Storming the Castle (Dale Series)

by Arianna Hart

  She took her time getting ready, even blow drying her hair and putting on a little mascara and lip gloss. Not that a few swipes of makeup would matter to Sam, but it made her feel better. Nothing like going into battle with her war paint on.

  After arranging the cookies on the plate, she dusted them with confectioner’s sugar and headed over to the cottage. Nerves danced up and down her spine with every step. Would he listen to her or was he still mad? Had she broken the fragile trust they’d built between them?

  Just as she reached the halfway point, she spied Sam coming toward her on the path. He stopped dead when he saw her, and she realized she’d have to meet him. Well, she knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Time to see if she was as brave as she thought she was.

  “I come bearing a peace offering. And an apology. I’m sorry for throwing your offer back in your face. You’re right. I’m scared. Scared that if I wasn’t good enough for Matthew to stay faithful, there was no chance you could be. It was wrong of me and I’m so very sorry.”

  She held her breath, waiting for his reaction. For a long, eternal minute, he just looked at her. Just when she thought she’d die, he smiled at her a little ruefully.

  “I was headed to the house to tell you I was sorry for stomping off like a two-year old. I had all my arguments lined up. I wasn’t going to leave until I’d convinced you to give us a try. I was willing to enlist Piper’s help. She fights dirty, so I knew you wouldn’t be able to hold out against both of us.” He took the plate from her and drew her into his embrace.

  “It’s not going to be easy. You know I’m not exactly filled to brim with self-confidence. If I see a tabloid picture of you with some bimbo, it’s going to piss me off.”

  “Good. If you didn’t get mad at the thought of me stepping out on you, I’d worry.” He lifted her chin and kissed her gently. “We can do this. I know we can. I love you too much to accept anything else.”

  “Just promise me if your feelings change”

  “They won’t.”

  “But if they do, you won’t try to spare my feelings or hide it or whatever. Tell me it’s over. It’ll hurt, but I’d get over that a lot better than finding out you betrayed me.”

  “I promise you I’ll never betray you. How could I rip out my own heart?”

  “I’m scared. Really scared.”

  “We’ll get through this together. It might be hard, but we can do it. Maybe during school vacation I can even take you and Piper to my house in Malibu before I sell it. It’s right on the beach, and I think she’d get a kick out of it.”

  “I didn’t know you were selling it. You never mentioned that before.”

  “I’m hardly ever in it now, why should I hold on to it when I’ll be moving my base of operations to Dale? I can always stay in one of those long-term hotels if I have to be in L.A. for more than a night or two.”

  “Wow, you really have thought this through.”

  “It’s all I’ve been able to think about since Nadya brought it up. Let’s go inside so I can have some milk with my cookies, and I’ll tell you what I’ve come up with. I figure I can stay around until after your meeting with the in-laws and Piper’s first day of school. While you’re busy with your hunters, I can bust ass to get the album done in L.A. and try to come back every couple of weekends until it’s finished. Then I can hang around for the holidays while we get the tour set up. Do you think your folks would watch Piper again so you could come to the launch party when the album drops? I won’t make you go to all the other stupid parties, but you’re such a big part of this album, I’d like you there for that one.”

  “I can ask when it gets closer. I’m not being negative, but let’s take it one day at a time. Okay?”

  “We can take it one hour at a time. I’ll do whatever you want as long as you’re willing to try. I’ve been thinking about you all day. I was so pissed I wanted to punch something.”

  “Me, too. I cleaned the whole house. I even did the windows.”

  “You must have been really mad. Anyway, once the anger wore off, I felt like crap. I can’t lose you. I won’t lose you. I’ll do everything I have to prove myself to you.”

  “You don’t have to prove anything to me. Just love me.”

  “I do. More than words can say.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Faith’s hands were sweating as she entered the conference room behind Mr. Blackman. The Prentices were already there with their lawyer, a gray-haired man wearing a thousand-dollar suit. John looked the same, but Cynthia hadn’t aged well. She’d always been slender, but now she was painfully thin, and her face looked brittle beneath the carefully applied makeup.

