Mac shook his head. “Nope, can’t let you do that, bro,” he said. “I’m paying for it all. Think of it as an engagement present from me.”
Neil opened his mouth to protest, but Mac stopped him. “Neil, I’ve made up my mind and you’re not going to change it,” he said. “You know I’m way more stubborn than you, so just say thanks and let it go.”
“Thanks,” Neil said, punching his best friend on the arm.
“Now I’d like to make a toast,” Mac said. Everyone raised their glasses. “Here’s to two extraordinary couples. May your love continue to flourish all the days of your lives.”
They clinked glasses again. While they were all taking a sip, the waiter brought out their salads and they began eating.
Kate was ravenous from her afternoon with her husband. She was also beginning to feel the effects of the wine and was grateful to have some food.
The men started talking about sports, so Kate turned to Charlie and Natalie.
“We’re going to have to go shopping. There’s a fabulous mall here,” Kate said. “I want to get some things for our honeymoon.”
“Oh, have you decided where you’re going?” Charlie asked.
“We talked about Europe, but it’s too far with all that’s going on and it’s also cold there now. So, we’re going to Maui,” Kate said. “I’m so excited. Neil won’t give me any of the details. I had to pry Maui out of him. He wants to surprise me.”
“That’s so romantic,” Natalie said. “You found yourself a keeper. Remember when we looked him up on Google and you didn’t want to give him a chance even though we were both drooling over his picture? Now look at you. Practically a married woman.”
Kate desperately wanted to tell her best friends that she was a married woman, but she had agreed to keep it their secret. But who knows, maybe after a few more drinks it might just slip out.
The waiter took their empty salad plates and informed them their entrees would be out momentarily.
Kate put her hand on Neil’s thigh and said, “So, Mac, tell us some stories about growing up with this man of mine.”
Neil began shaking his head. Mac smiled broadly, clearly having an abundance of material to draw from.
“Let me think,” Mac said. After pondering for a moment, he started laughing and said, “After we graduated from high school, we joined a softball league for the summer. We thought it would keep us in shape and be fun.
“So we’re at the first game playing at a park we had never been too before. Neil’s stomach was upset, so he decided to go to the bathroom,” Mac continued. “He didn’t pay attention to the sign on the door and accidently went into the ladies room. He was in the stall and had no idea he was in the wrong place until some girls came in and started talking. So there was Neil, in the bathroom with women, freaking out. He pulled up his feet so that they wouldn’t know some strange guy was in there. He had to sit there and listen to them pee and talk about their boyfriend problems because there was no way he could leave the stall as long as the women were in there.
“He was gone for a really long time so I decided to go look for him. Of course, when I went into the men’s room, he wasn’t there. We practically walked into each other coming out of our prospective bathrooms. The team harassed him for a long time over that one.”
“Oh, my gosh. You never tell me juicy stories like that about yourself,” Kate said, patting Neil’s thigh. “How long were you in there?”
“I don’t know. It seemed like forever, but it was probably only a few minutes.”
They enjoyed the rest of their meal over light conversation with each of them sharing something funny from when they were kids. Mitch had the best story about dressing up like a woman on his 21st birthday on a dare. Everyone laughed over that one, especially when he described the drunk guy who kept hitting on him.
Kate was so happy sharing this special night with her friends. Her face was glowing. She knew now that keeping some secrets between her and her husband was exciting and she relished the idea that no one knew they were married just a few hours ago. It was a perfect day to become a bride and she was enjoying every second of it.
They decided after dinner to do a little bit of gambling while waiting for the limo to arrive. Kate won $50 the first time she played Blackjack.
“This must be my lucky day,” she said, leaning into her husband.
Neil kissed her on the cheek and whispered, “No, baby. It’s my lucky day. I’ve been lucky every day since I met you. Kate nuzzled her nose against Neil’s neck and said, “You’re always so sweet to me. I love you.”
“I love you more, baby.”
Neil glanced at his watch. He told everyone that the limo would be arriving in ten minutes. They cashed in their chips and began to make their way through the crowded casino toward the front entrance. The limo was pulling up as they walked out.
Chapter 21
Roger pulled up in front of Kate and Neil’s penthouse. He decided it was time to do some surveillance to see what was going on. He figured Neil still had his security team in place so getting the lay of the land was critically important.
The front of the building was locked with a security guard working on the inside. Going in through the front door was not an option. Based on his military experience there was always a week link and he just had to find it.
He saw Kate’s car in the parking garage, but Neil’s car was gone. He assumed that they were out for the evening. Now was his chance to do recon inside their apartment because security would be guarding Kate, not the apartment. The information he obtained would be valuable as he worked to get his girl back.
Roger had scrounged around Rose’s garage for tools to assist him in his endeavor in case he had the opportunity to break in. She didn’t have everything that he wanted, but she had enough for him to work it out. He waited until someone came home and then slipped into the garage after they had entered. He hid behind some parked cars, his presence unnoticed. He stayed hidden for a few more minutes and then began climbing the stairs. Presuming most residents rarely used the stairs, he had a greater chance of avoiding being seen.
