ATTENTION: THE AUTHOR IS POSTING THE LAST CHAPTER ON MAY 5. TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO HAVE READ HER STORY, SHE IS ALLOWING THE ENTIRE STORY TO BE PUBLISHED UNTIL MAY 22.

THIS BOOK OR ANY PORTION THEREOF MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT PERMISSION. THE SCANNING, UPLOADING, AND DISTRIBUTION OF THIS BOOK VIA THE INTERNET OR VIA ANY OTHER MEANS WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER IS ILLEGAL AND PUNISHABLE BY LAW.

THE PARTY WAS IN FULL SWING, guests were mulling about with wine and Champagne in hand. Women wore dresses and had their hair in varying degrees of fancy. Men wore shirts and ties, or suits. Robin spotted Peter Mueller with his wife, his son Sean next to him at a table. Music from the DJ twinkled around the room rather than boomed.

Regina had been particular on the volume of the music, the lighting, the space between the tables, he remembered. She was right, he mused. There was enough room in between tables for people to get up without blocking others in or risking tripping another. With the people in the room, the party looked amazing. The woman had talent.

Maggie and David were respectively in their own groups of lawyers smooching with clients. Emma Swan and Henry had come after he insisted, they attend. They sat with another group of clients he or his colleagues worked with. Scanning the room, he didn't spot Regina. He knew she was nervous about her speech.

Granny and Ruby along with a group of caterers were spread around the room holding trays with glasses for refills. Servers were picking up empty glasses on tables, depositing extra napkins, and snacks. He moved around the room, shaking hands and waving as he went. Coming to Mueller's table, he stopped.

"Gentlemen and lady," he said to the woman. "I wanted to stop and introduce myself. I'm Robin Locksley, civil attorney. I'm glad you could make it out, Happy Thanksgiving."

Peter and Sean Mueller stood and shook his hand. Sean said, "Pleasure to meet you." When Peter's wife, Amelia stood, he kissed her hand.

"You all enjoy yourselves. We'll start eating here soon," he said and moved away before they could think he was lingering.

He continued around the room scanning for Regina. They'd driven separately and he hadn't yet spotted her. Everything was ready and taken care of, so he'd come in a little later than originally planned. Stepping up to David, he stopped, "Hell of a party," he said.

Robin nodded, "It was all Regina," he said. "I only helped haul and make centerpieces. She's got a hell of a gift."

David laughed, "Yea, she does. You seen her yet?"

"No, why?"

Raising his eyebrows in a teasing way, he said, "She looks hot."

Turning, he thought she always did. She didn't even have to try, he mused. When she'd waken up in bed with her makeup smeared off her face, her skin clean, she was even prettier. When was she not hot? "Where is she? I want to see if she's ready for her speech."

"Around the front," David said gesturing. "Next to the bathrooms."

"Thanks."

Robin made his way through the room, stopped again to shake hands or wave. He turned the corner and stopped dead. Regina stood in a sinfully delicious red dress, her hair pinned in curls under her left ear. Diamonds dangled from her ears, a matching necklace centered between her breasts.

He swallowed when she turned her head and met his eyes, her brilliant smile nearly stopped his heart. Taking slow steps toward her, he scanned her body. The dress had noodle thin straps that crisscrossed over her shoulders. Her back was bare the fabric stopping at her hips. The skirt was flowy and ruffled at the bottom.

His eyes focused on her heels, red toes peeking through the straps thin as the dress. When he met her eyes, he said, "Wow."

"Thanks," she said.

"You look gorgeous," he smiled lifting her hand to his lips for a light kiss. "How are you doing? Ready?" He didn't let go of her hand, instead, he threaded his fingers through hers.

"I think so," she said. "I have to be, I already introduced myself to Peter and Sean. Amelia is a sweet woman."

"I met them just now," he said. "You'll do great. They're serving food in ten."

"I know, I already talked to Henrietta. Gold is overseeing the DJ, Maggie is helping manage the crowd, and I'm talking too fast," she said with a shaky voice. "Okay, maybe I'm more nervous than I thought."