  “I’m sorry we’re late, I had an emergency consultation with a colleague that ran a few minutes over,” Mr. Blackman said.

  They were only a few minutes late, and the mediator wasn’t even there yet, so there was no reason for Cynthia to look so snooty, but Faith supposed she couldn’t help it.

  “Ah, good, you’re all here. Shall we begin?” the mediator asked as she came into the room. “As you know, this hearing is to see if we can come to a mutually satisfying agreement between both parties. I will remind you that the ultimate goal is compromise without harm to the child in question. Is that understood?”

  “We want what’s best for my clients’ only grandchild,” the opposing lawyer said.

  “Of course you do. Mr. Blackman?”

  “Before we begin negotiations, a document has recently come into my possession that will have an impact on these proceedings.”

  “Don’t hold us in suspense, we aren’t in court, and you’re not playing to a jury. What is this document?”

  “Shortly after my client discovered she was pregnant with her late husband’s child, she informed the Prentices of her condition. They denied any connection and accused her of getting pregnant by another man in order to get her hands on her husband’s inheritance.”

  “My clients were grieving the loss of their only child. Their reactions six years ago cannot be held against them now,” the lawyer objected.

  “Very true, but they filed an affidavit denying any relationship to the unborn child.” He handed a copy of the document to the lawyer and the mediator. “As you can see in the introduction, the Prentices clearly deny any familial rights to the child and quite strongly warn against Ms. Adams attempting to claim any relationship with them.”

  Faith had forgotten about the letter. It had come when she was in the middle of moving to Dale, and she sort of remembered telling one of Matthew’s bosses to hold on to it. Did she even have a copy of the letter? How did Mr. Blackman get one?

  “I’d also like to bring to your attention the following.” He took out the letters Faith had sent the Prentices. “You’ll notice the dates and the ‘return to sender’ on the unopened envelopes. My client made an effort to include her daughter’s grandparents in her life, even after they filed what amounts to a quitclaim deed on her.”

  “Do you have anything to say about this?” the mediator asked the Prentices.

  “We need some time to confer. I was unaware of the affidavit.” He didn’t look happy about being ambushed with the information, either.

  The mediator frowned as she read over the documents Mr. Blackman gave her. “It seems clear to me that until recently, your clients had no desire to have any contact with their granddaughter. I find it difficult to entertain their demands for custody when they had no wish to acknowledge their grandchild in the first place. With that in mind, unless I see some evidence citing Ms. Adams as an unfit parent, I see no reasons to continue this mediation. Ms. Adams, you haven’t said anything. Is there something you wish to add?”

  Faith opened her mouth and then hesitated. Cynthia looked defeated, and she dabbed repeatedly at her eyes. John held her protectively, but all the fight had gone out of him as well. They knew they were beaten by their own doing all those years ago. She could get up and leave without a word and probably never have to deal with them agai
n.

  Then Cynthia looked up at her, Matthew’s eyes—Piper’s eyes—swimming with tears, and she knew she couldn’t do it.

  “I have no desire to keep Piper from her grandparents. I am willing to stick by the proposal Mr. Blackman and I offered earlier.”

  “You realize granting visitation does not entitle your daughter to any financial gain,” their lawyer offered.

  What an ass. “We neither want nor need the Prentices’ money. In fact, you’ll note I proposed limits to the amount they can spend on gifts or trips. I have never tried to keep Piper from them, but neither will I let them hurt her. If they wish to be part of her life, I’ve given them a way.” Faith took a deep breath, then spoke directly to Matthew’s parents. “I hope you will agree with the proposal we’ve prepared. Piper is a great kid. She’s smart, funny, and has Matthew’s outgoing personality. I printed off some pictures for you. The dates and her age are on the back, as close as I can recall.” She took a folder out of the bag she’d brought and handed it across the table. “The ball is in your court. You can be a part of her life, within the boundaries I’ve set, or not. It’s up to you.”

