Breach: The Boxset (55 page)

I was drained. My mental state was affecting my physical state as I stumbled out of a conference room at the prosecutor’s office. It felt like my limbs were filled with lead, all the while my brain was drifting in the waves of the ocean.

Giving my deposition had been harder than I thought, and I was wrecked. Nathan wasn’t there to help as he was stuck at work until it was time for his. Not that he could have been in the room with me, but his presence outside might have helped.

All the trouble was in an effort to put my psychotic stepbrother, Adam, away for life.

“Hey, there,” a familiar voice said, calling me from the depths of my mind.

I looked up to find Caroline smiling down at me.

“What are you doing here?”

She sat next to me. “I had a feeling you’d be beaten down and in need of a friend.”

My bottom lip quivered and tears filled my eyes. Caroline wrapped her arms around me, drawing me close.

“Thank you.”

She ran her hand up and down my back. “How was it?”

“Bad. Really bad.” I sniffed and sat back. “I had to retell the whole thing—answer questions.” I let out a hard breath, trying to settle myself.

She ran her hand up and down my back. “Soon you’ll never have to talk about it again. You can push it all away and live your life.”

I nodded. “I know, but I’m still not looking forward to telling it all again at the trial and all the time in between then and now.”

“You should be.”

I looked at her, questioning her sanity. “Why?”

She smiled at me, her hand brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Because in two weeks you’re marrying the man you love and who loves you more than anything.”

Her words washed away all the bad as I thought about all the good coming my way. It helped, more than words could say, to be reminded of where my future was going. Adam and his actions kept yanking me into the past, but soon that would be done, and he would be out of my life forever. Soon I would have a husband and be part of a family that loved me. All my wishes I once thought were an unrealistic goal for me were coming true.

“Come on.” Caroline stood and held out her hand. “Let’s go get some lunch.”

“What about work?”

She rolled her eyes at me. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

“Forgot what?”

“Jack told you to take the day off. We’re meeting Sarah and Teresa at the dress shop at two.”

“Oh, yeah.” Only I would forget about shopping for my own wedding dress. My brow scrunched. “Were we meeting for lunch?”

“No.”

“Then why did you come?”

She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Because I knew my friend needed me.”

I pulled her in for another hug. “I’m so happy you’re my friend.”

It would’ve been so much easier on me had I at least considered getting married any time in the last fifteen or twenty years. All that I didn’t know—and had no idea I needed to know—was brought up by Sarah, Nathan’s mom, and Teresa, my foster mother, and had my head spinning. At least we had a venue, and, with that, a helpful coordinator who worked to streamline the process.

Over the years I’d seen movies where the bride had a ton of people with her while picking out a dress. Somehow, that was how it ended up being for me, as well. Caroline, Sarah, Teresa, and Erin were scouring the racks, asking me questions that I had no answer to. What color did I want? What style? Plain or glitzy? Form-fitting or loose?

My impression that all dresses were white was squashed. Even though they all looked the same color to me, they were, in fact, not.

Caroline worked the dressing room, helping me bounce, slip, and slide into each dress. After each one, I couldn’t help but think some gym could market the experience as a workout class, because it was. Some dresses weighed what felt like almost twenty pounds. By the third one of those, we whittled away the heavier fabrics. I finally knew something—I wanted a light dress for my beach wedding. A fabric that flowed in the ocean breeze.

“So, when do I get to repay this favor with you and Ian?” I asked Caroline as she yanked another dress off.

She grunted, and I popped free. “Whenever he gets off his damn ass and asks me.”

My fingers moved through my hair, pulling it back from my face. “You’ve been together for almost three years.”

She sighed. “Yeah, and I’m beginning to wonder if we’re going anywhere. I mean, he never wants to talk about the future.”

“Really? He always seems so glued to you.”

“Yeah, but is it super glue?”

“You live together. Do you love him?” I asked. She nodded. “Then I’d wait to see if the glue dries.”

She smiled at me. “Well, we do have an Aruban vacation coming up. Maybe we’ll find out then. Until then, we have a quest.”

I turned to the mirror so she could zip up the back of the next dress.

Caroline’s eyes popped out before she caught mine in the mirror and smiled. “Yes.”

I beamed at her.

It wasn’t a strapless dress like most seemed to be—it was a lace-covered, v-neck cut, sleeveless top that ended at an empire waist. The skirt was light chiffon and moved with ease—ethereal almost. I turned to see the back. It was mostly sheer, with lace details around the edge.

It was conservative with a romantic elegance. It wasn’t overly done up or covered in beads and fancy fabrics.