Roger jimmied the lock and entered the penthouse, quickly finding the security system and disarming it. Kate had moved up in the world, according to his estimations. He rummaged through the pile of papers on the island and found the wedding planner that Sadie Phelps had given Kate. At first, his blood boiled as he thought of her marrying Neil. After a moment, he decided that wasn’t so bad. Kate would inherit everything that Neil had. He was obviously loaded. No one lived in a place like this without money. Having Neil’s money would make their life easier for them. He wouldn’t have to work and he and Kate could go to some far away island. They could live out their days in the lap of luxury with no one the wiser.
He began wandering around to see what else he could find. He made his way into Neil’s office, where he sat at the desk and began digging through his drawers. He found the reservations for Maui and his mind began to formulate a new plan for getting Kate back. He saw a window of opportunity. There wasn’t a lot of time, but enough to get his ducks in a row. He needed to make fake passports for them and book flights out of the country. He would have to search the internet for countries that wouldn’t extradite to the U.S. .
This was his chance for a fresh start with Kate. He needed to get his son back, too. He couldn’t leave Jacob behind.
Roger jogged up the stairs and investigated Neil and Kate’s bedroom. Since he couldn’t exactly go shopping, he figured he would borrow a few things from Neil and maybe take some more of Kate’s lingerie. He checked out Neil’s closet and dresser and grabbed several items that he was certain Neil wouldn’t miss. He also found a white lace bra and matching thong of Kate’s. He would return it when he saw her again. Roger carefully reset the alarm and closed the door behind him. He heard the elevator coming up and had to slip into a maintenance room to not be discovered. His heart was racing rapidly. He didn’t want to deal with any surp
rises. After waiting a few moments he made his way to the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, he cracked he door slightly. Hearing people talking while waiting for the elevator caused him to remain out of sight. He wished he had some sort of maintenance uniform so he would blend in and no one would notice him. When the voices stopped, he opened the door to be faced with a man wearing thick glasses. Roger’s first instinct was to eliminate the man, but realized that the glasses would make Roger less identifiable, so he passed the man quickly and left the same way he came in.
Roger made his way back to Rose’s house. He had told her he had a few errands to run and would be back in a couple of hours. She was home waiting for him, so loyal, much like a golden retriever. He sure knew how to pick them.
“I got the note you left for me,” she said. “Thanks for letting me know you wouldn’t be home for dinner. I kept the food out in case you wanted to eat when you got home.”
Roger smiled and said, “Thanks, Rose. That was very thoughtful of you.”
He proceeded to heat up his food. Scheming at Kate’s place had made him hungry. Roger put his plate on a TV tray and joined Rose in the living room.
“Any word from Paulina?” Rose asked when Roger was settled.
“Yeah, I talked to her earlier today. Everything is fine. She and Jacob are staying at my place,” he said, the lies flowing so easily. “I think we all need a little space right now, so I’m going to stay here with you for a while if that’s okay.”
“You can stay with me as long as you like,” she said. “I’m enjoying having the company.”
“Me, too,” Roger said.
“What do you want to watch on TV?” she asked.
“Do you get Showtime?” he asked. “I’m always in the mood for Dexter.”
“Yeah, that can be arranged,” Rose said. She began searching the guide on her TV and found all of the Dexter episodes. Apparently in the search menu, they were archived. “Any particular season? We could do a Dexter marathon.”
“Let’s just start with the first season and see what happens,” he said. “I love the marathon idea.”
Rose selected the first show and began playing it. Roger settled into the couch, expecting to have some inspiration somewhere along the line from watching Dexter. It was a show after his own heart, after all. He admired Dexter’s style and had read the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter, but he liked the show more. The graphic violence spoke to him, providing ideas to help him to accomplish his goals.
As far as doing a little internet research, that would have to wait until Rose wasn’t around. He didn’t want her to see what he was doing. He needed her as an ally right now. She may play into his plan, but he wasn’t sure yet. So she was safe for now and he’d fuck her as much as he could before he took Kate again.
The first show ended and Rose turned to Roger. “That was chilling,” she said. “I’ve never watched Dexter before. He sure is a sick bastard, isn’t he?”
Roger didn’t respond to her question. “Are you up for watching another one?” he asked.
“Sure, as long as you’ll protect me if I get scared,” she said, running her hand up his thigh.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of you.”
Chapter 22
Neil and Kate returned home late Sunday afternoon. “I left a message for my mom and one for Eric about dinner on Saturday night. They both texted me back that they can come. It will be our first dinner party.”
Neil smiled. “Feeling like a domestic goddess? You sure look like a goddess.”
Kate looked up at her husband through her thick lashes. “Mr. Statton, did you invite your family to our home for dinner yet?”
“No, I’ll call them right now. I’ve been a little busy with becoming your husband,” he said lifting her off the ground as he hugged her.
Kate kissed her man. “You make the calls and I’m going to unpack and get laundry going.”
When Kate returned from upstairs, Neil had just finished his call. “Looks like we are going to have a full house on Saturday. I was thinking we should have it catered since you have mid-terms to get ready for.”
