by Terri Marie
At home, the conversations were the same as the prior day; who was winning the case, were they satisfied with the day's proceedings, and who was left to testify? Getting through each day of this maze wasn't easy by any means, but something else was wrong, and Tyler had a funny feeling he knew what it was.
The only crime against them that could be irrevocably proven was the shooting on the freeway. That knowledge left a bitter taste in all of their mouths. Tyler didn't understand how anyone could defend the scumbag, but then again, he'd once been in a position to need defending too. Tyler really was innocent; his supposed crime certainly wasn't as heinous as those that Robert had committed.
"He's going to get away with shooting us!" Renee had voiced her concern over this issue multiple times each day.
What could he say to her? What could he say to make things better for Brian, Jacob, or any of them for that matter? Knowles was pissing everyone off, and his cross examinations were doing nothing to relieve their agony. Robert was going to go to prison for the rest of his life, without a doubt, but he might not be charged for the hell he'd put them through. Jacob had said if he heard one more word about circumstantial evidence, he'd go to jail himself for assault. That's the last thing Tyler needed. Trying to keep everyone calm was becoming a bit impossible, even for Vincent who'd explained court terminology until he was blue in the face.
Emma threw her hands in the air. "I think it sucks that we're not allowed to tell the court what we know!" Her patience was wearing thin, just like everyone else's.
Tyler had to agree with what the group was saying. Knowles was very good at redirecting them to the same topic; they didn't see Robert do anything while they were in Castle Lake.
By the end of the first full week of the trial, Tyler was seeing the damage the proceedings were causing. Jacob and Emma were bickering, and Renee spent a lot of time by herself. She was a thinker, and he knew that. He just wished he could stop her mind from spinning, even for just a day. The reporters weren't helping any. Cameras weren't allowed in the courtroom, but that didn't mean they totally went away. Once they stepped outside the courthouse, it was a free for all. Vincent would try to sneak Brian out of another exit, but the cameramen were way too familiar with that trick. By the time they got home, Renee was ready to snap. Something had to lift her mood or this trial was going to break her.
On Saturday morning, Tyler took Brian into the backyard to talk.
"This is great, Tyler, but I'm freezing my butt off!" Brian wrapped his coat tighter around himself.
"I just wanted to bounce something off of you," he began as he looked up at the clouds.
"Let me guess. You want me to be responsible for cutting the lawn this summer!" he joked, and Tyler laughed right along with him.
"Actually, it was something a little more serious than that. I wanted to know if you'd mind me asking Renee to marry me? She'd legally be you mother."
"Are you serious?" Brian's eyes grew wide. He looked at Tyler and paused for a minute.
The kid's shocked face was making him begin to worry. "You're fifteen, Son. You have to decide if that's something you want or not?"
"Five hundred percent." Brian nodded, his eyes gleaming.
"What?" laughed Tyler.
"That I'd want Renee for a mother. I totally think you two should get married. I mean, it seems like you already are, there's just no paperwork. She's divorced now, so go for it!" Brian put his arms around Tyler's shoulders. "Are you going to ask her tonight?"
"When the trial is over and Robert's locked away, then I'll ask her. I want the proposal and wedding to be about me, you, and Renee, nothing else. Does that make sense?"
"Do you have a ring for her yet?" Brian grinned.
"Well no, I don't. I was serious when I said that what you wanted was most important. I wasn't going to make any plans until I spoke to you." Tyler ruffled his blond hair.
"Ya know, I already consider Renee my mother. If it wasn't for her I would have died on the streets." He looked away.
"She loves you like a son. You tried to save her from being shot to death and that's something she'll always be grateful for, as will I. If Robert would have gotten up from the driveway—" Tyler began to feel that lump in the back of his throat.
"It's okay. I know both of you would have done the same for me. We're Montclairs, remember?" Brian blinked back tears.
"It bothers me so much that you two, along with my brother, could have been killed, while I ran to safety, not even realizing there was a shooter. I should have been the last one out to make sure everyone got away. The guilt eats me alive sometimes." Tyler sat down on the edge of the picnic table.
Brian waited until Tyler met his eyes. "Things happened the way they were supposed to happen. We're alive, we're together, and I can't wait to have a little brother or sister!"
"What are you talking about?" Tyler chuckled. "I'd love some more kids, but Renee and I haven't planned anything yet."
"I was watching a documentary on television. The trial is sending Renee for a loop, like it's doing to all of us, but I think it's more than that. She gets nauseated, her moods go all over the board…"
"No way," smiled Tyler.
"Way." Brian laughed and nodded his head.
Tyler's shocked expression, while he sat in the backyard with his future son, must have been priceless.
Renee was sleeping when he went upstairs to lay down beside her. He watched as she turned towards him and tucked her hands underneath her sweet face. Her dark hair fanned across the pillow, and her rosy cheeks made him want to risk waking her just so he could kiss them.
A Dad.
For years Tyler had wanted nothing more than a big healthy family. Part of him feared that perhaps Renee would say no because of her previous marriage. If she was pregnant, would it upset or anger her? Would she feel trapped? He rested his head next to hers on the pillow. Slowly her eyes began to flutter open.
