I nearly squeezed Garrett’s hand in two. I kept looking back and forth between him and the reporter, waiting for a response.
“His statements are nothing more than fabricated lies intended to hurt my family,” Garrett replied smoothly. “Why does a man of his position go after another? The answer is simple, to throw suspicion in another direction. It’s one thing to attack me and my family, but quite another to harass my fiancé.”
“Can you elaborate on your statement?”
“My lawyers and a team of security personnel can validate that Mr. Peterson seems to have a long-standing feud with my birth parents, who died when I was almost six. Apparently, he hasn’t let go of that anger and instead has turned it my direction. You’d have to ask him why he can’t let go after twenty years. As for my business practices, they are pure and clean. I will state that he shouldn’t sling mud unless he’s prepared to get a little dirty, especially with what my legal team has dug up on him.”
He looked over to me and smiled before turning back to the camera. “As for my fiancé, Laurel, it is true that she works for my company. We met when I was searching for talented new engineers for my Bio-Medical Life Solutions branch. I wanted to expand into the area of prosthetics and with her knowledge of kinesiology, ended up getting both prosthetics and new equipment designs to help with the rehabilitation of our athletes at the Sports Training Center. She is brilliant beyond her age and she captured my soul with just one look into her eyes.”
The reporter really just swooned at his statement; I couldn’t believe it. “So I’m guessing it was a love at first sight deal?”
Garrett nodded. “For me it was, though it took me a bit to convince Laurel to give it a shot. We’re ecstatically happy and can’t wait to be married soon.”
The reporter leaned in. “So do we have a tentative date set? We heard through the grapevine that you acquired a marriage license yesterday afternoon.”
“We aren’t here to discuss the details of our impending nuptials. However, I would like to set the record straight about Mr. Peterson’s claim that both of us sleep around and how she was after his son,” he commented, redirecting the conversation back to the point at hand, getting the truth out.
“So, are his statements true?”
“No! I’ve never slept with anyone from my company until Laurel. I wasn’t her boss and had no authority over her, other than to hire her for her knowledge of prosthetics. As for Laurel, I wish I could say that I was her first, but Chase Peterson had forcefully taken that from her in college.”
The reporter gasped, turning to me. “Are you accusing Mr. Peterson’s son of rape?”
I finally spoke up, my voice shaky. “Let’s say I didn’t consent to an encounter with him. Sadly, he was smart enough to cover his tracks where it would have been my word against his, and with him having money, I would’ve been unable to defend myself in court.”
The reporter held her hand to her ear, listening to some kind of conversation coming down the wire to her. “It appears we have another of Chase’s victims coming forward to support your claim. Let’s stream over to Boston, where we have a Christina Tillman, live with our reporter June Samuels.”
I watched in horror as my old teammate, Christina, popped up on a small monitor across the room, telling about her account of going out on a date with Chase, where he roofied her drink, took her back to his place, and proceeded to have his way with her, while filming it. He threatened to release the video on the internet if she told anyone and had used that threat to get her to do things for him, one of which was delivering the graduation card to me.
OMG! He had been on campus that day!
Garrett leaned over and whispered to me, “I just wanted to protect you and let you enjoy your graduation day, without fear of Chase coming after you. We had security around us 24/7 until we got you here in Orlando.”
I nodded and squeezed his hand in understanding. I felt so sorry that my friend had been used. She’d been so nice to me during our swim meets and even helped Garrett get me to the hospital when I passed out from low blood sugar at school.
“Why are you coming forward now, Christina? Aren’t you afraid that Chase will release the tape?” the reporter asked.
“I can’t keep living in fear and let him keep doing whatever he wants with threats. That’s no way to live. Plus, I’d been told that he recently attacked Laurel again and is now wanted by the authorities. I want this interview to help put that scumbag away and set the record straight!”
“Laurel, is this true that you were attacked recently?” the reporter asked.
“Yes. It was a few months ago. I started getting cryptic notes in the mail stating he was coming for me. I believed the building I lived in to be impenetrable and I was wrong. He didn’t violate me, but he did leave me battered and in the ICU in a drug-induced coma due to swelling in my brain.” I could feel the tears trying to break free from my eyes.
“These are all claims,” she interrupted. “Do you have any physical proof?”
Garrett almost came off the sofa at that point, but his father spoke up. “I was the admitting doctor when Laurel came into the hospital. She had cuts and bruises all over her arms and legs. Her neck was black and blue from where he tried to suffocate her, along with swelling to the brain and a couple of cracked ribs.”
Grace stepped forward from the shadows as the picture of me lying in the hospital bed popped up on the same monitor we’d watched Christina’s interview on. I watched as Grace mouthed the word, “I’m sorry,” along with, “love you cuz.”
Everyone seemed to suck in a large breath of air in shock over the picture. Garrett took the opportunity to add, “Chase even attempted to break into the hospital to come after her again. We had her transferred to a private location and sent him on a wild goose chase around the country. But it didn’t end there. A few months later, I received a note stating he would rather see her dead than to allow her to be with me. If one of my security team hadn’t been driving her that day, she could’ve died, since he’d tampered with her brake lines.”
