by Lisa Lace
She looks down at me with nothing but devotion in her expression. “But you didn’t. You’re stronger than you realize, Rory.”
“I love you.” I have to say it. She needs to know. Elise has been there for me since this whole thing began. She started by protecting my family, and now she is my family. I don’t know where I’d be without her.
She smiles and kisses my lips gently. “I love you, too.”
Elise
Grace jumps on the bottom of the bed and wakes both Rory and me. I groan and nestle into Rory. He reluctantly sits up and holds out his arms to Grace. She jumps on top of him and starts jabbering away.
“You’ve been asleep forever, Daddy. Come on, get up. Let’s have a daddy date today.”
I look over to Rory to see his expression turn stony. “Sorry, sweetheart. You’re spending time with Margot today.” He avoids the word “mom.”
Grace scowls and kicks her heels against the covers. “I don’t want to go with her. It’s Saturday. I want a daddy date.”
“I know, Princess, but I’m not allowed to stop her seeing you. There are rules, baby.”
“I don’t care.”
I sit up and stroke Grace’s hair, threading it through my fingers to distract her. I keep my voice light and breezy to comfort her. “Just for a few hours, sweetheart. How about we have a family date tonight when you’re back?” I look across at Rory. “What do you think, Dad?”
He forces a smile, but the bitterness remains in his mind. “Of course. We could see a movie then have some dinner. What do you think, Angel?”
“Daddy,” she groans.
Rory cuts her off and claps his hands together. “No complaining. You’ve got to get ready. Margot will be here soon.”
“But—”
“No buts. We’ll spend time together later. I promise.”
“You promise?”
I smile. “We both promise, Grace. I’ll make sure your daddy doesn’t forget.”
With an exaggerated huff, Grace jumps down from the bed and trots off to the bathroom to get ready.
Rory shakes his head slowly. “I fucking hate Margot for doing this to her. To us.”
“It won’t be for long.”
“She’s stealing my time with my daughter.”
I grip his hand. “We’re going to win this thing.”
It’s a torturous wait until Margot returns with the court supervisor in tow.
Grace looks relieved to be back. She bolts into Rory’s arms with a big grin and hops from foot to foot in excitement.
“What time are we going to the movies?”
I smile. “In a couple of hours, sweetheart. Then we’ll go for dinner. Somewhere that does big ice cream sundaes.”
Rory hardly acknowledges Margot. He simply says, “See you next week,” then shuts the door.
I thread my arms around his neck and kiss him. “See? Grace is all ours again. We’re one week closer to getting rid of Margot.”
There’s a knock at the door.
“Who’s that?” I rise onto my tiptoes to look out the peephole. “It’s Margot.”
Rory pulls open the door. “What do you want?”
I take the chance to have a good look at Margot. Anyone who’d never met her would have no idea how cold and calculating she’s been. She looks like a wholesome wife and mother. She’s wearing a knitted sweater, jeans, and has her blond hair in one neat braid down her back. She’s wearing little make-up. She looks low-key—ordinary.
Her innocent look can’t disguise the cunning in her eyes. She fixes her gaze on Rory, and her lips curl into a smug little smirk that gets my back up.
“Why so hostile, Rory?” She chuckles. “I only want to talk.”
“You’re not meant to be here without the court supervisor.”
“I’m not meant to be alone with Grace without the court supervisor.” She peers through the doorway. “And Grace is out of sight.”
Grace has disappeared into the house somewhere to occupy herself, leaving Rory, Margot and I alone by the front door.
“Can I come in?”
I turn to Rory. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No.” Rory puts his arm around my waist. “You stay.”
Margot flicks her cold gaze up and down my body. “So, this is your prop wife.”
“Excuse me?” I glare at her.
“Come on, darling. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know what all this”—she flicks her finger toward Rory and me—“is about.”
I nestle against Rory pointedly. We stand together as a united front. “Whatever you may think is going on, I’m not going anywhere.”
Margot rolls her eyes. “Makes no odds to me.” She forces her way across the threshold. “Let’s talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Rory says.
“There’s plenty to talk about.” She raises her eyes to Rory with a smug expression. “If you want to keep your daughter, anyway.”
