Your loving wife,
Natalie
Reading her letter I felt elated…knowing the depth of her feelings. I wanted to touch her beautiful face and tell her over and over how much I loved her, that nothing would ever separate my heart from hers. For a moment, I thought about blowing off the deal and going home to my Natalie, but I knew she wouldn’t want me to have wasted all the time and effort I had put into it.
My wife was so precious to me and I knew just what I was going to do: find the best jeweler in London, and buy something for her that was as extraordinary as she was.
The plane began boarding, so I sent a text to my bride telling her I got the note and couldn’t wait to be in her loving arms as soon as possible. When I hit the send button, the realization of how much this trip was going to suck, hit me like a tidal wave. A week, or longer, without my Natalie.
Chapter 33: Natalie
Charlie arrived at the house right on time. Streeter was going to drive us to the courthouse, making the needed Starbucks pit stop along the way.
As soon as I opened the door, I grabbed onto Charlie and clung to her. She didn’t say anything, she just held me. My body was shaking and I wasn’t quite sure if it had more to do with going to court or being without Mac.
“Sweetie, it’s going to be okay. I promise. You are strong enough to get through this. You’re the strongest person I know.”
I pulled back and looked into Charlie’s loving eyes. “I’ve had to be strong for so long. It’s a comfort to have someone to lean on.”
“Oh, Nat. You should have leaned on me…on Kate…a long time ago. We’ll always be here for you.”
I smiled at my wonderful friend. I nodded slightly, too choked up to speak.
“Are you ready to go?” Charlie asked me, kindness emanating from her eyes.
“Yes. Streeter is going to drive us,” I said, motioning toward him. He was standing behind me in the great room. I introduced them and we were off.
Arriving at the courthouse, we had about twenty minutes to spare. As we made our way toward the assigned courtroom, a familiar figure was moving toward me. I blinked a few times, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. But, I wasn’t seeing things. It wasn’t a mirage. This was actually happening. My eyes were seeing what my mind could not fathom, as we both stopped and stared at each other.
Neither of us spoke at first, and my feet seemed to have been superglued to the floor. His gaze was intense, spellbinding, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his.
“Natalie,” he said, wrapping his arms around me, holding me so tight I thought I might break. But it was actually his reappearance in my life that threatened to break me.
“Ty…how…why… what are you doing here?” I asked, as he released me. I heard a gasp escape Charlie’s mouth, her shock as evident as mine.
“I’m the new assistant district attorney. You sister’s case is the first one I am prosecuting in my new role. I’m so sorry…what happened to Jessica was terrible news. I know how much she meant to you.”
Nodding my head, I felt faint, and nearly fell into Ty. He grabbed my arms as my knees buckled a little. “Natalie, are you okay? Do you need to sit down?”
I needed to disappear or become invisible—somehow escape this twisted dream I was having. Why now? Why would he come back now? “I’m fine, thanks.” Ty was still holding onto me and I could feel the tension rising from Streeter, my protector. “I’m sorry…Charlie, Streeter, this is Ty, an old friend of mine.”
Charlie put her hand out to shake Ty’s and he released one of my arms to shake it. “It’s nice to meet you, Ty,” she said with reserve.
Streeter shook his hand too, but didn’t say much. He was a man of few words. Ty was holding my left hand at this point, crushing my diamond ring into my fingers. Then he lifted my hand up and looked at my ring. “So, you’re a misses now? Some lucky guy has snatched you up.”
“Yes, this is Mrs. Mac Carter,” Charlie said, going into hyper-protective mode. She and Mitch were a matched set in that department.
“Congratulations, Natalie,” Ty said, his green eyes searing me. I had forgotten how devastatingly handsome he was. Even more so with age.
“Well, we better get a seat,” Streeter said, no doubt feeling very uncomfortable.
“I guess I’ll see you inside,” I said to Ty. He released my hand and I began making my way into the courtroom with Charlie and Streeter. The minute we sat down, I knew I was in for it with Charlie.
“So…that’s him? The guy who broke your heart?”
“Yeah, that’s him. Tyler Latham.”
“You said he was good looking, but you didn’t mention he had Greek-god status. Natalie… he’s beyond gorgeous.”
I couldn’t speak. I had been so attracted to Ty when I was a teenager. He was my first love… the one I thought I’d never get over. With his six-foot-two muscular frame, green eyes, and dark hair, I figured every woman who crossed his path wanted him. And obviously I was right—Charlie was practically drooling, even though her fiancé wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes.
Court came to order, and the proceedings began. I watched every move that Ty made and heard every word that he spoke, but I wasn’t truly listening. My mind had transported me back to the time when we were discussing me moving to the East coast to be together, before my mom had become ill. I couldn’t concentrate on anything else, but he seemed completely unaffected by seeing me. Of course, he had been prepared, knowing I would be there. I was the one who had been blindsided, feeling like I was tumbling down a hill and couldn’t stop.
I had no idea if anyone could tell that I was present physically, but my mind was somewhere else entirely…drifting on a sea of memories that should have long been forgotten. I could only hope that Streeter didn’t notice. I would hate for him to tell Mac that it appeared I was still in love with my ex.
