Contingent

by Livia Jamerlan

  “Devon.” I placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Thank you for joining me.”

  “What is it, Peyton?” Her manicured nails tapped against the old oak wood table.

  I sat on the chair across from her and crossed my hands in front of me. After I’d ordered a glass of water, I dropped the bomb. “The wedding is off.” I spoke slowly in a tone that wouldn’t startle the beast.

  “Excuse me?” If her head could spin like the Exorcist, it would have. Her hands slammed on the table, her eyes wide.

  “I’m calling it off. I’m not marrying you. I’m sorry for leading you on, but we both knew this was never going to work.”

  “How dare you!” Her piercing voice rang in my ear. “Who do you think you are? You will not embarrass me like this.”

  “I never meant to hurt you, Devon.”

  “You will marry me, Peyton.” She slammed her fist on the table. The waiter walking past us stopped walking to look over at her. Lowering her voice so only I could hear her, she continued, “Or so help me God—”

  “Don’t finish that sentence.” It was my turn to raise my voice. My eyes locked with hers. “I won’t take lightly to your threats. You knew that I was using you and you still chose to stick around.”

  “And what am I supposed to do now?” She tossed her hands up in the air.

  “I don’t care. But you will not use Braelynn’s name. If you blame her or even mention her name to the media, I will personally destroy you. I will make a heavy donation to each charity you’re a part of and ask them to never speak to you again. I will make sure you are never invited to another event. Do you understand?” I pushed my chair back.

  “Do you actually expect me to agree to this?”

  “You are going to agree to this. You can slander my name through the mud. You can say I was unfaithful. Whatever your little heart desires. But her name is off limits.” I retrieved my wallet from my back pocket and tossed cash to cover her drink. I didn’t wait for her to respond. I had said my peace.

  Once I was in the car, I called Melissa. I needed her to be up to date with what was happening. She would have to reach out to my family’s public relations team to do damage control. I knew soon enough my mother and sister would be calling to ask why, but I would deal with one problem at a time.

  Right now, that problem was getting Braelynn back.

  Braelynn

  The following Monday, I left Rhode Island and headed straight to work. Loren would be in the hospital for a few more days, but I had my plate full back home. I’d had to take a temporary leave of absence, and I had cases that needed my notes so any other associate could work on it while I was away. I had also spoken with Jack Walker’s assistant and made my appointment to meet with him later that week. It was my professional opinion that I had a strong case to present to the judge. I was attacked in my sisters’ home. She had confirmed that he was her attacker. And with the history we had with Henry, I believed the judge would see it my way. My only hope was that the prosecutor wasn’t an asshole that wanted to make an example out of me.

  I dreaded leaving Loren’s side. She would be released from the hospital and would be staying with Jennifer until she was able to function on her own. I knew she was in great hands, but it didn’t make it any easier.

  When I explained what had happened with Henry, her reaction broke my heart. She blamed herself. I crawled under the covers with her and we both cried. Holding each other, we left the pain in the past as our tears of sadness changed to tears of happiness. Remembering the hell Henry put us through, we were finally able to breathe.

  Working with one hand since my arm was still fractured but I no longer had to wear the sling. I had stacks of briefs on my desk labeled in order of urgency when my phone rang. I was a first year associate. I did the grunt work, so no one called my office unless it was life or death. Closing the brief I had in hand, I picked up the receiver.

  “Braelynn Wolf.”

  “Hi, Braelynn. It’s Melissa.”

  “Oh, hi. How are things?” I leaned back in my chair.

  “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time. It’s just that Mrs. Achanni has requested to see you.”

  “Uh . . . did you tell her I don’t work there anymore?”

  Mrs. Achanni was a sweet old lady. I had met her in line at the grocery store right after Kennedy’s wedding, and when she needed help carrying her groceries home I didn’t think twice. Our two-block distance ended up being a twenty-minute walk since her strides were short and slow, but I didn’t rush her.