The reporter looked at the note she was handed. “I understand that he was recently apprehended in Atlanta, Georgia. Are you breathing a little easier now as a result?”
We both shook our heads. “He escaped during transport to a lockup facility,” Garrett answered. “The driver, a crooked cop who seemed to be working for his family, was found dead with a bullet in his chest. Chase Peterson is still on the loose and a danger to my fiancé. So yes, the claims that she “used and abused him” are malicious and false, considering the damage he’s done to her life. I’m just grateful that she’s strong and can move past all this. We want to focus on our future instead.”
I nodded in agreement. “I’d like to add that if it wasn’t for the support of the Waters family, and my own, I would’ve never been able to get through all that I have. It’s because of all their love that I’m able to get up each day, determined to put everything behind me. I’m letting go of the past and focusing on the hope of a better tomorrow, where I can live in peace, learning to love again, with Garrett by my side.”
The reporter didn’t even bother to ask anything else. “I commend both of you for being brave enough to go on air and set the record straight.” She then looked directly at the camera. “You heard it straight from Mr. Waters and his fiancé. Now back to our New York Headquarters.”
“All clear!” was called out by one of the film team.
Grace came over and gave us hugs, then looked at her watch. “I’m sorry to take off, but I wanted to be here to support you, Laurel. I have a pharmaceutical appointment at one of the local doctor’s offices. Then I’m going to swing by after work to get Jonathan so we can go to the airport and pick up your parents.”
“Thanks so much for picking them up, Grace,” I said. “I wish I could go with you, but Garrett doesn’t think it’s the best idea.”
“He’s right,” Grace agreed, and squeezed my shoulder. “Take care of ea
ch other. I’ll see you soon.”
We stayed seated on the sofa, entwined in each other’s arms, as Harris and our security crew saw everyone to the door.
“Can I get either of you anything to eat or drink? Have you even had breakfast yet?” Garrett’s mom, Olivia, asked.
A couple hours earlier, I would’ve declined the offer, but the nausea medicine seemed to be working and my stomach began to grumble at the mere mention of food.
Olivia smiled and patted my hand. “I’ll take that as a sign to get some food ready for both of you.”
Garrett helped me up and we walked behind his mother into the kitchen.
“Is there anything I can help you with, Olivia?” I offered.
She just shook her head and smiled. “It’s nice of you to offer, Laurel, but I’ve got it covered. You’ve both been through a lot lately, so just relax. I can throw together something quick.”
We took a seat at the kitchen bar and talked as she cooked, which reminded me of my youth; my mom and I did the same thing and it made me a little homesick. I was grateful to Garrett that they’d be flying in soon.
Harris walked in shortly afterwards, smelling the enticing aromas of pancakes and bacon cooking on the stove. I watched as he walked over and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. “I love when you make your special pumpkin pancakes, honey.”
Garrett finally let go of my hand. “Is it a good time to talk?” he asked his father.
I wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about and knew I had a puzzled look on my face. I was surprised when he turned to me.
“We’ve decided to move Thanksgiving over to the beach house. The house is registered under a fake name, so it won’t be easy to track us down there. Thompson has already handled all the arrangements and Mom has called the caterers to ensure they know the new location.”
To say I was stunned at the sudden change was an understatement. “But—”
I didn’t even manage to get a word out when he continued. “Your parents have been notified of the interview today and the new plans. They’re flying into Orlando, as planned, later today, and will be met by Donny, Freddie, Grace, Jonathan, and a member of my security. They’ll all head up either tonight after they arrive or first thing in the morning to hotel rooms that are right down the street from the beach house. We’ll have everyone over tomorrow for Thanksgiving and spend as much time as we can with your family this weekend.”
“How?” I managed to ask through my shock.
“Thompson and my parents all made it happen. And we don’t have to worry about work, because the office is closed today and will remain closed until Monday.”
Wow. Mr. Control Freak was back. I knew he worried about my safety with Chase on the loose, but having things sprung on me like this was getting a little old. I needed to have a say in what went on if we were going to be married. It was my life, too!
Sensing my discomfort with all the changes, he leaned in and whispered, where only I could hear, “I’m sorry if I’ve upset you and I know how you hate when I make decisions for us, but I only want to ensure safety for you and the babies. You should know by now that I would go to any lengths to keep you safe and with me. Can you understand my fear?”
When he put it that way, I could see his point of view. He’d lost so many people that he was close to and taking a chance at life and learning to love again wasn’t easy for him. If I knew people were out to destroy my family, I’d probably act a bit barbaric, too. No, I’d act like a raging bitch!
It was good to see Laurel eating. She’d only been picking at her food over the past couple weeks. But today she devoured a full plate of my mom’s pumpkin pancakes and asked for a little more.
I had to admit they were some of my mom’s best cooking. It was like eating pumpkin pie without all the crust. My whole family looked forward to them every year around Thanksgiving.
“Olivia?” Laurel spoke up. “Could I have the recipe for your pancakes? I’d love to make these at the beach while my parents are visiting.”
