Lessons Learned (The Gifted Realm Book 2)

by Jillian Neal

  “I kept telling him that,” Emily threw her hands out to her father. She looked relieved that at least her mother knew the truth.

  “Stephen, honey, we’ve raised nine of them.” She patted both of her hands on Rainer’s shoulders. “And we have two more well on their way. I thought you knew by now, no matter how hard you try to get them to avoid it, sometimes there are just lessons that they have to learn the hard way.”

  Governor Haydenshire still looked dumbfounded, though Rainer wasn’t certain if it was from his wife’s diatribe or from his conversation with the Crown Governor.

  “Now, dear,” Mrs. Haydenshire folded her arms across her chest defiantly. She looked just like Emily, only blonde and thirty years older, “you looked like there was something you were about to tell all of us. So, after you apologize to Rainer, then I for one would love to know what Regis had to say about this harrowing night.”

  “I am not apologizing, Lillian,” Governor Haydenshire huffed, but his eyes held Rainer’s. “But I will do this, I will give you the opportunity to prove to me that you’ve learned something from all of this, and that you will do a better job in the future of taking care of my baby girl. And,” he took in the rest of the men at his kitchen table, “I will agree with your mother that it is depraved, and if I ever hear of any of the men that I raised performing the induction again, then there will be hell to pay. Trust me.”

  At that very unfortunate moment, as Governor Haydenshire very rarely cursed, Keaton happened to toddle into the kitchen and then began repeating, “Hell to pay.”

  Emily bit her lips together, as did Rainer and Adeline. Logan and Garrett cracked up. They were unable to hold in their laughter.

  “Stephen,” Mrs. Haydenshire sighed and lifted Keaton onto her hip.

  Rainer had never felt such relief. That was all he wanted, just a chance to prove himself better than what he’d shown for the last few weeks. He hadn’t realized until that moment how lost he’d felt when he believed the Haydenshires would hate him forever, and how very much it meant just to be given a second chance.

  “Uh, actually, I’m going to have to ask all of you for quite a bit over the next few months,” Governor Haydenshire considered as everyone fell silent to listen.

  “Regis has decided to step down from office and to make an honest woman of Serena. He plans to stay in office through next Friday. He wants to vote on your trial, Rainer, as I’ll have to recuse myself since my son and daughter are either the official or the secondary beneficiaries of the money. They’re having a small ceremony next Saturday to which we’ve all been invited. He’s already phoned Nathan, and he and Tad will be coordinating the wedding. Regis has asked Arthur Vindico to step in as Interim until the election process is concluded.”

  Mrs. Haydenshire furrowed his brow. “I’m shocked he didn’t ask you.”

  Governor Haydenshire swallowed harshly. “He didn’t ask me because he says he wants me to be able to focus solely on my campaign.” He seemed to try out how the words would sound as he said them.

  “You mean…?” Mrs. Haydenshire stunned. She was unable to finish the statement.

  “Daddy, are you really?” Emily looked simultaneously thrilled and terrified.

  “Running for Crown Governor,” Governor Haydenshire concluded for both his wife and his daughter. “That is entirely up to your mother.” He gazed at his wife adoringly.

  “He wants the process to start just after Labor Day. He wants us to have our family vacation first. But then it would mean a lot of travel and debates, and if we decide to do this, it would mean even more press. I just want to make certain you’re up to all of that,” he spoke to Mrs. Haydenshire like they were the only two people in the room, or in the world, at that moment.

  Rainer concentrated on his plate. He didn’t want to intrude. He considered the annual family trip to the beach house. The entire Haydenshire family had been going for an extended Labor Day weekend trip for as long as he could remember.

  “Who would you be running against?” Mrs. Haydenshire asked, though everyone already knew the answer.

  “Peterson’s thrown his hat in the ring of course, but Regis would be solely backing me.”

  To have the backing of the former Crown would mean it was almost a shoo-in for the Governorship.

  “Well,” Mrs. Haydenshire couldn’t hide her immense pride as she beamed at her husband. “For the sake of the Realm, I would say we’re running for Crown Governor.”

