by Linzi Baxter
“We aren’t going to work. Jax got back late last night. He’s going into the office this morning. When I told Jared what happened, he came over immediately. Kaylene is taking care of things for him. And if you feel up to it, she’ll come over tonight for dinner. I told her to wait and see how you’re doing.”
I couldn’t hold back the tears, but they weren’t from pain. Over the short time I had been in Houston, I found some of the best people in the world.
“Now lean back and take a nap.” Jacob set a phone next to the bed. “I had Henry stop and get you a new phone this morning. Neal ran your credit and contacted everywhere you had credit cards. We canceled everything.”
My eyelids were heavy. I couldn’t hold them open much longer. I fell asleep to the sound of Jacob’s voice.
Jacob
“I’m hungry, Jacob,” Tommy said. The boy was absolutely amazing. Lily did a great job raising him. He was polite and asked for everything. I didn’t know what she meant when she asked if I really wanted a five-year-old in my house—he was a joy.
It was well past noon, and my stomach growled. Jared had left an hour before to run to the office. He said if I needed anything, he would be right back, and I knew he would, but I had everything under control. “Okay, buddy. Let’s cook lunch for your mom.”
Tommy glanced down the hall. I hadn’t thought twice when we got home the night before about putting Lily anywhere other than my room. I’d slept in the room next door, with Tommy across from mine and all of our doors open. I didn’t know how he would sleep in a stranger’s house, but he’d fallen asleep quickly. In the morning, I heard a noise coming from his room. When I got to the door, he was trying to make the bed. He’d said his mommy always smiles when he makes the bed.
I picked Tommy up and set him on the counter so he could help. “What does your mommy like?”
“Peanut butter and jelly.” I had a feeling that was what Tommy liked, or she told him she liked it because they had nothing else.
“Okay, let's make some peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.”
I grabbed the jelly and reached for the bread.
“Can I ask you a question?” Tommy asked.
I set the jelly and bread on the counter and went to grab the peanut butter. “Sure. Anything.”
“Did my dad hurt Mommy again?”
My jaw tightened as I thought back to the email Greg had sent me the day before. It wasn’t that I was hiding the emails from Lily—I’d planned to tell her, but then my crazy ex-wife showed up and caused a scene. I didn’t think she needed any more stress added to the day. But I didn’t think the attack was Greg, especially since Neal traced the IP address back to Ft. Lauderdale. “No, buddy. Somebody wanted your mom’s money.”
Tommy looked around. “Will you protect my mom if my dad comes again?”
I wished the boy’s biggest problem was deciding which toy he was going to play with, not wondering if his dad was going to come after his mom or even him. The night before, when I saw the scars on Lily’s body, I wanted to kill her ex. I couldn’t wrap my head around what type of man would hurt a woman like that. I’d read the reports and medical records, but seeing it in person left a different feeling. If I knew she would go for it, I would lock her and Tommy up in the condo and not let them out, but that wasn’t rational thinking. “I swear that I’ll do everything in my power to protect her.”
“Okay.”
I finished making the last sandwich and grabbed Tommy off the counter. I handed him one of the plates, and I carried the other two.
Lily’s eyes were just opening when we entered the room.
“We made your favorite, Mommy,” Tommy said, as he handed her the plate and climbed in bed next to her. I sat on the corner of the bed and handed another plate to Tommy.
Lily smiled at her boy. “You did make my favorite.” Her smile was breathtaking. Her right eye had turned deep purple. The doctor said it would take a few days before the swelling would go down and that she would have a headache until then.
She bit into the sandwich and closed her eyes. Her pink tongue ran across her lips and picked up some jelly. “Thank you, guys. This is amazing.”
Tommy puffed out his chest. “I helped make them.”
She leaned over and kissed her son’s head. “That’s why I can taste the love.” She smiled before she took another bite.
Tommy inhaled his sandwich quickly.
“Hey, buddy,” Lily said, “if you're done, can you take your dish back to the kitchen and watch cartoons for a few? I need to talk to Jacob.”
He nodded and headed out of the bedroom. Lily leaned her head back against the bed frame, clearly she had been putting on a show of strength for her son.
I grabbed the plate out of her hands and set it to the side. “How are you feeling?”
“My head is killing me. But I really do want to talk to you.”
I got off the bed, walked to the bathroom, grabbed a washcloth, and ran it under cold water. Lily watched as I crossed the room. She scooted over on the bed so I could sit next to her. I dabbed the cloth across her forehead. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I know I said thank you earlier, but I really mean it. Tommy and I will be out of your hair soon.”
“Open your eyes, Lily.”
She slowly opened her pretty green eyes.
“No rush. I like Tommy, and I like having you in my bed.”
She blushed a deep shade of red.
Lily was the first woman I’d had in my bed. I never wanted the tabloids to shoot a picture of me bringing a woman to my house. So if I did sleep with someone, it was usually in a hotel room, but she looked perfect right where she was.
“I was angry with you last night before the incident.”
I wished Kat would’ve let me tell Lily about the emails. “So much happened yesterday. Do you really think you needed to hear about an email from your ex?”
