The girl had her nose in a book and the boy was riding his bicycle in circles around his little family, laughing and smiling the entire time. The mother had bent down to speak to the little girl and the child nodded in understanding. They took off down the street, probably toward the park that wasn’t far away.
“Let’s follow them,” Peyton said impulsively. “I’d like to see more, and yes, I’m well aware that our watching them is creepy.”
“You’re thinking about giving a woman you’ve never met millions of dollars. I think that’s reason enough to want to get to know her a little.”
Peyton was past thinking about it. Greg had blown pretty much all of his money except for his yearly trust fund but she had money of her own. His children shouldn’t suffer because their father was an irresponsible jerk.
They took off behind the woman and her children but kept their distance, not wanting to bring attention to themselves. The family did indeed go to the park and the little boy took off, circling a large flower bed while the mother and daughter unfolded a blanket and sat down on the lush grass. Peyton and Ellis hung back watching the family interact for quite awhile.
“Are you going to talk to her?” Ellis finally asked, his voice low as they stood behind a large fountain. “I can distract the children.”
She’d been wondering about that very question. It’s what she’d come to London for but now that the moment was here…
She couldn’t do it.
It wasn’t that she was afraid, because she wasn’t. It wasn’t that she held anger or resentment toward Amelia. She didn’t.
It was because they looked happy. Content with their lives. They didn’t need Peyton coming out of the woodwork all this time later and dredging up the past. It was bad enough the she was having to relive it because of all that they’d uncovered in the last weeks, but dragging this woman into it wasn’t going to make things any better. Peyton didn’t want to hurt Amelia or her children.
Placing her hand on Ellis’s arm, she smiled at the younger boy’s antics, racing faster and faster around the circle. “I’m going to leave them in peace.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “They might have information that could help us.”
She nodded. “They might but it’s not worth it. They’re innocent in all of this and they don’t need me throwing their lives into chaos. Especially those kids. I can’t do that to them just because I need answers to move on. Look at them, Ellis. They already have.”
Standing behind her, his hands rested on her shoulders. She could feel the warmth of his skin through the thin cotton of her blouse and she let herself lean back on him, feeling the strength he offered freely and without reservation. Since she’d met this man, he’d been there for her every moment of every day and had asked for nothing in return except one thing. To trust him. Now she had to trust herself and what her gut was telling her. Leave this family alone.
“I think you’re a good woman, Peyton Nelson.”
She looked up at him smiling down on her. “I’d like to think any decent human being would do the same.”
“Sadly we have a severe shortage of those lately.”
“Are you mad at me? I know you were hoping she had information that would help us.”
He dropped a kiss on the crown of her head like she was one of the children who played here in the park. He’d never pushed her, never gotten too close, respecting her boundaries. But the distance that had seemed so important even a few days ago didn’t feel all that necessary anymore. Ellis was nothing like Greg. If she let him in, he wasn’t going to hurt her that way. Not on purpose.
“Then we’ll find another way to get what we need. We’ll go back and talk to your brother. We both know he knows more than what he’s told us. Hell, we don’t have to even talk to him. I can tail him and see where he goes and who he talks to. I can also get my FBI buddy to dig into his past business dealings. We might find something there.”
Peyton thought about her friends back in Williamsburg. They were waiting for news of this meeting and now she’d called it off. “The others might not understand.”
Ellis shrugged. “Then we’ll make them understand. Don’t second guess yourself, Peyton. You’ve made the call.”
But did I do the right thing?
She wanted answers so desperately but there were limits as to what she’d do to get them. She’d found one of those limits today.
“I’m glad I was able to see them, though. It does give me a sort of closure. I want them to be happy. This wasn’t their fault.”
“You’re a better person than I am.”
“I’m really not,” she denied with a snort. “I highly doubt Amelia knew Greg was already married when she married him. If anything, she’s a victim.”
“And Greg is a douche.”
That made her laugh despite the seriousness of the moment.
“And Greg is a douche,” she repeated. “I married a douche and I’m not very proud of myself.”
Ellis moved restlessly behind her. “Cut yourself some slack. You were young, just like Amelia. Plus, your parents and all that mess. You married the wrong person. It’s a big, non-exclusive club, princess.”
Stepping out from behind the fountain, she watched as the little boy named Andrew zipped around on his bicycle, up and down the paths. When she’d been married to Greg, she hadn’t wanted a baby. After all, Greg had been infantile and taking care of him took up a great deal of her time, but seeing these children and their smiling mother made her wonder if perhaps she’d missed out.
“It’s not too late.”
Jumping at the sound of Ellis’s voice, she whirled around to face him. “You scared me. I thought you were still over there.”
“Where you go, I go. I meant what I said. You’re still young. It’s not too late.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His laugh was deep and warm. “You have a terrible poker face. Every thought you have is written all over it. But go ahead and pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. Now, are you ready to go? We need to talk about what we’re going to do next.”
Now that I’ve blown this lead.