  Cheers filled the kitchen as she concluded, “Because I, for one, know that I cannot see Yvette Peterson on the cover of the morning papers on a daily basis while I have my coffee. A woman can only take so much!”

  “You’re certain?” Governor Haydenshire quizzed with a wry grin over her reasoning.

  Mrs. Haydenshire smiled at her husband and nodded. “I’m certain.”

  “Well, then, I am going to have to ask that all of my children,” he placed his hands on Rainer’s shoulders and narrowed his eyes. Rainer was thrilled to be called one of the Governor’s own again. “Refrain from doing anything depraved or uncouth that might end up in the papers, at least until I’ve taken the oath.”

  They all nodded their adamant agreement.

  “Hell to pay,” Keaton added excitedly. Everyone laughed this time.

  “Okay, well, we’re going to need him to stop saying that before we put him in front of any cameras,” Mrs. Haydenshire lamented.

  A deep yawn overtook Rainer. He couldn’t seem to stifle them anymore.

  “Excuse me,” he didn’t want anyone to think that he didn’t care about the upcoming election or what was going on.

  The Governor sighed his defeat, “Emily Anne, you will only hear me say this once, at least before the wedding, but take him to bed.”

  Pretrial Motions

  By Sunday evening, Emily was a nervous wreck. Rainer walked her all over Parks Mall. They were both trying to locate clothing that made them look refined and classy, but still young, per Stariff’s instructions.

  “Rainer, I don’t want you to think I care about the money,” she fussed as they sat down in the food court.

  As this was the tenth time she’d made this vow in the last hour, he sighed. “Baby, I know, okay? Please, don’t let this get to you. It’ll all be over tomorrow, then we’ll go to Governor Carrington’s wedding this weekend, and then we’re going to the beach,” he tried to remind her of the pleasant things on the horizon.

  “What if we lose?” she worried her bottom lip constantly with her teeth.

  Rainer squirted out ketchup for his fries. “Then that’s it, and I will work my ass off for the rest of my life to restore everything to the Lawson family trust that I lost, but I really don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  “If you lose, it will be my fault.”

  “Em, that isn’t true, and I have a hard time believing that my uncle is going to say or do anything that’s going to suddenly make the Senteon or the Governors want to give him half of the Lawson estate. That would be like spitting on my father’s grave.” His body gave an involuntary shudder. This sentiment, oddly, seemed to be the one that brought her peace.

  “How do you think it happened that your dad and your uncle are so different? I mean, they were brothers and only a few years apart.” She dipped a chicken nugget in the ketchup Rainer had supplied her.

  Thankful that she seemed to be distracted from the trial, Rainer decided to embrace the subject change.

  “I don’t really know.” He took a long sip of his Dr. Pepper. “My grandparents died before my dad, so I didn’t really know them that well, but my dad used to say that his parents weren’t really fair with my uncle.”

  He thought back to him and his father falling on the sofa in their living room to talk after a particularly harrowing evening where they’d gone to visit Stan, and he’d ended up throwing them out. Rainer had been eleven or twelve at the time.

  “Not fair, how?” Emily looked intrigued. Her thirst for knowledge always mad
e him grin, so he beamed at her as he slid his sneaker up and down against her foot to make her giggle.

  “I think they preferred my dad. You know, he got straight As, was head of Ioses, wanted to change the world, so I kind of think they compared Stan and my dad all the time, and obviously Stan came out on the losing end.”

  He wondered if his grandparents realized the destruction they were causing when they were raising their kids.

  “Your uncle never married, right?” Emily continued her inquisition as they ate. Rainer tried not to laugh as he hesitated to envision any woman unfortunate enough to have to put up with his uncle.

  “No, and since this will be discussed tomorrow at the trial, I only feel a little guilty saying this in front of you, but the only women who ever engaged in anything with my uncle were being paid for their services.”

  “Rainer, I’m a big girl. I do know that exists. You don’t have to shield me from it.”

