Redemption Series Boxed Set, Books 1-4

by Sandi Lynn

  I shook my head and a rush of coldness flowed through me.

  “I know you’re here, Nora. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything and I’m going to make things right with her. I fucked up. I now know why you did what you did. Why you sent us on this trip to scatter your ashes. Why you wanted us together. You saw it and you knew that she was the one who could save me.”

  I sat down on the edge of the bed and placed my elbows on my knees.

  “Maybe I knew it all along too and that’s why I reacted the way I did. I felt the connection between us from the moment my eyes laid sight on her in Starbucks that day, and that’s why I freaked out. I hadn’t felt that in so long. But don’t you worry, little sister, I’m going to fix this. And by the way, you’re going to have to wait to have your ashes scattered in Hawaii because I’m not doing it alone.”

  I grabbed my phone and got up from the bed. I was late for the boat and I needed to get Nora’s ashes out in Puget Sound before I headed back home to talk to Zoey.

  I was on the boat, drifting in the open waters, when my phone rang.

  “Cliff, what’s up?” I answered.

  “Good news, Carter. There are three offers on your Malibu beach house. Actually, all three clients are fighting over it. One client is offering a quarter million more than you’re asking. Will you accept it?”

  “No. In fact, take the house off the market. I’ve changed my mind. I’m not selling it after all.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Give my apologies to the buyers.”

  I ended the call, and as Nora’s ashes scattered over the open water, I spoke, “Did you hear that, Nora? I’m not selling the beach house. There are too many good memories there and I’m not willing to give them up. The memories that we made there and that Angelique and I made were made out of love and I want to keep it and make new memories without forgetting the old ones. That house will stay in the Grayson family and memories will be made there for years to come.”

  I took the boat back in, called the pilot of my private jet that was flying me to Hawaii, and asked him to take me back to New York instead. As I sat on the plane, I knew I needed to devise a plan to see Zoey. It wasn’t like I could just call her up and ask her to meet me. She hated me at the moment and there was no way she would come. I thought about going to her, but she’d probably just slam the door in my face.

  When I arrived back at my penthouse, Sadie was waiting for me like I had asked.

  “Welcome home, Mr. Grayson,” she spoke.

  “Thank you, Sadie. It’s good to see you.” I kissed her cheek.

  “I can take your luggage up for you.”

  “No need. I can do it myself. I need your help.”

  “Okay. What would you like me to do?”

  “I need you to call Zoey and tell her that she left a couple things here. Tell her they were in the dryer or something. I need her to come here so I can talk to her.”

  “Mr. Grayson, she doesn’t want to talk to you ever again.”

  “Did she say that?”

  “Yes.” She looked down.

  “Well, that’s just too bad because she’s going to listen to what I have to say. Now, when she comes to collect her things, I’ll be here waiting for her.”

  “But she didn’t leave anything behind,” Sadie spoke.

  “I know, and that doesn’t matter. I just need you to get her in this penthouse. I’ll take it from there. Go ahead, give her a call.”

  “But it’s late and she’ll wonder why I’m still here. I think it would be better to wait until the morning.”

  I sighed. “I suppose you’re right. We don’t want her to get suspicious. Fine, call her in the morning and let me know when she’ll be stopping by. I’m heading to the office first thing.”

  “I will. Is that all?”

  “Yes. Have a good night, Sadie.”

  “You as well, Mr. Grayson.”

  Chapter 35

  Zoey

  After my bath, I climbed into bed and Scott brought up a tray with a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a roll on it.

  “Here you go, sweetheart,” he spoke as he set the tray over me and then gently kissed my forehead.

  “We’re happy you’re home.” John smiled.

  Both of them took a seat on the edge of the bed.

  “Do you remember a boy on the other side of the curtain from me that day of the plane crash?” I asked John. “He was in a bad car accident and broke his leg in three places and needed surgery?”

  “Yeah. I think I do remember. He was the boy you were talking to when I came to get you and take you down for x-rays. Why?”

  “That little boy was Carter Grayson.”

  “What?” He shook his head in disbelief.

  “How do you know that for sure?” Scott asked.

  “It came to me in a dream and I remembered. Now, twenty years later, I met him again.”

  “You were supposed to, sweetheart,” John spoke. “We all know nothing happens by coincidence. This meeting had been lined up for twenty years. I believe you had to go through some things over the years before you were ready to meet him again and the same for him. The brief encounter in the hospital was just a taste of what the future held. You of all people know that. So don’t try to deny it.”

  “I know he hurt you, Zoey. Your first heartbreak at twenty-five years old.” Scott ran his finger down my cheek. “You never let anyone get really close to you because you knew they weren’t the one you were meant to be with.”

  “I don’t want to be with a man like him. He’s horrible, and the things he said to me.”

  “Eat your soup and get some rest. You’ll feel better about things in the morning,” John spoke as he kissed my forehead.

  I loved them both, but they were wrong. It would take me a long time to get over this.

  The next morning, I climbed out of bed around noon and checked my phone. I noticed I had a missed call from Sadie.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  “Hi, Sadie, it’s Zoey. You called earlier?”

