Renee took in Liza’s words. She knew that what Liza said was right. Renee knew that when Elliott came back into her life and when she had the kids, that her priorities would need to shift in a major way, and she was okay with that. She just had such a difficult time in letting go of something that was so familiar to her. Her business had been an integral part of her life for almost as long as she could remember and as such, she had allowed it to define her both professionally and personally. Giving up so much of it would be like giving away part of herself.
After they pulled into the driveway, Renee sighed and said, “I’m just so used to doing things a certain way. It’s just so different this time around. I’ll figure something out. Something that we can all be happy with. She laughed and said, “For the record, Liza, yeah, you pretty much are always right.” She gave her a brief hug before she got out of the car.
“Hey, give us a call whenever you are ready to pick up the kids from Ben and Lena’s, okay?”
Renee promised to give Liza a call in a couple of hours. She didn’t make that call.
~~~~
After a light lunch, Renee tied up some loose ends with work. She and Genie had set up several conference calls for that day to make sure that everything was in order. They conferenced with the accounting department and the stylists and other personnel who would be working in the salon. After those calls ended, Renee received a message that the products and supplies needed to stock the salon had arrived. They were not scheduled to arrive until a couple of days later. The person on the other end of the call told her that her husband had contacted them and asked that put a rush on the items. She was relieved that they had arrived early as that would be one more thing she could strike off her list. She really would have to thank Elliott. Even if he didn’t agree with her being so busy with it, he had been very supportive of her.
She knew that she really wasn’t supposed to go out until this whole Jonathan mess was settled, but since it was early enough in the day, and salon wasn’t too far, she decided she would just quickly go ahead herself to let the delivery people in. She didn’t want to call Liza because she didn’t want to interrupt her day with E, plus Liza also had to take care of her own business. Matt was busy with work as well. She’d be out for 45 minutes tops, depending on traffic.
The delivery people arrived shortly after Renee got there. The guys were young, cute, and very flirtatious with Renee. She took it all in stride, showing them where to place the boxes. Her goal was to have them to hurry and complete the delivery so that she could get back to her home before anyone discovered that she had left.
While the delivery guys were still there, Renee asked if they would mind helping her to open the boxes so that she could check to make sure that none of the containers were damaged. Of course, they were all too happy to grant her kind request. After they left, Renee went to the back of the salon where the massage and day beauty treatment areas were located. Each of the rooms had their own special ambience and she just wanted to walk through again without any distractions this time to really get a sense of what her customers would feel. The rooms were beautifully appointed and she was sure that each client would feel beautiful and pampered at the completion of the appointment.
She glanced at her watch and noted that she had really lost track of time. She went to check her phone to see if she had missed messages, but remembered that she had left it in her clutch, which on one of the sofas in the reception area. When she opened the door to exit the room, she ran into a tall, sturdy frame.
“Renee, finally I have you all to myself.”
It was Jonathan.
~~~~
“I’ve been trying to call her for the last hour, but it keeps going to her voicemail,” Elliott said. He’d been trying to call her to let her know that he would be home earlier than expected that day. The case that he was working on had gone much smoother than he expected. Once he had exposed the opposing side’s contractual deceptions, they caved and agreed to settle with his client. A seven-figure settlement, to be exact. He wanted to share his good news with his wife. He knew she’d been going stir-crazy having to spend so much time at home. He’d thought about asking his parents to keep the kids for a bit longer that evening so that he could take Renee out to dinner.
Elliott’s elation at his victory had been cut short as his worry increased. He knew that things had been tense at home, but Renee never ignored his calls. He knew that she had some things that she needed to take care of today, but she had told him that she didn’t expect to spend more than three to four hours completing her tasks. He’d called Lena to see if she’d heard from Renee. Maybe she’d called to check on the kids. When Lena told him that she hadn’t heard from her, Elliott’s worry level shot up another 10 points.
“I’m sure everything is fine, Elliott. She’s probably still on her conference calls. I’m sure she’ll call you soon.”
When he walked into the house, he immediately started calling out for Renee while walking toward her office. No answer. He walked into her office and it was empty. Her laptop was still open. He went to check the garage. Her car was missing. Elliott immediately called Robert’s dad.
“I’m sure went to the salon. There was an instant message on her computer to her business manager saying that she needed to go open the salon for a delivery that came early. I’m on my way over there now. Could you send someone just in case. I just have a really bad feeling.”
Doug Maddox, the police commissioner, knew Elliott very well. His son Robert and his wife Kim lived across the street from Elliott and Renee. While it was not typical that he would send an officer to a location where no actual incident had been reported, he knew that this situation was different and difficult. From what his investigators had found out so far, Jonathan was a dangerous and vile person. His “business” was actually a front for all types of illegal activity. Illegal distribution of firearms was where he made the bulk of his money, but he was also involved in other nefarious activity.
“I know you want to help, Elliott, but if you get there before the officer does, please don’t go in, just let him deal with it.”
