Insufferable Proximity 2 (44 page)

“
I’m thankful that you’re safe; the bruises will fade,” he said as he kissed the small bruise on her shoulder.

Heaven quickly turned around to look at him. Her eyes were brimming with tears, and it broke his heart.

“He told me you were dead. I didn’t believe him at first, but he started to convince me. I was afraid I would never see you again,” she cried.

Julian pulled her into his embrace as the tears began to stream down her cheeks.

“Shush.” He put a comforting hand on her head, holding her close to him. “He’s dead now, and we survived. He can never hurt us again. We’ll never have to watch our back or look over our shoulder. No more sleepless nights with one eye open.”

“It’s really over.” She cried tears of joy.

“Yes; now we can finally get on with our lives. We never have to worry again.”

“Finally.”

***

Lila Strain spent months in the hospital. It took a while for her broken limbs to heal. Due to the odd position her broken leg had begun to heal in while she was chained to the wall, she would have a permanent limp. Once she had healed enough to leave the hospital, they took her to the local jail where she would wait for her trial.

Lila’s trial dragged on for months. She tried everything in her power to get out of it. Her husband had gotten her one of the best lawyers around, who wasn’t connected to the King Law Firm. Her husband was her biggest and only supporter. That was until he heard the tapes that Gavin had left behind.

On the tapes, Lila asked Gavin to murder her husband in exchange for Heaven. Lila gave Gavin detailed instructions on how to commit the murder. She even supplied him with her husband’s work schedule—right down to his lunch breaks. After that, Lila was on her own; her husband never returned to the courtroom.

Julian and Heaven had to testify, as well as half of the employees of the firm. However, Julian and Heaven decided not to attend the trial except for when they were needed to testify. They didn’t want to see it; as far as they were concerned, it was over.

In the end, the judge sentenced Lila to the maximum for all of her crimes. She would be a senior citizen by the time she got out of prison. Lila was escorted directly from the courtroom to the prison. After the grand tour of her new home, the guard led her to her new bedroom.

“Enjoy your stay,” the guard smirked as she locked the cell.

A woman the size of a linebacker spoke as she jumped down from the top bunk. “Well, hello roommate, I’m Beulah.”

“Hi,” Lila said as she sat her prison-issued suit on the bed.

“No, don’t put that there!” the woman yelled as she tossed Lila’s things off the bed. “There’s rules in this room, and it’s time you start learnin’ them.”

“I-I-" Lila stammered as the six-foot amazon backed her against the wall.

“Shut up and listen, bitch, cause I ain’t gonna tell you more than once. Bottom bunk is mine—you are not allowed anywhere near it. I like to use the top bunk too, so you can only use it if I ain’t usin’ it. You break one rule, and I’ll break all the bones in your muthafuckin’ face. Got it?” Beulah’s green eyes were pale enough to add to her intimidation factor. They glowed like a demon’s.

Lila dropped to the floor and began to cry like a child. She curled up in the fetal position and sobbed.

“Get up, bitch, they gonna think I did somethin’ to you,” Beulah hissed before kicking Lila in the stomach. “I see you ain’t gonna make it round here, girl.”

“Please,” Lila cried.

“Ain’t no please in prison…ain’t no one ever gonna help. This ain’t the outside world; that shit will get you killed in here. You ain’t nothin’ but an animal with a number. Welcome to hell, bitch.”

Epilogue

Wedding

Julian looked at his watch. “She's late.”

Julian was antsy. He knew that everything was all right, and Heaven wasn’t in harm’s way. However, he needed to see her and be reassured that she was fine. Strange things happened to them. He wasn’t overly concerned, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

“She's coming.”

“I’ll be right back,” he told his cousins.

“Where are you going?” Julius asked.

“To check on Heaven.”

“She’s fine; you’re getting ready to see her in a few minutes.” Julius said, grinning.

“Besides, it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” his cousin Royce added.

“Unless that rule is a seven-hundred-pound superhero, it’s not going to stop me,” Julian replied before he headed towards the house.

***

Heaven stood before the floor-length mirror with a huge smile on her face. Her long, dark hair was pinned up in a Grecian style. Her pale-peach eyeshadow looked like powdered silk and enhanced her hazel eyes. Her deep red, matte lipstick emphasized her smile. She wore the brand-new diamond necklace set that Julian had given her.

Her corseted wedding gown looked as if it were straight out of a horror film.

“You look like you borrowed a dress from a zombie bride,” Jade chuckled.

“I love it, it could be a new trend,” Alice smiled.

“You still look absolutely beautiful,” Petal kissed her cheek as she beamed with joy.

“I love this dress; I love what it stands for. I think it’s perfect.” Heaven’s smile widened as she looked at her dress.

“You survived in that dress, I love it too.” Jade’s smile matched Heaven’s.

“So do I…I think it’s a dreamy dress,” Heaven purred.

Alice smiled. “Me too; you really look beautiful, Sevigne.”

“You look like a princess,” Julian said from the doorway. All the women turned to look at him.

“A zombie princess,” Heaven giggled.

“It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” Petal gasped.

“From past experience, I’ve found that it’s bad luck to take my eyes off my bride before our wedding.” He grinned, not taking his eyes off Heaven.

“Come on girls, let’s give them a moment alone,” Jade suggested, and everyone hurried out of the room.

Julian walked over to Heaven with a look of adoration on his face. She smiled up at him lovingly.

“We finally made it,” he murmured.

“I know…think of all we’ve been through to get here.”

They looked at each other knowingly and laughed.

