“What did Isaac say about all of this?”
“By this time in our marriage, Isaac didn’t give a damn about me, and I wanted nothing to do with him. We stayed in separate rooms and we barely saw each other. I never cared to find out for sure, but I’m almost positive he was cheating on me. Yet, he refused to give me a divorce. He said I had embarrassed him enough. He wouldn’t let me embarrass him more by walking away from our marriage.
“At that point, I stopped caring about almost everything. I figured I’d ride out the contract which included me getting enough money to start my life over after twenty years with him, but…” She shrugged. “You already know the rest.”
Nate removed his arm from around Liberty and sat forward, his elbows resting on his thighs. He must have thought her a total loser. Hearing herself share this part of her life, made her realize just how lost she had been back then. There were some moments when it seemed like she was an observer of her life. Not the person who had actually experienced that type of drama.
Liberty glanced at Nate’s back wishing he would say something.
“Nate!” Someone yelled from the hallway, sounding as if they were walking past the room. The door was closed and Liberty wasn’t sure who the voice belonged to.
Nate stood and headed for the door, but stopped as if remembering she was still there. “Um,” he said, rubbing a hand over his head and looking as if he wasn’t sure what to say.
She inhaled a breath and rose slowly from the sofa, anticipation squeezing her lungs as she awaited his response.
“Nate!” That same unknown person yelled again in the distance.
Nate reached for her hand. “Come on. Let me see what’s going on out there.”
Liberty released the anxious breath she hadn’t realized she’d still been holding. She allowed him to lead her out of the room, concerned that he still hadn’t responded to her.
They went to the kitchen where a few people were sitting at the table eating and others were discussing storing leftovers.
“Who was calling me?” Nate asked his mother and Christina who were standing at the counter putting food into storage containers.
“I’m not sure, but I think it was Aunt Mary,” Christina said. She didn’t look up from the Tupperware dish she was covering, and Liberty wondered where they planned to put all the food that was left.
Needing something to do, she pulled away from Nate and rinsed her hands in the sink. “What can I do to help?” she asked.
“Babe, you don’t have to help. I’m one of the ones on kitchen duty today. We can handle it,” Nate said, sidling up next to her.
“It’s the least I can do since I made a pig of myself.”
Sarah chuckled. “Girl, if everyone thought like you, Momma wouldn’t have a clean-up schedule hanging on the pantry door.” She nodded to the closed door that was near the refrigerator.
“Yeah, now that the guys have been added to the rotation, Gram has to practically threaten their lives to get them to do dishes,” Christina added.
Nate grunted. “We’re not that bad.”
Sarah bumped him with her hip. “You’re not that bad, but your brother and cousins act as if they’re too good to do dishes. Why else would Jerry try to talk your grandmother into letting him put an industrial size dishwasher in here?”
Martina walked into the kitchen loaded down with more empty dishes and Liberty hurried across the room to take some of them from her.
“Whew! Thank you. Good I didn’t drop anything. Otherwise, Gram would have my head.”
Liberty started spooning up leftover potato salad into a container that could fit into the refrigerator.
“Where the heck is Nate?” Mary called out from the hallway before walking into the kitchen. “Boy, haven’t you heard me calling your name? There’s a lady here to see you. I found her outside at the front door.”
Her? Liberty stiffened, bracing herself. Nate had told her that he had never invited a woman to Sunday brunch before.
“Who is it?” he questioned. He patted Liberty’s hip and kissed her on the cheek before heading to the door. He hadn’t taken two steps when a gorgeous woman dressed in all white floated into the kitchen.
“Hey, Nate. I was hoping you’d be here.” The woman hurried to him, smiling brightly and reached up to kiss him, but he leaned away before she made contact.
Nate stood rigid. His jaw clenched with an unyielding look in his eyes. It was the same silent anger Liberty had experienced that first day in J & S’s conference room. She didn’t know the woman, but the tension radiating off of Nate was a sure sign he wasn’t happy to see her.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he growled through gritted teeth, gripping the woman at the elbow and quickly escorting her out of the kitchen.
“Oh this should be interesting,” Martina said, humor in her voice.
“Don’t start MJ,” Sarah warned.
“Hey, I’m just sayin’. He’s never brought a woman to brunch, and today he has two here. It’s about damn time we had a little excitement around here,” she cracked and strolled out of the kitchen.
Christina, who stood next to Liberty, patted her hand. “Ignore her. She’s lacking tact, and on most days good common sense.”
Liberty tried to smile, but couldn’t stop the worry settling into her bones. Only moments ago, she had bared her soul to Nate, telling him about the baby she had lost, but thought about daily. She had no idea what he thought of her admission. Now he was with a gorgeous woman discussing God knows what while she wondered if she had just ruined her second chance with him.
Chapter Twenty
Nate didn’t release Angel until they reached the side of the house. There hadn’t been many places he could take her where they wouldn’t have an audience. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I wanted us to talk, but you’ve been avoiding my calls. I went to your house and when I realized you weren’t there, I figured you’d be here.”
Unease swept through Nate as he stared at her. Something was definitely wrong with this woman, and for the first time he was afraid that she was capable of anything.
