by Scott, S. L.
My dad huffs. “As for you, Bob, I’ll see you in court.”
“What? We’re partners, Broderick. Business always comes first.”
“Not this time.” My dad hasn’t looked at me in a minute, but it feels like an hour as I stand there smaller in stature than all three of these men, confident in my convictions, but alone.
When he does move, he walks to the door . . . wait, huh? He doesn’t leave as I thought he would. Instead, he comes to me. Next to me, he turns to face them. “I stand with my daughter.”
“She’s a liar, Broderick!” Bob shouts, his tone is panicked, as sweat beads on his forehead. “She’s causing trouble where there is none. Are you going to throw a three-hundred-million-dollar firm away on the accusation of a girl who can’t handle a friendly gesture?”
My dad growls, “I’m not, but you just did. Get out!”
Bob storms to the doors. They fly open, and he yells, “This is bullshit! You’ll see me in court all right. And you can forget the tee time on Sunday.”
We walk into the foyer to see my mom standing with the front door wide open and a big grin. As they walk down the steps, Lloyd starts sniveling, “Dad, what are we going to do?”
“Shut up, Lloyd!”
The door is slammed shut, and she dusts her hands.
Looking at the envelope in his hand once more, my dad says, “The protection order isn’t real, Weatherly.”
I do a double take, not understanding what he just said. “What do you mean it’s not real?”
“Lloyd was considered an asset to the firm in his willingness to go the extra mile.” He turns back to me. “Legally or illegally. He enacted the order on behalf of all three of us by drawing up a fake document and having it served, not through an officer, but a guy he paid on the side. Although I found out after the fact, I knowingly let it stick.”
“But how? Dare has court next week. This would have come to light. Why would you do anything to hurt me, much less something illegal? Do you hate me that much?”
“I love you that much. I thought a little time would help you get over this tryst, that the fallout was too great for you two to further the relationship. I was wrong.”
“Wrong?” I’m rubbing my forehead in disbelief. I don’t even know what to say right now. Yes, I do. “I’m sorry, but your name is attached to a bogus document. If this goes public, you will all lose your licenses.”
“Don’t be sorry. Never apologize to the opposing team for beating them at their own game.” My father’s words echo my sentiment about playing dirty. I just never thought they would go this low.
“I’m not sorry for exposing you. I’m sorry it came to this at all.”
“I am too, but I’ve never been more proud of the woman you’ve become than I am now.”
“What?”
Words of kindness should be shared loudly so the receiving party hears them clearly, but his words sneak up on me and dive deep into my heart, trying to seal the cracks. My eyes don’t well up this time. I just hold my emotions close to my chest and proceed.
He replies, “You’ve always made me proud. I’ve just never been good at showing my emotions.”
My mom comes into the office. “That’s what made you a good lawyer.”
“It’s what made me a bad father.”
I’m rendered speechless. This has taken a turn I could have never predicted. My mom comes around and hugs me. “I hadn’t realized how much distance had grown between us, Weatherly. I heard what April said at the party, and I was horrified. Your father told me what Lloyd did to you”—she sniffs in genuine pain—“and I . . . I’m just so sorry.” She steps back. “You know how he found out?”
I shake my head, and she continues, “Your boyfriend told your father, and then he watched the security footage. It didn’t show that he attempted to . . . it showed that he tried.”
“I don’t want to think about it.” I’ll process later when and how Dare spoke to my father, but as I look at his face, the anger and pain mixed, I can see that my dad is just as upset as Mom.
She gathers her composure, something she’s always been able to do flawlessly. “Despite our flaws, we love you so very much. I think we both got caught up in expectations and keeping up with the Joneses that we lost who we were along the way.”
I embrace her, closing my eyes and leaning on her shoulder. “I understand that all too well.”
When I open my eyes, my dad is watching us with raw emotion in his eyes. I want to go to him, for him to make it all better, but it’s bad because of him. Although I can feel the change in the air and in his demeanor, I’m not ready to give him my trust or forgiveness. But I won’t hold my care for him hostage.
I go to him. “You have to make this right.”
“I will.”
Nodding, I add, “Then we can move on.”
“I hope so.”
As much as I want to run to see Dare, I don’t rush from the room. I love my parents, but things have to change before we start again. “I’m going, but I hope to hear from you very soon.”
“You will,” he replies. “I need a few days to tie up some loose ends.”
Frayed seems more apropos, but I have to give him time to fix things. Nothing is fast when it comes to the legal system—bogus or not. “Bye.”
“Weatherly?” From the front door, I look back. He says, “I love you.”
“I know you do. It’s time to show it, though.”
We all need tough love sometimes, and his time has come. His actions have far-reaching repercussions, but it’s not too late to mend these fences.
39
Weatherly
I think I break every speed limit there is to be right here banging on their door. Lennox looks surprised when he sees me on the porch. “You’re here?”
“Where’s Dare?”
“In the garden. What about the restraining order?”
The back door is already closing behind me. I run to the side of the house and stop when I see him. There among the blooming bushes of light and deep pink roses, stands Dare with Romeo. Dare says, “I think she’ll like that one—”
“Dare?”