She started to get up. "Tyler is something wrong? Is Brian okay? What time is it?" Renee threw the covers off of her.
"It's seven thirty. You took a nap this afternoon and I just wanted to hold you. Do you feel better?" Tyler pulled her back down on the bed.
"Yes, but I didn't mean to sleep this long. I'm so sorry," she said and wiped the sleep from her eyes.
"I don't know how to ask this, so I'm just going to blurt it out." Tyler felt like a nervous wreck. He knew if he pondered the question, it'd never get asked. With all of the stress in her life, it was imperative for them to know as soon as possible. "Is it possible that you're pregnant?"
"Who told you that?" Renee turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
"Well, Brian and I—"
"Wow. You two are pretty smart." Renee placed her hand on her belly.
"It's true?!" Tyler felt an overwhelming joy soar through him.
"I'm about four weeks. I wanted to wait until after the trial to tell you, so we could just concentrate on having our baby." Renee turned her head to look at him. "Are you upset?"
"Are you?" Tyler rested his weight on his elbows and looked down at her face.
"No, I've waited forever to be a mom." Renee had a desperate look on her face.
"And I've waited forever for you."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Jacob quietly sat down on the edge of the bed, and watched as Emma pulled a brush through her shiny red hair. How'd I get so lucky? He asked himself frequently. Every time he looked at her, or heard her name, he fell more in love. She was kind, gentle, loving, and the most compassionate person he'd ever known. Without a doubt, Jacob knew he'd made the right decision, to wait for her. No one had ever filled him with such a zest for life, or taught him to be passionate about even the smallest things.
Emma untied her robe and hung it on the back of the door before rubbing lotion onto her perfect skin. Only he got to see her like this. She slid the pretty black dress over her head and let it slide down her body. Jacob had picked it out for her, after searching five stor
es. The front wasn't too low cut, the hem, not too short, just the style she liked. Emma lifted the necklace from its case and fastened it behind her neck, and then slid the matching diamond studs in her ears. He loved shopping for her. Jacob had brought home lots of sexy lingerie, and Emma would look at him with those emerald eyes and drive him crazy, but she reserved that sexy side of herself for only him. Jacob smiled.
"Honey, can you help me with my bracelet?" She asked as she walked into the bedroom.
"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Jacob kissed her cheek and fastened the bracelet around her delicate wrist.
"Are you ready to go?" Emma picked his tie up off of his chest. "You look so gorgeous!" She pulled him to a standing position.
"I'm ready, Love. Let's go." Jacob winked at her when she slid her arm through his.
"I hope we're not going to be too late to get a decent spot." Emma anxiously remarked. Suddenly, her dress moved up her thighs. "Jacob, it's impossible to be graceful, while trying to climb up into this seat!" After she got situated, the irritation left her face, and she flashed him that radiant smile of hers.
Jacob got behind the wheel and started the engine. "Honey, it's a play in a theater. I don't think we'll have trouble seeing or hearing anything. But I'll do my best to get us there quickly." As Jacob drove downtown, he held her hand. It felt soft and delicate, just like the rest of her.
Once they arrived at the parking structure, Emma checked her watch. "Okay we have twenty minutes to get inside. I'm so glad we were able to find a close spot to park."
He walked around the Jeep, opened her door, and then placed his hands around her small waist to lift her out. He felt her slowly slide down the front of him. "Mmmm," he whispered.
As they walked inside the auditorium, Emma looked around in a panic. "There's no one else in here, Jacob. I think the performance has been cancelled or something."
Jacob tried not to laugh. She'd never been to a play before, so he didn't know which one of them was more excited. He escorted her to the middle row and sat down beside her.
Suddenly a man walked out onto the stage, dressed in a tuxedo. There was a heavy crimson curtain behind him.
"Thank you for joining us this evening!" the man announced.
"I don't understand this. He's looking at me." Emma whispered and leaned up against Jacob nervously.
"It'll be okay." He put his arm around her.
"Tonight's presentation is very special. Please put your hands together for our very special performance! I bring to you, The Life and Times of Mr. Jacob Montclair!"
"Oh my God! Are you going to sing for me?" She gasped.
Jacob removed his arm from around Emma's shoulders and proceeded up to the stage. The velvet curtains parted behind him. A large screen showed a picture of him as a baby, with his siblings.
"From the time I was born, I was raised with the knowledge of how important family is." Jacob clicked a remote, and a picture of him sitting by himself in a park appeared.
"I was never afraid of being alone, because my brothers made sure I wasn't." He clicked and there was another photograph of him with his brothers, and his mother and father.
"I always thought I'd have this kind of family. My mom and dad are gone now, but it didn't make us anything less." He clicked again to his high school graduation picture.
"The day I graduated, I thought I was so important. My brothers even told me I was. I had money, a future written in stone…I felt like I was on top of the world." He clicked again. There was a picture of Emma fixing coffee at the office.
"Then I met you. Suddenly, I realized I was missing something. I no longer felt whole." Jacob changed the picture to one of her smiling at him from the foyer of his house. He blew a kiss at the screen.
He switched the picture to a mountain.