Without warning, the judge hit his gavel on the bench, and court was adjourned for lunch. I didn’t move a muscle, because hours had gone by, and in my catatonic state I wasn’t even certain of what had taken place.
“Natalie,” Charlie said, placing her hand on mine. “Did you hear me?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head.
“What do you want for lunch?”
“Oh, um, I guess we could see what the cafeteria has. It would just be easier to stay here.”
“Are you doing okay?” she asked, searching my face.
“Um, I’m just a little overwhelmed. Lunch will probably help.”
We began to rise from our seats. Much of the courtroom had emptied, and Justin, who I barely noticed, had been taken back to his cell.
As we entered the hallway, I heard Ty calling out my name. “Natalie.”
I turned so see him rapidly approaching. “Can I talk to you for a minute…alone?”
I looked at Streeter and Charlie, both with furrowed brow. “It’s alright. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria.”
“If you have an idea of what you would like, I can order it for you.”
“Thanks, Charlie. A turkey sandwich or something like that. Or a chicken salad.”
She nodded. She started walking away, but Streeter didn’t. He stood firm, protecting me.
“Streeter, I’m perfectly safe. You can head down with Charlie.”
“I’m on cell if you need anything, Mrs. Carter.”
Streeter walked away and I turned to face Ty. “You have a body guard?” he asked incredulously. “What the hell’s going on, Nat?”
“It’s a long story. An ex of my husband’s may be a threat to me, so Mac hired security until he gets everything straightened out.”
“Wow, private security. Your husband must do well.”
“He’s CEO of Carter Industries…so he is wealthy.”
“How long have you been together?”
“We got married last week.”
Ty’s jaw tightened. “Why isn’t he here with you?”
“He had to go out of town on business. Is t
hat what you want to talk to me about? Where my husband is?”
“No, I don’t care about your husband at all.”
“I see,” I said, pressing my lips together. “What do you want, Ty?” I asked, all the blood draining from my face. Ty stood there staring at me for a long moment. “Okay, here goes. I know I don’t have any right to say this, but I want you back.”
I thought I was hallucinating, like someone had injected me with some powerful drugs and everything in the room was going sideways. “What?” I said too loudly. “You have no rights at all, Ty. My heart belonged to you once, and you threw me away. Now, I’m with Mac. I’m married. Happily. What are you thinking?” I asked, grabbing onto the nearby wall to steady myself.
“Natalie, I know I fucked up. But I still love you and all I want is to be with you,” he said, wrapping his arms around me, engulfing my body with his. “You can get an annulment,” he whispered in my ear.
I pulled away, but he wouldn’t let me go.
“I’m not getting an annulment.”
“Nat, it’s not like you’ve been married for years and have children. I’m back. What you’ve done can be undone,” Ty said, with a hint of frustration in his voice.
He finally loosened his grip on me enough to look into my eyes. “I am pregnant with Mac’s child and I’m not divorcing my husband,” I hissed. “You’re always used to getting exactly what you want, aren’t you? I love my husband and I want to be with him. You and I are ancient history.”
“You don’t mean that. You and I are meant to be together. Nothing will ever change that,” Ty said, as his mouth moved toward mine. He began kissing me and all of my feelings for him came rushing back. I tried with everything I had to push him away, my hands pressing against his chest. He got the message and let go of me, hurt radiating from his eyes.
“How dare you kiss me? What the hell are you thinking?”
“I already told you what I am thinking. You and me together, like it’s supposed to be.”
Talking to him was useless and I began to walk away, but he grabbed my hand.
“Natalie…please. Give me a chance. At least have dinner with me so we can talk.”
The pleading in his voice made me feel unraveled. I hadn’t heard it since he begged me to move to Boston with Jessica in tow. I wondered how different life would have been had I done that. Jessica would still be alive and I’d probably be Mrs. Latham. “Ty, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing to talk about. I’m married, that’s the end of the conversation,” I said, pulling my hand away, and rapidly walking down the hall. To my relief, he didn’t follow me. But he didn’t have to. I was going to be his captive audience until the trial ended.
***
“Nat.” I heard Charlie call out my name as I entered the busy cafeteria. Streeter was sitting at an adjacent table, no doubt feeling uncomfortable with my request to be left alone with Ty.
I sat at the table with Charlie and momentarily stared at the turkey sandwich she had bought me. I opened my purse and took out my wallet, removing a ten dollar bill to give to her.
“Nat, I don’t want your money, but I do want an explanation. You look flush and your lipstick is smudged. What’s going on? What did he want?”
I sighed loudly. “He wants me. He wants me back.” Hearing myself saying the words seemed bizarre. If he had come back a month ago…I put my head in my hands.
“Well. What did you say?”
“I told him I have no intentions of leaving my husband and that things between us are over.”
“How did he take it?” she asked, the sound of her voice rising.
“He grabbed me and kissed me, Charlie. He just kissed me.”
