Together," I agreed. "I love you."

"Love you too. Be safe."

I pocketed my phone and headed toward my hotel, already planning tomorrow's meeting with the prosecutor. If I was going down, at least I'd make sure the criminal fraud case succeeded. Make sure Hutchins and the investment group faced consequences. Make sure Maya's protection was permanent.

Tomorrow, I'd help build the case that would bring them down.

And then I'd go home to Lopez Island. To Maya. To the life we'd promised to build together, even if I had nothing left to build it with except principles and determination.

My phone rang one more time. An unknown Seattle number.

I answered cautiously. "Ethan Caldwell."

"Mr. Caldwell, this is James Patterson from Patterson & Associates. We're a small firm specializing in consumer protection and whistleblower cases. I've been following your situation, and I'd like to discuss potential opportunities."

"I'm facing potential disbarment—"

"I know. But I'm not offering you a job. I'm offering partnership." His voice was warm, genuine. "If you keep your license—even with suspension and probation—I want you at this firm. We need lawyers who understand that protecting people matters more than protecting profits. Lawyers who'll sacrifice career advancement to expose fraud. Lawyers like you."

My heart kicked up. "You want to hire someone the state bar is investigating?"

"I want to hire someone with integrity. Someone who proved they'll do the right thing regardless of consequences." He paused. "Think about it. Call me when the ethics investigation concludes. Whatever they decide, I want to talk."

After he hung up, I stood in the Seattle rain, processing what had just happened.

A job offer. Potential partnership. A future that wasn't just defending against lawsuits and surviving ethics violations.

Maybe Maya was right. Maybe we could figure this out together. Maybe losing everything wasn't the end—just the beginning of building something better.

I texted Maya: "Just got a job offer. Firm that does consumer protection work. Nothing definite, but... maybe there's a path forward after all."

Her response was immediate: "Told you. We're going to figure this out. Now come home so we can start planning."

"Soon," I promised. "Very soon."

Tomorrow, I'd help the prosecutor build their criminal case. Make sure justice actually happened. Make sure Maya's protection was permanent and complete.

And then I'd go home.

Not to Seattle—that chapter was closing.

But to Lopez Island. To Maya. To the life we'd build together out of the ruins of everything I'd lost.

Because sometimes you have to destroy what you were to become who you're meant to be.

And I was finally becoming someone worth being.