Rory grits his teeth, then reluctantly steps back. “Living room.”
The three of us move into the main living room.
“You’ve got some nerve coming here,” Rory says. “After all the shit you’ve been throwing at me this week. Those pictures? What are you trying to achieve here? And the fake DNA? That’s low, even for you, Margot. Why are you going to all this trouble? You don’t care about Grace. Are you trying to get back at me for something? I don’t understand your end game here.”
“Don’t be naïve, Rory. I doubt this is the first time you’ve been blackmailed.” She sits down on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other and examining her nails with nonchalance.
“Blackmail?” I hold onto Rory’s arm to prevent him flying at her. I can feel his arm trembling beneath my touch. It’s taking everything in him to hold his temper. “What do you want from me, Margot?”
“Money. Plain and simple.”
“Money?” Rory’s voice breaks. “It’s really as easy as that? You put me through all this for money? You’ve shown up in Grace’s life to get paid? Do you even care that she’s your daughter?”
Margot draws herself together and swallows. If there was a flicker of guilt in her expression, it’s gone in an instant. “Craig and I want a fresh start.”
“So you come to extort me?”
“Oh, come off it, Rory,” she scoffs. “We both know if I hadn’t given you a baby, you’d be in some gutter with a needle in your arm about now. You should be thanking me.”
Rory sucks in air through his teeth and closes his eyes. When he speaks, his voice is low and lethal. “Give me a number.”
Margot straightens up, raising her chin defiantly. “Fifteen million.”
“You’d sell your custody of Grace for fifteen million?”
“She’s better off without me.”
“That’s something we can agree on.” Rory sinks down into an armchair near Margot. “Fifteen million and this is over?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. You’ll get your fifteen million, but not now. We’ll do it through the lawyers. I want it on record that you gave up your daughter for a cash sum. I want it in writing that you can never come near either of us again.” He shakes his head in disgust. “Why all this charade? Why all the lawyers and threats and all the rest? Why not come straight with your blackmail to my door?”
“You needed to know I was serious. I needed you to know how far I’d take things.”
“And if you’d won?”
Margot meets his eye. “I knew it would never go that far. I knew you’d pay up.”
“Get out of my house.” Rory stands up and heads to the door. “I’ll contact my lawyer first thing in the morning. Never come near my family or me again.”
Rory
I walk into the living room where Elise is sitting in silence, doing nothing but staring at the walls. She shoots up out of her chair when she sees me in the doorway and runs to stand in front of me.
“Well?”
“It’s done.” I place my keys
down on a side table. “Margot has her fifteen million, and I have the paperwork proving she’s signed away her maternal rights.”
Elise shakes her head slowly, her voice soft and low in disbelief. “She really did it.”
“Yeah, she did. That’s Margot for you. A real piece of work.”
“I can’t believe she’d do that. Poor Grace.”
I wave my hand in the air. “Grace couldn’t stand her anyway. She’ll be all right.”
“What about when she’s older? Won’t she wonder why her mother turned up then disappeared?”
“I’ll never tell her what really happened,” Rory says. I can hear the hurt in his voice. “If Grace ever comes to me with questions when she’s older, I’ll simply tell her Margot’s new husband stopped her from seeing her. If Grace ever chooses to track Margot down, she’ll soon realize she was better off without her.” I exhale slowly. “It might be complicated, but at least Grace is here with us, where she’s safe and loved. Every other bridge I’ll cross when I get to it. Right now, I just want to enjoy knowing I get to keep my little girl.”
I sit down on the sofa. Elise quickly joins me, tucking up one leg beneath her and watching me intently.
“The judge called Margot despicable,” I tell her. “He said her motives were abhorrent, and he’d never heard anything like it.”
“I told you any judge would see right through her. You would have won custody without having to pay her a dime.”
I let my head fall back against the sofa. “I don’t care,” I say. “I can always earn more money. Fifteen million is a small price to pay to keep Grace with me. I’d have given Margot every dime I had to keep my daughter.”
Elise presses herself against me, burying her head into my shoulder. She wraps her arms around my waist. “You’re a good person, Rory. Grace is lucky to have you.”
