by J. L. Perry
As soon as we leave the hospital, we head back home. Of course, Logan insists on carrying me from the car to the elevator, then up to our bedroom. As soon as I am on the bed, Logan advises me that we are going to his parents’ cabin in the morning.
“Are you sure you should be leaving with everything that is going on at the moment?” I ask.
He lays down beside me and pulls me into his arms. “You and this baby are my top priority at the moment,” he states, kissing the top of my head. “My father is more than capable of handling all that other bullshit.” He sounds very bitter, but I can’t blame him for that.
Kristy’s lies have caused so much damage to my family. It makes me so angry. I have to try and put it out of my mind for the moment, though, because the stress of this whole situation is obviously taking its toll on me and the baby.
The next morning, Logan packs us up and we head up the coast. My father stayed behind to help with the case, but Jill and Logan’s mother decide to come with us. Logan asked them to come help look after Angel so I can rest. It really isn’t necessary, but I appreciate it. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such a wonderful family.
Poor Michelle is stuck at the studio on her own again. I will be forever grateful for all the help she has given me. She said she doesn’t mind, but I still feel guilty for letting her down again. My studio would not have survived after the accident and my depression if it wasn’t for her. I have great staff and teachers, but it is Michelle that holds it all together.
Even though I pay her well, she deserves so much more. She’s been with me since the beginning, and part of the success of the studio is owed to her. She is good at what she does and I am lucky to have her. After I had finally got back to the studio after the accident, I offered Michelle an equal partnership. It was only fair. She turned me down, saying it was my dream, not hers. I am going to try again, though, because she really deserves it.
We arrive at the cabin by mid-morning. Jill and Logan’s mother go grocery shopping when we get there. Logan tries to put me into bed, but I refuse. The doctor told me to rest for the week, but that doesn’t mean staying couped up in a bed. I ask him if I can lay down on the daybed on the veranda instead. At least I will be able to look at the lake, instead of four walls. It is a beautiful day and the air up here is so fresh. I really do love coming up here. I just wish it was under different circumstances.
The first few days go pretty fast, but sitting or lying down all day is really starting to get to me. I desperately want to go for a walk or a swim, but Logan won’t even let me walk to the bathroom. He insists on carrying me everywhere, which pisses me off immensely.
He won’t even let me pick up Angel. I am allowed to hold her, but only if I am sitting down. It earns him a lot of eye rolls and, sometimes, even death looks. He just smiles at me, which makes me angrier.
Thankfully, I haven’t had any more bleeding or cramps, which is great, but sitting around just isn’t me. I’ve been an active person my whole life. I know it is for the best right now, but four more days of this is going to drive me nuts.
Logan has been on the phone or his laptop a lot since we have arrived. I hear him whispering with his mother, as well, but he isn’t talking to me about how things are going with the case. This is his way of trying to protect me from getting stressed out, but not knowing is worse. My imagination is in overdrive. I don’t push it, though, because he has enough worries.
The week finally comes to an end. Thank god. Everyone has tried to entertain me with movies or board games, but I would be lying if I said I’m not glad this week is finally over. One more day of staying in bed and I will probably lose my mind. Honestly, I’m not looking forward to going home, though.
The media outside our penthouse has died down a bit, but there are still a few hanging around, trying to get a scoop. It surprised me that we hadn’t been followed up to the cabin. Being away from everything helped Logan, too. He seemed to be sleeping better, which makes me happy. I just want this whole nightmare to be over. Logan is such a good person and this whole mess is so unfair.
The day after we got back to Sydney, Logan heads into the office. He tells me that he is meeting Mike, as well as our fathers. I hope they have made some progress on the case while we’ve been away.
Logan lets me go into the studio, but he makes me promise him that I won’t do anything physical, especially dance. Reluctantly, I agree because I am just thankful to be out of the house. I tell Michelle to take the next few days off. At first, she doesn’t want to, she really does enjoy her job, but I finally convince her.
After a productive morning, I decide to drive to my favourite café for some lunch. I order a milkshake and a sandwich to go. I could really go for a coffee, but the doctor has advised me to only drink decaffeinated coffee while I’m pregnant. I hate the taste of it, though, so I’d rather go without.
It is a lovely day, so I decide to eat my lunch in the park before heading back to the studio. While I am waiting for my food, I notice a young girl in her late teens sitting at a table, crying. The older lady sitting with her looks angry. I can’t hear what she is saying, but the way she is shaking her finger at the young girl makes me think that she is getting in trouble for something.
I can’t see the older lady’s face, but I have a clear view of the young girl. She looks frightened and I immediately feel sorry for her. The older lady passes her a yellow envelope, and the young girl takes it and puts it in her bag. She looks up at me. I give her a small, sympathetic smile, but she quickly puts her head down. I want to go and ask her if she is alright, but it is none of my business.
When my sandwich is ready, I grab my purse out of my bag so I can pay. Once I have my stuff, I turn to look at the girl one more time before leaving, but both seats are empty. They must have left while I was paying for my lunch.
