My laughter kicked up another gear. I guessed there were some details of her late teenage years she'd neglected to share with her big sister.
When Dad finally fell asleep, I snuck out my phone to check for news from Lydia on the special assignment I'd given her.
"I think he'll be out for at least a few hours," Jessica said quietly, closing the door to Dad's room. She looked over at me and sighed. "When are you leaving?"
"Something came up at work. I need to head back into the city for the afternoon."
"I thought you were taking a couple of weeks off?"
"I am. It's just one thing I need to take care of, and I want to see Grace and everyone else. You're not the only one who worries about me." I nudged her with my arm.
"I know and I'm glad for it. Speaking of worrying about you, what's going on with you and your personal hero? Are you going to see him, too?"
"I don't know."
"I know you're a private person so I won't push, but I will say this: If the last couple of weeks have taught you anything, let it be to remember how short life is and to grab joy wherever you find it. It might be messy, it might be inconvenient--grab it anyway, and hold on with everything you have."
❖
"Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until I followed her here." Lydia pulled up a photo on her laptop. "I suppose there's a chance she was there to see another resident, but I couldn't find connections to anyone else."
"Holy shit." I scrolled through the photos Lydia had taken. "Why the hell would she be meeting with her?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
"Is Bridget here?" I asked, grabbing Elsa Michaels's file from the cabinet on the back wall of my office.
"I think so. You want me to get her?"
"Please, I need her to work some of that technological magic of hers to help me figure out if my theory is correct. I think there's more to those pictures Elsa received than a little blackmail."
❖
"Jesus, that is fucked up," Grace said when I filled her in and asked her to come to G&G Components with me.
Bridget found the information I needed in a matter of minutes. My theory was correct; I just didn't know how Gregory and the rest of his family were going to handle the news.
"I know. I already called Janet. She said Gregory is free for the next hour or so, so we need to get down there. I have a feeling it isn't over yet."
Grace scooped up the file, which included Elsa's prenup, G&G financials, and some stock information Bridget printed.
"Let's go. Elsa is meeting us," she said, reading Elsa's confirmation on her phone.
"Good, I'll drive." I pressed the button that would take us down to the garage level.
❖
"Claudia, I didn't think we'd be seeing you so soon. Are you here for work?" Chad Michaels looked me up and down like he always did.
"Some of us have to make a living the old-fashioned way," I replied, walking by him.
"Guess you're in a hurry," he said with a frown, his tone annoyed.
"Something like that." I tossed my hair back over my shoulder as I approached the security desk.
"Way to hide your feelings," Grace teased as soon as we were on the elevator.
"I'm pretty sure he deserves it," I replied when the door closed.
The ride up seemed faster than I remembered. My pulse quickened at the ding signaling our arrival on the executive floor. The floor Grey worked on. I didn't include him when I requested the meeting, but he always had a way of finding me, so I tried to prepare myself for the possibility of seeing him while we were there.
Chapter 23
Walking into Gregory's office, I thought I'd sufficiently prepared myself to see Grey. I was wrong. He looked better than I remembered, which seemed impossible, especially considering he couldn't have been out of the hospital for more than a day or two.
"Claudia, it's so good to see you." Gregory pulled me into a hug.
Elsa followed in kind. "You were wrong about Ashley," she whispered before pulling away. She winked at me then turned her gaze to Grey.
I felt as if I might faint with how fast my heart pounded as I turned to him. I was scared of what I would find, but I steeled my nerves and looked into his eyes. The emotions I saw there weren't the anger and hurt I expected. He looked down at me with love and maybe a hint of hope. Elsa obviously told him about Ashley. I'd been wrong. My heart soared and my breath caught as he took my hand, his touch sending a surge through me like a jolt of electricity.
"I've missed you," he whispered, bringing my hand up to his lips.
He placed a soft kiss on the back of my hand and flashed me that sexy smile of his. Suddenly the betrayal I'd felt before seemed like an utter impossibility. How could he look at me like that if he really wanted someone else?
"We know you're busy Gregory," Grace said, interrupting my moment with Grey, which I imagined was fairly awkward for everyone else in the room.
I'd nearly forgotten they were there or why I was even there for those moments when I looked into his eyes. Grace gave me a knowing smile as she passed me a few papers.
"Sorry, you're probably wondering why we called this meeting." I smiled at Grey and took a step away from him. As much as I yearned to ask him what really happened, it would have to wait, at least a little while.
"It was certainly a surprise to get your message," Elsa said. "I'd been trying to get in touch with you."
"Sorry about that. I just needed some time to process everything. Taking it helped me to see what we'd been missing on your case. Gregory, Elsa, what happens if the infidelity clause of your prenup is broken and you get divorced?"
They looked at each other and then me, their expressions confused.
"I'd owe Elsa half of my individual net worth, but I've never cheated on her and we're certainly not getting divorced. Not for your lack of trying," he said with a smirk.
I glanced sideways at Grey; he wasn't amused.
"Sorry," Gregory said, noticing the drop in temperature. "Too soon?"
"Definitely too soon," Grace replied and we all laughed, except Grey, who just smiled.