Reaching up, he rubbed his hands along her arms, "A little nerves are good. It'll propel you forward. Use them, you do in court," he reminded her.

"True," she said. "I want this, Robin. I want this more than I've ever wanted any other case. I know I keep saying that, but I really want it. I'm terrified that I'm going to screw it up."

"You couldn't," he said. "Trust me, you'll do great. Come on, let's get you some food. It'll calm your nerves a bit." With her hand in his, they walked into the ballroom where lines of people were already gathering food.

He smiled to think of all the work they put in, he gazed at the room as an outside, decided he'd guess professional party planner. "You did a hell of a job."

"We did," she corrected.

"I guess, but your brains are all in this room," he grinned. She smiled and glanced behind him, her eyes changed.

"Robin," she said as they stood in the back of the line. She gestured toward Greta who stood with her fiancé ahead of them a few people.

"I saw her," he said. It was hard not to, he thought. He'd noticed her when he was moving around the room and after he'd stopped at the Mueller table.

"Are you okay?" Her concerned eyes touched him. Made his heart settle a bit.

"I'm fine," he said touching his lips to hers.

Regina glanced behind her, they hadn't shown any affection in public. "People might talk," she said squeezing his hand.

He saw the concern in his eyes, the fear of people whispering behind her back. "Yea, they will. But not from anything I've said or will," he promised.

"I know you wouldn't say anything. That's not why I said it," she said. "I just don't want anyone to think anything unprofessional. It's complicated."

"Gold knows, Maggie and David, they don't have anything to say about it. It's between us, Regina. So, if you have doubts, you should say them."

He searched her eyes, saw the conflict, the fear. Before she could say anything, he heard Greta's voice. "Robin, it's nice to see you."

He lifted his gaze to hers, out of the manners his mother instilled in him and nothing to do with being polite, he kissed her hand, "Greta Nash, Regina Mills."

They shook hands, "Civil attorney for the firm, right? I've seen you in court. You're brilliant."

Regina linked her fingers with his, "It's nice to meet you, Greta. Thank you, that's kind of you to say."

Robin watched the short and uncomfortable, for him, interaction between them. Greta turned, "Have you met Drew? This is my fiancé, Drew Hanigan."

Robin shook his hand, "Drew."

"Robin."

Regina shook his hand, "Congratulations." They exchanged more small talk, he wanted to get out of there. He wanted to get out of this uncomfortable situation. When he felt Regina's hand slide back into his and link her fingers with his, he relaxed.

"I take it you're involved," she raised a brow. "Well, honey word of advice." His jaw set, his eyes turned hot. "He sure likes to drag his feet, so don't wait too long to snap him up."

Regina responded quickly, without hesitation, it unnerved him, irritated him, and surprised him, "He does anything but drag his feet, some say he takes his time to make decisions. That's admirable."

Greta, rolled her eyes, "Sure." Then, she took Drew's hand and pulled him back into line by her.

When they turned back to their place in line and started filling their plates, he turned to her, "Thank you for that."

She wrapped her arm around his torso, "You'd do the same for me." She lifted her chin and he rewarded her with a soft kiss.

REGINA STOOD NEAR THE PODIUM and waited for her moment to interrupt the room. Robin stood behind her with the rest of her colleagues. Gold gave her a nod. Robin whispered, "You've got this."

"I'm nervous," she said. "More than I want to be."

"You're prepared, we've gone over this. Look at me," he said and turned her toward him. When she met his eyes, she sighed. "You're ready. You can do this, and you want it, right?"

"Yes," she said more firmly. "Yes, I do."

"So, go get it," he said and kissed the tip of her nose and turned to go stand next to David.

Regina made her way up to the podium as the DJ cut off the music. The room fell silent and all turned to face her.

"Thank you for coming," she began. "Holloway, Dunn, and Gold was founded in 1996, to provide clients with high-quality varying legal services and to provide a network of legal representation and is dedicated to forming relationships with clients."