  He smiled at her, and tried to ignore the photographers who had just located them in the food court. He shook his head. “I want to protect you from everything that you shouldn’t have to think about, Em. That’s my job.”

  Emily rolled her eyes, but grinned at him adoringly just as several of the cameras clicked. She steadfastly ignored them.

  “You know, this would be crazy, but what if you and Adeline were cousins?” She seemed thrilled with the notion.

  Rainer laughed heartily as he considered that. He kept his gaze locked on Emily as they ate. He refused to do anything that would make fodder for the papers.

  “Well, believe me, if I had to give over half of my estate to Adeline, that would be perfectly fine with me, but my uncle is most definitely not British,” he pointed out the logistical problems with Emily’s wonderings.

  The only thing Candy Parker ever told Adeline about her father was that he had a British accent.

  “You know, they’re going to report that we were out shopping the night before the trial.” Emily made certain not to glance at the photographers, or to let on that they bothered her in any way.

  “I doubt what they take tonight will make it to the papers by the morning. So, they can say whatever they want. I don’t care anymore!” This was the conclusion he’d come to after hours of abusing himself over the pictures of the belly shot.

  “As long as you know how much I love you, and I know I haven’t done anything wrong, as long as I’ve done everything in my power to do right by you and your family, then I just really don’t care anymore.”

  A broad grin spread across Emily’s beautiful face. “I really like that,” she reached across the table and took Rainer’s hand. As this was the most they’d touched since they’d entered the mall, the cameras clicked feverishly.

  “You ready to go?” After they threw away their food wrappers, he laced his fingers through hers, and they walked away. They were perfectly aware that the cameras were eating it up. He tried to do just as he’d said and not care. He wanted to hold her hand. She was the love of his life, and so he did.

  After picking out several conservative ties and a new dress shirt for Rainer, and several skirts for Emily to choose from that all fell below her knee, they headed home. The press swarmed as they moved to the Mustang.

  “Any thoughts on the trial tomorrow, Rainer?”

  “Do you think the bar photos will cast you in a negative light at the trial tomorrow, Rainer?”

  Rainer opened Emily’s door for her and refused to answer. He moved to the driver’s side as the questions grew more vicious.

  “Do you think Emily is really the woman for you? She seems to be bringing you down,” spat a woman dressed in a vibrant red suit, who narrowed her eyes in on Rainer.

  “Will Samantha Peterson be testifying for you tomorrow?” called another.

  It took everything in him not to tell them exactly what he thought of both cases, but he drew a steadying breath and slid into the seat and shut the press out.

  As Rainer had on numerous occasions thrown the Mustang into reverse and not cared which particular person from the press might be behind him, he was well known for it in fact, they scattered as he turned on the engine.

  Emily giggled as she watched them disperse. After he decided to channel his new found, more mature attitude, he backed the Mustang out safely and headed home.

  Mr. Stariff had already told Rainer and Emily that they would have to arrive at the Pentagon early, just to make their way through the sea of press that was expected to be awaiting their arrival for the trial. The Governors were being brought in by helicopters, because of the danger the huge crowd could pose.

  Everyone was still on edge after Serena’s capture. Iodex was providing Emily and Rainer security into the courtroom. When he had asked about his uncle, Vindico and Stariff had chuckled.

  “If somebody shoots him, we wouldn’t really see that as a loss,” Stariff had sneered.

  Rainer tried to hide his shock at the sentiment. The term ‘cutthroat lawyer’ seemed to describe Jack Stariff to perfection.

  Stariff had called in character witnesses from all over the Realm on Rainer’s behalf, and the trial was expected to go on for hours.

  They’d learned the night before that Samantha Peterson was on the witness list for Stan. This had only added to Rainer and Emily’s anxiety.

  After fixing Emily a cup of tea, Rainer grabbed a beer from the fridge and settled on the couch with her.

  “Okay, you know you have Governor Carrington’s votes, so that’s two, and Governor Vindico’s, so there’s three right there,” Logan began strategizing.