***

Clive found out that Julian wasn’t someone he wanted as an enemy. No one would want him as an enemy. Julian had made Clive's life a living hell for months, and he’d made a game out of it. As if the torture weren’t bad enough, Heaven looked at Clive as if he were the lowest of criminals. He knew he’d never have her. So after months of mental warfare, Clive finally quit the firm.

Julian threw a party and made Heaven his guest of honor.

One year later

Heaven lay on the new chaise Julian had bought her. He made sure it had extra padding, and the cushions were as soft as a cloud. He’d also made sure that it was her favorite shade of red, and that there was enough room for him as well. She liked it so much, he found himself dragging it to the back porch at night so they could enjoy the view. After a couple weeks, he bought her an identical one, so he didn’t have to continue the nightly routine.

Heaven’s mother had been bringing by baskets of sweets daily. No matter how much Heaven protested, she still took the baskets and ate the majority.

Heaven was devouring a container of chocolate-covered raspberries when Julian walked out onto the back porch.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked as he sat down next to her.

She grinned. “As comfortable as I can get with a seven-pound human being trapped inside of me. A seven-pound human being who is trying to play football, nonetheless.”

“He’s going to be a quarterback, just like every other male in his family.” Julian smiled widely.

“I still can’t believe you’re going to train him so early.”

“That’s the way; you have to start early. The second he can hold that ball, he learns to play.”

“What if he gets hurt?”

“He won’t get hurt,” he reassured her as he opened her robe.

“If he gets hurt, I’m holding you fully responsible,” she warned him.

“I already know.” He grinned as he kissed her belly. “You have another basket from your mother.”

“I refuse to take it, that woman has to stop!” She shook her head and pouted silently for a moment. Julian held his smile back as he watched her emotions run across her face. Then she asked the question that he knew she would ask. “Were there chocolate-covered raspberries?”

He chuckled. “Yes.”

“It’s not funny, I have a serious problem. I am one hundred percent addicted to chocolate right now. My mother is enabling my addiction, and you’re enabling her!” she grumbled as she picked up the remainder of the chocolate-covered raspberries she’d been eating. The box was almost empty, and she was already feeling a bit sad in anticipation of the loss. “Seriously, Julian, do you not see all the weight I’ve gained? Help me help myself.”

“You look fantastic. Your breasts are unbelievable, and your ass is phenomenal. I say…keep the calories coming.” He opened the side of her robe and kissed from the top to the tip of her breast.

***

Heaven held her stomach as the cramp began to rock her midsection. She had never experienced pain like it before. She was thrilled beyond words that the prosecutor was hurrying through his closing statement.

This was the one time when her poker face was near impossible to achieve. Somehow, she managed to act normally despite the fact that her stomach felt as if it were ready to implode. She took a deep breath as the cramp finally subsided. As if time itself had decided to lend her a helping hand, the prosecutor closed his statement.

She stood up as if she were not going into labor, and walked over to stand before the jury. She held her composure as she began her closing statement. Her words were precise, but she was speed talking. There were ten minutes between the last two contractions. She knew that she had about ten minutes to get through her closing statement before another cramp hit.

She managed to deliver her statement with one minute to spare. She walked back to the table and sat down in the nick of time. She felt the next contraction rip through her. This time she was unable to keep her poker face in place.

Julian had noticed and stood up just as the jury left.

“Are you all right, Mrs. King?” the judge asked.

“Yes, Your Honor, I stubbed my toe,” she lied gracefully.

Julian sat back down, but he didn’t buy it. He knew she hadn’t stubbed her toe. The woman could be hit in the head with a baseball bat and not lose her composure in the courtroom. He sat on the edge of his seat listening to her. If she even breathed too hard, he would pull her out of court.

It didn’t take long for the jury to come back with their verdict. The courtroom erupted in applause when Heaven won, but she didn’t react. Instead, she stood up as Julian walked over to her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he put his arm around her for support.

“I think I’m in labor,” she gulped as she held him tightly.

Julian picked her up and raced out of the courtroom without saying a word to anyone. It was the fastest, albeit safest, trip he had ever made to the hospital.

***

The hospital waiting room was packed. Sybille, Coco, and Maude had brought a few girls from the brothel to help with refreshments. Every nurse, doctor and patient on the delivery floor were welcome to join their party. They also brought armfuls of gifts for the baby. It was obvious that Sybille had overdosed on baby shopping. She had bought enough stuff to fill the room, and that was only what she’d brought in with her.

Jade flew back the day she found out that Heaven was in labor.  She had found an unusual pirate-themed bedding set for the baby’s crib. It was black, white, and blue with a red pirate flag. Heaven couldn’t be happier; she was decorating the baby’s room in black, white, and blue. The red pirate flag would make the perfect touch.

Julian was also happy with the bed set because it was masculine. He didn’t care what Heaven did with the rest of the house, the wedding or even their bedroom. However, he was adamant about his son’s room not being overly red.

Alice was there with a fringed, black leather baby blanket she had custom-made. The opposite side was a soft faux fur. She also had the matching leather jacket and a bottle set with black skulls.

Petal and Alex were also there bearing gifts. Petal had picked out a gorgeous layette set that Heaven planned to take her son home in. She’d also bought a red Stevie Zell handbag. It was a large handbag designed to pose as a diaper bag. It also featured a line of designer baby accessories, which Petal bought on the spot.

Ayden was there; the big tough lawyer nervously pacing the floor, waiting to see his grandson. Occasionally, he would step out to take an important phone call, but he would return to the room quickly.

Ian sat in the corner with Gloria. They were talking up a storm and enjoying each other’s company.