  “I have nothing to add,” Mr. Blackman said, closing his briefcase.

  “Your client is being incredibly reasonable,” the mediator said. She turned to the Prentices’ lawyer. “Counselor, I strongly advise you and your clients to take her offer. After seeing the evidence at hand, if Ms. Adams chooses to deny any visitation, I’d be hard pressed to disagree with her.”

  “I need more time”

  “We’ll take it,” Cynthia interrupted her lawyer. “We’ll take whatever contact we can get.”

  “Cynthia, John, wait. Let’s talk about this.”

  “We’re done talking. I want to meet my granddaughter, and if I have to crawl to godforsaken Dale on my hands and knees, I will.” Cynthia clutched the folder containing the pictures to her chest. She was openly weeping now, her makeup running down her face in black rivulets. “I’ll do whatever you want, just let me see her.”

  It would take a much harder heart than Faith had to stand against the pain in Cynthia’s voice. “I put my email address and phone number on the inside of the folder. Give me a few days to explain things to Piper, then we can meet up for lunch for starters. How does that sound?”

  “Fine. Anything,” Cynthia said, still crying.

  “Then it looks like this meeting is concluded. I see no reason for any further mediation. Good day.” The mediator rose, shook hands all around, and left. Mr. Blackman shook hands with the Prentices’ lawyer—she never did get his name—but didn’t try to shake with John or the weeping Cynthia.

  Faith stepped toward the door. She had no interest in shaking the hand of a man who’d all but said she was using her child to get money. It might be his job, but that didn’t mean she had to like him.

  “What you did in there was a very kind thing,” Mr. Blackman said to her as they walked out to the parking lot. “They didn’t have a leg to stand on after the mediator saw that affidavit.”

  “Where did you get that anyway? I’d forgotten all about it.”

  “That meeting I had earlier was with Lydia Klein. She said she’d heard the Prentices were filing for custody and she remembered receiving the affidavit shortly after Matthew’s death. She thought it would come in handy for the mediation.”

  “Wow. I’m surprised she remembered it.” Even more surprised she’d offered to hand it over.

  “Me, too. This isn’t the type of case she usually involves herself in. When I said something to that effect, she said she respected your courage and wanted to help. She also said to tell you she was sorry about the broken picture.”

  Son of a gun. Lydia had broken into her house after all. Why? Had she been faking her feelings about the video?

  Faith could see the question burning in his eyes, but she didn’t want to enlighten him. “Lucky for us she remembered it, then. Thank you so much for all your help. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  “I think you would have been just fine, but it was my pleasure. Quite often, cases like these drag on for years with both sides digging in and refusing to compromise. Everyone loses when that happens. I was glad to see it end this way instead.”

  “Me, too.”

  He waited until she’d climbed into the truck and started it up before crossing to his shiny luxury sedan. The lot was filled with similar vehicles, and her truck stuck out like a sore thumb. Sam had offered to let her borrow the SUV again, but she’d declined. Her truck was a lot like her, maybe a little rough around the edges, but full of heart.

  Now it was time to head home and tell him the good news before Piper got home from school. She didn’t relish the thought of explaining the Prentices to her, but she’d figure something out. Maybe she’d brainstorm with Sam, he had a way with words. Lord knew, he managed to talk her around to doing whatever he wanted most of the time.

  The next year was going to bring a lot of changes, but she had faith they’d weather the storms ahead and come out all the stronger for it. Sam wouldn’t let her think otherwise.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Hurry up, Momma. We’re going to be late.” Piper, dressed in a pink, sparkly gown any princess would envy—complete with silver sparkly tiarahopped up and down by the hotel door.

  “Hold your horses. I can’t move very fast in these heels,” she said, smoothing the emerald-green sheath dress over her curves. She was so nervous she thought she’d either vomit or pass out, but seeing how exited Piper was helped calm her down…a little.

  “Sam wants us there early. The limo will be here any minute.”