When I exit the café, I get a shock when I see the young girl talking to the older lady next to a car. It’s Logan’s aunt, my father’s ex-wife! I immediately want to go and ask the young girl if she needs my help, but I don’t.
I know just how cruel that woman can be. It makes me think about what happened the day that she came to the penthouse. Logan would be furious if I go anywhere near her. I feel bad for the young girl, but I can’t afford anything happening to the baby. So, against my better judgement, I ignore them and walk across the road to the park.
I try not to think about the girl while I am eating my lunch, but I can’t get her out of my mind. When I am walking back to my car, I spot her sitting alone at the bus stop. I know I shouldn’t, but I decide to go over and make sure she is alright.
She is looking at her phone when I approach. As I stand in front of her, she looks up. The colour drains out of her face as she stares at me. “Don’t be frightened. I saw you crying in the restaurant earlier, and I just wanted to check and make sure you are alright,” I say, smiling. She nods but doesn’t say anything. “Are you sure? Listen, I know the woman you were sitting with, and I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine,” she says in quiet voice, and I notice that her hands are shaking.
I don’t believe her, but it is apparent that she doesn’t want to talk about it. “Okay,” I reply. “If you’re sure?” She nods, turning away from me. Okay then! She is obviously uncomfortable with me so, reluctantly, I walk away.
I go back to the studio, but I can’t stop thinking about her. There isn’t much I can do about it, though, so I try to put it out of my mind.
I stay at the studio until late in the afternoon. Once the dance classes are underway, I head home. Logan’s mum had taken Angel for the day. God, I am missing her and I can’t wait to see her. Logan called me earlier to say he was already home. He’d picked up Angel on his way, so they were both at home and waiting for me. I ask him how his meeting had gone, and he told me he would talk to me when I got home. I am hoping it is some good news for a change.
****
Logan
It is nice sitting here on the f
loor and playing with my little girl, waiting for Brooke to come home. I love my girls so much. Spending the whole week with them at the cabin was just what I needed. Being away from them today was hard. As bad as everything is going right now, I know that as long as I have my girls, everything will be fine.
Things didn’t go to well at my meeting. All my staff was great, very supportive. They all seemed genuinely happy to see me again. As far as the case is concerned, though…nothing—not a single damn thing. Mike can’t find any evidence against Kristy, or no motive as to why she would accuse me of sexually assaulting her.
The only thing he found out is that she’s broke. Her bank account only has a balance of two dollars, her credit card is overdrawn, and she’s a few weeks behind on her rent. Her car was also recently repossessed because she hasn’t made her car payments. That leads us to believe that, if I’m convicted, she plans on suing me. It is all just speculation on our part, though, and nothing we can use against her in court.
Mike’s been working really hard. He even has gone as far as looking into finding if there are any links between Kristy and previous clients, just in case this is a personal vendetta. So far, he’s found nothing. Mike even spoke with some of her friends, old school teachers, and family members, but came up with nothing. They all have had nice things to say about her. Even previous employers praised her. It is so damn frustrating.
Everyone is working so hard to clear my name, which I’m grateful for, but it is extremely exasperating that we’re not making any progress in the case.
After sighing, I try to put it out of my mind. I want to enjoy sitting here and playing with my daughter. Angel is laughing at me because I’m making her dolls dance. I love hearing her laugh.
“Do you think that’s funny, princess?” I ask her. She just gives me a huge smile, which makes me smile. She is going to be a beauty like her mother when she gets older.
“Dance dolly, dance,” she says, clapping.
I am telling her how beautiful she is and how she isn’t allowed to have a boyfriend until she is at least forty, when the elevator doors open.
I look up and find Brooke watching us with a smile on her face. I pick up Angel and make my way over to her.
“Hey, hot stuff,” she says, kissing me and then Angel. “How’s my little girl?” she asks as she takes her out of my arms. “Mummy missed you today.”
“Hey, what about me?” I ask.
She walks over and straps Angel in her highchair, then turns and wraps her arms around my waist. After reaching up on her tiptoes, she gently kisses my lips. “I always miss being with you,” she replies with a smile. “It was so nice having you all to myself last week.”
I smile at her, as I brush some hair from her face and kiss her lips. “I am glad to hear it because I feel the same way.”
“You know what I really miss?” she says, raising one of her eyebrows at me and pinching my butt. I know exactly what she meant because I miss that, as well. After her cramps and bleeding last week, I just am not sure if that is a good idea. I don’t want to do anything that will hurt her or the baby.
As if she read my mind, she says, “I called the doctor today. He told me that we are safe to have sex, as long as we don’t overdo it.” I smile at her. Even though I am still apprehensive, who am I to argue with a doctor? We will just have to take it slow.
“How about we order in some Chinese?” I ask with a wink. “Then we can have an early night.” I tell her that I’ve given Jill the rest of the night off, since she’s been so helpful lately. I want her to have some quality time with John. I’ve already fed and bathed Angel so, apart from her evening bottle, she is ready for bed.
Brooke wraps her arms around me while she waits for Angel’s bottle to warm up. “You are such a good father,” she says. “I love how you are with her.” I never thought I would be a hands-on dad, but I love looking after her. Actually, I loved looking after both my girls.