“Mid-terms,” Kate mumbled. “It’s much more fun to play house with you than study for exams.”
“I know baby, but you have goals that you want to achieve and I would hate for all of your hard work this semester to go down the drain.”
“You are always so practical. I need that sometimes.”
Kate’s phone lit with an incoming call from Jameson. “Hi Detective, have you caught Roger yet?” she asked with great hope in her voice. “I see… Really, it was them? Oh, my God, that poor man… . Nothing’s happened on our end…yes, I still have security. Police drive-by’s would be appreciated…I’m sure you want to catch him as much as we want you to. Thanks for the update…Okay, good night.”
Kate put her phone down. Neil took her by the hand and led her upstairs to the bathtub. “Let’s soak in the tub and you can tell me what he said.”
Once they were settled in the tub, Kate began to tell Neil about the conversation. “Roger is still alive, they have ruled him out as the body found in the car.”
“That’s what we figured. He’s a cockroach. They don’t die easily.”
“The remains found in his apartment are from Rick and Rose.”
“Not surprising.”
“No sign of Paulina,” Kate said with a tremble in her voice.
“That’s too bad. Sick bastard. Are you okay? It’s a lot to take in.”
“I want to be. I don’t want him to control us, but right now he is. I’m grateful that we have security, so I do feel safe, but I was just hoping he had been apprehended and we could move on.”
“I know. You have had so much to deal with Roger, I haven’t even asked you how you’re feeling about your dad. Do you think about him very much?”
“Roger has been a huge distraction from grieving the loss of my dad, but he did come to mind when we saw the little girl at the gas station with her rabbit.”
“Really? A rabbit?”
“When I was little, we always had rabbits. I guess because they were easy to take care of. Of course one became a mom and had eight babies. I was a little entrepreneur and sold them each for $3.00. I thought I was rich having $24.00. Funny what kids think,” Kate said with a smile.
Neil nodded. “Does that memory make you miss your dad?”
“We really didn’t have a relationship for me to miss. What I am mourning is the relationship that I wanted to have with him, but never did. The fantasy in my head that was never fulfilled. I think that might be harder to get over than reality.”
“I can understand that. I always wanted Mac’s dad to be mine growing up. He played ball with us, took us to baseball games, camping, all sorts of things. My dad didn’t have time to do those things with me. I always wanted something from him that he couldn’t or wouldn’t give. It’s better now, but we can’t change the past back.”
“Working with him is okay though, right?” Kate asked with a concerned expression.
“Yes, we have a good relationship now. Mutual respect and all.”
The somber expression said all that Neil needed to know. “Baby, let’s make a pact right now to be better parents than what we had growing up. We can even take parenting classes if we have to,” Neil said.
Kate sighed heavily. “I already know that you are going to be an amazing father,” she said. “I’m committed to our lives together and doing whatever it takes; in good times and in bad. Dr. Cox texted me that he scheduled an appointment for us on Tuesday night. I hope that’s okay.”
“What time?”
“Seven.”
“That should work. How about I give you some Neil therapy right now?”
“Well, what would that kind of therapy entail, Mr. Statton?” Kate asked with a crooked grin.
Neil moved toward her, making water splash over the edges of the tub. “You’ll see, my beauty.”
***
Kate we
nt to her classes with two body guards in tow. She was beginning to understand how celebrities that required security felt, never being alone. But, she was grateful to have Hicks and Henderson protecting her.
The semester was over next week for a month off after mid-terms. The craziness of her life had been distracting, but she was prepared enough for her exams to at least pass them. Usually she wanted all A’s, but right now she’d settle for passing and having this semester be a distant memory. She hadn’t decided if she was taking the spring semester off. It would be a set back if she did and continuing to move forward in her life gave her some power back, so she was looking at the schedule to determine what classes to take. Maybe a happy medium would be attending part-time in the spring and then making up for lost time by taking summer classes. Something to consider.
Neil had been working hard on his case involving the client charged with bribery. It had become more complicated as the client was being connected indirectly to some murders that had occurred. He was distracted, but promised to attend the counseling meeting with Dr. Cox, saying he would meet her there.
Kate arrived at Dr. Cox’s office with her entourage of former Navy Seals protecting her. They waited in the lobby for Neil to arrive. To Kate’s surprise, Neil was running late. She went in and began talking with Dr. Cox after Neil texted he’d be there in ten minutes.
“You seem a little nervous Kate,” Dr. Cox noticed.
“I am. I have been anxious and it doesn’t seem to be subsiding. Between Roger, my dad’s death, getting married, exams. It’s hard to relax and sleep.”
“I know you didn’t want one before, but I can give you a prescription for anxiety. It could help you right now.”
Kate nodded. “Yes. A prescription would be good.”
As Dr. Cox wrote on his pad, Neil came through the door. “Dr. Cox, I’d like you to meet Neil Statton.” The men shook hands and Neil joined Kate on the sofa.
“So, we have a blessed event coming up—your marriage--congratulations to you both. I hope you find our sessions to be helpful.”
“I’m sure we will,” Neil replied.
Given to You Page 17