I supposed the fact I'd told him I wouldn't be giving up the business of Homewrecker Incorporated made Gregory's joke less than amusing, but Elsa talked to him so he knew why I said it.
"So, hypothetically, if that happened would you have enough liquid assets to pay her?"
"Of course not, my net worth includes our home here, a vacation home in Florida and my stake in the company."
"Meaning the only way you could meet the obligation would be to sell nearly half of your shares in G&G, correct?"
He nodded.
"I think Kristen Page was trying to force that outcome for the benefit of her employer, Arrow Components, by seducing you into, or at least convincing Elsa, you were cheating."
"Even if she'd been successful, that wouldn't give Arrow a controlling interest, not with the number of shares Grey, Chad and our parents own."
I gave the papers in my hand to Gregory. His jaw clenched when he realized what he was looking at.
"How did you get this?" he asked, passing the information to Grey.
"My friend Bridget has a talent for digging up things people don't want found."
"Shit, Chad sold his stock to Arrow Components," Grey said.
"Not yet, but it looks as though he's about to," Grace added.
"So my little brother's an idiot and agreed to an offer for his shares without telling us." Gregory sat down. "That still doesn't explain how they knew about our prenup and infidelity clause."
"Yes, it does," Elsa piped in. "Someone told them and it doesn't take much to figure out who."
"Did I miss the memo for a family meeting?" Chad opened the door to Gregory's office without knocking. It was rather fortuitous he'd shown up just then because I was pretty confident he had the answer to his brother's question.
"Chad, your timing couldn't be better," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
<
br /> ❖
"What the fuck is going on, Chad?" Gregory stalked toward his brother, his brow furrowed. "Why are you selling you shares to Arrow?"
"I-I," Chad stammered, running a hand through his hair before he sighed and slumped down onto the couch at the side of Gregory's office. "I wasn't given much of a choice."
"What does that mean?"
"Someone's blackmailing me."
That wasn't the answer I expected, but it made more sense than my original theory.
"Who's blackmailing you?" Grey asked, regarding his brother carefully.
Chad buried his face in his hands. "Ashley," he whispered.
Gregory and Grey glanced at each other before I handed the photographs Lydia had taken to Gregory.
"She's working with Kristen Page?" Gregory said, seeing the picture of the two women together.
"Yes." Chad finally raised his head. "She knows about something awful I did a long time ago, and she threatened to tell the family if I didn't agree to sell my shares to Arrow once Gregory sold his."
"What did you do?" Gregory sat next to his younger brother, his expression a bit softer than before.
Chad looked at Grey, the look in his eyes nothing short of pained.
"It was a few weeks before Grey and Ashley's wedding. I relapsed and took a cab out to Grey's place looking for him to help me get straightened out, to get sober again before Mom or Dad found out. Grey wasn't home but Ashley was there."
"So it was you. You're the guy she cheated with?" Grey said calmly.
Gregory snapped his head toward his twin, his expression shocked. Elsa, who'd kept the knowledge of Ashley's infidelity to herself at Grey's request, put her hand on Chad's shoulder as she sat on the other side of him.
A tear slid down Chad's cheek.
"I'm so sorry, Grey. I was so fucked up; I don't know how it happened. When I realized what I'd done, I took off and checked myself into rehab. I never told anyone about it, and Ashley swore she wouldn't say anything." Chad's face was wet with tears. "We never talked about it again until a few months ago when she threatened me."
Grey kneeled down in front of Chad. "I don't blame you, bro. Ashley took advantage of you. That girl is a manipulator and your mistake probably saved me from a lifetime of misery."
Grey grabbed Chad's hands as he stood and pulled him into a hug.
"That's why they sent me those pictures of Gregory and Kristen. Ashley knew the details of the prenup since she signed one before," Elsa said, looking to Grace and me.
"And Kristen used threats of releasing those other stories to keep Gregory quiet and feed the suspicion," I added.
"I can't believe I almost married her," Grey said, his voice full of relief.
I couldn't hold it in any longer. I was confident there was a reasonable explanation, but the pain of what I'd believed lingered and I needed to hear from him what really happened.
"Maybe now you can tell me why Ashley was at your house wearing one of your shirts the morning after you stayed with me at my apartment."
"I'd been wondering the same thing myself since Elsa told me what happened," Grey said, stepping closer to me. "I never saw Ashley after the gala until she showed up at dinner at my parents' house. Right before I left there and went to your apartment, she came back and cornered me, begging for a chance to work things out. I told her to go to hell. I had no idea she was ever at my place until right after you ran out of my hospital room. As soon as I knew, I confronted her and she admitted she'd hung on to my spare key all these years. She went over to my house that morning to try talking to me again. When she saw you get out of the car, she staged that little scene to scare you off."
He gripped both of my hands in his. "I would never hurt you like that," he whispered, staring into my eyes.
I didn't bother trying to stop the tears. I didn't want to hide from him or the way I felt about him anymore. My sister was right. He was my joy and I needed to hold on to him with all I had.