Elliott promised Doug that he would let the officer handle the situation, if indeed there was a situation. Elliott’s instincts had never failed him before. He knew there was a situation happening. He called E and Liza to let them know what was happening. He told them not to go to the salon. He told them that the fewer people that got involved, the better.
When Elliott arrived, only Renee’s car was in the parking lot. He briefly looked inside of it to see if anything was amiss. When he got to the front door of the salon, it was locked. “Shit,” he said to himself. He felt around in his pocket and found the key that Renee had given him. When he got into the reception area, he noticed all of the opened boxes that had been delivered earlier. He had a sinking feeling. Panic. He couldn’t panic. He noted the receipt of delivery slip that had been signed by Renee. He also noted that a rush order had been put on the items. Authorized by Jonathan Hall. Renee’s black clutch was lying on a sofa in the reception area.
He ran down one side of the salon, checking the rooms for Renee, or any sign that she had been in them. As he rounded the corner to enter the second side, he saw a faint shining from the bottom of the door and he heard a muffled voice and then a sharp gasp.
~~~~
Blinding rage. The only two words that could describe what Elliott was feeling. “Let her go.” Elliott’s voice was low, controlled, and deadly sounding. Though his demeanor was that of someone who was holding it all together, on the inside he had nothing but pure hatred for Jonathan. On the other hand he was breaking up at seeing the fear in Renee’s eyes while Jonathan held her tightly by her waist, close to him.
“Mmmm,” Jonathan said. “I almost feel sorry for you, man. She feels so damn good. Soft. Sexy. Hear those sounds she’s making right now? Like she’s crying or something? Is that how she sounds when she comes? She’s going to be doing that every day and every night
while I give it to her. She’s so fucking beautiful and now she belongs to me. I know you’re going to miss it, but, well fuck, that’s just not my problem, now is it?”
Not caring if Jonathan was armed or not, Elliott moved in so fast that it seemed like a blur. He grabbed Jonathan by the throat, making him release the death grip he had on Renee. Elliott shoved Jonathan into the back wall, knocking down pictures and lamps as he did so. He drew his fist back and landed his fist first in the middle of Jonathan’s face, simultaneously bloodying his nose and lip, he landed another punch in his eye.
As Jonathan tried unsuccessfully to get away from the beat down that Elliott was giving him, Doug Maddox and three other officers entered the room.
“Elliott,” Doug said authoritatively, “let him go. We’ll take it from here.”
Still filled with rage and adrenalin, Elliott did not immediately release Jonathan. He wanted so badly to beat him to a bloody pulp. To finish him off.
Renee’s voice brought him out of the haze. “Elliott, please baby, stop. It’s over. Just let them take his ass away.”
One of the officers placed Jonathan in handcuffs and read him his Miranda rights. Another officer secured the scene, while the other officer took Renee’s statement.
E arrived on the scene just as the officer was placing Jonathan into the police car. He had tried to get there as fast as he could and he was kicking himself for not getting there sooner.
Doug tried to convince Renee to get checked out by a doctor. She had some bruising on her arms and wrists. “I’m fine, Mr. Maddox, really. I just want to get my babies and go home.”
Doug explained to Renee and Elliott that they would need to go to the police station and give an official statement and press charges against Jonathan.
After they finished at the police station, Elliott drove Renee home. While she was giving her statement, Elliott arranged for Matt and Sonya to retrieve Renee’s car. He also called his parents to see if they would keep the kids overnight. Of course, everyone was agreeable to help in any way they could.
The drive home that night was silent. Elliott held Renee’s hand. He could see and feel her trembling. He saw her fighting to hold back the tears. When they arrived home, they went into the living area. Renee tried to speak, but when she did, her tears overtook her. “Shhhh, baby, it’s over now. I’m right here. I’ll always be right where you need me,” he said as he kissed her tears. Elliott helped her to the couch where they held each other until much later that night.
When Renee was able to speak, she said, “Baby, I just can’t do it anymore.”
~~~~
Epilogue
Three Years Later
Renee
Renee wasn’t sure if it was her new lifestyle, a sense of needing to move on, or that she had just changed. It probably was a combination of those things. Once she decided to sell her portion of the company, everything fell into place for her. Of course she felt a certain sense of loss once the transaction had been concluded. That sense of loss didn’t last for very long, though. It was soon replaced by a feeling of freedom and accomplishment. It had been something that she had watched grow and become successful. She was very proud of it and herself. It hadn’t always been easy, and there were times that were lean, but she had great support from her family and friends. It was, however, time to move on. She had everything that she needed and wanted, plus some. She didn’t just sell the company and leave everyone who had made her so successful hanging. Renee sold the company to Genie and her husband, Brent. Genie and Brent had eloped shortly after Renee and Elliott married.
Renee was madly in love with Elliott. They had two sets of beautiful twins, their real source of pride and joy. Financially, they were set for life and then some. They may have been separated for all those years when Maggie sent her away, but their being apart didn’t diminish their love. Nothing and no one could ever come between them.
