Behind the Scandal

by M.A. Stacie

  He sat down on the bed next to her and smoothed his hand up and down her back. “Tell the truth. Tell them what happened.”

  “I killed him. Should I tell them that?”

  He grasped her shoulders, gently. “Just tell them the details and let them decide. He came to your house, tried to kill you, and you tried to escape. It’s that simple.”

  “It’s never that simple.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Levi’s gonna want to sign your cast.”

  “Distracting me again? It won’t help.” He smirked and pushed his hand into the back pocket of his jeans. “I’ve got something for you.” He held out his cell phone and winked.

  “You got a cell?”

  He grinned. “Yup. Daddy says I’m all grown up and can have my cell back. Not a single number on there of anyone who can supply the white stuff. I’m a big boy now. My number one contact is you. Number two is Dr. Milo. I’ll talk to you later about my wonderfully shiny new twelve-step program. But that’s not what will make you love me more.”

  She wasn’t in the mood for his games. Her head had begun to throb again. “Taylor.”

  “Okay. Fine. I’ve given it to you so you can call your mom.”

  Libby gasped.

  “It’s time she knows where her daughter is. Time she meets her grandson . . . and future son-in-law.”

  Chapter 28

  Taylor watched Libby as she slept. The woman was wicked stubborn. It frustrated the hell out of him. Having been discharged from the hospital only thirty-six hours earlier, she’d proceeded to swat him away or refuse him whenever he tried to help. She snapped at him, rebuffed his offers, and at times ignored him completely. He’d been about to demand a reason when he noticed she’d fallen asleep on the couch.

  Taylor understood her exhaustion, though not her distance. He’d scrutinized the way she interacted with Levi and Josh, and it appeared her issue was isolated to him.

  He didn’t understand it. He’d been attentive, caring, and helpful. Libby even talked to police earlier, yet he still had no clue what the outcome was. He’d started to wonder if she was having second thoughts about him.

  Telling himself to stop being so paranoid, to give her space and allow her the time she needed, he forced himself not to wake her.

  Libby mumbled, her nose scrunching up. Her eyelids fluttered and her hands fisted as a scream of terror left her lips. She bolted upright, her eyes wild as her gaze darted around the room. Her breathing was labored, and when he reached for her hand, he found she was shaking.

  “Bad dream, babe?” he whispered, pulling on her hand until she moved closer and leaned against him.

  Libby nodded as a shudder racked her body. He couldn’t handle her pain. He was a sucker for this woman now, head over heels for her, so he hated everything that got in the way of her smile.

  He was a fucking sap and he knew it.

  “Chase?” he asked, hoping she’d let him in this time.

  Again, Libby nodded, tightening her hand around his. She took a deep, stuttering breath. “He was c-coming again. For Levi.”

  Taylor kissed her forehead, his gut clenching with hatred for a dead man. “Babe, he can’t hurt Levi. Never will. Chase isn’t a problem anymore, and Levi’s safe. Remember?”

  “It felt real.”

  “I know, and no doubt it will for some time. You just have to keep telling yourself he’s gone. Forever.” He clutched her hand as tight as her cast would allow. “It would help if you talked to me. You’re driving me fucking crazy here. I’m not the most patient of men, and right now you’re testing my limits.”

  Her spine stiffened, her shoulders set rigid as she glared at him. “So leave, then. If I piss you off so much, just go back home. It’s only a matter of time before you do anyway, so why drag it out?”

  He opened his mouth, about to question why she would feel that way when he’d already told her he was staying. However, his brain worked it out quickly, no longer slowed by the use of narcotics. “Is that what this is all about? You pushing me away, telling me you can do everything for yourself and not needing my help?”

  “What?” she asked somewhat sullenly, her bottom lip jutting out.

  “How many times do I have to tell you I’m staying? Fuck, Blue, I can’t cope without you. Do you know how much that annoys me? I’ve been a loner for most of my damn life, and then you explode into it and I become a lovesick fucking puppy. I disgust myself with how much I pine after you. Lib, I couldn’t even stay for the entire wedding! I had to be back here with you.” He inhaled sharply. “So can you finally accept that I’m not going anywhere? That I’m here to stay?”

