Love Today

by Delaney, Delia

  “And he just left her on the ground in the parking lot,” I whispered. I swallowed hard. My heart was pounding. It had been over a year and we finally had answers, and even though possible scenarios had been thought over dozens of times, it felt surreal to finally know the truth. “So how do you know all this? He confessed?”

  My dad sighed. “Not at first.” He glanced at Jared and added, “Apparently your dad hired someone to go through the company books so everything was in order for the sale of his half of the business. That’s when some of the numbers didn’t add up, and while investigating it even further, they came across a few suspicious things about Kevin.”

  “And I bet his wife and brother-in-law were in it neck deep, as well,” Jared offered.

  “Yep. So when the murder investigation got a little too close to home, I guess the game plan changed. Anyways, the proof finally came together when Sam started investigating that particular angle, and the police got Nathan Oliver to squeal first, and then Jacqueline Harris, and then Kevin broke down and confessed to everything.”

  I couldn’t respond because I didn’t know what to say. My sister was murdered because of greedy, selfish people? Granted she rolled in bad choices as well, and her involvement with all of these men was bad luck to begin with, but it was sad that such a smart and beautiful woman had wasted her talents. At least there was the fact that she wanted Kevin to come clean about his dishonesty, but there were many shades of gray when it came to Rachel. I loved her, but now it was time to move on.

  “So who was it that called me?” I asked. “Was it Jacqueline?”

  “Yes,” my dad nodded.

  I had suspected as much, but if she had known what was going on, she should have done more to help. It made me angry.

  “And she was the woman that Maggie saw in the parking lot,” my mom added. “Jacqueline had already begged Rachel to give Kevin a chance to make things right. Then she laid a guilt trip on Rachel about ruining their family, and apparently it was enough to get Rachel to bend a little. She agreed to meet with Kevin a couple of days later—the night she died.”

  “So did they intend to kill her? You said second degree. Does that mean it was an accident?”

  He slightly shrugged his shoulders. “He took a deal. But he claims that he didn’t mean to kill her. They were intimate that night, he tried to convince her of his plan to make things right with the company, and for some reason she disagreed with him. They were fighting, he panicked because she wouldn’t stay quiet so…”

  “He choked her to death,” I finished, the words tasting bitter and unwelcome.

  My parents didn’t say anything at first. Jared put his arm around me and my mom and dad excused themselves. “We’ll answer more questions when you’re ready,” my dad added.

  I nodded and let them leave. With a deep exhale I said, “Well. Financial scandal leads to murder. I’m guessing your dad is not taking this too well.”

  Jared nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, I’m sure he’s not. He and Kevin built that company from the ground up. He was having a difficult time walking away from it. But this…”

  “You should probably go call him.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m going to go take a bath and think things through. Come join me when you’re done.”

  He agreed and found his cell phone. I heard him sullenly greet his father as I stepped into the bathroom.

  Chapter Fifty

  “So have you been doing some writing during your paternity leave?”

  Jared chuckled at Gavin’s question, but he leaned forward on the couch to answer the journalist. “I’m always writing.”

  “And how is time off going for you?”

  “To be honest? It’s better than I ever expected.”

  “Do you miss the music scene?”

  “No, I’m still a part of the music scene—just not the touring aspect of it. That will come soon enough, but for now, I’m really content with my wife and kids.”

  “How’s the new one treating you?”

  Jared smiled. “Like the world revolves around him.”

  Gavin laughed. “And it probably does.”

  “Yes,” Jared nodded. “Pretty much. He’s amazing though. It’s been fun. Sometimes I have no idea what I’m doing, but thankfully my wife does.”

  That got another laugh. “Dane is six months old now?”

  “Yeah, almost. He’ll be six months next week.”

  “So what’s the rest of the band up to? Have you guys been keeping in touch or is everyone pretty busy with their own stuff going on.”

  “We’re all busy, definitely. But I see them regularly. They’ve come up here a few times to see the family and to play around in the recording studio with me. We put Dane on vocals sometimes.”

  “He’s ready, huh?”

  “Definitely has the lungs for it.”

  Speaking of squawking babies, I faintly heard him waking up in the nursery. I’d been watching Jared’s interview from the next room, but I switched on the video screen of the baby monitor as I walked down the hall. I smiled at the little butt sticking up in the air. The kid liked tucking his knees under him when he slept.

  Dane was ready to wake up though, and he pushed himself upward to look around.

  “Hello, my handsome boy,” I cooed to him. He was happy to see me, so I cuddled him for a minute before I changed his diaper. I knew Jared was almost done with the interview, so Dane and I sat in the recliner playing with toys until he joined us twenty minutes later.

  “What are you doing awake?” Jared exclaimed happily, putting a huge grin on his son’s face when he saw him. “What is this? Mom has you in a Forty-Niners outfit?”