“And you.”
“Me?”
I draw back from Elise and catch her eyes. I search her gaze deeply. “It’s all over now, Elise. There’s no need to pretend.”
Her lips part slightly like she’s not sure what I’m going to say. She takes in a deep breath and holds it. “Yes?”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
Her eyes brim with tears. “Really?”
“You remember my wedding speech?”
“Yes.”
“I meant every word. I’m proud to have you as my wife. I love you. You’re the perfect partner for me and stepmother for Grace. You’re the missing piece, Elise. I can’t imagine my life without you. I’m begging you, stay with me.”
Elise throws her arms around my neck and kisses me with a fiery passion. “You don’t need to beg. Nothing would make me happier.”
“And the marriage?”
“I kind of like being Mrs. Everest.”
“I like being your husband.”
Elise laughs. I can hear the happy tears catching in her throat. “So this is it? We’re a family?”
“For as long as we both shall live,” I promise.
Epilogue
Elise
I pull my new Camry into the parking garage that’s down the block from the offices of the New York Times. I check my makeup in the mirror. Today, I have only a sheer layer of foundation and a little mascara. Enough to look professional. I’m dressed in a dark blazer with a white oxford shirt. I have a pair of gold hoop earrings in my ears and a gold chain with a heart-shaped pendant that Grace gave me.
I smile at my reflection. Who would have thought, only a few short months ago, that I would be here? Today is my first day back at my internship with the New York Times. I’m here to finish what I began.
My happily ever after came completely by surprise. I went into my marriage with Rory expecting to play a role, never knowing that role would become our truth. I love my husband, and I love his daughter. Our daughter.
Being a wife and a mother fulfills me. I’m happier than I’ve ever been, but my contentment doesn’t end with my new husband and step-daughter.
Now that I’m married to a billionaire, I’m free to dream again. No more scrimping and saving to make ends meet. Rory was determined for me to go back to the newspaper and finish my internship. And here I am.
I get out of the car, pushing the button on the key fob to lock it as I sling my bag with my laptop over my shoulder. Rory was appalled that I wanted a simple Toyota. He had plans for something flashy, no doubt, but the Camry is a good, dependable car—it’s true to who I am.
The multiple jobs and endless toil are over. The worrying and guilt over my mother are over. Rory provides for us both, and in time, I’ll have something to offer too, as a full-fledged investigative journalist. I want to be a contributor in our household as well as a strong role model for Grace.
I adore that little girl, and in time, Rory and I plan to bring a little brother or sister for her into our family. For now, we’re creating the life we want. Rory is putting things in place to step back from work and let his managers run the day-to-day business of the company, so he can spend more time with Grace and me. Meanwhile, I’m finishing my internship. In a year or so, we’ll be ready to grow our family. Until then, we’re both relishing the time we have with each other.
We’ve proven everybody who doubted us wrong, and now the naysayers are our biggest advocates. Alice and Dayna have grown to accept and encourage Rory and I as a couple, seeing how clearly we love each other.
I reach the reception desk, and I present my ID badge proudly. The man at the counter takes it from me. He raises an eyebrow.
“Everest, hmm?” he looks at me. “You aren’t that gossip columnist that married the video game guy, are you?”
“I am, actually.”
“I saw it on the news,” he says as he checks me in on the computer. “That press conference.” He pauses and studies me for a moment. “You two seem like you really love each other.”
I smile. “We do love each other. Very much.” I can’t help it—I’m grinning from ear to ear.
“The world needs more stories like that.” He hands me my ID back.
“I agree.”
“Take the elevator,” he tells me. “You’re on the tenth floor.”
“Thank you.”
“Good luck,” he calls after me. And I wonder—has it been luck or something else that has changed for me? Either way, things are looking good. Life is good, and it can only get better, I think as I make my way up the steps and into the lobby.
I’m excited to be getting back to the job that I’m passionate about. I think back to the day I met Rory. Little did I know how much I’d discover when I started to investigate the most eligible bachelor in New York.
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Copyright © 2018 by Lisa Lace
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events and dialog found within the story are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, either living or deceased, is completely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.