Elliott was relieved, ecstatic, and overjoyed, to say the very least. When she told him that she just couldn’t do it anymore, he didn’t immediately understand what she was telling him. The night of the incident with Jonathan had been the last straw. Elliott didn’t know that Renee had taken his concerns about the amount of time and energy that she was putting into her business seriously. When he would approach her about it, she seemed to be tense and defensive. She kept reassuring him that her family would always come first. She was true to her word. Renee never left him or the kids, or anything that had to do with their family hanging. She was just doing too much and there was no need for it. Was he selfish for wanting his wife and the mother of his children to spend the majority of her time with him and them? Yes. Did he feel guilty about his feelings? No. Before Renee and their kids came into his life, he was living a very one-dimensional existence. He’d dated, taken nice trips (some of them with women), and had a beautiful home, but what he really wanted and needed was missing. He had never stopped loving Renee and when she left the way she did, he just sort of shut down. He mostly focused on work and making his firm the most successful in the state of California. Now, with Renee and the kids with him, his life was everything.
Renee and Maggie were never going to have a mother-daughter relationship. Maggie never seemed to know what to do when it came to being a mother. The concept of a happy medium had totally escaped her. She always overstepped boundaries, and as a result things spiraled out of control. The whole situation with Jonathan happened because of Maggie. Once she knew that Renee was back in LA with Elliott and that they were going to get married, she started setting wheels into motion that would allow her to get close to Renee. Alexandra Benson, aka Alex, Renee’s best friend throughout high school, had told Joan, her mother, about Renee moving back to California and her upcoming marriage to Elliott. After that conversation, Joan contacted Maggie to see if she had spoken with Renee. Maggie hadn’t spoken with Renee since Matt and Kayla were born, and she knew she wouldn’t hear from her. Maggie had an ex-coworker who knew a person who did private investigation.
Hall Investigative was a front that Jonathan used to hide his illegal dealings. Maggie met with Jonathan and told him what she wanted him to do. To her, he seemed to be legitimate. She provided him with basic information about Renee and gave him the name of her company. Jonathan had been struck by Maggie’s beauty when he met with her in the restaurant. Jonathan knew he was a good-looking man, but Maggie was all business and she wasn’t fazed by him in the least. When she provided him with a picture that she had printed out of Renee from her company’s website, Jonathan was struck again. Clearly, beauty ran in the family. She’d paid him to keep tabs on Renee and to keep her updated as to what she was doing. She hadn’t paid him to stalk and become obsessed with her. Once everything was over, Jonathan had been placed in jail for life for racketeering, plus a fine that was twice the amount of his illegal profits.
Renee did make one call to Maggie after everything was over. She told Maggie to go on with her life. She wished her well. She told her that there was no need for her to contact her ever again. She made it clear to her that she, Elliott and their children were happy, and that Maggie needed to find her own happiness, if that was possible.
~~~~
“Good night, mommy and daddy,” Noelle giggled in unison. They were energetic, mischievous, and very adorable. Renee and Elliott had taken them out earlier that day. They’d taken them to the Roadhouse Aquarium where the kids were treated to a variety of activities, including a touching and viewing tank, puzzles, and games. Afterwards they went for pizza and a walk on Manhattan Beach. By the time they got back home, they were all tired. Even though they had their own rooms, they slept in the bunk beds in Noah’s room tonight so they could look through the books they got from the aquarium.
Renee kissed their faces. “Did you two have fun today?” she asked.
“Yeah,” they both said. Noah said, “Wanna go back. Can we go tomorrow?”
Renee reminded him that they were spending the day with Grandma and Grandpa.
Noelle said, “Grandma will make me some cookies.” She loved to say things to tease Noah.
“Well, Grandpa is getting me a car.” Ben was getting him a car. A remote control model car.
Elliott came into the room and said, “Okay you two, lights out. Grandma and Grandpa are going to have their hands full with you two tomorrow, but you should be good and tired right now.” He gave each of them a little tickle and kiss on the cheek. “See you in the morning.”
After Elliott finished getting ready for bed, he slipped under the covers with Renee. She was reading her latest download on her Kindle, a steamy romance novel in which she pictured Elliott as the hot, sexy alpha (which he was) and herself as his beautiful, sexy desire.
He set her Kindle aside, removed her glasses, and pulled her on top of him. “Are you happy, baby?” he asked.
She gently caressed his face and looked deeply into his desire-darkened eyes. “I am, Elliott. So very, very happy. I love you more than you can even imagine. Are you happy?”
He gave her a wicked, sexy grin as he slipped her sleep shirt over her head. He then changed positions so that he was now on top of her. He gave her a scorching hot kiss, sucking her full bottom lip before entering his tongue into her mouth, his tongue playing with her tongue. He kissed and nipped her neck, causing her body to tremor. He moved down to her breasts, his hands softly kneading her soft, plump flesh, his tongue teasing her hardened nipples before sucking into his mouth. The stubble on his face added another layer of pleasure that shot straight to her core. She’d stopped wearing underwear to bed a long time ago. There just wasn’t any need for it. She opened her legs for him and his steely erection teased her slick, wet heat.
A Couple of Forevers (This Time Forever Book 2) Page 17