There You Are

by E. L. Todd

  I was worried what this was going to do to my marriage. I missed the way we used to be. We used to make love every night and hold each other until the sun rose. I was happy.

  Really happy.

  And then that asshole took it away from me.

  I understood Slade’s needs and knew he was suffering. If just a few days went by he got upset. Would this push him away? Would he resent me for it? I moved to his side of the bed then ran my hands up his back.

  He stiffened at the touch.

  I gently grabbed him by the arm and guided him to his back.

  He stared at me stoically, like he wasn’t sure what I wanted or what I was doing.

  I lifted his shirt and pulled it over his head.

  His eyes narrowed on my face, and there was no happiness there. “Trinity, what are you doing?”

  “I just thought…we could try.” My hand moved to the brim of his boxers.

  He grabbed my hand and steadied it. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  My hand shook in his. “Why? Aren’t you frustrated? Don’t you want me?”

  “Of course I do,” he whispered. “But you aren’t ready.”

  “We haven’t even tried—”

  “I can tell you aren’t.”

  I pulled my hand away.

  “You’re just doing this out of guilt and obligation.” He grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on. “Trinity, you don’t owe me anything. Don’t rush into this. It’ll take us some time to be back to normal.”

  “But I don’t want you to be unhappy.”

  He pulled his knees up and rested his elbows on top. He stared at the bed for a moment before he looked at me again. “What happened to you was horrendous. It was wrong and it shouldn’t have happened at all. I wasn’t there so I don’t know every detail. But believe me when I say it’s affected me just as much as it’s affected you. I suffer every day knowing I didn’t protect you.” His voice caught in his throat, full of sadness. “It’s on my mind all the time. This should be the happiest time of your life but that’s been ruined. It’s placed a wedge in our relationship. We can’t hold each other like we used to or just be ourselves. This catastrophe causes me equal pain. You aren’t carrying it alone. And I need just as much time to recover from it.”

  I looked away because I couldn’t stand the sadness in his eyes.

  “So, let’s not rush into this. Let’s give it some time.”

  “I’m sorry this has hurt you so much…that’s why I didn’t want to tell you.”

  His hand snaked to mine on the bed. “Even though it’s painful I needed to know. I can’t let you do this all by yourself. I will fix this. I just need some time.”

  “I’ll fix you too.”

  He looked at me with glossy eyes. “We’ll fix each other like we always do.”

  ***

  The elevator doors opened but I didn’t step out. People walked in the hall, carrying coffee in one hand and a folder in the other. I examined the desk in the corner, the one I hid under when Maximum was chasing me.

  My feet were glued to the ground.

  Slade held my hand and he watched my every move.

  The elevator doors closed but we didn’t press a button to the lobby.

  Slade stared at me but didn’t pressure me.

  I stood absolutely still.

  Slade pressed the button and the doors opened again.

  I stared into the hall.

  Slade ran his thumb over my knuckles.

  The doors closed again and we were enclosed with the elevator music.

  He put his other hand in his pocket and stared at the ground.

  “I don’t know if I can do this…”

  His eyes were glued to the ground before they slowly moved to my face. “You can.”

  “It’s just…that’s the desk I was hiding under when he chased me.” I never told him that part. “I hit the elevator button so he would think I was taking it down to the lobby. When he took the stairwell to catch up to me I ran to the fire exit on the other side of the building.” Retelling the story was a nightmare. I remembered every little detail. I remembered my breathing was haywire because I couldn’t calm down. In that moment, it was life and death.

  Slade watched me with soft eyes. “You know what I think?”

  “What…?”

  “I think that a guy twice your size tried to force you to submit but you kicked his ass and outsmarted him. You’re strong, Trinity. You protected yourself and got out of the situation all on your own. You have nothing to be scared of. Faced with the same evil, you would conquer it again.”

  “I…I never thought about it that way.”

  “You’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, baby. I know you’re scared right now because the whole thing was a nightmare. But remember, you got away. So, there’s nothing to be scared of. I’ll be here the entire time and I promise he’ll never bother you again.” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “I admire you for being so strong. You could have taken this much worse but you didn’t. You’re an inspiration to me.”

  My heart skipped a beat at his words. It was the most beautiful thing I’d heard in a while. “Really? You don’t…think less of me?”

  “No,” he said without hesitation. “I think the world of you. No one else would have been able to get through this like you have. You have my uttermost respect.”

  My eyes burned with tears. “I was so afraid you wouldn’t look at me the same.”

  His arm moved around my waist and he hugged me in the elevator. “I’m more in love with you, Trinity. I’m proud of you for coming here today. I’m proud of you for not giving up.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I couldn’t have married a more beautiful person.”

  I rested my face against his chest and felt his love seep through my skin. Being in his arms was the safest place in the world. His unwavering belief in me gave me strength I didn’t realize I had. “Thank you…”

  He kissed my forehead again. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m just being honest with you.” He looked down into my face then wiped a fallen tear with the pad of his thumb. “Now walk in there and claim your territory. I’ll be here every step of the way.”