  She didn’t meet his gaze, and her eyes roamed around his face instead. “I can’t believe that.” She snapped her fingers. “Not just like that. You came here because you had to, not because you wanted to.”

  “And how does that have any bearing on us? Libby, it doesn’t matter how we met. All that matters is that we did meet, and I refuse to live my life without you now. Or without Levi.”

  Her eyes grew watery with unshed tears, her chin trembling as she whispered her response. “Taylor, Chase isn’t going to disappear for me anytime soon. He haunts me. I’m a mess now.”

  “Good.” He grinned, embracing her and speaking into the crook of her neck. “Because I’m a mess, too. Maybe we can fix each other. Maybe we can make each other whole.”

  “You shouldn’t base your recovery around me. You’ve done so well.”

  “I’m not basing it around you.” He lifted his head from her shoulder and kissed her trembling lips. “But I can’t deny you’re part of the reason I’m in recovery. Libby, please hear me when I tell you I love you.” He kissed her forehead. “I love you.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I love you.” He crushed his mouth to hers and devoured. “I really fucking love you, and I wish you’d get that, woman!”

  “So do I,” she said, shooting him a small smile.

  “What will convince you? I guess I missed my cue for a big PDA, huh? I watch those girlie films, and you all like those. ”

  Libby snorted. “I didn’t realize they bothered with displays of affection in those kinds of films.”

  Taylor frowned. “What?”

  “Girlie films. Don’t they just get down to it?” She blushed.

  “Are you talking about porn? Shit, babe, I wasn’t talking about that! I was referring to chick flicks. At the end, the guy always has to be the hero with a huge display showing his love. I didn’t do that.”

  “I don’t need it.”

  Taylor wasn’t convinced. The look in her eyes told him she was still debating his decision to stay in Hunter’s Hollow. “I’m having my things moved here. From my penthouse. I hope there’s room in your closet. Maybe that will show you I mean it.”

  Libby stifled a smile. He was getting there, slowly breaking through her shell.

  “Would a ring convince you? A big sparkly diamond and the promise of becoming a Reese.”

  Libby gasped, her eyes widening. “You . . . you really meant that? You’re proposing to me?”

  He grinned, adoring her reaction. “Christ, Blue, I’d marry you tomorrow if you’d have me.”

  She relaxed against him, and his heart went into overdrive waiting for her response.

  “No.”

  Taylor spluttered, stunned. “Excuse me?”

  She looked into his eyes. “I want to. I love you. But now isn’t the right time for either of us.”

  She clutched the front of his shirt and pressed her lips against his. He took the affection, willing to accept anything she offered. He vowed to convince her, to do whatever he could to make her see they were perfect for one another.

  She pulled away and touched his cheek. “One year, Taylor. One year from today, if you ask me again, I’ll say yes. Without question, I’ll say yes.”

  The breath whooshed out of his lungs, and he clung to her, emotion closing his throat and making it difficult to speak. He understood her res
ervations, and he would accept her terms. But he’d spend the next twelve months trying to get her to wear his ring before that deadline.

  He would make Libby Karlin a Reese. Levi, too.

  “So now that I’ve made myself crystal clear, I think you should do the same. Tell me what happened with the police, Blue.”

  Pain flicked across her face, her brows pinching together for a moment. “Chase was being investigated. For about three years now. They knew he was stashing money, was playing dirty with his duties. They watched him, hoping to gather enough evidence.”

  “Okay, but what did they say about you?”

  Her eyes fluttered closed, and she inhaled slowly before reopening them. “They have the crash down as an accident. Chase wasn’t wearing a belt, and we were speeding because he was holding a gun on me.”

  “But what else? There is something else. I can hear it in your voice.”

  “There’s the issue of the money I took from him, and the money you all gave him as repayment. They’re looking into that and said they’d be in touch.”

  Taylor smiled, shrugging. “That’s not an issue,” he said. “You have the best lawyers in the land ready to defend you. The money is a formality. Don’t sweat it.”