Mom adored Laurel, I could tell. She went over and hugged her. “I’ll do you one better. I won’t only give you the recipe, but we’ll come over early with all the ingredients so we can cook them together at the beach house tomorrow morning.”
Dad had excused himself from the kitchen bar, saying he needed to retrieve something for me to look at. I really didn’t want to be bothered with talking about an improvement to existing medical equipment or anything else pertaining to work and grumbled my sentiments. My mom and Laurel just shook their heads and laughed. It was nice to be able to talk to the parents by ourselves.
I was surprised to see an old, thick folder that was barely holding together in his hands when he came walking back to the kitchen. Mom stood opposite me at the bar, watching as Dad placed it by my side.
“This belongs to you, son. I know we’re overdue in giving it to you, but you’re old enough to know the truth, especially with Walt Peterson trying to stir up trouble. You need to know everything you can about what happened.”
The shock of what was in front of me hit me head on. My hands started to shake a bit as I opened the folder and began looking through all the various forms, pictures, and handwritten notes. They were all from Aunt Lydia. Even after all these years, I still recognized her writing.
Some of the information had already been dug up by Thompson and his team, but the personal notes and thoughts of my aunt regarding conspiracy theories floored me. She’d believed that Walt was responsible for their deaths from the beginning. She’d hired an investigator, but he turned out to be working for Mr. Peterson. She argued that the reports were wrong about the weather conditions and the fact they weren’t wearing their seatbelts but got nowhere.
Her questions about the accident were spot on, but the notes she received, threatening her to call off the investigation, were a punch in the gut to me. One note after another threatened to take the rest of her family away if she didn’t stop pursuing the truth. The notes were all made of cut out letters and words from magazines and she had them fingerprinted, but there were no prints found. It was obvious by the way the note was written that whoever was responsible for my parents’ deaths was threatening me too. One note read: Cease your investigation immediately. Accept that your brother and sister-in-law died accidentally. You never know when accidents might happen, possibly to your nephew.
I didn’t realize it, but the papers slipped out of my hand as I gasped for air. It was the first time I felt out of control in a long time. The only other time was when I thought Laurel had left me for good, when we’d broken up months ago and she’d refused to even talk with me. I could feel myself hyperventilating. This sick bastard wanted to kill me as a kid! Who wants to kill an innocent kid?
Laurel quickly put her arms around me, comforting me. “I’m here for you, Garrett. Calm your breathing down before you pass out.” She pulled me into the curve of her neck, where I could hear her heart beating. I focused on it and remembered listening to our babies’ heartbeats in the doctor’s office. The sounds and the memories helped me focus. I had to be strong for my children.
My parents had made their way around the kitchen bar and we were all hugging one another.
“I’m sorry, son,” my dad offered softly. “It’s a lot to take in. I hope you understand why we’ve kept this to ourselves for so long. We made a vow to Lydia that we’d do anything to keep you safe.”
“I-I was supposed to die instead of my aunt!” I managed to say. “That car was meant for me. It’s all true! He tried to have me killed as a kid! Damn that son of a bitch to hell!”
I tried to calm down, but found myself pounding my fist on the counter wishing it was Walt’s face. I must have frightened everyone with my temper, because they all jumped back. I calmed when Laurel put her hands on my shoulders, helping me to focus, but I realized there was still a piece of the puzzle that was missing. “What about Lydia? Why did she die? I remember her starting to improve.” I asked my father dir
ectly, hoping against hope that the poisoning Thompson had uncovered wasn’t true.
“She was improving after the first two weeks, but then took a turn for the worse, getting weaker and having vomiting, abdominal pains, dehydration, and cardiac issues. I wanted to do some blood work and x-rays on her to see if there was internal bleeding or what was going on with her, but the head of the department wouldn’t allow it. I had just been hired on and didn’t want to rock the boat. In hindsight, I should’ve.”
He took a deep breath in as he pressed his hand to the back of my shoulder. “Lydia confided in me that she thought she was being poisoned somehow. I didn’t know what to make of it, but listened to her tale, then came home and told your mother. Lydia felt her life might be ending soon and she saw how much we adored you and how well you got along with us, so she asked us to adopt you. She wanted the paperwork rushed, not knowing how long she had left.” He looked over to my mother with a smile. “Thankfully, we’d just finished the approval process to foster and adopt children when you came along. With your mother’s connections in family law, along with a little money exchanging hands, we were able to speed up the process and have you adopted in a matter of weeks rather than months.”
I remembered the day she signed the paperwork in the hospital. It was all coming back to me now. A judge, notary, and witnesses were present in the hospital room as my aunt signed. She had to prove she was of sound mind with her decision. She was barely able to hold the pen, but she signed me over to my new parents. Afterwards, she held me close for the last time, whispering, “I want what’s best for you, Garrett. I love you with all my heart and this is the hardest thing I’ll ever do, but I want you to feel safe, loved, and protected.” She’d pressed her one weak hand to my heart as she added, “I’ll always be here with you, in your heart. Just remember the love you’ll carry with you when I’m gone.”
Learning to Love Again Page 7