She took his arm and they headed back down the path toward the street where they could catch a taxi. That route took them right by Amelia and Noelle but they didn’t notice Peyton and Ellis. Andrew zoomed around the flower circle again but this time his tire skidded and he began to slide, the bike tilting precariously to one side. With lightning reflexes, Ellis was there in a second, grabbing the handlebars to keep the bike from hitting the ground and helping the little boy off when it finally came to a halt.
Amelia gave a cry of alarm and sprinted over to her son, the daughter on her heels. “Andy, are you alright? I told you not to go that fast around the corners.”
Ellis patted the young man on the shoulder. “I think he’s okay.”
For a moment Peyton wanted to flee but then she reminded herself that this woman had no idea who she was or that they had been watching the family. They would simply be American strangers who had done a good deed for the day. Strangers they would stay.
Andrew jumped into his mother’s arms. “I’m not hurt. I promise.”
Amelia checked her son from head to toe before turning to Peyton and Ellis. “Thank you so much for–”
Her voice trailed off and her eyes had gone wide. She was staring at Peyton as if she’d seen a ghost. Her throat worked and her mouth moved but only a squeak came out.
“Ma’am, is everything okay?” Ellis asked, an alarmed glance in Peyton’s direction. Suddenly it didn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that Amelia had indeed known about Greg’s other life. Her status as a victim was looking shaky and Peyton felt a rush of anger sweep through her like a red tide. What kind of woman would marry a man already married?
Amelia shook her head and rubbed at her eyes, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
“I’m sorry,” her voice came out breat
hless and thin. “It’s just…you look very like someone.”
Ellis had a hand on Peyton’s arm and the fingers tightened fractionally at the woman’s statement. Her own heart was beating loudly against her ribs. If this woman wasn’t as innocent as Peyton had believed, then maybe talking to her wasn’t the horrible, intrusive thing she’d thought it was.
“Who did you think I was?” Peyton asked. It took all her effort to keep the emotion out of her voice that was currently threatening to overwhelm her.
Amelia didn’t answer, instead bending down and speaking quietly to her children who then bounded away to the blanket where there was water and snacks.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized again, glancing over her shoulder where the kids were sitting. “You look like the late wife of my husband. She was an American too.”
“Your husband?” Ellis asked sharply, his gaze darting around. “Is he here as well?”
Her cheeks colored and her lips turned down. “My late husband, actually. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to get back to my children. Good day and thank you again.”
Amelia turned to go but Peyton couldn’t allow this moment to end. Greg had told her his wife was dead but she was very much alive and pissed off. All the reasons she’d planned to walk away had disintegrated the moment they’d laid eyes on each other and spoken. She couldn’t now walk away and pretend she’d never met the other woman. They were all going to have to be adults and face up to reality.
“My name is Peyton,” she said just loud enough for Amelia to hear. The woman froze in place, not turning around but not walking away either. Just standing there as if waiting for Peyton to say more.
“My name is Peyton,” she said again, her throat painfully tight. She didn’t know if she was doing the right thing or making the worse mistake of her life. “I’m not dead. Not yet, anyway.”
Chapter Seven
“Can I get you some tea?” Amelia asked, her voice shaking. She stood nervously in the doorway of the kitchen as Ellis and Peyton settled on the sofa in the living room of her home.
Ellis glanced at Peyton but she shook her head. He was proud of how calm she’d acted through all of this mess but his respect for her had soared as he watched how she’d handled herself when meeting Amelia Nelson.
“No, thank you.” Ellis grasped Peyton’s hand, the skin cold to his touch. “We wanted to speak with you about Greg. Can you do that?”
Amelia nodded and shuttled the children back to their bedrooms, telling them to play for awhile. Wringing her hands together, she sat down in a rocking chair near the fireplace, her face ashen. “Greg told me he was a widower. He showed me a picture of you.”
The poor woman was probably working things out in her own head and coming to the conclusion she wasn’t legally married to Greg Nelson.
“I’m very much alive,” Peyton said softly, sympathy in her eyes for what this other woman was going through. “How did you meet Greg? When did you meet him?”
A small smile curved Amelia’s trembling lips. “I met him on the Tube. He was friendly and charming and we went for coffee. That was twelve years ago. We were married about a year later.”
Ellis had many questions too but this wasn’t his meeting to direct. Peyton needed to take the lead here.
“He must have been gone quite a bit,” Peyton said. “What did he tell you?”
“As an artist he traveled doing commissions,” Amelia explained. “But he tried to be home as much as possible.”
“About half the time?” Peyton asked.
Amelia nodded, releasing a shaky breath. “Yes, that’s about right. I guess he wasn’t really working. He was with you.”
Tugging her hand from Ellis, Peyton clasped them together, the knuckles turning white. “Greg didn’t work, not really. He was from a wealthy family. Did he tell you that?”
A few tears were making their way down the woman’s face and she shook her head. “No, he said he was an orphan. That he didn’t have any family.”
Christ, had everything out of that man’s mouth been a lie? Had he been truthful ever? Ellis was disgusted by the human being that was Greg Nelson. Peyton deserved a hell of a lot better and frankly, so did this woman and her children.