  “I’m ready, okay? Did you go to the bathroom?”

  “Yes, Mom. I’m not a baby.” She spun around in her dress and reached for the door handle. “Come on.”

  “Okay, let’s do this.”

  Sam had begged, cajoled, and basically bribed her into allowing Piper to come to L.A. for his release party. Piper had been relentlessly on his side until Faith had finally given in. Truthfully, she missed him like crazy. Their weekend visits were great, but they were over too soon. He’d promised a solid two weeks together after this party before he had to come back to L.A. to plan the tour.

  She just had to get through this party tonight, and they’d be on a plane home tomorrow. Meeting the music executives and people Sam worked with scared the hell out of her. If she’d felt like she didn’t fit in when she’d lived in Buckhead, it was nothing to what she felt like in L.A. He’d sworn it didn’t matter to him, and it wouldn’t matter to anyone else once they met her, but she was still sick with nerves.

  If she made it through tonight without humiliating herself, she’d never put herself in this position again. He could go to these events solo or with Piper as his date. She was so excited Faith thought she might float two feet off the floor.

  The limo ride to the restaurant where the party was being held was short, at least by L.A. standards. The traffic here was worse than Atlanta in rush hour. Piper played with every button in the limo, making Faith laugh and distracting her from what was to come.

  At least until they stopped and security opened the door.

  Her heart lodged in her throat as flashbulbs blinded her. Piper bounded out of the car with her usual enthusiasm, and Faith slid across the seat to catch up with her.

  “Look, she’s captured their hearts like she did mine,” he said, pulling her hand to his lips.

  “I didn’t even realize that was you, I can’t see anything with the flashbulbs.”

  “Like I’d let anyone else escort my best girls through this mayhem. You look amazing. I love that color on you.”

  “It matches your eyes,” she said a little shyly.

  “How appropriate, seeing as my eyes are always on you.”

  “Don’t say things like that when a million cameras are pointed at us. If you make me cry and ruin my makeup, I’ll never forgive you.”

  “As long as they’re hap
py tears.” He pressed a sweet kiss to her upturned lips. “Hey, Short Stuff. Stop playing with the paparazzi. It’s time to go into the party.”

  “Will there be ice cream and cake?” she asked, reaching for his hand. “You look fancy in that suit. But shouldn’t you have a tie? Grandpa P. says ties mean business.”

  He looked more than fancy. He looked fine in his black suit and black silk shirt. His hair had grown some, but he kept it trimmed much shorter than what she’d seen of him in pictures. With his tanned face highlighting his gorgeous emerald eyes and sharp cheekbones, she could see why he’d been named “Best Looking” two years in a row.

  And after tonight, he was all hers.

  “This is a party, not business, remember? Besides, I don’t like ties. Too confining.”

  “You want confining, you should have seen me getting into this dress,” Faith said, making him laugh.

  Questions shot at them from everywhere, but he ignored them all and managed to get them inside the restaurant without incident. The private room the record label had rented was filling up quickly. It took every ounce of courage for Faith to walk into the room and not bolt for the bathroom instead.

  Piper seemed to have no such worries and headed straight for the buffet table.

  “Oh dear, she’ll spill something all over her dress.” Faith moved to intercept her but he stopped her.

  “Don’t worry about it. She’s not hurting anyone. We’ll grab her on the way to our table.”

  “So what’s the order of events?”

  “A representative from the label will come out and say a few words. We’ll unveil the art from the album cover. I’ll go up and say a few words, then we’ll talk to all the movers and shakers who are really only here for the free booze, and then we’re gone before people start getting too drunk.”

  “If you need to stay, Piper and I can go back to the hotel early. I don’t want you getting in trouble or anything.”

  “No one will even miss me by that point. Come on, there’s a few people I’d like you to meet.”

  Sam introduced her to members of the band that would tour with him. Some of them were exactly what she pictured rock and roll musicians to be like, but most of them were normal people. The drummer had even brought his wife and two-year-old son with him.