  Chapter Eight

  Roland

  “I’m not wearing a dress.” I’d never been to a gay wedding and I was still new to the scene so I wasn’t sure what the protocol was. “And I don’t want you to wear a dress either.”

  Heath put his feet up on the table with a beer in his hand. “When have either one of us ever worn a dress?”

  “Never. But one of us has to wear a dress, right?” It wasn’t gonna be me.

  He rolled his eyes. “We aren’t drags.”

  “But isn’t that what happens at a gay wedding?”

  “No, it depends on what the two people want.”

  “Well, I don’t want to wear a dress.”

  “Neither do I.” He took a drink then chuckled. “You’re funny, Ro.”

  “It’s a serious concern, alright?” I said. “And does someone walk someone down the aisle? How is that gonna work?”

  “Since I don’t have any family, I think your parents should walk with you down the aisle.”

  “I guess.” His last words made me sad. Even after all this time his parents still didn’t approve of him. What kind of parent could turn their back on their son like that? It didn’t make any sense to me. Mom and Dad never treated me differently when I came out of the closet.

  “Let’s do something small like Clementine and Ward,” Heath said. “Just us and the group. I don’t think I even want any flowers or anything like that.”

  “I don’t think I do either.”

  “Then what do we have?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Video games?”

  “That would be cool,” Heath said. “But it wouldn’t be very romantic.”

  “Well, you and I aren’t that romantic anyway.”

  “At least not in front of people,” he added.
>
  “So, then what?”

  “I think we should do the ceremony then go out to eat,” Heath said. “Honestly, I don’t need more than that. I just want to be married. I don’t care about having a big wedding.”

  “Neither do I. And I’ve been to enough weddings lately to last me a lifetime.”

  “Let’s go somewhere cool for our honeymoon,” Heath said. “Like Switzerland.”

  “That would be cool,” I said in agreement. “We can have sex and look at the Alps at the same time.”

  Heath snapped his fingers then pointed at me. “I like your thinking.”

  “Sweet.”

  “So, let’s have Slade marry us—”

  I laughed and couldn’t stop myself. “We’ll be the fourth wedding he’s officiated.”

  “It sounds like his calling.”

  “He’ll be so irritated but he’ll do it anyway.”

  “Then it’s settled. We’ll have something small and we’ll go on our honeymoon afterward.”

  “Cool,” I said. “What should I wear?”

  “A suit?” Heath asked. “That’s probably what I’ll wear.”

  “Okay. When should we do this?”

  “I don’t know…next weekend?”

  “That’s short notice.”

  “Well, if it’s something small we don’t need to plan much. We can just get married on the beach then go to a nice restaurant.”

  “I do like the not planning part.”

  “I’m a genius. What can I say?”

  There was a knock on the door.

  “Must be Conrad,” I said as I got up.

  “Cool. Maybe he’ll play Black Ops with us.”

  I opened the door and saw him on the other side. He’d been busy with Lexie so I hadn’t seen him much. It was nice to see him on my doorstep, looking at me like I was his friend again. “Hey.”

  “Hey, man.” He clapped me on the shoulder and walked inside. “I’m ready to plan this wedding.”

  “Well, we’re actually done.”

  “What?” Conrad asked.

  “We’re going to have a tiny ceremony on the beach and then go out to dinner. That’s about it.”

  “Well, that was simple. Trinity’s wedding plans lasted, like, five years.”

  I laughed. “I remember that. But Heath and I aren’t divas.”

  “That’s less work for me.”

  “So, you want to play Black Ops?”

  “Definitely,” he said. “That sounds a lot more fun than planning a damn wedding.”

  ***

  I was just about to get off work so I texted my dad. Hey. Are you busy?

  Free as a bird. What’s up?

  Even if he were busy he would say that. He could be in a meeting right now and I would never know. Can we grab a bite? I want to talk to you about something.

  Oh no. What did you do now?

  I didn’t do anything. But thanks.

  He sent a smiley face. I’ll meet you at Mega Shake in thirty minutes.

  K.

  I shoved my phone into my pocket then headed to Heath’s desk. “Hey, I’m having lunch with my dad but I’ll meet up with you later.”

  “Cool,” he said. “Have fun.” He gave me that nice smile that I loved.

  I would normally kiss him but since we were at work everything was platonic—and boring. “See ya later.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you too.” I left the building then walked to Mega Shake. Dad was already there. He stood there in his suit and tie and he was texting on his phone, probably talking to my mom. “Hey, old man.”

  “You mean stud?” He put his phone in his pocket. “I respond better to that.”

  “Old man is better.”

  Dad glared at me then nudged me in the side. “You can buy your own food now.”

  “Oh no…because I’m so desperate for cash.”

  He ordered his food then sat down with his tray. I did the same and sat across from him.

  Like always, he had a burger wrapped in lettuce with nothing on it. He didn’t even order fries. And instead of a soda he had an ice tea. It was the most boring meal ever.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “I need help with something.”

  “Anything,” he said. “Just tell me how I can help.”

  “Well, Heath and I decided to get married next weekend,” I said. “Something small on the beach then dinner afterward.”