  His feigned disgust made me snort. “Take it up with my dad.” I stood from the chair and handed the baby over. Jared made funny sounds against him and it made me smile. I think the only thing better than seeing Jared Miller performing his music onstage…was watching him with his kids.

  “When’s Maggie coming home?” he asked.

  I glanced at the clock. “The movie should just be getting over, so probably within the next half hour. My mom is bringing Chinese food home.”

  “Oh, how we love Grandma,” he told Dane. He wrapped his arm around me and led me to the door. “I have a surprise for you.”

  “You do, huh?”

  We were walking down the hall casually but I could tell Jared was trying not to smile. “Yep,” he replied. “It’s super cool.”

  “Well I’m sure it is,” I laughed. But then a thought hit me, one that had to do with a certain four-legged animal that Jared and Maggie had been discussing the week before. “It better not be a hamster,” I groaned.

  For some reason that was amusing to him. When he was done laughing he replied, “It didn’t even occur to me that you’d think that.”

  “Well you and Maggie tend to discuss that one without me, but I do know about it.”

  “That’s just because she knows you’re afraid of rodents.”

  “I am not. Hamsters just…stink.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe so. But no, your surprise isn’t the hamster that Maggie desperately wants.”

  I rolled my eyes at the little girl voice he added for extra measure but it made me chuckle.

  He was leading me into the family room by then and said, “Okay, close your eyes, my beautiful wife.”

  I was hesitant at first, but the smile on his face made me curious. I closed my eyes and he led me by the elbow deeper into the room. When I seemed to be facing the right way he said, “Open them.”

  I did and it was hard to miss what the surprise was. Sitting above the fireplace mantle was a colorful piece of metal art that read: Love Today.

  “Oh my gosh,” I whispered. It was just a simple configuration colors—four feet wide and two feet tall—and two perfect words on it.

  “Looks good in here, huh?” Jared beamed.

  It looked amazing. We didn’t have a rainbow of
colors in our house, but the family room had a lot of red in it—the couches and the curtains. The mix of colors on the art was just the right compliment to the room.

  “It’s gorgeous,” I answered. “And so very suiting.”

  “I figured the family motto should be displayed in our home.”

  The gate buzzer signified that my mom and Maggie were here, so Jared left me in the room for a moment while he answered the door with the baby. I was kind of in awe at how one piece of décor could complete a room so easily.

  Maggie absolutely loved it. In fact, “Love Today” was her favorite song of Jared’s and they sang it together all the time. She could even play it on the piano by herself, and Jared had been working with her so she could play it and sing it at the same time.

  When my mom left, the four of us sat on the couch in the family room, enjoying our new piece of art. What was left of dinner was spread over the coffee table and we were all full, but more importantly, I think the amount of love in the room is what filled me the most.

  Jared had Dane in airplane mode and brought him down for a slobbery landing. I was braiding Maggie’s hair when she said, “Mommy, should I name my hamster Bruce, Lynyrd, or Zeppelin?”

  I was amused by the name choices and could only assume that was Jared’s influence. “You think you’re getting a hamster, huh?”

  “Daddy said I could.”

  My mouth dropped open in playful disapproval as Jared was silently trying to tell her to zip it. I narrowed my eyes at him and said, “Well when Daddy writes a song about a cute little hamster and performs it on stage, then you can get one.”

  Maggie giggled, thinking I was just joking.

  But Jared knew I was not. He dropped his head back against the couch and groaned. “You are so cruel to me.” He turned to Maggie and quietly said, “Fine, the hamster is out, Mags. I guess we’ll go with the pair of rats instead.”

  “Ew! Mommy hates rats!”

  “Which will make the song even funnier,” he grinned.

  Maggie laughed, especially when he began making up lyrics on the spot, using his finger to move Dane’s mouth at the same time. I was trying not to be too impressed that they were making fun of me so well, but it was hard not to laugh.

  When Jared put a baby blanket on the floor for Dane to play on, Maggie laid on her stomach to join him. I scooted next to my husband and he held me close, but I couldn’t help but whisper, “Your song is going to be a mood killer when I’m between the sheets from now on. I won’t stop thinking about what else is crawling in my bed.”

  He raised an eyebrow and then dropped his head against the couch. “What the hell is wrong with me?” he scolded himself quietly.

  “Not thinking with the right instrument, apparently.”

  He grinned and looked at me closely. “Well that can change in half a beat.”

  He kissed me passionately just as the dog let out a gigantic fart.

  “Or not,” he added dryly.

  “Ewwwww!” Maggie squealed.

  I was laughing hysterically as Jared grabbed the baby and we all made a beeline for the exit.

  We could love today in another room.

  The End