by Shealy James
I climbed off the swing and wrapped my arms around Grant. “Sorry, handsome, but you do not want to get my mother started on her book club. She reads erotic romances, and there are some words that should never come out of a mother’s mouth in front of her children.”
Grant laughed out loud. “Not what I was expecting, but I understand.”
John grabbed the twins. “Dessert is ready, so we should all go inside. We need to go soon, so we can get these smelly kids in the bath.”
We all walked back in the house where Mom had served her peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream for all of us.
“This is really good. I’ve never had peach cobbler,” Grant told my mom.
“Then I’m glad you like it. It’s Evie’s favorite summer dessert. I’m sure you don’t have peaches in Seattle like we do down here, but you could always use canned ones instead of sweetening your own.”
I wrinkled my nose and Jane looked shocked. “Canned ones?” Jane asked. “When is the last time you used canned peaches for something?”
“Your grandmother’s funeral, but don’t tell anyone. I didn’t have time to cut and peel twenty peaches for a dessert that size.”
I laughed at my mom whispering her big secret. If that’s the biggest secret she’s had to keep lately, then I couldn’t wait to get old and boring.
Chapter 25
Later that night, Grant and I were curled up in my bed. I showed him all the text messages I hadn’t read until now, and I couldn’t even get through them. I stopped about ten messages in. They varied from threats of what he was going to force me to do if I gave him a hard time tomorrow to reminders of all the things he had planned for my body, which were actually a little more horrifying to read. My peach cobbler revisited after the tenth message, and Grant had the opportunity to see how my body reacts to stress. It was a turning point for us.
The tenth message said something about him getting me home and tying me up, so he could fuck me like an animal. Alone it wouldn’t have been too bad, but paired with the nine others we had already read, and the fact that Grant was reading these as well, my stomach couldn’t take it. I ran to the bathroom but couldn’t get the door shut before my face was in the toilet. Grant was right behind me pulling my hair away.
“Can you not watch this?” I said as I flushed the toilet.
“Baby, I’m not watching you throw up. I’m taking care of you.” He pulled my hair into a ponytail and then filled a glass with water for me.
I took a sip of water and spit it back in the toilet before sitting down and leaning against the wall. My body was clammy, and I could only imagine what I looked like. Usually I was pale with watery eyes and a layer of sweat on my skin. “Welcome to my world, Grant. Isn’t it colorful?” I said sarcastically.
He slid down the other wall. “I told you I want to know the good and the bad. Does this happen often?”
I tilted my head from side-to-side. “No. It started a couple of years ago. Before that my stomach bothered me when I felt stressed or anxious, but I didn’t feel the need to throw up. Now, it’s like I can’t keep it in. It isn’t every time I get stressed. It seems Mark makes me sick more than anything.” I smirked.
“You know everything will be okay. I’ll make sure of it.”
I smiled appreciatively at him. “I know you would if you could, but you have to let me handle this tomorrow. Mark’s not a bad guy. He’s just a little lost, and I don’t know why. I’ll make sure he signs the papers tomorrow, but I also want him to get help. I don’t want him to go to jail, even after all of this. That’s what has me so tied up in knots. I can’t make sense of the contradiction of the old Mark and new Mark in my head, and it’s making me physically ill. I feel like it won’t go away unless I can come up with the best possible solution for everyone.”
“And what’s that?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I want the divorce, and I want Mark away from my family and me, but I also want him to get help. That would be ideal, I think.”
He grabbed me and pulled me over so I was sitting in between his legs against his chest. “If I could make that happen, would you allow me to help you?”
I looked up at him in disbelief. “How can you make all of that happen?”
“You said his mother lives in Florida, right?” I nod. “What if I agree to pay off his debts, and you agree to giving him half the assets, or whatever you want to give him if he permanently moves to Florida? I can have my attorney draw up a contract tonight. It’s only six-thirty in Seattle.”