  “Yeah, and Governor Willow and Dad are really good friends, and he was friends with Governor Lawson, and he’s over all of Iodex,” Emily stated hopefully.

  “So there’s four,” Logan urged. As he’d already been over all of this with Stariff, Rainer was growing weary of the logistics of the trial.

  “Yeah, but your dad has to recuse himself, and if Samantha has her way, Peterson will vote against me,” Rainer sighed dejectedly.

  In the case of a Governor’s recusal, when the Crown Governor stepped in, the defendant had to have five votes, including the two carried by the Crown in order for the trial not to be open for appeal.

  Only carrying four votes from the Governors meant his uncle could make another claim. As it had been pointed out to Rainer repeatedly by Stariff, his and Emily’s fate stood in the hands of Governor Sapman. He’d only served as Governor for a little over seven years. He came into office when Governor Mitchell retired.

  He was a quiet, withdrawn man, but had run his entire campaign stating his adoration and deep respect for Rainer’s father.

  Emily was a friend of his daughter, Becca, but Governor Sapman was also extremely conservative. The belly shot photos could certainly change his vote, as that kind of thing generally had him up in arms.

  “Do you know what kinds of things they’re going to ask you? How’s it going to work?” Adeline quizzed quietly. “My trial with my mom won’t be for several more months, because the Non-Gifted courts work much slower.”

  Emily nodded. “Mr. Stariff says that they’ll let his uncle make his claim that Rainer isn’t responsible enough to have the entire estate, and that his lawyer will try to play to the Senteon’s sympathies.” She rolled her eyes before continuing. “Then Mr. Stariff will basically try to prove that Rainer’s uncle is a good-for-nothing drunk by questioning him.”

  “Well, that shouldn’t be hard,” Logan quipped.

  Rainer grinned, despite everything racing through his mind and weighing heavily on his heart.

  “Then, you, and Logan, and Mom, and Dad, and Mentor Sullivan, and Will, Garrett, Connor, and I think the entire elite Iodex team, will go on the stand to tell everyone what an amazing man Rainer is.”

  “Pretty much anyone with the last name Haydenshire,” Rainer explained.

  “I’ll be sure to say just that,” Logan teased. “Rainer Lawson is just the most amazing man I’ve ever shared a bedroom with.�
�� He clasped his hand over his heart and batted his eyelashes as everyone guffawed.

  “Shut up, Logan,” Emily retorted. This only served to make Logan and Rainer laugh harder.

  “Anyway,” she huffed, “then I go up for questioning, and then Rainer, and then the Senteon gets to question Rainer, and then they vote. Then the Governors vote.”

  After taking another sip of his beer, Rainer took Emily’s hand and kissed her cheek.

  “You forgot that my uncle gets to bring in witnesses to prove that I’m a complete loser, baby.”

  “Well, I don’t like that part.”

  This made Rainer laugh heartily. He decided to fill in a few of the gaps she’d left open.

  “They’ll ask everyone things about how I managed my monthly allowance from the estate when I was growing up, and talk about the things I’ve purchased since I received the inheritance, what kind of guy I am. Stuff like that,” Rainer sighed before admitting the final piece of the trial.

  “The focus is on the lack of a pre-nup,” he hated the pained expression that formed on Emily’s face whenever anyone stated anything about the pre-nup.

  “I’ll sign one,” she vowed for the hundredth time.

  “No, you won’t,” Rainer insisted, just as he had every time she’d offered.

  “You could tear it up after the trial.”

  “Emily, please,” Rainer couldn’t have this conversation again. He just didn’t have it in him. “I have been in love with you since I was like five years old. So, if you’ve been lying to me since you were a toddler, and your plan from kindergarten on was to trick me into marrying you so you could have the estate, then you can go ahead and take it, because I don’t want to go on anyway.”

  “Rainer,” she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

  Logan chuckled and shook his head. “All I’m saying is, once Mom gets on the stand, it’ll pretty much be over. She still carries that wooden spoon in her purse that she had when we were little.” His prediction had everyone laughing again.