“Yes. I need to know if he’s coming after me.”
“The email was just him flexing his muscles. Neal tracked it down, and he’s still in Ft. Lauderdale.”
“I want to see it.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and scrolled to the email. “Here.”
Lily slowly read through the email, and when she got to the part where Greg described how he kept her in line, her breath hitched.
I took the phone away when she was done and placed my fingers under her chin. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to find him and keep you safe.”
Lily nodded and pressed her head to my chest.
13
Jacob
Over the next month, Lily, Tommy, and I settled into a nice routine. When I returned from my morning run, Lily and Tommy would be just sitting down for breakfast. I would join them and eat before we headed into work. Abe was back in Houston, shadowing Lily and Tommy when I wasn’t around, but very seldom did I leave their side.
Tommy hadn’t stopped talking about school. My heart expanded when he showed me a picture of the family he drew, and I was in it. No matter what happened between Lily and me, I would make sure to stay in the little guy's life. He needed a male figure to look up to, and his father was a piece of shit.
I never realized how empty my house had been until Lily and Tommy moved in. He kept us on our toes, asking questions and showing me what he learned in school. In a couple of weeks, we were launching a new satellite into space, and Tommy couldn’t stop talking about it.
Abe had offered to take Tommy to the movies the other night so Lily and I could have some alone time. I wanted to take him up on the offer, but I knew Lily wasn’t ready. She still worried Greg was going to come after her.
The police finished the investigation into the attack outside the condo, and they said it was part of a few robberies. Greg wasn’t coming. He’d sent me a couple emails, but I thought his intent was to make me not want to be with her.
One morning, Abe took Tommy to school then dropped Lily off at work. I had a meeting wi
th the Hope Kids foundation. Eric had called and said it was urgent that we spoke. I told him to meet me at the condo, and we could go over whatever his issue was.
I glanced at the clock—it was nine in the morning. Lily had been gone an hour, and I already missed her. I should’ve taken the meeting at the office, but Eric insisted we meet at my condo. After the last gala, I took a look at the finances. Rachele had spent more than she should have on the fundraiser. I put more money back into the foundation to cover the cost. The kids needed the money.
I sat down in my home office and pulled up my emails. I clicked on one from Lily that she’d sent ten minutes before. I smiled as I read the quick note telling me it was strange without me in the office.
Every night after Tommy went to bed, we would stay up and watch TV. She would cuddle against me, and sometimes we would make out like teenagers on the couch, but that was as far as it had gone… Not because I didn’t want to sleep with her. I was just trying to take it slow. But the permanent blue balls were starting to kill me. One morning, I’d added an extra mile to my run in the mornings to see if that would help with my sexual urges. It didn’t. The second I walked in and Lily bent over to take the breakfast casserole out of the oven, my dick became hard.
She’d insisted she take the guest room, and it killed me even more at night. My sheets smelled like her from the night she slept in my bed. One morning, I caught the house cleaner trying to change my sheets, and I told her to leave them. I didn’t want to explain that they smelled like the woman sleeping in the spare bedroom. I’d jacked off more since she moved in than I did as a kid, but Lily was worth waiting for, and I would wait as long as it took.
I tapped my fingers on the desk, waiting for Eric to show up. I told Jeremy, the security guard downstairs, to let my guest up to the penthouse. I heard the ding of the elevator. Eric knew where my office was—it wasn’t the first time we’d had a meeting about the foundations at my condo. Before Lily, I would work from home a few days a month instead of going into the office, but I wanted to go to work every day to spend them with Lily. He’d said over the phone that the meeting would be quick. I was still upset he wouldn’t tell me what was so bad that we had to meet in person.
When I heard the sound of heels clicking, I left my desk to see if it was Lily—maybe she’d forgotten something at the house. My jaw tightened when I saw who it was. Eric was standing outside my office, but he wasn’t alone. Rachele stood next to him. Eric ran his hand through his short blond hair. They both looked as if they were on something. I hadn’t checked back to make sure Rachele finished her rehab. I didn’t care.
My hand went to my pocket to grab my phone, but it wasn’t there. I’d left it on my desk. Fuck. I wasn’t going to give Rachele my back. The last time I saw her, she pulled a gun on me. And from the look in her eyes, it might happen again. I suddenly understood why he said we had to meet at the condo. Rachele would’ve been stopped by security the second she walked into the office building, but I hadn’t told security at my condo that she was a threat.
For once, I wished I’d listened to Jared and gotten the restraining order against her or pressed charges after she tried to shoot me, but I hadn’t wanted to have to deal with her. I thought sending her to rehab would’ve solved all my problems. Instead, I was at my house alone with two people who looked like they were both strung out.
“Why did you bring her to my house, Eric?”
Eric scratched the side of his neck. “She didn’t give me an option.”
“You always have options,” I told him, slowly stepping back. “Rachele, we’re divorced. What do you think you are going to get from me?”
She slowly stepped forward, looking around my office until her eyes landed on the picture behind my desk.
“Oh, he didn’t have an option. Eric’s been stealing money slowly from the foundation for years. I know where the transactions are. I threatened to go to the police,” she said with a sneer.