"To get the best that life had to offer Jacob Montclair, I knew I'd have to climb one of these to better myself...to make myself worthy of the life I wanted."
The picture changed to one of him standing side by side with Emma, which Tyler had taken.
"But I did it. I got a few cuts and bruises along the way, but I'd do it all over again, because when I reached the top, you were there." Jacob clicked to the very last picture. It was of a photograph of a solitaire diamond on a gold band. He reached into his pocket, opened up a ring box, and held it out towards her. He slowly knelt down on one knee.
"You're my family, Emma. You're the one who's been worth waiting for my whole life. I want to be complete. I want the world to know how blessed I've become. As imperfect as I am, will you marry me?"
He could hear Emma's sobs as she ran down the aisle. When she reached the stage, she dropped on both knees, in front of him. All she could do, was mouth the words 'yes,' through her tears.
Chapter 21
The party to celebrate Jacob and Emma's engagement had been a lot of fun and had gone until just past midnight. Renee had raised some eyebrows when she declined the champagne, but she'd asked Tyler and Brian not to say anything about her pregnancy until after the trial. Tyler had obliged, but it was difficult for him to keep his hands off of her belly when others were around. Even though there was a big celebration, the conversations would still lead back to the trial.
The next morning, as they made their way through the line of spectators, cameramen, and news reporters, Tyler found himself feeling even more protective of Renee, making her walk between him and Sean. Vincent had, just like every other court day, taken Brian in through a different entrance.
As the third week of the trial got underway, they were happy to learn today could be the last day of testimony. Hopefully the deliberations wouldn't last for days on end, causing them to remain tied to the courthouse. Tyler was dismayed to see Robert being escorted into the room. His hair was combed straight back, and his face was clean shaven. If only Tyler could have a crack at pissing the bastard off right now, leading the judge to throw the killer out, he wouldn't complain one bit. Robert would be shot dead should he decide to make a beeline for Renee, but he wasn't going to take any chances, He made sure to seat her to his right, and have Sean sit on the other side of her. He had no doubt he could kill the monster with his bare hands, if he got past the guards.
After the judge was seated, he looked at the prosecutor. "Are you ready to begin Mr. Furrow?"
"Yes, Your Honor. The State calls Detective Delcan back to the stand."
As the detective walked down the aisle, he glanced at Tyler but kept a straight face. As he was sworn in again and seated, William Furrow asked him a few more questions about what he'd observed on the Montclair Estate in Castle Lake. It was the same thing he'd testified about before. Tyler didn't know what the point of bringing him back to the stand was. It's not that Furrow had done a bad job, but Knowles was a pit bull.
"It's okay Tyler. Furrow knows how to dance with the jury." Vincent whispered.
That didn't stop Tyler from becoming a nervous wreck when the shooting was discussed again. "You didn't see my client in a threatening position, with a firearm or a can of gasoline, that night. Is that correct, Detective Delcan?"
Carrie Oliver was also brought in to testify again, and she did a pretty good job of standing up to Knowles. If Tyler could have gotten away with giving her a high five, he would have. If he had been in her situation at that moment, he'd have probably gotten up and slugged the guy.
It didn't seem to matter that the .22 shell casings found in the driveway of the old house in Castle Lake, had been fired by Robert's gun. He wished Knowles would just say, "I'm sorry everyone. My client is a waste of flesh, so please lock him away forever."
When court adjourned for lunch, they headed to a small diner, off the beaten path, and ordered some sandwiches.
"Vinnie, are we going to lose this fight? I know Robert's going to get locked up no matter what, but will he get away with shooting us?" asked Jacob.
"Knowles job is to raise questionable doubt to a jury that has a lot of evidence and testimony
to weed through. But they're given very precise instructions to find, what they believe, is the truth. He'll fry, trust me." Vincent was fiddling with his silverware and it made Tyler wonder if his little brother believed his own words.
"You're awfully fidgety, Vinnie. What's going on?" Tyler bit into his tuna melt.
"Furrow is looking for his last witness. He can't locate her." Vincent took a deep breath.
"You mean we're really done after today?" asked Renee with excitement.
"Both sides can agree to rest this afternoon, but we'll still have to wait on the jury's decision."
Tyler rolled his eyes, and looked over at Renee's plate. He paid close attention, making sure she ate enough. He didn't want this trial to end up causing her to lose their baby. If that meant picking her up and carrying her home in his arms, then that's exactly what he'd do. The second she started to unravel, he'd have her out of there. So far, she'd done a great job at keeping herself calm.
After finishing their lunch, they headed back over to the courthouse. Tyler wished they had a restaurant or café inside, so victims wouldn't have to be confronted by the press so often. The day when their lives returned to normal, couldn't come soon enough.
After the judge returned to the bench, and everyone else was seated, he addressed William Furrow.
"Call your next witness."
"The state calls Angelique Barns, Your Honor."
"Objection!" yelled Knowles. "We were not given any information on this witness."
"My apologies to the court, Your Honor," Furrow responded calmly. "We were just now able to locate Ms. Barns again."
"What's her importance, Mr. Furrow?" It was obvious that Judge Weddle was just as tired as the rest of them.