Peyton cleared her throat. “The remaining money in his trust fund should have gone to you and your children. I’m going to make sure that it does now that I know about you.”
Amelia’s eyes went wide and she shot up from the chair, pacing the small room. “We’re doing fine. Greg left me the insurance policy and he’d purchased this home for us.”
That caught Ellis’s attention. “Insurance policy?”
Amelia stopped pacing and nodded. “A very generous one. He left us well taken care of.”
“I’m not sure you realize just how wealthy Greg’s family is,” Peyton said carefully, watching the woman’s reaction. “They belong to Evandria.”
It was a gambit, throwing that out there but Ellis was of the opinion that nothing ventured was nothing gained. If Greg had told Amelia anything about Evandria or Arsenal, they needed to know.
“Evandria?” Amelia frowned in confusion. “That’s the insurance company. Do they own it?”
Peyton started next to him and he placed his hand on her knee in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. “The insurance company that paid you was Evandria?”
Nodding, she walked over to a small desk in the corner and sifted through the bottom drawer.
“Yes, I think I still have the paperwork somewhere. I was shocked when they showed up at the door with the check. I had no idea Greg had purchased the policy but I was grateful because it’s made things so much easier. Here it is. At the bottom, of course.”
Holding out the papers, Ellis reached for them since Peyton hadn’t. A cursory examination showed what looked like a life policy from Evandria but he was pretty damn sure that something like this didn’t exist.
Peyton took the papers from him and paged through them. “I’m glad that Greg had the foresight to take out this policy, especially as he had children.”
Amelia grabbed the mantle to steady herself. “Do you–Do you have children also?”
Shaking her head, Peyton mustered a smile. “No, I don’t.”
Classy to the bone, she didn’t mention that Greg hadn’t wanted any and made her promise not to have them. There was no sense in making this woman wonder if her husband had wanted their children. Leave her with some good memories.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Amelia apologized, her gaze on the fireplace. “I don’t really know what to say. This is rather awkward, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Peyton agreed. “I’m not really sure what to say either.”
Sinking back down into the chair, the other woman brushed a stray tear from her cheek.
“I sometimes wondered if he was having an affair. Now I know that I was the other woman.”
Peyton was already shaking her head. “No, I don’t think of you that way. Greg was…well…he was a man that cared for himself, first and foremost. Don’t let his failings make you think less of yourself. I’ve been there and I won’t go back again. This entire situation is because Greg was a selfish, self-centered man.”
“I never saw that side of him but I see it now.”
“And I’m sorry for that. After seeing you in the park, I’d already decided not to approach you but then your son almost crashed his bike and there we all were.”
Picking at the hem of her shirt, Amelia nodded. “I’m actually glad to speak with you. Believe it or not, it helps with the closure. My marriage to Greg was a happy one but I always felt there was something missing. Now I know what it was. Commitment. This makes it easier to move on.”
Peyton seemed to have run out of questions so Ellis stepped in. “When Greg died, didn’t you wonder about funeral arrangements and so forth? As far as you knew, you were the widow.”
“The men from Evandria said that Greg had prearranged everything right down to the cremation. He didn’t want
a service as he had no family.”
A creepy thought occurred to Ellis and it turned his stomach. Who the fuck had Greg’s ashes?
He couldn’t stop his gaze from traveling to the mantle and Amelia’s followed.
Amelia’s mouth trembled and more tears threaten to fall. “He wanted his ashes spread over the hills of Ireland. We took a family trip there so I could do that.”
Peyton had stiffened next to him and he had the eerie feeling that she had also spread Greg’s ashes somewhere. Son of a bitch. This was too cruel to do to anyone.
“I’m sorry that you got caught up in Greg’s lies,” Peyton sighed. “There were so many.”
Was she planning on telling Amelia about Arsenal and Greg’s death not being an accident? There didn’t seem to be much reason to bring her into this clusterfuck but perhaps she knew more than she was letting on. Maybe Greg had said something that she thought was innocent but they would know its significance.
Amelia straightened and took a deep breath, a smile coming to her face, as the sound of the front door opening reached them. “I can’t be sorry. If I hadn’t met Greg I wouldn’t have my children, and in a way, he brought my boyfriend into my life as well. When I met him he was working for Evandria. Here he is.”
“Hey, sweetheart,” a voice called from the foyer. “Did you and the kids have fun at the park?”
That voice. It was familiar to him. To Peyton too, because she was out of her seat and striding toward it with purpose.
A tall, male figure walked into the living room, grinning until he saw that his girlfriend had visitors. Taking a few steps back, his gaze darted from Amelia to Ellis to Peyton as the blood drained from his face.
“Jensen,” Peyton hissed, her blue eyes glittering with fury. Her hand had furled into a fist and Ellis knew it was only supreme control that kept her from punching her lying brother in the face. “I think we need to talk. Alone.”
Right after Ellis kicked Jensen’s ass.
Peyton dragged her brother into the foyer, rage bubbling inside of her and bile rising in her throat. He’d known.
Kiss Midnight Goodbye (Midnight Blue Beach Book 3) Page 5