  Her husband had passed away a few years back and he’d left her with more money than she knew what to do with. Her nephew Brian had been appointed her POA, but she suspected that he was stealing her money. She was my first client. I worked for her pro bono and every once in a while she would pop by for a favor.

  “I did. I even gave her your cell phone number, but she refused to take it. She left an envelope here for you.” Melissa huffed. “She made me promise that I would give this to you today.”

  I looked at the clock on my computer screen. “Can we meet for a coffee?” There was a good chance that going to PH Esquire would force me to see Peyton. My hatred wasn’t dying down anytime soon.

  “No, I can’t. Mr. Haas is in court all afternoon and I have a ton of work to do.”

  I chewed on my lower lip, weighing my options. If I left now, I’d be stuck in rush hour traffic but I wouldn’t see him. “Okay, I’ll be over soon.”

  I took a late lunch and headed over to PH Esquire. I kept my head low and headed towards the elevator. My foot tapped, the anxiety overwhelming. I despised this elevator because of the things he had done to me in here. I couldn’t stop my heart from wanting him. As hard as I tried, I was still weak.

  The door slid open and I jumped out of the car. Holding my stance, I pushed my hair behind my ears and headed straight towards Melissa. I wasn’t here to chat. I had come for the letter Mrs. Achanni had left me.

  When my eyes met Melissa’s, I knew something was off. Her smile seemed forced. “Don’t be mad,” she said, keeping her smile bright on her face, “but there’s no letter.” Melissa folded her hands together.

  “What do you mean?” My head cocked to the side.

  “He wants to talk to you. I’m sorry I lied to get you here, but he begged me.”

  My head pivoted towards his office. This was low, especially for him. I wanted to lace my hands around his sexy neck and wring it like a wet towel. Tossing my bag on Melissa’s desk, I tramped towards his office.

  My fists balled at my sides. He graced me with a sly grin. Usually it did things to me, it would make me helpless around him, but there in his office I was livid. “I have a job that is across town! I have cases I need to go over. I have a schedule that I have to follow. What. Do. You. Want?”

  “You! You, Braelynn. You are all I want.”

  That was rich coming from him. Over the past months, he was all I’d wanted, but time after time he’d keep me in the dark. But now, when it was convenient for him, he wanted me.

  “I did not get stuck during rush hour traffic to hear this. Don’t summon me at my job with some bullshit excuse again. I am not your dog, Peyton. I do not come when you call!” Taking a deep breath, I turned on my heels and headed for the door.

  “You don’t get to walk away from me,” he stated.

  I stopped short, almost stumbling over my own feet. I twirled around, my hair sticking to my lips from my swift turn. “We’re over. I don’t know how many more ways I have to paint it for you, but I can’t do this anymore.” I took a step back so the tears forming in my eyes would be less obvious. “You lied to me for months. I cried myself to sleep so many times. I lost myself somewhere because of you.”

  He closed the gap between us with a few short strides. “We’re not. That will never be true. We’re never going to be over because I won’t allow it. I’m never going to get over you, so us been over is irrelevant.”

  He reached up and pulled
my loose tendril away from my lips, but my hand slapped him away. I couldn’t lose focus.

  “We’ve done this song and dance before. You lied to me for months. And I repeatedly asked you to explain yourself. I was practically your mistress as you were publicly engaged to another women. I don’t care if it was for my protection. I can’t go back to living that way.” I went to move back, but his hand grasped my wrist.

  “How many times do you want me to say I’m sorry?” He brought the back of my hands to his lips. “Come back to me, Braelynn.” He kissed my knuckles. “Forgive me.”

  “Please, stop.” My voice cracked. I was bound to break any second.

  “I love you,” he whispered. “One. Four Three. Remember?”