He turns around with a big bouquet, and I about die from the sight of this gorgeous man. “What are you doing, Weatherly? You can’t be here. I’ll get arrested.”
The words rush from my mouth, “It was fake. The order. It’s not real.”
“What?” The confusion on his face distorts his brow. “What do you mean? How do you know?”
“I beat them at their own game. I did it. They confessed. My father told me it was fake. That’s why an officer didn’t serve you, but some guy.”
Realization dawns in his expression. “That’s why he said he was paid well for the job. Fuck. He would have been paid the same if it were real.”
“Exactly.”
“You trust your father?”
“After what just happened, I do.”
“What happened?”
“Long story for later, but they can’t keep us apart any longer.”
He maneuvers through the prickly flowers and wraps his arms around me. He kisses my head a thousand times, and whispers, “Tell me you’re not kidding.”
“I would never joke about this.”
“You did it, Pepper.” He leans down and lifts me into his arms. With his head tucked to the crook of my neck, he whispers, “Thank you. Thank you, babe.”
It’s funny how I feel like I should be the one thanking him for my life, my future, and helping me resolve my past. He’s given me blue skies when I had been living under rain clouds. “I love you,” seems to be the only way to share how I feel instead, grateful that my destiny collided with this man.
Inside Dare’s bedroom, I’m dropped on the bed. His shirt is already off, and he’s working on his jeans. “We’re going to make so much love together.”
“You don’t want to fuck?” I raise an eyebrow while teasing.
“Fuck, no. This is about love, babe.” H
e takes me by the ankles and kisses each one. There are no ribbons just tiny buckles above the ankle attached to black patent leather heels. “I’m leaving these on because damn you look fine.”
I pull my shirt off, but he tosses my skirt to the floor before settling between my legs. “Do you know how much I’ve missed the taste of you?”
“Show me.” This man knows how to show he cares and has every day we’ve been lucky enough to have together. But I help move this along because I miss him being inside me.
I press gently on the back of his head, and oh, holy Sunday, he shows me several times over.
Later, we break to recover for a bit. The sun is setting, and we’re sitting on the front porch together. Together. That’s my absolute favorite way to be.
A black Mercedes pulls to the curb, and I know who it is before I see him. “My father is here.” I look down at the Dare’s boxer shorts and tee on me but don’t stress. I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m the woman who moved a mountain for my man. Bold and brave.
We stand and move to the railing. Dare says, “Shit. You look a mess.”
“Why thanks,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“I mean that you look gorgeously made love to and fucked. There’s no hiding we’ve reunited.”
Bumping him on the side, I say, “I wouldn’t hide it anyway.”
My father walks along the driveway and then stops at the base of the steps. “I thought I should personally tell you the news.”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“There was only one way I could deal with him for what he did to you that wouldn’t land me prison serving a death sentence.”
“What’s that?”
“I turned the envelope over to the police.”
I stare in amazement. “You did?”
He looks down, and it’s the first time I’ve seen him nervous. I’m glad. He should be. He says, “I couldn’t let him get away with how he’s hurt you. By turning a blind eye, I endangered my employees, but most of all, you.”
I let him share what so obviously weighs on his mind. “I didn’t protect you as I should have. I have to live with that, but worse is the damage I’ve done as well. I’ve clearly aligned myself with the wrong people. For money. I got what I wanted but at your expense.” He looks to the side, and I can actually see remorse in his expression. “What Lloyd did to you, said to you . . . I’m sorry, Weatherly.” My dad has never apologized for anything in his life. Until now.
I’d love to revel in that apology, but it doesn’t fix things. It just muddies the water. How do I forgive him when Dare still has charges over his head?
“I resigned as well today. I’m not the leader I wanted to believe I was and shouldn’t be sitting in the office like I am. I’ll face the consequences of the order.” He looks at Dare. “All charges have been officially dropped as of an hour ago.”
Dare eagerly asks, “For real?”
“For real.”
“What about the weapons charge for Romeo?” I ask.
“They reviewed the footage released online. They realized it’s his drumsticks from jumping up so fast, not that he was using them as a weapon, and dropped that charge as well.”
I’m tempted to run into his arms and hug this man, my father, but I tighten my hold on the railing, knowing we need to take this slowly. “Thank you.”
“No thanks needed.” He looks back at the RV. “How are the new digs?”
“Not as nice as my old ones.”
I laugh, and it’s as if that gives him permission to join in. I like hearing his laughter. It’s so opposite of what he had become. Maybe through all of this he can find who he is too. He says, “You can move into the cottage if you want to.”
On their property? Not if my life depended . . . wait. “Gram’s?”
“It’s just sitting there empty. It’s an option if you want it.”
I feel Dare’s hand rub my back. I make my boldest move yet. “Actually, Dad, I think I’m going to move in with Dare.” I take his hand and hold it in front of me.
My dad looks at the house and then at me. “It’s probably too soon for you, but you’re both welcome to live there. No rent. No rules. On your own terms. I blinked, and you became an adult. It seems this might be my last chance to get to know you.”