Charlie opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it. I looked at her slowly, shaking my head. The entire morning seemed like I had entered a fun house, everything was distorted, misshapen, strange to my eyes.
“Nat, this is completely fucked up. Do you still have feelings for him after everything that’s happened?”
I stared at my friend who always asked the tough questions. “He was my first love. I think I’ll always have some feelings for him.”
“Nat, you’re going to have to search your heart on this one. I don’t know what to tell you.”
“I don’t know what to tell me, either. I just… . I wish Mac was here and Ty wasn’t.” I hated feeling such confusion. It was madness. Mac was my everything.
The afternoon dragged on, and I had to see pictures of the accident site as Ty made his case against Justin. I pushed all thoughts of Ty out of my mind, concentrating on my sister and what had happened to her. Keeping the tears at bay was a monumental feat that I didn’t accomplish. Charlie held my hand as tears rolled down my cheeks. I wasn’t sure how much more of it I could endure.
But what did I want the outcome to be? Jessica’s life was over and Justin had destroyed his with drugs. I looked over at Justin, who sat there contritely, staring at the same pictures that were going to haunt me. He was just a kid and this accident had happened out of stupidity, not malice. I wanted justice for my sister, but I didn’t want Justin’s head on a silver platter. It seemed however, that Ty did.
Adjourning for the day, I decided I needed to talk to Ty about the trial. I asked Charlie and Streeter to wait in the hall for me.
I approached Ty, who was sitting at his table, looking over some notes. “Ty.”
“Natalie,” he said, a hopeful look spreading over his face.
“I know you have a job to do, but I don’t want this accident to ruin Justin’s life. He needs help.”
“Natalie, the guy killed your sister. He needs to pay for his actions.”
“Of course, but he didn’t murder her. He’s going to wake up every day for the rest of his life knowing that she is dead because of him.”
“What do you want me to do, let him off the hook?”
“No, but you don’t have to go for the harshest sentence. I’ve already forgiven him and…” I trailed off, not finishing my thought. Ty’s eyes were piercing a hole right through me.
“Natalie, you have the biggest heart of anyone I know. Only you would forgive the guy so quickly.”
“I needed to. I’m going to be a mother soon and I don’t want to have anger and bitterness in my heart. I want to be like my mom.”
Ty’s jaw tightened and he looked at me like I had just ripped his heart out. I just stood there staring back at him. “I’ll take what you are saying under advisement,” he said, beginning to put his files into his briefcase.
“Thanks,” I said. “Um…I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I made my way out of the courtroom, relieved that the first day was over. Streeter drove us home, the silence making the air in the car thick somehow. I was too exhausted to talk and Charlie probably wasn’t exactly sure what to say. It had been a long day.
When we got back to Mac’s house, Charlie didn’t come in. She offered to take another day off and go with me again the next day, but I told her it wasn’t necessary. We hugged and I thanked her for being with me for the day. Streeter checked everything out while we said our goodbyes.
Chapter 34: Mac
I had been worried about my girl all day, and hated that I was in London instead of being at home with her, comforting her after enduring such a horrible day. I couldn’t imagine what she had been through, listening to the events of her sister’s death.
Hearing her voice as she answered my call, made me want to get on the next plane. My girl sounded so sad, and so alone. I had promised her that she wouldn’t feel that way again. Damn.
“Baby, I’ve been thinking about you all day. How are you holding up?”
“It was tough, but I managed with the help of Charlie and Streeter. He didn’t say much, but he has a good way about him…it was comforting.”
“I should be there for you, helping you through this. I wish I was there to hold you right now.”
“Me too, baby. I miss you so much. How was your day?”
“
It was hectic, but very productive. This merger is going to be a huge asset for the company and we accomplished a lot more than I expected.”
“Oh good. I know you’ve been working on this for a while.”
“That’s why I couldn’t exactly postpone it. It just pains me being away from my bride. I miss you, baby.”
“Oh, Mac, I just want this to be over. I need you so much.”
“I will, Nat. Is anything wrong besides the trial? You sound off to me.”
“It’s really nothing. I don’t want you to worry.”
“It doesn’t sound like nothing. Nat, tell me what’s bothering you?”
“Are you sitting down?”
“Natalie, tell me what’s wrong.”
“My old boyfriend, Ty, is the new ADA and he is prosecuting Jessica’s case.”
Son of a bitch. “I see. So, how did he react to seeing you?”
“He was polite, cordial. It was weird at first, but by the end of the day I was over feeling strange.”
“Did you tell him that you are married?” I asked, trying not to sound insecure.
“Of course I did. Mac…I love you, and have told the world that I am yours.”
“I know. I just wasn’t expecting you to say…I don’t know. You just caught me off guard.”
“I understand the feeling. I thought I was hallucinating when he had walked toward me. But, the trial will be over quickly and I’ll never have to see him again.”
I hated that she was seeing him at all. “You’re going through so much and then to have to deal with him on top of it. I’m sorry, Nat. Listen, I have to go. I have a meeting in a few minutes.” Shit. Not the best time to end a call.
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