The room stared and she took a deep breath, "I've worked at this firm for nearly a decade and have come to know the partnerships of this firm. We've provided excellent service, created networking relationships, and have kept the integrity of this office. With victories by the hundreds, we've provided each and every client with the utmost service."

Glancing at Mueller, she stood taller, "It's my experience," she said deviating from her speech. "The more you put on the line for a client, the better the result. I found that when you share your knowledge, show that you care, and put yourself on the line, you produce amazing results," she said glancing at Robin.

"Sometimes, we work so hard, we forget that we are working for people. That the results in the courtroom trickle over into people's lives. Spending time with clients and speaking to them help us realize the life of the case. I don't forget it and I remember why I fight. I fight so that each person can leave feeling supported and so they can get their justice.

We understand this and we will continue to honor our mission, rise above the constraints, and keep providing excellent service. Thank you all for celebrating the foundation of this firm with us tonight. Happy Thanksgiving."

When she stepped away from the podium, the crowd erupted in applause. Her heart was drumming in her ears, she felt lighter.

Gold replaced her and gave his own speech.

"Thank you for being with us tonight and for each of you who have made contributions to the work we do. When Travis, Buck, and I set out to create our own law firm, I wasn't expecting the legacy we've left. I didn't know that we'd be in the top twenty in the US for success rate."

The crowd applauded, "That we would hire attorneys who rank in the top ten percent in the country." The crowd applauded again. "Or that, we would have such a huge community behind us. We represent you and everyone like you, every day. We support, we encourage, and we ensure our clients are taken care of."

Another applause, "We care, here at Holloway, Dunn, and Gold. We care and we will continue to care what happens to you, what happens to your cases, and what happens beyond the courtroom." A louder applause rang out.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening, Happy Thanksgiving."

Standing with Robin, she held his hand until Gold was finished. He walked her into the back of the room, "You blew that out of the water. You deviated," he said. "I didn't think you would."

"I know, it just came to me. I just kept thinking they didn't want to hear the same retired lines. I saw Mueller's face, he was bored. I needed to make him see how much we care and how much I wanted this. He looked surprised, and he seemed affected by my statement."

"I watched him the whole time, I can tell you, he was. You're amazing," he said pulling her in for a kiss.

"Robin," she started feeling her insides quiver.

"What?" He framed her face with his hands, "You're shaking."

"I know, but my heart is shaking more," she said.

When he frowned, she breathed in, "What do you mean?" He looked so confused, she thought.

With as much courage as she could muster, she started, "I'm more nervous about this speech than I was about that one." She glanced around, pulled him out of the room, and down into the hallway.

"Regina, you're starting to worry me," he said.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I need to get this out."

"Okay," he said patiently.

"I've been thinking about it and I just can't keep it to myself anymore. I don't want to," she said. Pausing, she wrapped her arms around him, waited for him to do the same. With eyes not quite dry, she kissed him long and slow.

"When I met you, I thought that you were this arrogant and self-entitled man who used his charisma to get into women's' pants. I guess I listened to the reputation rumors and I bought into it," she said. "Then, I watched you that first week and that opinion changed. You were thorough, you listened to clients, and you showed me that you cared."

His hands rested against the bare skin of her back, firm and sure. "I do care."

"I know," she said. "I didn't want to see you as anything else. I wanted to keep you at a distance because when I paid attention, you scared me. Even before you kissed me, you scared me."

"Regina—"

"Wait, just let me get this out," she pleaded.

"Alright," he said patiently.

"I felt it, that zing that you kept talking about. I felt this pull, and I tried to run away from it. I could tell you wanted to run too, but it seemed stronger for you." Her heart was pounding, she watched his eyes patiently listening to her.

"At least, I let myself think that because I didn't want to get close to you. That first time you kissed me, I shoved it away as anger. You confused me when you went for days without mentioning it."

"I remember," he said with a smirk. With a look, he said, "Sorry, I won't interrupt."