It was perfect. It was
me
.

There was no second-guessing, no “let’s try on a few more.” No, I’d found
the
dress. The one I’d walk across the sand in to join Nathan so we could finally become a family.

Family. I would be part of a real, loving family.

I deserved one, and so did Nathan.

CHAPTER 5

The countdown was on—three days. We still needed to finish up the workweek before boarding a plane, and my insides felt like a ticking time bomb.

That was probably why Drew, Caroline, Nathan, and I all went out to lunch—to relax. We’d decided on a sandwich shop not far from the office, specializing in grilled subs and fresh-cut fries. Drew drove Caroline and me, while Nathan was a few minutes behind due to a meeting with a client.

After ordering for Nathan and myself, I searched for a table for the four of us. The restaurant was pretty empty, being that it was mid-week, so there were lots of options. I found one and waited for the others to join me.

“So, are you changing your name, hyphenating, or keeping Palmer?” Drew asked as he took the seat across from me. He’d learned fast that the seat beside me was reserved for Nathan.

I shook my head like mad. “Hell, no… Am I keeping Palmer?” I scoffed. It wasn’t hard to imagine where the anger stormed from for a name that’d been mine for thirty years. “As soon as we get back, Palmer is gone. I don’t want to be associated with that man anymore.” I smiled at him, pushing all the negativity away.

Drew nodded. “I figured. Can’t call you DAP anymore. Maybe I’ll just start DAT. Who DAT?”

I rolled my eyes and let out a small snicker. “That is the stupidest name. You haven’t called me that in years, therefore
it
and all incarnations are void.”

“I can always bring it back.”

“No. Its statute of limitations is eighty years.”

“I’d like to appeal.”

“Appeal denied.” I clasped my hands together and cocked my head at him.

“Why?”

“You don’t have the appropriate paperwork.”

“What the hell is going on over here? Lawyer porn?” Caroline asked as she sat next to Drew.

“We were discussing DAP.”

Caroline paused, then shook her head. “That was the stupidest nickname.”

“Oh, come on, it was different.” The muscles in his forearm flexed, and he grinned.

“It made it sound like you were calling her some cleaning agent. ‘DAP will get out all your stains!’”

“Lila works just fine,” I said and took a bite of my sandwich.

“I’ve got some names for her, but they aren’t for polite company.” Nathan’s arm wrapped around me as he sat down and pulled me close for a kiss.

I looked up at him. “What about Honeybear?”

“
Honeybear
?” Caroline and Drew asked in unison.

I could swear Nathan’s cheeks pinked up. “Yeah, you’re my Honeybear. Public or private, but I’d prefer private. I’ve got an image to keep up, after all.”

“That’s worse than DAP.” Drew had a look of disgust on his face.

“I think it’s cute. Very different and shows a different side of Nate.” Caroline smiled across the table at us.

“Thank you, Caroline.” Nathan smiled back at her, then took a bite of his sandwich, moaning as he chewed.

I let out a giggle. “Hungry?”

“Fuck, yes. I haven’t eaten all day. Someone wanted to exercise this morning, and I missed breakfast.” He elbowed me and grinned.

“Oh, God, I don’t want to hear about the kinky, fucked up shit you two get into.” Drew made a gagging sound, then set his sandwich down. “Great. Now all I can see is your fucking hairy balls.”

“Hey, I said exercise—you’re the one who twisted it into my ass being naked.” Nathan chuckled. “And what the hell are you doing see my balls? I thought you’d be envisioning Lila, though I’m glad you weren’t, but is there something you need to tell us?”

Drew glared at Nathan, then shot a fry in his direction. “Shut the fuck up.”

Caroline rolled her eyes. “Yup, bunch of professional lawyers over here, not that anyone would guess.”

Drew sat up straighter and held his head high. “Professional when we need to be.”

Caroline quirked her brow at them. “Frat boys the rest of the time?”

Drew took a bite, then wiped his mouth. “You know I wasn’t a frat boy.”

“True, but I’m willing to bet Nate was.” Caroline turned her blue eyes back to Nathan, and he held up his right hand.

“Guilty.”

I gasped in shock and pulled back. “My God, what am I marrying?”

He eyed me sideways, his lip twitching up. “Prince Charming, remember?”

I scoffed. “This is one fucked up fairy tale.”

Nathan nodded, then he turned toward me, his eyes softening as he pulled me closer. “Yes, it is, but it’s ours.”

“Oh, by the way, I ran into someone who knows you when we were at the bridal shop.” I’d forgotten all about it.

His brow quirked. “Yeah? Who?”