“What do you mean you went to my house?” He rarely invited women to his home, especially when the relationship was new. “How do you even know where I live or where my grandparents live?” Nate asked Angel.
“I looked up the addresses. I really wanted to see you and you mentioned once that you usually eat at your grandparents’ house on Sundays.” She shrugged as if it was no big deal. “I figured—”
“Angel, I was very clear when I told you that I didn’t want to see you anymore.” Nate got in her face having a hard time keeping his anger at bay. “Why is that so hard for you to understand?”
She took a step back and placed her hands on her hips. “We had something special, Nate. You can’t just lead me on and then toss me away.”
“Dammit, Angel! What is wrong with you? I’ve been telling you this for a couple of months now. If I had changed my mind, I would have called you. Hell, I would have returned some of your calls!”
“I am so sick of guys like you! You treat women real sweet with the thoughtful dates, fancy dinners, and flower deliveries. Make them fall for you and then bam! It’s over!”
“I never sent you flowers!”
“Damn you, Nate! I have feelings!” She pounded on his chest with closed fists until he grabbed her wrists, but quickly released her when she tried pulling away.
“I don’t know what your problem is, but don’t you ever touch me again,” Nate ground out.
“Everything all right out here?”
Angel startled and whirled around. Nate had already spotted the two men behind Angel just before she started hitting him. Toni’s husband, Craig, and Ben stood near the front of the house a few feet away. If Nate wasn’t so pissed, he would laugh. A former cop and a lawyer. What did they think he would do to the woman? Then again, maybe it was good they were there. He was mad enough to do something stupid
, like threaten to strangle her if she ever stepped to him again.
“Everything is fine,” Nate said, glad they didn’t move from their spot. He needed witnesses if Angel did anything crazy.
When she returned her attention to him, Nate said, “I never sent you flowers, and I never led you on. I’m sorry if you thought my kindness meant more than what it was, kindness. But I’ve been up front with you from the beginning regarding my feelings.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Does this have anything to do with that woman I’ve been seeing you with?”
Fear like nothing Nate had ever felt clawed up his spine. He didn’t know if she was baiting him, or if she’d been following him. “What woman?”
“You know what woman!” she snarled. “The bitch I’ve seen coming and going from your house.”
Oh hell no.
“You’ve been watching me?” he ground out, shock by her admission.
She seemed to realize what she’d said and started back peddling. “I was in your neighborhood one day and saw you walking a lady to her car. I wondered…”
If this crazy woman was keeping tabs on him, he and Liberty could be in danger.
Nate waved Craig and Ben over, and Angel glanced over her shoulder at them.
“Angel, I want you to meet a couple of people.”
“This is my cousin, Detective Craig Logan,” Nate said even though Craig had resigned from the police force to start a security consulting business. “And this is my uncle, Attorney Ben Jenkins.”
She greeted them with a slow nod probably wondering why they were the only ones out there and why he was introducing them. It was time he nipped this nightmare in the bud.
“Is there a problem here?” Craig asked. No doubt he picked up on Nate describing him as a detective and knew something wasn’t right.
"What do I need to do to make Angel understand that though I think she’s a nice enough woman, I’m not interested? What do you suggest, Craig? She’s stalking me, and she just hit me. How do I get a restraining order against her?”
Angel gasped. “I am not stalking you!”
“What would you call showing up at my house, following me, and then coming here to my grandparents’ home? If that wasn’t enough, you assaulted me.” He pointed at his chest where she had hit him. “I’ve told you more than once that whatever you and I had was over.”
“Ma'am is this true?” Craig asked, his deep authoritative voice added to the stern look on his face. When he was a cop, Craig had been a badass. Nate had witnessed him in action during a couple of situations that Toni had gotten wrapped up in.
Angel shook her head. “No. No, there's been a misunderstanding. I—I…”
“Tell you what. You leave now, refrain from contacting Nate, and I’m sure he won’t pursue charges against you. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Nate, I’m—”
“Goodbye, Angel.” Nate needed to get back inside. He could only imagine what Liberty must have been thinking. First, she shares a very personal story about herself, and he hadn’t had a chance to respond. Hell, he actually hadn’t known what to say. And then a strange woman storms into the kitchen and almost kisses him.
But the untimely interruption gave him time to think. If he ever expected to have a life with Liberty, he had to once and for all leave the past in the past. He had to somehow block out the fact that she had married and gotten pregnant by an asshole. Not even hypnosis would be able to wipe away the visual of Isaac’s hands anywhere on her body. But if Nate didn’t let the past go, he and Liberty wouldn’t be able to move forward.
Listening to her recount how she had lost her baby and her dream of becoming a lawyer at the same time, was like a punch in the chest. She was one of the sweetest, most deserving people he knew. No one should have to endure all that she’d been through. She needed some happiness in her life, and he was just the man to give it to her.
“I guess that Jenkins’ charm is as potent as ever,” Ben said, clapping Nate on the shoulder before they reached the front door. “You know, I’d expect one of Jerry’s women to show up here, but you…I’m surprised.”
