by M. S. Parker
He smiled at me as he reached up and brushed his fingers across my cheek. “But you're okay.”
“Yes, I'm okay.” My voice caught and tears ran down my face. “You idiot! You could've died!”
He took my hand, lacing his fingers between mine. “Better me than you.” His tone was only half-teasing.
“Don't ever scare me like that again.” I wanted to smack him, but instead, I raised our hands and kissed the back of his. “Seriously, Jas, I thought I was going to lose you too.”
He squeezed my hand. “Not a chance. I'm not going anywhere.” He moved over towards the edge of his bed. “Come here.”
I gave him a look that was supposed to clearly say that I thought he was out of his mind, but he just smiled and tugged on my hand. I knew the doctors would probably have a fit, but I didn't care. I crawled up onto the bed and let him tuck me against his side.
“Now,” he said. “Tell me everything that happened after I passed out, starting with whether or not you kicked Georgia's ass.”
Chapter 23
They kept Jasper overnight for observation and I stayed with him. The nurses and doctors seemed to find my refusal to leave Jasper's side endearing, and didn't scold me whenever they came into the room and found me in bed with him.
He was released the next morning and we took a cab back to the vineyard. I'd called Mitchell from the hospital and he'd gone to Georgia's to get Jasper's car, so it was waiting in the driveway when we got home. Mitchell had also left us soup from our favorite restaurant, and a note telling me that he wanted Jasper and me to meet his girlfriend whenever Jasper was feeling up to it. After all, his note said, we were his family. Apparently Jasper's willingness to drink poison for me had gotten rid of any doubts Mitchell'd had about him.
We spent the day on the couch eating soup and ice cream, and whatever else would settle on Jasper's still tender stomach. I'd told him that we'd have to go into the police station on Monday to talk to the detectives about what was on the recorder, and we both knew that most likely meant Jasper would be getting into trouble for the insurance thing, but we didn't talk about it. We simply let ourselves enjoy the fact that we were both alive and everything about Allen's death was finally going to be put to rest.
Jasper closed the clinic for the whole day on Monday, so we got up without an alarm and ate breakfast before heading into the police station. I sincerely hoped that this would be the last time I had to be there. I wanted to go into the new year without all of this stuff hanging over my head.
We were almost there when Jasper broke the silence.
“When would the new quarter begin?”
I blinked, startled. I hadn't even thought about how this would effect my job situation. “I think the week before Christmas. I'd have to check my calendar.”
“I was just thinking that if you didn't go back to school until the next quarter began, maybe you could give me a hand at the clinic while I'm looking for a replacement.”
I hadn't even considered what Georgia's arrest would mean for the day-to-day running of the clinic. I nodded. “I don't think Principal Sanders would let me come back until the charges were officially dropped anyway, which will take at least a week, and that's if Mr. Henley pulls some strings to get me in front of a judge.”
Jasper reached over and took my hand. “I'm sorry.”
“About what?”
“About Georgia,” he said. “It wouldn't have changed anything with what happened to Allen, but none of the rest of this would've happened if I hadn't slept with Georgia.”
I squeezed his hand. “It's not your fault. You had no way of knowing she'd go so crazy. Besides,” I added with a teasing note to my voice. “I have to take at least some of the blame since I was the reason you hooked up with her in the first place.”
He gave me a partial smile that said he appreciated what I said, but that he was still blaming himself. I hoped once we were done here, he'd accept the truth and we could put this behind us.
When we arrived at the station, we went straight back to where Detectives Reed and Rheingard were waiting. Rheingard's expression was carefully professional, but Reed couldn't even look at me. It might've been a bit mean of me, but I couldn't help feeling a stab of vindication at his embarrassment.
“We spoke to the prosecutor this morning,” Detective Rheingard said. “She'll be contacting your lawyer today to get things set up to have the charges against you dismissed.” His eyes slid away, and then back again. “On behalf of the department, I'd like to offer our apologies.”
I nodded stiffly. “You were just doing your job.” A part of me still believed that, despite how hard they'd been coming at me instead of looking at other aspects of the case. I could be the bigger person here.
“Miss Overstreet gave us a full confession regarding the incidents that took place on Saturday morning,” Detective Reed said. “She claimed responsibility for forging the letter, the email, and for sending the falsified medical records to the insurance company.”
I felt Jasper stiffen next to me.
“She said that she'd intended to use the letter and email to blackmail you, Dr. Whitehall,” Rheingard continued. “Apparently, she believed that if you thought you'd get in trouble with the ethics board, you'd do whatever she wanted.”
I could almost sense what Jasper was thinking. Georgia had lied about his role in falsifying the medical records. If he didn't say anything, no one would know the truth. I'd kept the real letter from Allen, but there wasn't any other proof that Jasper had done anything wrong.
“She even told us where she'd hidden Mr. Lockwood's real test results.” Rheingard's eyes were on Jasper now. “And you should know, Dr. Whitehall, that part of the agreement Miss Overstreet offered was that her confession was all or nothing. If one part was discredited, then the rest would be too...no matter what we heard on the recording.”