“Absolutely not. I don’t want you paying to fix my mistakes. He doesn’t get to take the easy way out, not this time.”
He groaned and shifted. “I understand what you’re saying, but my guess is he’d be willing to go away quietly with a little bit of cash.”
“You know my answer.” I used the door to pull myself off the floor so I could brush my teeth.
I climbed into bed exhausted from the exciting day and the less than glamorous cookie toss, or cobbler toss as it was. Grant climbed in with me. “Do you mind if I work here? I can go downstairs if my laptop bothers you.”
“No, I like having you here. Work away.”
He kissed my forehead. “Love you, baby.”
“I love you, and so does my family. Thank you for coming here and for chasing me…and for catching me.”
His eyes were a bright green and told me all I needed to know, but just in case I had forgotten, he said, “I told you, wherever you are.”
“Thank goodness.” He pulled out his laptop and passed me his iPad. I smiled and curled up next to him and downloaded another book onto the Kindle app he put on there for me.
It wasn’t long before I couldn’t keep my eyes open and I felt the iPad slip from my hands. “Night, peach.” With those words, the world disappeared.
I woke up the next morning with the sun. I watched Grant sleep peacefully for a few moments. He had to be exhausted, and it was only four in the morning his time. I snuck out of bed and went down to my dad’s office to print the rest of the documents I needed to take with me to my meeting with Martin. Once everything was organized, I went into the kitchen where I found my mom in her spot.
“Morning, Mom,” I said as I went to the fridge to get some juice.
“Morning, peanut. No coffee?”
“No. I have enough nervous energy running through my body.” I sat down in my seat with my juice.
“You sure you don’t want one of us to go with you? I hate that you have to face this on your own.”
“I’m sure. Thank you, though. This is something I need to do on my own. Hopefully after today, everything will be okay. I just keep thinking about how pleasant dinner will be tonight. If I just focus on dinner, I don’t feel nearly as sick to my stomach.”
I watched as my mom grimaced and then turned toward the coffeemaker to hide it. “Have you been eating in Seattle?”
“Yes, Mom. I’ve been eating. Grant knows about it too, and he has been on my case enough for the both of you.”
She exhaled a breath in annoyance. “Don’t take that tone with me. You know why I worry. Do we need to go through last summer’s photo album to remind you?”
I winced. “No.”
“All right then. What do you want for breakfast?”
“Mom…”
“Pancakes? How about waffles this time?”
“Waffles are fine.” She wasn’t going to let up if I didn’t eat, and I didn’t need any additional stress today.
Mom nodded and started getting out the ingredients and talking about who knows what. I sat there pretending to listen while I silently wondered what I would be facing in the meeting today. It wasn’t like I had been to one of these before. I had no idea how this would go, which was why I was meeting with Martin an hour early to prepare. That helped me relax slightly.
Grant walked in the kitchen wearing a dark grey t-shirt and khaki shorts. He smiled when he saw me and came around the island to give me a kiss good morn
ing.
“Good morning, handsome. Did you sleep okay?”
“Yes,” he said aloud and then leaned in to whisper in my ear, “until I woke up alone.” I smiled, and he kissed my ear.
“You hungry, Grant?” my mom asked.
“Sure. Can I help you do anything?” My man was so thoughtful and polite.
I got up and made his coffee just how he likes it, as my mom said, “No way. I don’t put guests to work in my house. You just sit down and relax. Entertain Evie. I think her mind is probably running away with her.”
“Mom,” I groaned. She just waved me off, so I rolled my eyes and turned back to Grant. “Did you get a lot of work done last night?”
“More than I expected. Where’s your meeting?” He tangled his hands into my ponytail, the same one that he pulled my hair into last night while my head was in the toilet.
“My lawyer’s office, which is about fifteen minutes away. At least that’s familiar.” I offered him a forced smile.