  “Stop.” My hands pressed on his chest. “I’m tired of your mind games. I’m not a toy that sits on your shelf that you play with when you are bored and horny.” A tear rolled down my cheek. “I’m not the girl who’s going to run back to you because you said you were sorry and that you love me. You want me to forgive you? Earn me! Until then, there’s no us.”

  “I will earn you back, doll. Because you’re worth that.”

  I shook my head at him in disbelief. After everything he’d done to me, my heart couldn’t forgive him. I twirled back towards the door, my heart racing in my chest. I didn’t look up when I got to Melissa’s desk. Everyone had heard our conversation; I could feel their eyes on me as I took my bag from her desk.

  “I’m sorry I lied,” Melissa whispered.

  I nodded curtly. “It’s fine,” I murmured.

  I tossed my bag on my shoulder and headed for the elevator. I held my head high and looked at the steel doors waiting for them to open. I never looked back. He couldn’t summon me and expect that everything would go back to normal. He could tell me he was sorry until he was blue in the face but it wouldn’t change anything. If he wanted me back—us back—he had to earn it.

  Three Weeks Later

  Loren was out of the hospital and had been improving with her physical therapy sessions. Her leg was still broken with a full cast, but the doctors wanted her to start working on her upper body so she could learn to maneuver around with one leg until the cast was off. Her therapist believed that once her cast was removed, she’d be walking within six months. Jennifer went with her to every appointment during the week and I drove up to join her for the Saturday session.

  The summer was winding down and the roads were filled with people enjoying the last few weekends of the warm weather. The drive was longer than usual, but it gave me an escape out of the city and time to clear my mind.

  My court date was fast approaching and I didn’t know where my life was headed anymore. The DA’s office had given me a leave of absence until everything was settled, but that didn’t guarantee they would hold my job forever. I also wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay in New York after everything was done. I needed a change in my life.

  In my love life, I had fallen for a man who was out of my league in every way possible. It was like fate kept tossing us together until our love bloomed. And when it did, I fell hard. Really fucking hard. I had never experienced love until it smacked me in the face. When he said he owned me, he was speaking the bare truth. As much as I tried to deny it, he owned every part of me and I had no control over it.

  “If we could only go back to that time and hit pause on that night in the hotub where I let him in my heart.” I spoke to the traffic on i95. I wouldn’t go back and change anything. I would want to live in that moment for the rest of my life.

  After I had finally let Peyton in, I figured my career would take off. I had proof to build a case against Drew, but instead he took matters into his own hands and took a chunk of me. A portion I could never get back. He took my ability to trust, my belief in the beauty of humanity and my capacity to walk in the dark without fear. He left me shattered and it took six months, me hitting rock bottom and undergoing tons of therapy, before I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. And sure enough, Peyton was there. His eyes were my light. He was a like breath of fresh air. I could finally see clear again.

  “And then the rug got pulled out from under me. Again” I spoke to the empty car. The song on the radio changed to something catchy. Pushing the volume bottom on the steering wheel I bopped my head. I needed to stop thinking about him.

  I needed to stop thinking about him.

  I was on a mission to put him behind me and reminiscing wasn’t helping.

  I was able to process what my life had become but I couldn’t wrap my brain around what Peyton had done in the past few months. Why he had lied to me, and strung me along for the emotional heartache. He was selfish. It was what I kept telling myself so I could get through the day. I couldn’t love a man who was that selfish.

  After a few hours, I pulled into a parking spot at Water Front Physical Therapy office. Jennifer always dropped Loren off since it was impossible for me to predict how traffic was going to be.

  To my surprise, Loren wasn’t waiting for me alone. Peyton’s eyes locked with mine for a few seconds and then he rose from his seat.

  “Loren, it was a pleasure seeing you again.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. His voice was serious as though he was leaving a meeting.

  “Thank you for the ride, Peyton.” Loren veered her wheelchair back so he could pass.

  Without a single word, I stepped to the side as he passed me. The waft of his cologne smacked me in the face.