  When he reached out to link his fingers with hers, she slapped him away. “How can you say that? Taylor, technically I’m part of the fraud! They’re not just going to drop it because some overpaid guy in a designer suit says so.”

  “You’re getting stressed over nothing.” He rubbed her back, encouraged that she allowed him to. “There’s a paper trail from our end, and you told them why you were running, right? There’s also your medical records from the time he caught up with you. Don’t sweat it. This will work itself out.”

  Libby slumped against him. “I hate this. He’s gone, but he’s still here. How long will he be hanging over us? When can we be a normal couple?”

  Unable to hold it in, Taylor tipped his head back and laughed. He felt lighter now that they had talked, felt freer knowing the woman before him would be with him for the rest of his days. Neither of them had to struggle alone anymore. “We’ll never be normal. We’re too messed up for that.”

  Her head flopped forward to rest on his shoulder. She hissed, clutching her ribs. “You’re right—we’re fucked up.”

  “Wow, we really are if you’re cracking out the curse words.”

  “It’s your fault,” she said, shoving playfully at his chest. “I never said those words before you walked into my life.”

  He wiggled his brows. “You never did a lot of things before you met me. And apparently, now I have to get you to watch porn. Admit it, you love being so debauched.”

  This time they both laughed. As they did, Taylor eased her onto her back, careful not to hurt her ribs further. He lay down beside her, resting his arm across her stomach.

  “Hardly debauched. We both know you’ve done worse than swear.”

  “True.” He sobered. “Does that bother you? Do you think I’ll slip? Put you and Levi at risk? Because I won’t. I mean it.”

  He hoped she understood.

  Libby met his gaze with her uncertain one. “Does it bother you that we can never have children of our own?”

  Taylor didn’t miss a beat. “No. All that’s important to me is you and Levi. You’re my family, Lib.”

  “I love you.”

  “Ditto, beautiful.” He kissed the tip of her nose and squeezed her waist. “You consume far too much of my day, and you can be a real pain in the butt. But I couldn’t cope without you, so you’d better make room in your little cottage, woman.”

  Libby smiled and tentatively moved onto her side. Her lips grazed his jaw, her fingers creeping underneath his T-shirt to stroke his stomach. He twitched, groaning before grasping her wrist. “We can’t do this. You’re still recovering.”

  Libby pouted, still trying to caress his skin.

  “But . . . I promise you, the very second you’re healed we’ll be busy for hours and you won’t be riding a horse for a week. I won’t let you leave this bed until we’re both crazy exhausted.”

  “That’s some plan you have.”

  “Not a plan—a promise. Now are you going to stop dwelling? He’s dead, Lib. I’m here. I have my faults, but I’d never fucking hurt you. Ever. You mean far more than you could ever know or I could ever explain. My life’s been one huge mess. I stumbled from one fuckup to the next. Things changed so much when I arrived here. Sure, I hated it—hated that my father refused to deal with me, so he sent me away instead. I felt like a spare part to him.”

  “He’d reached his limit, Taylor. Maybe you see that now?”

  “I do. I really do. That clarity came with the help I got from you and Josh. Damn, babe, I was horrible to you when I got here.”

  Libby snickered and licked her lips. “Oh, I don’t know, asking me to drink you in was rather memorable. And I sure was thirsty.”

  Taylor laughed, stroking his hand through the strands of her red hair. He loved the color. “I knew it! You wanted me even when I was an asshole.”

  “You still are, and don’t kid yourself.”

  He kissed her cheek. “I’m not an asshole with you. Well, not anymore.”

  Libby hummed her agreement but changed the subject. “Are you honestly ready to be a cowboy?”

  “Yup. Don’t I look good in my Stetson and boots?”

  Rolling her eyes, she said, “Always fishing for compliments.”

  “Do I look good or not? My entire life hinges on what you say right now.” He snorted when she shook her head, ignoring his fake drama.

  “Yes, you look hot. You always look hot, and yes, I want you to stay. My son already hero-worships you. It would break his heart if you left.”