He pulled me close to him, and I snuggled into his shoulder. “It will all be fine, gorgeous. Afterwards we’ll go to dinner with Holly, and then we’ll fly home to Seattle and stay in your tiny apartment. In just a few hours, it’ll all be over.”
“Here you two go. Waffles and fruit.” She set down our plates and went back to standing in her spot eating a waffle and drinking her coffee. “Evie, did you print an extra copy of everyone’s statement?”
“Yes, and I filled out the forms that Martin asked for. I should be good to go with the paperwork. I also printed out screenshots of all his messages. Now we just have to get him on board. Hopefully his lawyer isn’t a complete moron, but we shall see.”
My mom watched me the entire time I ate, so there was no way I was getting away with shoving my food around this time. I should have been hungry, but my stomach was so tied up in knots, I was pretty sure there wasn’t room for waffles. I shoved them down anyway. I think me eating my breakfast made both my mom and Grant feel better. Too bad it made me feel worse.
After waffles, I showered and dressed in a conservative black sheath dress. I looked like I was going to a funeral, but in a way I kind of was. I wore minimal makeup because looking pretty wasn’t my goal. Grant distracted me in the shower and stayed with me as I dressed and pinned up my hair. He gave me a supportive pep talk in my room before I went downstairs to leave for my meeting. He wanted to drive me, but I wanted to have a car there so I could have a few minutes to myself when it was over.
With a kiss goodbye from Grant and hugs from my parents, I took my mother’s car to face the music. Martin’s office was in an old house near the square of another historical town in our area. When you walked in the front door, it smelled like old houses do, but they had office furniture set up instead of what you might find in a home. Marilyn, Martin’s secretary and niece, greeted me when I walked in. My family had known Martin’s a long time, so her warm smile was comforting right then.
“He knows you’re here, Eve. How ya doing?”
I gave her a tight smile. “Hangin’ in there today, Marilyn. How are you?”
Her smile was warm and friendly. “Doing well. The kids are all busy with sports and their friends this summer, so it has been nice and quiet around the house. You know Tim is driving now?” She showed me a picture of her teenage son and his Mustang convertible.
“Wow. I didn’t realize he was already sixteen. He’ll be in college soon.”
“Don’t remind me. He’s my first one to leave the nest, and he wants to go to FSU. So far away.”
“You’ll be able to drive back and forth, though.” She nodded.
“Evie!” Martin’s old man voice echoed through the foyer of the old house. He held his arms open for a hug, and I openly embraced him. “How you doin’ today?”
“Little stressed, little nervous. I guess it’s all expected though.”
He shook his head. “With Mark, nothing is expected. Come on back. We’ll go ahead and get set up in the conference room.”
In the conference room, which was a mini law library with a table that comfortably seated ten people, Martin and I went through each document carefully to make sure we were fully prepared. He explained what to expect when Mark and his lawyer showed up, and I filled him in on what I wanted for a restraining order, which would have to be granted by a judge. By the time we had gone through everything, they were supposed to be there, and I was a nervous wreck.
Mark’s attorney, Larry Smith, arrived first. Where Martin was the quintessential old man attorney, Larry was the salesman kind of attorney. No surprise there. Mark probably hired him off a television ad. He walked in wearing a cheap black suit made for his height, not his thin build. His hair was probably combed at some point, but it needed a little touch up. He wore wire-rimmed glasses, and bless his heart, his ears stuck out like Dumbo. Who takes this man seriously in a courtroom?
After introductions, Larry said to Martin, “My client should be here any minute.” Martin just nodded and gave me a reassuring smile.
Ten minutes later and fifteen minutes late for the meeting, Marilyn brought Mark into the room. I was in terrible shape when I last saw him, so I didn’t really have room to talk, but he looked awful compared to how he was a year ago. Mark had dirty-blond hair that was getting darker with age. He was a big guy like you would expect from a football player, but he used to always workout and stay in shape. Now he just looked like a big guy. He hadn’t shaved and his hair was a mess. He at least put on khakis and a polo shirt, which was honestly more than I expected.