"It seemed that the more I tried to push you away, you kept coming forward. I don't know if that was on purpose, I don't think it was, but I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to."

Taking another breath, she said, "When I was with Daniel, it was like being with your best friend. I didn't have to try so hard. I've been thinking about it and I didn't realize what was missing. What we didn't have," she said.

"What did you not have?" He watched her intently, she couldn't chastise him for interrupting.

"This pull," she said. "I didn't have that with him, and I think it was partly because I was young and didn't know much about attraction." Staring at his chest, she sighed, "I think that this pull is responsible for what I feel for you."

"What do you feel for me?" He lifted her chin to meet her eyes.

"A lot of things," she said. "But I'm not finished."

He nodded and waited, watched her.

"The more we spent time together, talked, were together in bed, I felt the pull change to a yank. It wasn't just being drawn to you anymore. It wasn't just a zing or a pull anymore. I kept trying to think that it was my imagination, that I was being crazy."

His arms tightened around her, pulled her flush to his body, chest to chest. Their hearts beat wildly together. "Regina you're talking in riddles."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I need to just get this out and if it's like this, then that's the way it has to be."

"Alright."

"I figured it out this weekend," she said. "It seemed to happen from one moment to the next. You were standing in the kitchen frying bacon," she laughed. "It hit me pretty hard and scared me. Then, you were taking me to bed."

"I was there," he said evenly.

"Yea, you were so there but you didn't even notice what went on between us. Twice," she said.

"If you're talking about sex, I was there too," he said.

She slid her hands up his chest, up and around his neck, nuzzled closer, "It wasn't just sex," she mumbled. "You forgot yourself, and in doing so, forgot to be careful."

Their eyes met, his were not quite clear, he opened his mouth and closed it, clenched his jaw. "I didn't even think—" She put her fingers to his lips.

"I know." Her body leaned forward, "When I woke up and you were in my bed, a few things went through my mind. Do you know what the first was?"

He shook his head.

"The first thought was that you belonged there. In my sleep, I expected you to be there. Robin, I don't expect anything from people. I don't ask, I don't assume."

"I know that," he said. "I figured that out on my own."

"So, when I said that I expected you there, it threw me off balance. I wanted you there, and I think that I still do." Taking a breath, she pressed her brow to his, "Robin, I don't know what I'm doing or if we're going to go somewhere else. I just know what I know."

"What do you know? Regina, tell me. You're driving me crazy," he said.

Lifting her chin, she pulled him in for a long, slow, deep sensual kiss. Against his lips, she whispered, "I'm in love with you."

To her surprise, he leaned in and covered his mouth over hers in a deeper and longer kiss, held her tight against him. When he released her, he grinned, "Took you long enough."

"What?" She blinked.

"Regina, couldn't you tell? I'm madly in love with you," he said. "It terrified me, and still does," he admitted. "When I'm with you, my heart isn't steady, I feel this buzz when I look at you. When I touch you my skin lights on fire. When, I look in your eyes, I get lost in them."

Tears were falling down her cheeks, ruining her makeup, she thought. "It terrified me that you wouldn't feel the same, it looks like I was a fool."

"No," he said kissing her lips. "Not a fool. I was. I didn't want to want you. I told you that from the start. I had my share of what I thought love was and it ruined things for me. It tore at me, and I told you when I started this, I couldn't fall on my face again."

Her heart swelled and beat in her chest.

"I think I loved you then, but I didn't want to. I wanted to push it away, keep you away. I needed to come to terms with it. I didn't want to hurt you after you'd been hurt. I didn't want to fall back into something that would hurt me."

"I wouldn't hurt you," she said. "I swear."

"I know. I want you and I don't think that I can breathe sometimes from wanting you. Do you feel this?" His hand pressed against her chest, she felt the fire between them. "It's not just a pull. It's a connection. It's love. I love you," he said covering his mouth with hers. He kissed her long and hard, pulled back, and changed it too sweet.

"I love you, too," she said pulling him back to her mouth.