"Not to impose on this moment for you two"--Gregory clapped Grey's shoulder--"but Claudia, do you think your friend could help us dig up something to keep Kristen and Arrow from releasing those stories and enforcing the contract Chad signed?"
"If anyone can, it's Bridget, but you should probably ask her yourself. She does work for you after all." I laughed.
"That's who you were talking about? The girl Josh is in love with?" Gregory said, his expression shocked.
"The one and only," I replied with a smile.
"Well shit, I'll have to give Ben a bonus for hiring her, or maybe I should fire him since she was only here to spy on me," he said with a laugh.
Grey inclined his head toward the door and held out his hand for me. I took it and walked out with him.
❖
"I don't want to let you out of my sight. I know we need to talk more, but I need to stay and help Gregory and Chad deal with all this shit," he said as he walked Grace and me to the elevator.
"I can stay and wait for you," I said, smiling up at him. My gaze drifted to his lips.
"I have a feeling it's going to be a while. Can I meet you at your place?"
"I can find somewhere else to be tonight," Grace said with a smile.
"I think he's talking about my other place," I reminded Grace. "But I'd rather go to your place instead?"
"Of course, you can take my key and Vince can drive you."
"I can drive myself, I have my car here, but maybe Vince can take Grace home instead?"
"I can just take a cab," Grace interjected.
"No, take the car. Vince is probably bored of shooting the shit with Bruce downstairs by now," Grey said.
"Okay." Grace nodded.
"Guess it's settled, then." Grey wrapped his arms around my waist. "I'll see you at home later."
I really liked the sound of that.
Chapter 24
I smiled wide when Grey walked through the door into his kitchen where I was waiting with the remnants of my sad attempt at cooking dinner.
"We should probably order some takeout," I said, scrunching my nose as I shrugged.
He laughed, the deep timbre resonating through me as he eyed the plates of slightly burnt pasta.
"Let's talk first," he said, taking my hands and pulling me to him. He cupped the side of my face as I looked up at him. "Why is it so hard for you to trust me? It doesn't matter what either of us do, how much we love each other, if we don't have trust, we'll never truly move forward." He searched my eyes as I considered his question.
"Isn't it hard for you? After what Ashley did?"
"Yes, but I'm not going to let her bullshit keep me from finding my happiness. I won't let it keep me from you. It took me years to move past it, but I have moved past it. Part of what helped me to do that was sharing my pain with you."
I took a deep breath. He was right. I had to let go, to share my past, my pain with the only man who'd even come close to my heart in fifteen years.
"You remember what I told you about my mom?"
"Of course," he replied, stroking my cheek with his thumb.
"When she died, I blamed my father. I thought he left my mom for another woman, a woman he'd been cheating on her with. I spent months trying to console her. She fell into a deep depression for weeks at a time. I was always worried about her, so much so I almost didn't go to college because I was afraid to leave her alone, but as time went on, she seemed to get better and she insisted I go to school. She didn't want me to put my life on hold."
Grey continued to hold me, wiping away the tears that were streaming down my face as I talked. I didn't try to turn away or hide them. I felt safe for the first time in as long as I could remember.
"A month or so after I left for school, my sister found my mom's body. I was so angry. When I finally saw my father again, I attacked him. I called him a killer because he was the reason she wanted to die. He was the reason she left me." A sob escaped me but I kept going. "But that wasn't it, not really. I've never said it out loud
before, but I blamed myself. I left her, just like he did." I buried my face in Grey's chest. He held me tight as I cried.
"It wasn't your fault, sweetheart," he whispered against my hair. "None of that was your fault."
"I know," I said when my tears slowed. "And now I know I was wrong about my father, about what happened between them."
Standing in the kitchen with Grey's arms around me, I recounted everything my father shared with me in my hospital room. My mom's affair, the paternity test, the letter, and my father's cancer.
He listened in silence until I'd told him all of it.
"How do you feel now?" He looked down at me and my heart melted when I saw the redness in his eyes. He'd cried with me, truly shared my pain.
"Better than I have in a really, really long time."
He placed a gentle kiss on my lips. "Me, too."
"I don't want to ruin this moment," I said, taking a step back as I wrung my hands together. "But I want everything out on the table."
Grey's lips tightened.
"Do you want to know about my work, about Homewrecker Incorporated? I'll tell you anything you want to know."
He laughed and I felt a wash of relief. "You guys seriously called it that?"
"It started out as a joke but somehow it stuck. Officially, the business was Mason, Dawson, & Associates, LLP Private Investigators, but that isn't exactly sexy."
"All I need to know is you're done with it, at least the part about seducing other men," he said, stalking toward me. He put his hands on the wall behind me, boxing me in as he stared down at me, his eyes dark with lust. It was quite a shift in mood, but I was more than ready to roll with it.
"Because while I'm a pretty understanding and supportive guy," he whispered against my ear before I could respond. "If you're mine, if this"--he slipped one hand between my thighs--"is mine, I won't share."
I melted under his touch, my body liquid against the wall while he moved his hand back and forth between my legs.
"Yes, I'm done with it," I breathed out, desperate for more.
"Then say it," he commanded.
I pried my eyes open to look at him. "Say what?"
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