“I don’t know what to say, Dad.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Maybe just call or drop by sometime?”
I nod. He turns to leave and is almost to his car before I dash down the steps and stop him in the driveway. “I love you.”
“I don’t deserve it.” He’s offering an olive branch, and I know we’ll be okay.
“I love you anyway.”
“You take after your mother. She loves me despite my many flaws.” This time, he comes to me, and we hug. “I love you, Weatherly.”
When he’s gone, I return to the porch and sit in a chair next to Dare. “Is this how we’ll be when we’re old and gray?”
“Sexy as all get-out? Absolutely.”
Giggling, I ask, “Sitting together on our porch watching the day slip away.”
He reaches for my hand to hold it. “Yes.”
Just that easy.
Despite my father making amends, he’s not the hero of this story. Dare is, but maybe he’d say I was. You never know with us being equals, partners in crime, and partners in life.
Pepper and Rob.
Weatherly and Dare.
Boyfriend and girlfriend.
Babe and hero.
Us forever.
I’ve had a crush on him since the day I laid eyes on Robert Dare Marquis. The universe just finally decided to catch up to our destiny.
40
Weatherly
“They’re skulls,” English says, knocking on the side of his head. “You swing like this if you need to take someone down, bird.” He’s been trying to teach me to fight as he calls “properly” since he liked my moxie a few months ago when I tried to punch Lloyd. I finally indulged him. He crosses his arms and winks at me. “Although I never thought of you as the scrappy kind, it was an impressive attempt to take that dickhead down.”
“If Dare hadn’t caught my fist of fury,” I say, laughing through my words.
“You would have broken your hand, and that wasn’t going to happen on my watch.” Dare wraps his arm around me and kisses my head. “Don’t fuck with her,” he teases, adding to the conversation. “She’s savage.” But my hand is brought to his mouth with such gentleness and kissed delicately. “I never got to tell you I’m sorry for ruining your party. I know this isn’t as big as the one your parents threw for you, but I thought you might like a dinner to make up for it and for passing the bar exam.”
“You didn’t ruin that party. Other people did.” Turning into his arms, I rest my head on his chest as he holds me. “You didn’t have to go to this trouble.”
“Helen helped me.” I look through the glass patio door at my best friend sitting at a picnic table with Romeo and Lennox. English tells us to get a room and heads for the cooler of beers outside. Helen’s in the kitchen busy refilling a platter of veggies.
I squeeze him to me and close my eyes. His scent—that vacation I know we’ll take one day, and the escape I thought I needed—is all wrapped up in his arms like I am. I’ve never been happier than with this motley crew I now call family.
Seeing Helen grab the roast out from the oven, I hurry to help her.
The kitchen is nothing like the one I grew up with in my family’s home. This one is better. Decorated with ceramic roosters and mismatched coffee mugs hanging from hooks under the counter, there’s no marble to be found.
Four pots crowd the stove as she looks for a place to set the hot dish down. She says, “Can you grab a dishtowel and toss it down on the counter for me?”
Dozens of magnets cover the front and sides of the refrigerator with artwork, quotes printed out, and photos catch my eyes when I grab a towel from the handle of the fridge and set it out for her. �
�Thank you for hosting this dinner.”
“It’s not every day that I know someone who passes the bar exam. I’m thrilled Robert suggested it and more than happy to host.”
“Thank you. It means a lot to me.” I return to the front of the white fridge again, amazed by the crazy colors, shapes, and designs covering it. “You have so many—”
“It’s a mess, but I love them all.”
What most would call clutter, each seems to have meaning to her, like Dare’s tattoos—each one chosen to be displayed. While I look at the art that is signed Rob age seven, I smile. Helen comes up beside me and smiles too. “He loved to create—art, music, adventures. This was one of my favorites. It’s hung on each fridge I’ve had over the years. Like Lennox’s. Everything on here holds a memory.”
“All happy?”
“All happy. I went through some terrible things for years. There’s no room to let anything that doesn’t make me happy take up more time or space than I’ve already given.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“Me too. More sorry that Lennox did, but we’re here. We’re healthy and happy. This good life is worth celebrating.”
“Yes, it is. Which is your favorite?”
She taps her chin and purses her lips scanning the front and sides of the fridge. “I have many, but if I had to choose one for each of us, I’d say this one for my son.” She takes a magnet from above the ice machine. “Lennox made this in kindergarten for Mother’s Day. It may look like a blue blob. It’s a flower. The petals have broken off over the years, but it’s still beautiful.”
“That’s sweet.”
I lean on the counter and watch as she replaces that one and takes a magnet that says San Antonio on it. “Robert gave me this one five years ago, so it doesn’t have the same history, but when he came back from that trip, he was different, finally starting to heal. Hope had returned to his eyes after his mother’s death. The band saved him in so many ways. I’d hate to think what would have happened if he hadn’t found these guys. He had a way of expressing his feelings, releasing the anger, and finding what fed his soul again. They work hard, and I truly believe their gifts will make their dreams come true.” While staring at the magnet in her hand, a warm hand graces my back. “You’re a lovely complement to his life.”