“Your secretary seemed quite concerned about your well-being,” Reed cut in. “Sort of makes a person wonder how much she might be willing to lie about...”
“The case into Allen Lockwood's death has been officially closed,” Rheingard interrupted. “Based on the evidence we have, it's been ruled an accidental death. Our bosses just want this all to go away. So, once we get your statements regarding what happened on Saturday, we can put this whole thing to rest.”
I looked over at Jasper and he nodded. I knew he hated the idea of Georgia taking the blame for deceiving the insurance company, but it looked like even a confession on his part wouldn't change anything.
“You do understand that we had to alert the insurance company to the fraud,” Rheingard said. “You'll want to speak to your attorney about what that'll mean.”
If the only thing that happened out of this was having to give back that money, I wasn't going to complain. It might even ease Jasper's conscience.
“Now, if you'll come with me, Mrs. Lockwood.” Detective Rheingard stood. “I'll take your statement, and Dr. Whitehall can give his to Detective Reed. I'm sure the two of you want to get this done and over with.”
It didn't take long for either of us to explain how we'd gone to see Georgia to confront her about the letter, and how things had progressed from there. Jasper's statement was a bit shorter than mine since he'd passed out before the police had arrived, so when I came back out into the main room, he was already done.
“What happens now?” I asked as I walked over to Jasper's side. I reached out to take his hand.
“Your statements go into the case file,” Rheingard said. “Since Miss Overstreet pled guilty to all of the charges, there won't be a trial. There is always a chance she might recant her statements before the plea deal is official, but I doubt that will happen.”
His eyes flicked over my shoulder, his expression hardening. I turned, following his gaze.
May and Gregory Lockwood were standing just a few feet away.
“We received a very distressing call today, Detectives.” Aside from her mouth twisting into an unpleasant scowl, May didn't ev
en acknowledge my presence. “You're ruling my son's death an accident?”
“We are,” Detective Rheingard spoke up. “There's no evidence to support foul play.”
“I want to speak to the captain,” May said, drawing herself up to her full, unimpressive height. “I refuse to allow her to get away with this.”
I was suddenly tired of all of this. I wanted to be done with everything, including the Lockwoods. I could let Henley handle everything with the trust. I didn't even need to be present for the ruling. I was sure I could come up with a good excuse to miss it. There was only one other thing tying me to them.
“Detectives,” I said. “What do I need to do to drop the arson charges?”
Jasper's fingers tightened around mine.
“Mrs...uh.” Detective Reed looked flustered and I knew it was from the dirty look May was sending his way. “You need the report for your insurance.”
“I know.” I didn't look at my former in-laws. “But I'm sure we can figure something out. A formal letter from the department stating that you're closing the case because there isn't enough evidence to find the perpetrator, but that you've ruled me out.” I gave the men a sweet smile. “I figure it's the least you could do.”
After a moment, Detective Rheingard spoke, “I'll take care of it.”
“Thank you.” I turned towards May and Gregory. “We're done with each other. My attorney will take care of the rest of the trust issue, but I'm not going to be involved. You were never my family. I tolerated you because I loved Allen. Now, I don't have to anymore. Goodbye.”
Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked away. Jasper fell in step beside me, not saying a word. When we reached the car, he stopped and pulled me into him, wrapping his arms around me. He kissed the top of my head. “You are so amazing.”
I slid my arms around his waist and squeezed. “You and Mitchell,” I said. “You're my family.”
“And you're mine.”
We stood there for a minute until a cold gust of wind blew across us and I shivered. Jasper opened the door for me and I climbed in. He drove over to Mr. Henley's office and dropped me off, saying he'd be back to pick me up in an hour.
Henley was waiting for me, a cup of steaming coffee already on his desk. I took it gratefully as I sank down into the chair. I sipped at the dark liquid, letting it warm me as he filled me in on what I needed to know. While I'd always preferred coffee over tea, recent events had made it so that I doubted I'd ever want to drink tea again.
“Unless Georgia decides to recant her confession before the end of the week, you won't have to deal with anything involved with her case,” he said. “You don't even have to be there when she enters the plea. The DA offered fifteen to twenty for all of the charges combined, with her not being eligible for parole for at least ten years.”
“What happens if she gets paroled?” I asked. “Or when she gets out?”
“I'll file for a restraining order as soon as I hear anything, so if she comes near you or Jasper, she'll go back to jail,” Mr. Henley said. “But that's not something you're going to have to deal with for a while.”
“I told the police I didn't want to pursue the arson case,” I said. “I know the Lockwoods had something to do with it, but I doubt they'll ever be arrested for it, so I don't really see the point.” I set down my half-empty cup. “And I want to be done with them.”
Henley gave me a sympathetic look. “I can understand that.”
“I do still want to follow through on Allen's trust,” I said. “At least through the court date that's already been set. But I don't want to have to be there when the judge rules.”
“We can figure out a reason for you not to be there,” he said. “Since you've already missed a lot of work this year, maybe saying that you can't miss any more work will be enough.”