I order dinner while Brooke gives Angel her bottle. She puts her down for the night, then takes a shower while I wait down in the lobby for the delivery guy.
While we eat, we talk about our day. I don’t say much about the case because I don’t want her getting upset. A court date hasn’t been set yet, but we are hoping to find out in the next few days. Part of me wants it to be over, but the other part of me knows we need more time to gather evidence.
Kristy had a rape kit taken when she went to the hospital, but no DNA was found. Her reasoning for lack of DNA evidence was by claiming that I’d worn a condom, and that she’d showered before reporting it. The police also didn’t find any of my DNA on her clothing, but she said that I’d made her take off her own clothes. Kristy told them I’d threatened to harm her if she didn’t. Lying bitch! In her statement, she claimed that she feared for her life, so she had done whatever I asked. If my whole future wasn’t riding on the outcome, I would find it quite comical.
Even though it is all a load of shit, it is still my word against hers. The detectives found a box of condoms in my office drawer when they searched it, but they’ve been there since before I met Brooke. However, it is still damming because it corroborated her story somewhat.
They also found some at the house, but that doesn’t prove anything. They really don’t have any concrete evidence against me, but that still doesn’t mean that I won’t be found guilty. Whether there is enough evidence to convict me or not, unless I can prove my innocence, this could ruin my career. In part, it already had.
We haven’t lost as many clients as I thought we would, but if the outcome of the court case doesn’t go in my favour, I’m positive that will change. If I’m convicted, I will no longer be able to practice law and, because Kristy is a minor, I will go on the child sex offender list! What a fucking joke! The thought of that makes me want to punch something. That list was full of sick, perverted fuckers, which is something that I’m not.
Brooke doesn’t need to know any of that. I will cross that bridge if and when the time comes. My father, Mike, and the rest of my legal team promises me that they won’t let that happen. Unfortunately, I’ve worked in the industry long enough to know that nothing is guaranteed. They could also drag up stuff from my past relationships. I was a different person before I met Brooke. I never mistreated a woman, but I did sleep around a lot. It would certainly be a strike against my character.
There are more than a few unhappy women from my past that are angry with me because I never committed to them. They knew before I slept with them that I wasn’t interested in a relationship, but they could still make me look bad. In some ways, I probably was a bit of a pig, but the majority of the women from my past were using me just as much as I was using them.
Back then, settling down didn’t interest me. My career and business were my main focus in life…until I met Brooke. She changed me. Now I can’t imagine my life without her.
Once dinner is finished, I help Brooke clean up before I carry her to bed. It’s been over a week since I’ve made love to my wife, and I’m already hard just thinking about it. Tonight, I’m going to take it slow and enjoy every inch of my beautiful wife’s body.
****
Brooke
A few days later, we found out that the court case has been scheduled for just over a month away. As it draws closer, Logan has become very agitated and snappy. He finally tells me that they haven’t found anything to help prove his innocence, and I can tell he is worried. Hell, we are all worried.
Logan is hoping the judge will find that there isn’t enough evidence to go to trial, but that still won’t prove his innocence. That means that he won’t go to prison, but it will still destroy his reputation. What we need is a miracle but, with our luck, I’m not counting on it.
Court is tomorrow. When Logan informs me that I can’t attend, we have a fight. I know it is just his way of protecting me, but I want to be there to support him. I try to persuade him by saying the media will be there and it won’t look good for him if I’m not by his si
de. Logan responds that he doesn’t give a fuck what the reporters or the public think anymore. All he cares about is the stress the court case will cause me and the baby.
“For Christ’s sake, Brooke! Will you stop being so stubborn and just do what I fucking tell you for once?! You are not fucking coming tomorrow and I don’t want to hear another word about it!”
I know he is under a lot of stress, but his comment still pisses me off. In tears, I call his mum. She tells me not to talk about it with him anymore, and explains that after his father picks him up in morning, she will sneak over and pick me up. She asks me to arrange for Jill to look after Angel because Michelle wants to go to court, too.
I know just showing up like that will make Logan angry, but she says that if he carries on afterwards, he will have to answer to her. As sweet as she is, I know Logan doesn’t like to cross her. She understands that I want and need to be there for him.
We don’t talk about it again that night. I am angry for the way he spoke to me, but I get over it quick enough. I understand that he thinks he is doing the best for me. I know that if he wasn’t so stressed, he would never have spoken to me like that. The pressure of this ordeal is really starting to take its toll on him, and I just want this thing over.
Before Logan leaves for court the next morning, he hugs me hard. He says how sorry he is about screaming at me the night before, and he hopes I understand that he is doing this for my own good. I know he is going to be pissed off when I arrive at court. I feel bad that I am deceiving him, but I feel like I have to be there.
Not going today is just not an option for me, and I hope and pray that he will forgive me. If Logan thinks staying at home and not knowing what is going on will be less stressful for me, he is delusional. He needs to understand that what he thinks is best for me is not always the case.
I wish him luck before he leaves. “I love you so much, Logan. I will stand by you no matter what happens today.”