My jaw tightened. The foundation was my baby. I would make sure Eric went down for a long time for stealing. He was taking money away from kids getting placed in good foster care. “I looked through the books. There were no transactions that were off. How are you using this as blackmail?” I rested my hip against my desk. My phone was almost in reach. If I could get to my phone and call the police or even Abe, Rachele would go to jail, and I wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore.
“We’re smart enough to figure a way around the books.” Rachele smirked. “I overpaid the caterers, and then they took a cut. We’ve done this for years.”
My jaw clenched, but I knew yelling at her wouldn’t get me out of the situation. “What do you want?”
“I need money.”
“Why?” I asked. I really didn’t care what she used the money for. I needed her to keep talking as I walked back toward my desk.
Eric stood over to the side of the room. Sweat dripped down his face. He looked like he was going to have a heart attack soon.
“I’m out of money, and I just need a little to tide me over until my big payday comes in.”
A loud thunk to the side had me looking from Rachele to where Eric had stood a few seconds ago. He was no longer resting against the wall—he had fallen to the ground. No matter how much I hated the two people in my office, I rushed to his side. White foam started to come out of his mouth. When my hands touched his body, it was cold and clammy. I went running back to my desk to grab my phone when Rachele pulled out a gun.
“Stop!” she yelled.
I glanced from her gun to Eric. “If you let him die, that’s on you.”
“I need twenty grand, and I’m gone.”
Eric puked on the floor then rolled to the side. He didn’t have much time if I didn’t get a paramedic to come and help him. No matter how much I didn’t want to give the money to Rachele, Eric’s life was on the line. I got up and moved the picture from the wall.
The safe used biometrics. I pressed my thumb to the black pad on the front of the safe, and it opened. A few stacks of hundred-dollar bills lined the bottom. I grabbed two stacks, each bound with a ten-thousand-dollar band, then handed Rachele the cash. She looked back at the safe one more time. I knew she was contemplating asking for more.
“Get out of here, Rachele. If Eric dies, I’ll spend eternity making sure you go down for his death.”
“If we would’ve just stayed married, none of this would’ve happened.” She waved toward Eric. His eyes were still open, and I still had time to get the paramedics to my house.
“We didn’t even have a real marriage. One of us should’ve ended it years ago. What happened to the girl I met in college? She never would’ve done drugs.”
“That girl is long gone,” Rachele said. “Thanks for the money.” Rachele turned and walked toward the door. I ran for my phone and dialed 911. The ambulance was on the way, but by the time I got to the part where I needed the cops, Rachele was long gone. The police put out an all-points bulletin, and was in the process of getting an arrest warrant based off the video cameras running in my office. That along with whatever Eric could tell them would give them enough to send her to jail for a long time.
I didn’t want to worry Lily, so I didn’t text or call her. Two more hours passed talking to the police and the paramedics. Fortunately, they got to Eric in time. I told them to put him in rehab once he was okay. I grabbed a bucket from under the sink and cleaned up the vomit on the floor.
How could I have been so blind to the person Rachele became? Guilt washed over me for not paying closer attention to her. I wouldn’t be where I was in life if not for her. We would’ve started NSS no matter what, but she allowed us to do more with the company.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I sat down on the floor and rested my back against the wall. All evidence from earlier was cleaned up.
It was Lily. “I’m sorry to bother you, Jacob, but I didn’t know what time you were coming in. Did you want me to reschedule your two o’clock?”
I glanced at the clock on the wall—it was close to one. “I’ll be in soon, but clear my appointments for the rest of the afternoon.”
“Is everything okay?”
“It is now. I have a few more things to clean up at the house, and I’ll be on my way. Everything going okay at the office?”
Lily chuckled. “Sasha fixed the code this morning. She found the error, and it was something Jared changed on her. Let’s say she’s asking for a raise.”
I could only imagine. Sasha kept telling Jared to stay out of her work, but he kept messing with it.
“Do you need anything?” Lily was quiet for a second. “Is everything okay?” she repeated.
“Everything is fine.”
“One of the moms asked if Tommy could stay overnight on Friday.”
The thought of having Lily to myself for the night had me shifting in my seat again. “Did you have Kat look into the family?”
“Yes, and they came back clean. I was going to ask Tommy tonight if he wants to go.”
I grabbed the bucket and headed back to the cleaning closet. “Do you have something special you want to do on Friday?”
“I was wondering—” She let out a breath.
“What were you wondering?”
“Do you want to go on a date?” Lily asked quickly.
“I have to double-check my schedule.”
Lily huffed on the other end.
“I’m kidding. Yes, I would love to. Let me finish cleaning up, and I’ll be on my way so we can talk about this date.”
14
Lily
Two days, and we would be going on a date. I don’t know why I’d been so nervous to ask him out, especially since we’d been living together for a month. Tommy loved talking with Jacob and telling him about his day. I knew that when the coast was clear, Tommy and I would need to move out. I took a deep breath and counted to ten. The future would come in time, and I needed to stop worrying about things that weren’t in my control.