“Speaking of work.” I shifted in my seat. “I'm going to call Principal Sanders to let him know the charges were dropped and that Allen's death has been ruled an accident, but I'm thinking he might need something more from me before he'll let me come back.”
Henley nodded. “Not a problem. I'll contact the school and make sure it's all set for you to come back when you're ready.”
“It won't be before the beginning of the next quarter,” I said. “I'm going to help Jasper at the clinic while he looks for a replacement.”
Henley jotted himself a note, his expression sobering as he raised his head. “There's one other thing we need to talk about.”
I already knew what he was going to say, but I let him say it.
“The insurance money. Even though Mr. Lockwood's death was officially ruled accidental, Georgia's confession included her saying that she sent false records to the insurance company. That information will need to be turned over to the company, and they're not going to allow the policy dispensation to stand.”
“I know,” I said. “It's okay.”
It was disappointing that I'd have to wait until the trust issue was settled before Jasper could get the money for his clinic, but he had enough to keep it open through the beginning of the new year. And if the judge didn't rule in my favor, there was always the chance that she'd still make the Lockwoods pay out the parts of the trust that had already been earmarked for specific charities, including the clinic. Even if that didn't happen, Jasper and I would find some way to make it work.
Mr. Henley and I talked for the next forty minutes, going over all of the little details of what needed to be done to keep things running smoothly. By the time Jasper came in to let me know he was here, Mr. Henley and I were done. Jasper and I said our goodbyes and headed out to the car.
I frowned at him as I slid into the passenger's seat. He wasn't looking at me and I could feel the tension radiating off of him. Something was up. What could have happened in the hour since I'd last seen him? My stomach knotted with worry.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
He looked over at me as he started the car. His eyes had that burning look to them, twisting things deep inside me.
“I have a surprise for you.”
Chapter 24
After everything we'd been through, I wasn't entirely sure that a surprise was the best way to go about things, but I didn't say it. Once Jasper had said that, I'd been able to relax somewhat because I realized that what I was feeling from him wasn't anxiety, but rather excitement.
Neither of us said anything on the drive home or the walk up to the front door. When we stepped inside, two things hit me together. The first was the smell of something cooking. The second was the scent of pine.
“I picked up some pre-prepared stuff at the store,” he said as he took my hand. “I figured neither of us would want to cook, but I wanted us to celebrate with something better than leftovers or mac and cheese. It'll be ready in about forty-five minutes.”
My stomach growled. I hadn't realized that I'd missed lunch until now.
“But that's not the surprise.” He smiled at me as he led me into the living room.
I stopped two steps in and stared. There, in the empty corner, stood a tree. Not the old fake one, but a real one. Easily six feet tall, its branches full and thick. It was already wrapped in blue and white lights, with silver garland sending little sparkles of color bouncing everywhere.
Sitting on the chair next to it were two boxes and two bags. I recognized one of the boxes as one of mine and Allen's, but didn't know where the smaller one had come from. The bags looked new.
“I brought down your ornaments from the attic,” Jasper said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Just yours. None of Allen's or the ones you two had together. And I brought out mine.” He kissed the side of my neck. “And then I went out and bought a few that can be ours. Our first ornaments together as a couple.”
Tears pricked at my eyes as I turned in his arms, my arms going around his neck. “It's perfect.”
“And it's ours.” He rested his forehead against mine. “I never want to forget Allen, but
I want this to be the start of us making our own memories. The start of our life without all of the baggage we've been dealing with.”
“I want that too,” I said.
He pulled back enough so that we could look at each other. His expression was thoughtful as he put his hand on my cheek. “I don't want you to regret this. To regret getting involved with me so fast.”
“I don't.” I hurried to reassure him. “It doesn't feel rushed. It feels right.”
“I've been waiting for this life for so long.” He touched the corner of my mouth with his thumb and gave me a soft smile. “A life I never thought I'd get to have.”
“You have it,” I said, turning my head to kiss his palm. “You have me.”
“Do I?”
I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair before trailing them down the side of his face. “You do. For as long as you want me.”
He took a slow breath and sank down onto his knee. “Forever, Shae. I want you forever.”
I couldn't breathe as I watched him reach into his pocket. I was certain if I moved or spoke the spell would break, and I'd discover I was dreaming.
He held up a ring, the diamonds glinting in the fading sunlight. “Will you be mine forever?”
Mutely, I nodded, not trusting myself not to burst into tears. I held out my hand and saw that my fingers were shaking. Jasper wrapped his strong hand around mine, holding it steady as he slipped the ring onto my finger. He raised my hand and kissed the ring. When he stood, I saw that his eyes were glittering with tears.
And then his mouth was coming down on mine and I forgot about everything else. I leaned against him, parting my lips as his tongue teased the corner of my mouth. He took his time, slowly exploring every inch. One hand pressed against the small of my back, the other cupped the back of my head, holding me in place. As if I wanted to be anywhere else.
We were both panting by the time he pulled back. His fingers tightened, massaging my neck as his thumb made circles under my ear. My entire body felt like it was vibrating, cells humming, desperate for his touch. For more.