  Taylor grew serious, and he focused his blue eyes on hers. “One year from today, Lib, and I’ll make you a Reese.”

  “Deal.”

  “Then kiss me, Blue. Kiss me and don’t ever fucking stop.”

  He felt home the moment her mouth pressed against his. Unbeknown to him, she had been the one thing he’d been searching for, the one thing missing in his fucked up life. He wasn’t fooling himself, he still had a lot of his journey to travel. But with Libby by his side, he felt like it was less of a hill to climb. She’d seen something within him that was worth saving, a part of him that was worthy of her love, and he’d spend the rest of his days making sure she never regretted that.

  Taylor Reese had found his future.

  Epilogue

  One year later . . .

  “Taylor, will you just sign the damn forms?”

  Taylor twirled his pen between his fingers, eying Josh and shooting him a playful smirk. “Gotta make sure I’m signing the right thing, old man. Wouldn’t want to find out when it’s too late that I signed myself up to years of slavery.”

  “You’re being ridiculous. Now sign it.”

  Taylor winked at Levi and pretended to read the document just to tease his uncle. Over the last year he and Josh had slipped into a comfortable banter, each of them ready to torment the other. Their relationship was one that surprised him daily.

  Then he placed the tip of the pen against the paper, still amazed Josh trusted him enough to sign the ranch over to him. It wouldn’t be immediate, but eventually Lone Tree and its land would be his. The city boy was knee-deep in horse shit and loving it.

  Except for three short visits to Sea Pointe, he’d spent every day working his body to exhaustion. He felt useful on the ranch; no day spent in an office could have come close. This was what he was meant to do.

  He supposed it was in his blood—the Lone Tree had been in the family for generations. He knew the ranch like the back of his hand now, and Josh had taken a backseat, allowing Taylor a lot of freedom when it came to decision making. His uncle had also decided it was time to move out of the ranch house. This weekend Josh would move into the cottage, leaving Taylor, Libby, and Levi with the much larger house.

  It would be th
eir family home.

  He looked over at Libby, the woman who deserved far more than an ex-junkie for a husband. He couldn’t say the last year had been trouble-free. There had been a few times when his addiction reared its ugly head, but those had been the times he cherished Libby the most. She’d been there for him, no matter how moody or stressed he became. She understood him.

  In truth, the documents could have waited until they’d returned from their trip to Sea Pointe. But Taylor was impatient and, although he was excited to see his niece, Ella, again, he’d decided Kyran’s family could wait a few hours.

  “Taylor,” Josh growled.

  “Okay, okay.” Taylor signed his name on the document, and the ranch house belonged to him and Libby. The land would follow over the next few years.

  Josh stepped over and shook Taylor’s hand. “Proud of you, kid. You deserve it.”

  “Bet you never thought you’d be passing on the reins of the Lone Tree to me, especially not when I first arrived.”

  “True, but it didn’t take long to see something I liked. You battled the bull and won. You deserve every acre of your prize.”

  Taylor looked toward Libby and Levi, a grin breaking out across his face. “I got my prize months ago.”

  “Sappy pair,” Josh grumbled. “All doe-eyed for each other.”

  “Did you sign it?” Levi asked, bouncing up and down with excitement.

  Taylor nodded, reaching for the next document from Josh’s lawyer. The adoption paper. Levi raced across the room and shoehorned himself between Taylor’s legs. “Can I hold the pen with you when you sign it? Please?”

  “Shouldn’t you be in school, brat?”

  Levi giggled. He shimmied his butt against the chair so Taylor had to make room for him.

  “Jeez, anyone would think this document was important or something.”

  “Pops, tell him to sign it!”

  Taylor tickled him, and Libby laughed as her son wriggled and squealed. She raised her hand to her chest, and the diamond glinted from her ring finger. Damn woman wouldn’t let him get her anything more extravagant. She demanded functional, whereas he wanted to show the world that Libby Karlin was his. It had been weeks since he’d proposed, and it still grated on him. There was another ring waiting for her. He just had to get her to accept it. Somehow.