  “Hi, Zoey. You left a couple of things here.”

  “I don’t think so. I double checked before I left the penthouse.”

  “I found two of your shirts sitting on top of the dryer. You must have forgotten they were there.”

  “Oh. Okay. I’ll head into the city tomorrow. There’s a couple things I need to do. I’ll call you before I come. He won’t be there, right?”

  “No. He’s not back from his trip yet. So don’t worry about that. It’ll just be me here.”

  “Okay. Good. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “See you then, sweetie.”

  That was odd. I didn’t remember doing laundry before we left for California. Oh well, I wanted to go into the city anyway for the day and do some retail therapy. Today, I had an appointment with Holly to get my hair highlighted and trimmed.

  Carter

  I was sitting at my desk when a call from Sadie came in.

  “Hello, Sadie. Did you talk to her?”

  “I did, Mr. Grayson.”

  “And?”

  “She’s stopping by tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? Why not today?”

  “I don’t know. She said she was coming into the city tomorrow.”

  “What time?”

  “She said she’ll call before she stops by.”

  I sighed.

  “Sadie, I need a time. Call her back. Make it tomorrow around six o’clock. Invite her to dinner or something.”

  “Mr. Grayson—”

  “Sadie, this is important. Call me back and let me know what she says.”

  Zoey

  I was sitting in the chair while Holly was putting the highlights in my hair when my phone rang.

  “I have to answer this,” I spoke to her.

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  “Hello,” I answered.

  “Zoey, it’s Sadie. I completely forgot. I have a bunch of errands to run tomorrow and a docto
r’s appointment. Can you come by around six? I’ll make us a nice dinner.”

  “Yeah. Six will be fine. I’ll just make the penthouse my last stop before I head home. We can actually meet somewhere for dinner if you’d like and you can just bring my things.”

  “Nope. I’m cooking for you. It’s been a while. Plus, it’ll be quieter here and it’ll give us a chance to really talk.”

  “Okay, but I don’t want you to go to any trouble.”

  “It’s no trouble at all. I enjoy cooking for you. I’ll see you around six o’clock tomorrow.”

  “See you then, Sadie.”

  “What was that all about?” Holly asked.

  “I’m having dinner with Sadie tomorrow night at six.”

  “At Carter’s penthouse?”

  “Yeah. He’s still away and Sadie sounds a little down. Plus, I left a couple of things there.”

  Carter

  My phone rang and Sadie was calling.

  “What did she say?” I answered.

  “She’s coming for dinner at six o’clock tomorrow.”

  “Excellent. I knew you could do it, Sadie. Did she sound suspicious or anything?”

  “Not that I could tell.”

  “Okay. Good. Thanks again. You’re a doll for doing this.”

  After ending the call, I immediately started to search flowers online. After our discussion at Pike Market Place, I needed to find the perfect flowers with the perfect meaning for her. Any old flower wouldn’t do and I couldn’t fuck this up. I needed her to see and believe how sorry I was.

  Chapter 36

  Zoey

  I headed into the city around one o’clock, grabbed some lunch, and did a lot of shopping. I didn’t actually buy anything and I didn’t know why. I think I just needed the distraction of looking around and being surrounded by people to make me forget about Carter. It was five thirty and I phoned Sadie to tell her I was stuck in horrible traffic and I might be a little late. As luck would have it, I arrived at the penthouse at precisely six o’clock. As the elevator doors opened, I stepped into the foyer and called out for Sadie.

  “Sadie, I’m here,” I spoke as I set my purse down on the table.

  “Hello, Zoey,” Carter spoke as he walked towards me with his hands tucked into his pants pockets.

  My heart started racing and I broke out in a sweat.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Well, considering this is where I live.” He smirked.

  “Sadie said you were still away.” I grabbed my purse from the table.

  “I had Sadie tell you that because I needed to talk to you, and I knew that if you knew I was here, you’d never come.”

  “I have nothing to say to you, and you’re right, I wouldn’t have come.”

  I pushed the button to the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, I began to step inside.

  “I’ll never forget the day Angelique told me she was pregnant with my child,” he spoke. “It was the happiest day of my life.”

  I stood there for a moment, one foot in the elevator and one foot out.

  “I was going to be a father. My life was complete. My business was growing, I had a woman that I loved, and a baby on the way.”

  I slowly removed my foot from the elevator and took a step back. The doors shut and I turned around and faced Carter.

  “My life wasn’t so great growing up. I lost my best friend, Andy, Nora got sick with cancer, my mother passed away, and then my father committed suicide. I had to drop out of college, take care of Nora, and try to save the company from bankruptcy. That company was all Nora and I had left in this world. Then I met Angelique, and suddenly, everything fell into place. I saw my future.”

  I just stood there, staring into his sad eyes, unable to speak.

  “Please, come in and sit down. I’ll pour us a glass of wine.” He held out his hand to me.

  When I placed my hand in his, he led me into the living room and over to the couch. He walked over to the bar and poured us each a glass of wine. Walking over to me, he handed me my glass and sat down next to me.