I wracked my brain trying to remember his name. “Mack something. Said you met back when you were working on the Marconi case.”

Nathan swallowed hard, and set his sandwich down as he turned away from me. His profile didn’t stop me from seeing the color leave his skin. My stomach dropped, and a sickness washed over me. The air around him had become so thick that I was certain Drew and Caroline noticed his abrupt change in demeanor.

He only had that reaction when the Marconi were brought up.

“What else did he say?”

It’d been an innocent run-in, or so I thought. “Congratulations. That’s it.”

He turned back to me, his lips twitching into a forced smile, but his eyes couldn’t hide the combination of anger and dread.

“So, did you hear about Blackwell?” Caroline asked. “Seems he’s all the scandal with that intern Tara.”

I turned to look at her, mouthing a “thank you” as Drew jumped in, steering the conversation away and saving our peaceful lunch as much as possible.

When Nathan came to my office at the end of the day, I could tell he was off. His agitation was seeping through in the expression on his face and the fidgeting of his hands. The silence as we climbed into the car and headed home was a dead giveaway that something was wrong.

I waited, knowing he’d spill when he was ready. It was better to wait and let his mood settle. About ten minutes into our drive, he opened up, but not on the subject I was anticipating.

“Adam’s trying to get a plea bargain,” Nathan said.

I turned in my seat to face him, stunned. “What?”

“I got a call this afternoon.” Nathan’s gaze never left the road, but his anger was evident by the grip he had on the wheel and the clenching of his jaw.

“He’s trying to get out of it.” Of course he would. His demented mind blamed me for all the hardships in his life. “How much will this push the trial out?”

“Depends on how long the prosecution lets it go until they put their foot down and say no.”

“They
will
say no,
right
?” I asked, nervous that the prosecutor would deal. If they did, Adam could serve much less time.

Nathan nodded. “With his priors, they’re not going to go easy on him.”

I let out a relieved sigh. “Hopefully they won’t let it go on too long. I want this over with.”

Nathan reached over and squeezed my hand. “It’ll be over soon. That fucker will be in jail, and we won’t ever have to think of him or see him again.”

“It’s not soon enough.”

“I know.”

It was
not
the news I wanted to hear. We were leaving in a few days for our wedding, and it was souring the mood. The only reprieve was that there was more time for me to prepare for telling a courtroom of people the events of my life with Adam. At the same time, I was ready to get it over with.

My future awaited me, and I would live it, with Nathan, to the fullest.

My hand clamped onto Nathan’s as the airplane engines geared up, and my eyes sealed shut as it rocketed down the runway. I was tense as the wheels left the ground, but I was able to relax after a few minutes.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.” My grip loosened, and I let out a long breath.

His thumb ran across my fingers. “At least we found a direct flight, so we don’t have to do it again today.”

“Yes, very happy about that.”

“Just relax, Honeybear. In a few hours, we’ll be on the beach.”

I pursed my lips. “Good thing I brought my tablet so we can watch movies and take my mind off the fact we’re over thirty thousand feet in the air.”

He smiled and kissed my shoulder as he leaned over to pull out our earbuds while I let out a long breath.

Thankfully there was very little turbulence through our entire flight. However, finding all the baggage we brought along with the seven people we traveled with was a pain. Half an hour later, we found everything and everyone, and were off to the Divi resort where we were staying. It was a little cramped in the van that came to take us, but we managed.

George and Sarah, Caroline and Ian, Andrew, Teresa and Armando all accompanied us, whereas Jack Holloway and Darren Morgenson would arrive the next day with their wives. Unfortunately, Noah and his wife, Camilla, were unable to come.

“Do we need to call Erin and let her know we’re here?” I asked to no one in particular. Erin and her family had gone down a few days in advance due to her vacation schedule.

Sarah turned around from the seat in front of me. “She said she’d meet up with us when we see the coordinator at three.”

I nodded and looked out the window. The weather was much different than the cold winter in Indiana. The sun was shining and the palm trees were blowing in the sea breeze. Flickers of blue ocean appeared between buildings, and I could almost taste the salt in the air.

When we arrived at the resort, I couldn’t help but smile. It was perfect—the exact image that appeared when I told Nathan I wanted the beach—sun, sea, and salty air. It reminded me of one of the happiest times of my life and would forever be a reminder of the happiest day of my life.

Nathan squeezed my hand and smiled down at me. I grinned back, then launched myself at him. He laughed, stumbling back a bit as he lifted me off the ground.

He kissed my neck. “Are you happy?”

“So happy.”

“Me, too.”