He came in and shook hands with Larry and Martin and pretty much ignored me, which was fine. Once everyone was seated, Martin went over the last petition, which said I get my inheritance back, and he keeps everything else. Larry said no to the money because his client didn’t have a steady job and was unable to pay it. The sale of the house was suggested, but that was also denied for the same reason. What everything boiled down to was Mark didn’t have a job and couldn’t afford to move or pay anything. With my willingness to give up the house, Larry said that money was part of the house, and I had already conceded to that.
Mark and I didn’t say a word during that entire discussion. We just let the lawyers basically have the same conversation they had been having for us since I moved to Seattle. But Martin wasn’t finished yet. “My client is prepared to go to court, and with her petition claiming habitual intoxication as well as cruel treatment, she will be filing another request for an Order of Protection, which will be the third request in two months. With that being said, we not only have statements from my client’s family members regarding her safety, but we also have evidence of threats he has been sending over the course of the previous week.” Martin passed the copies of the statements and screenshots that I brought him this morning across the table.
Larry looked really irritated now. “Can I have a moment with my client?”
“Sure,” Martin said. “Just let Marilyn know when you’re ready.” Martin gestured for me to stand, and I grabbed my purse and followed him out. He closed the door behind him and said, “We’ll see.”
Marilyn came clip-clopping up to us when she heard Martin’s voice. “Martin, you have someone in your office who needs your urgent attention.”
Martin looked confused but said to me, “Why don’t you go get yourself some coffee? I’ll be out in just a moment.”
I went to the kitchen of the old house where Marilyn always had fresh coffee and treats. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge because I still didn’t need the caffeine. Seeing him again had my body on high alert as it was. I sat down at the table and pulled out my phone to text Grant.
Me: Should be finished soon. :)
After I sent the same text to Jane, Holly, and my parents and received messages back from each of them, I sat at their little kitchen table waiting for Martin. I was in there for a good half hour and Grant never messaged me back. I wondered where he was. I couldn’t picture him sitting out at the pool or taki
ng a nap. It was possible he was working, but he would have his phone on him. I thought he would have been waiting anxiously on news from me.
I didn’t have too much time to worry, though, because Marilyn came and told me they were ready for me. I threw my empty bottle of water in the recycling bin and headed back into the conference room. Martin was standing at the door. He looked nervous now, which made me uncomfortable. “There’s been a change of plans, Evie.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I’ll let them explain.” He led me back into the room where the table was now full. My eyes shot wide as I took in the scene. Everyone except a defeated Mark stood when I walked in. Standing in front of the chair next to the one that was meant for me was Grant. Well, that explains the lack of communication. Next to Grant sat a man I didn’t know, but at the head of the table was my father. To his left was Jennifer Dyer, my dad’s real estate agent. John stood in between Jennifer and Mark, who still had his face down, refusing to look at me.
“What the fuck?” I asked out loud. It was unintentional, but what the fuck!
“Evie,” my dad scolded. I widened my eyes at him. Really, Dad? Now is not the time to worry about my potty mouth.
“Ms. Bryant, please sit down,” said the man who I didn’t recognize. Martin escorted me by my elbow over to my seat.
Mark groaned and finally lifted his head. “Her name is Mrs. Stevens, not Miss Bryant.”
“Sit down, Eve,” Grant said through a clenched jaw. He was in his executive mode with his work pants and dress shirt and perfect hair. This was another one of his stampedes, and this time he brought all of his friends to run over me with him. I looked at him for a moment before I turned my disappointed eyes away. He just couldn’t let this be.
“Someone better start talking,” I said angrily.
“Evie,” my dad said. “It’s time for this to be over. Mark needs help, and we need to make sure you’re safe and healthy. You told Grant exactly what you wanted last night, and Owen,” he nodded to the man seated next to him, “drafted the agreement to make it happen.”