  “The day I got the call about the accident, I was supposed to go to her doctor’s appointment with her. The plan was that I was going to pick her up from work and we’d go together. But, I got tied up in a meeting. The client was being difficult and I couldn’t leave. So, I sent her a text message and told her that I’d meet her there. If only I had told that client to fuck off and left the meeting when I was supposed to, she and my son would be alive.”

  I was too scared to say anything to him for the fear that he would get angry, because I knew he didn’t want to hear what I had to say. I reached over and placed my hand on his.

  “It’s okay, Zoey. You can say it. After their death, I completely shut down. I hated this world, God, and my life. No one, and I mean no one, should ever have to experience so much death. I became angry and nothing mattered to me anymore except my company and Nora, of course. I secluded myself. I didn’t grieve properly because every day I lived, I hoped that it was all a nightmare, and one day I’d wake up and she and my son would be next to me. I became bitter and secluded myself from everyone and everything. I lost friends because of it. They tried to help, but when they couldn’t, they left. Nora did what she could, but I wouldn’t listen to her. Then, she was diagnosed and the small narrow piece of the ledge I was standing on crumbled under me.”

  Tears filled my eyes as did his. My heart broke into tiny pieces listening to his story.

  “I’m sorry, Zoey. I’m sorry for everything. For my behavior towards you and every horrible word I spoke to you.”

  “It’s okay, Carter,” I whispered.

  “No. It’s not okay and I need to explain to you why I did it. The moment I saw you in Starbucks, I felt something. Even though I didn’t know you, I felt this strong connection or pull towards you. But I didn’t think about it because I thought I’d never see you again. Then that night when you showed up here, I lost it. That’s why I didn’t want you here. Because I knew you were someone special and different. I resisted and did everything I could to keep my feelings buried. I’ve seen a lot of women since Angelique died. Actually, I used them and I’m ashamed of it. But, not one of those women ever touched me the way you have. When you started talking about seeing spirits and heaven and how everything happens for a reason, I forced myself not to believe in any of it because then it would be real and I didn’t want to live in reality. I’m sorry for calling you crazy. I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to convince myself that you were, even though I knew you weren’t, because then it would be easy for me not to fall for you.” He ran his hand down my cheek. “Even when we slept together, the connection was so deep. Deeper than what I had with Angelique and I felt guilty for that.”

  “Carter.”

  “How many times have you seen her? Please tell me. I want to know everything. I need to know.”

  “Quite a bit. I saw her here, but mostly at the beach house. She was with us the whole time. She’s here, Carter, because you won’t let her go and she can’t move on until you do.”

  “And Nora?”

  “Same thing. All she wants is for you to be okay. She loves you so much and it hurt her to see you living the way you are. Her illness wasn’t her focus, you were. You were all she worried about.”

  “Of course she did. She always worried about everyone else. Zoey, have you seen my son?”

  A tear streamed down my face as I lightly nodded my head.

  “He looks just like you. He’s beautiful.”

  Tears started to run down his face.

  “We were meant to meet that day in the hospital. I know now that wasn’t a coincidence,” he spoke.

  “No, it wasn’t. And we had to go through everything we did over the past twenty years in order to meet each other again.”

  “The man you met a few months ago isn’t who I am.”

  “I know.” I brought my hand up to his face and wiped away his tears.

&nbs
p; “You were right when you told me I became a victim of circumstance. I didn’t know any other way to deal with everything. I felt like I didn’t deserve to be happy.”

  “You do deserve to be happy, Carter. Everyone deserves happiness. No matter what. That’s all Angelique and Nora want for you. They want you to live again and find happiness. Isn’t that what you’d want for them if the situation was reversed?”

  “Of course I would.”

  “Then why would you think they wouldn’t want the same for you?”

  “I don’t know. I was lost, so lost that I couldn’t find my way back. But you found me. You, Zoey, and you brought me back. You opened my eyes again.”

  He leaned over and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into him.

  “I know there aren’t enough words in the world for me to say to you. But I will tell you that I miss you and I’m sorry. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t forgive me. Hell, I wouldn’t forgive me.”

  “I do forgive you, Carter.”

  “You do?” He broke our embrace and looked into my eyes.

  “Yes.” I smiled. “I missed you too.”

  “How did you get home? I mean, I know you flew home, but I thought Nora and Angelique would have stopped you.”

  “I think they realized you needed some time alone to process everything.”

  “I felt Nora in the hotel room when I was talking to her. A coldness rushed through me.”

  “She was there at the Grand Canyon and she did place her hand on your shoulder. I’m sorry I lied to you about it. I just didn’t want you to get angry again.”

  “I knew she was there. And at times, when I’m alone at night in my office, I swear I can feel Angelique’s presence.”

  “That’s because you did. She was there with you.”

  Chapter 37

  Zoey

  We sat on the couch, locked in an embrace for several minutes while Carter stroked my hair and held me tight.

  “I have something for you,” he spoke.

  “You do?”

  “I’ll be right back.” He smiled as he kissed my head.