“I’m telling you, Uncle Ben, the woman is crazy. I honestly didn’t lead her on.”
Once inside the house, they went their separate ways. Nate walked back into the kitchen to find Liberty sitting at the table with Christina and Toni.
“Everything okay?” Toni asked. “When you walked past Grampa’s office looking murderous, I figured I’d better have Craig and Uncle Ben follow you.”
So that’s how they knew I was out there. “Thanks for that.” He turned his attention to Liberty and reached for her hand. “Let’s go somewhere and talk.”
At first, Nate thought about them leaving, but she needed to start hanging around people. Positive people. Nate couldn’t think of any better place for her to make some connections and maybe even befriend some of his cousins.
When he saw that his grandfather’s office was empty, he escorted her in and closed the door. She hadn’t said anything to him, but he wasn’t deterred. Still holding her hand, he led her to the sofa and sat next to her.
“I’m not sure what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, but I can explain about Angel.”
Nate told her how he and Angel had been over before Liberty came back into his life. He also told her about the calls and his encounter with her at the restaurant.
“Just in case you had any doubt, I’m a one-woman man and would never cheat on you.”
Liberty glanced down at their joined hands before returning her attention to him. “I know, but…yeah, I did wonder.”
“Baby, I will always be straight with you. I love you.” She gasped, her hand covering her mouth. “Only you.”
“Oh, Nate. I love you too.” She flung her arms around his neck and he held her tightly. “I have always loved you.”
Nate cradled the back of her head and kissed her. He wanted her to feel how much he cared about her and wanted her in his life. She moaned, clutching his shoulders when he deepened the kiss. Now he wished they were at his place because the last thing he wanted to do was stop. He hadn’t planned to profess his love at that moment, but he meant every word and it was past time he told her.
When he finally let her up for air, he asked, “Are we good regarding Angel?”
Liberty nodded. “Yes.”
“Now, about our conversation earlier. Thank you for telling me about the baby. I hate you went through that. I know it couldn’t have been easy going through it by yourself.”
“Sometimes when I look back on those years, I can’t believe that was my life. And though my heart was ripped out when my baby girl died, I—”
“A girl? You knew what you were having?”
Liberty nodded and glanced away. She bit down on her lower lip and inhaled before releasing the breath slowly. Nate said nothing while she pulled herself together.
“My life might’ve been awful then, but had she been born, both of our lives would’ve been hell. I can’t even imagine how hard it would’ve been getting away from Isaac with my baby.”
Nate didn’t even want to think about that. He’d heard of people killing for less. A custody war with a man like Isaac would have destroyed Liberty.
“I saw the way you looked at Chanelle earlier. Can you…can you still have children? Do you want children?”
“According to my doctor at the time, physically I’m fine. Emotionally… Nate, I don’t know if I can go through that again. Losing a child, it felt as if someone had reached inside my chest, grabbed hold of my heart and yanked it out. Crushing it beneath their feet. It was…it was… I can’t even describe the loss I felt.”
Nate hugged her again. Unsure of what to say. He wanted a family more than anything, and he wanted it with her. But if she didn’t want to take a chance on having another child, it wasn’t a deal breaker.
Liberty lifted her head, her eyelashes laced with tears. “I love children, Nate. And honestly, given the ri
ght circumstances… If ever I’m blessed to get pregnant again, I would welcome that child into my life.”
He smiled and kissed her lips. That’s all he needed to hear. He planned to spend the rest of his life with this woman, and they could cross that bridge when they got to it.
“Okay, let’s backtrack to our previous conversation. Angel. She’s been watching us, and I don’t trust her.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“I guess now that you’re madly and passionately in love, you have forgotten all about your little sister. You haven’t called me in days,” Demi griped on the other end of the phone.
Liberty laughed, holding the cell phone between her ear and shoulder as she removed a lentil and quinoa salad from the refrigerator and placed it on the counter. She had prepared several dishes for dinner and absolutely loved cooking in Nate’s kitchen.
“You should be glad I have a man. Now I don’t have to monopolize all of your time or be the third-wheel on your dates. I’m sure Alan was about ready to ship me back to Chicago.”
“Don’t be silly. He loves you almost as much as I do.”
“Yeah, sure he does.”
“So, is your honey home yet?”
Liberty smiled at the endearment. She never thought she could be this happy. It had been three weeks since she and Nate expressed their love for one another. To say he was a dream come true would be an understatement.
She glanced at the clock on the microwave. “He should be pulling into the garage any minute now.”
“What about his stalker? Has she made an appearance?” Demi asked.
“Nope. As far as I know, he hasn’t heard from Angel. She didn’t even show up for the protective order hearing, and Nate was able to get the restraining order. She can’t come within five hundred feet of either of us.”
Liberty had freaked out a little when Nate told her that Angel had been watching them. The idea he had a stalker, who knew he was dating someone else, was uncomfortable and scary. The first couple of weeks, he hadn’t wanted her driving or going anywhere alone, which was fine with Liberty. A woman scorned was nothing to play around with. But this week, she insisted on driving herself to and from work since she had a new project that required site visits.
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