  “That sounds good to me.” He took a few bites of his burger then set it down. “I think small weddings are more fun anyway. Skye’s wedding was great and I had a blast. But Silke and Arsen’s was pretty beautiful.”

  “Yeah, it was. Heath and I want something small then to take off on our honeymoon.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Switzerland.”

  “That sounds cool. I’ve only been there a few times.”

  My dad had been everywhere. “I’ve always wanted to see the Swiss Alps. It’ll be romantic.”

  “I’m sure it will be,” he said. “Do you want me to pay for it? Is that why you asked me to lunch?”

  “No.” I rolled my eyes. “When have I ever asked you for money?”

  “I paid your tuition, didn’t I?”

  “Hey, you pushed me to go to school. If I didn’t, you would have thrown a hissy fit.”

  “I never throw a hissy fit. When you dropped out I was nothing but supportive.”

  I couldn’t deny that part. “Anyway, I didn’t ask you to pay for it. You just did it. And I’m going to pay you back for it.”

  “I’m never going to take your money so please don’t bother.” My dad was really stubborn when it came to these sorts of things.

  “Anyway, the favor is for Heath, not me.”

  Dad tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean? Is he in some kind of trouble?”

  “No, not at all.” I kept thinking about what he said yesterday. “I think his family should be there. He says they haven’t contacted him in five years. But…I feel like I should try to talk to them. Maybe I can get them to see reason, you know?”

  Dad’s eyes softened. “That’s very sweet, Ro.”

  “He never talks about his family but I know it still bothers him. If I could get them to come and reunite I know it would mean a lot to him.”

  “I think that’s a great idea. You should do it.”

  “That’s what I need help with. I don’t know where they live. I don’t even know their names.”

  “And you think I do?” he asked incredulously.

  “No. But I know you could find out. You’re like James Bond.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I’m not British.”

  “But you do secretive stuff all the time.”

  “And I’ve been married to the same woman for a very long time. That’s not very 007.”

  “Whatever,” I said. “You know what I mean. You have access to stuff I don’t. Can you get the info for me?”

  “I’m sure I can. You plan to go to Ireland on your own?”

  I shrugged. “I guess.”

  “And what are you going to tell Heath?”

  “Uh…haven’t thought this through yet.”

  Dad chuckled. “Well, I’ll get the information and we’ll go from there. I can arrange a private jet to take you there and a driver to get you where you need to go.”

  “See?” I said. “Now that’s something James Bond would do.”

  Chapter Nine

  Sean

  I anonymously leaked the video to every outlet in the media. It was important Maximum Shot didn’t realize I was Slade’s biggest accomplice. I had to make sure my own daughter wasn’t his next target.

  Jeremy walked into my office and handed me my morning coffee and newspaper. “Anything else I can get you, sir?”

  “No, thank you.”

  He walked out and left me alone.

  I sipped my coffee then opened the newspaper. Right on the first page was the headliner. FASHION
GURU MAXIMUM SHOT ACCUSED OF RAPE. My lips automatically rose in a smile when I saw his picture alongside his previous victim. “You’re going down, motherfucker.” I set the newspaper on my desk then turned on the news. Like I expected, every major broadcasting company was playing the video for the whole world to see.

  Vengeance never felt so good. I knew Mike would like the turn of events. And I wasn’t even done yet. With Slade and I working together, we’d make this guy regret every single thing he ever did to my niece.

  My office door burst open and I knew exactly who it was without looking.

  “Did you see the news?”

  “Yep.” I pointed to my television.

  “This. Is. Fucking. Awesome.” He clapped his hands then rubbed his palms together. “He’s going down hard.”

  “I know.” I couldn’t erase my smile. “How’d it go with his wife?”

  “She left him.” Now Slade was grinning. “Packed up her things and left.”

  “Good. I feel bad for her.” Married to a cheating spouse was painful enough but to a sexual predator made it a million times worse.

  “Me too,” Slade said. “But now that she has a heads up she was able to gather all the money she could before she took off. At least she won’t be struggling when the government is seizing his bank accounts.”

  “True. We did a her a favor.”

  “He’s got two kids too,” Slade said sadly. “Poor kids.”

  “That is sad.” I would die if I let my family down like that.

  “Now what?” Slade asked. “The plan is in motion.”

  “My PI says he thinks he’s found something in his tax returns. He’s going to do more digging. If he finds anything we’ll tear Maximum down.”

  “Can’t this woman just press charges?”

  “She could,” I said. “But the process will take forever, and since the assault happened so long ago there’s not a lot of evidence. But if we have a paper trail to tax evasion, the federal court system will drag him under within a snap of a finger. If we want him in prison ASAP that’s our best option.”

  “Okay,” Slade said.

  “If I were you, I would relocate.”

  “What does that mean?” Slade asked.

  I started counting on my fingers. “His wife left him. He’s being accused of rape. And soon he’s going to be in serious trouble with the feds. When people are at a low point like that they’ll do crazy things. You and Trinity should leave your apartment and go somewhere he can’t trace you.”