  “Braelynn,” he muttered. My name rolled off his tongue effortlessly. It was rare for him to use my whole name, but it sounded heavenly.

  When I could no longer hear his footsteps, I released the air that was trapped in my lungs. “What was he doing here?”

  “You don’t need to be so mean.”

  “I’m not mean. I just want to know why he was here. He drove all the way from New York just to drive you to therapy?” I wheeled her chair back to Matt, her therapist, and took a seat.

  “He came by Jennifer’s this morning to see how I was doing. It was nice of him.”

  “Couldn’t he have called?” I asked.

  “I guess.” Loren sounded exasperated. “You know he misses you.”

  I took a deep breath. “I’m sure he does. But we should focus on you today and not him.” I ignored the pain in my chest that wanted to analyze everything that was Peyton.

  I noticed the way Matt looked at Loren as he worked with her. She had been single most of her life. I knew she chose to avoid relationships because of what Henry had done, not to mention having to raise me, but my sister was hot. Matt was also attractive with copper brown hair, light brown eyes and a long lean build. And if I couldn’t analyze my relationship, why couldn’t I play matchmaker with her?

  “Hey, Matt, can I ask you a question? It’s a little personal.” I bit my lip to contain my smile. Loren darted her eyes at me. It was her way to tell me to abort whatever was about to come out of my mouth.

  “Shoot,” he said while assisting Loren out the wheelchair.

  “Does your wife get jealous of what you do? I mean, you’re always so hands on—in a good way, of course.”

  “Braelynn!” Loren barked at me.

  Matt chuckled and the crimson glow on his face answered the question I had secretly asked. “There’s no wife.”

  “Girlfriend?”

  “Nope.”

  My eyes widen at Loren. He’s all yours. I mouthed to her.

  My meeting with Jack Walker had me up at the crack of dawn to drive to his office. Unlike PH Esquire, which was in a fancy high-rise, Elowitz, Lipsky & Walker, was in a smaller building near the center of Providence. His secretary, Kelly, ushered me into the back conference room where Jack waited for me. Declining the water Kelly offered me, I sat across from Jack and waited for him to begin.

  He sat back in his chair, swinging it side to side. He was an odd character; the way he spoke and acted made me question him as an attorney. But after a thorough background check, I’d found out that he was
or is a kick ass lawyer. He had been recommended by many people and his name carried power.

  I looked at him then at my watch. What the hell is he waiting for? We were already five minutes late for our meeting start time, so I didn’t know what was keeping him. I was on his retainer and whether I was here for two minutes or fifty-nine, he would still charge me for the hour. But I didn’t have all day to waste. Three hundred and fifty dollars an hour would add up quickly.

  “I’m ready to start when you are.”

  “Not yet.” He twirled his pen.

  I was about to light a fire under his ass when the conference door opened. Peyton walked in with a tray of coffees in his hand.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. Ignoring my question, he walked around the table and took the seat next to me.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said to Jack. Placing a coffee cup in front of me, he tossed his briefcase on the table. “I’m not letting you do this alone.” He looked over at me.

  “I don’t need you here—”

  “Complain all you want, doll. I’m staying.” His eyes showed me the authoritative tone his voice lacked. There was no arguing with that man.

  Jack began to brief Peyton on my case. It was as though I was no longer in the room with them. From an outsider looking in you would think Peyton was the one being charged with murder since he had so many questions for Jack. At times, Jack even joked that he too, like Peyton had graduated from law school and knew what he was doing.

  Kelly, Jack’s secretary, pushed the conference door opened. “I’m sorry to bother you, sir, but your wife is on hold.”

  Jack dropped the pen in his hand and pushed off the table. “Sorry, I need to take this.”

  The large room instantly felt tiny. My foot began to tap, my nerves growing with each passing second. I could feel his eyes on me. I took a sip of my coffee for the first time since he placed it in front of me, surprised that it was exactly how I liked it.