Hook, Line and Shotgun Bride

by Cassie Miles

  Finally, he asked, “What does it say?”

  “It’s all about who owns what. There’s a section about how Neil has no say whatsoever in Waffles.”

  “That should make Yvonne happy.”

  She thumbed through three pages. “There are a bunch of stipulations about if the marriage is annulled, if it ends in divorce after one year or five years or ten.”

  The whole idea of a pre-nup didn’t make sense to him. Maybe he was old-fashioned, but he thought marriage should be about love and partnership and spending your life together. He supposed premarital agreements were prudent, like looking for the emergency exits when you got on a plane. Not that the escape route mattered if you were going down in flames.

  She stopped rifling through the pages. Deliberately, she unfastened the metallic clip and removed two sheets from the center of the stack. “Dammit.”

  He looked toward her. “What’s wrong?”

  “More than I can say.”

  Her eyes narrowed to slits. He could tell that she was clenching her jaw. Though she didn’t say another word, he could tell that she was furious.

  ADOPTION PAPERS! Angela paced the length of the empty conference room beside Josh LaMotta’s office. Neil had slipped an adoption agreement into the middle of their pre-nup. Did he really think that she was too stressed to notice?

  Yes, they’d talked about the possibility. But they’d decided to wait before making a decision. The present and future custody of her child was of the utmost importance to her—not to be handled as a side issue in a pre-nup, as though her son were just another possession that needed to be declared and labeled.

  The west-facing wall of the third-floor PRESS conference room was windows—all bulletproof glass—with a panoramic view of the Rockies. She stared at distant peaks as the sun dipped lower in the sky, wishing that the solar heat could burn away her anger.

  At least, she was clearheaded. The moment she realized that she was looking at adoption papers, she’d decided that she wouldn’t discuss custody in front of Benjy. Though he probably wouldn’t understand, he’d surprised her on more than one occasion with his ability to comprehend. She didn’t want him to think—not for one single moment—that his mommy wouldn’t be with him for the rest of his life.

  A half hour ago, when they arrived at PRESS, Shane introduced her to Josh LaMotta. Then he took Benjy to explore. Apparently, Premier Executive Security Systems was equipped with a great deal of computer equipment, a gym with a full basketball court and a forensics lab. Her only stipulation was that Shane avoid the shooting range in the basement. Benjy already showed far too much interest in guns.

  She paced the length of the conference room again, pivoted and went back the other way. She hoped that she was overreacting, that the adoption papers had been included in the pre-nup by mistake. After she and Neil returned from their honeymoon and got settled into his house, they would discuss custody of Benjy. There were other legal documents that needed to be reviewed and revised as well—life insurance policies and wills.

  She pulled out the chair at the end of the table and sat. In her will, custody of Benjy went to Shane, his godfather. Tom would have wanted Shane to raise his son. And so do I. She didn’t want to change Benjy’s last name; he was Tom’s legacy.

  But Neil would be raising her son, providing a home for him, going to his parent-teacher conferences, taking him to Little League games. Sooner or later, Benjy would start calling him “Daddy.” A shiver ripped down her spine. Tom was his daddy, his only daddy.

  When she heard the door to the conference room open, she bolted to her feet. Josh LaMotta had a serious expression on his face. She was afraid of what he might tell her.

  Chapter Eight

  While Benjy played with Josh in his office, Shane joined Angela in the conference room. Her jaw was tense. Her lips, tight. When she looked up at him, the color of her eyes betrayed her mood—dark gray and hard as steel. Nobody was going to push this lady around, and he was glad to see her determination. He wanted her to stand up to Neil.

  On the long table, she’d made three stacks of documents. She rested her hand on the first pile. “These are conditions I can agree to without hesitation. The middle stack is ‘maybe.’ And the ones on the end are problematic.”

  “Tell me about the problems.”

  “Neil wants to adopt Benjy. These papers are the first step in that process.”

  On the surface, Neil’s intention seemed perfectly natural. Her fiancé was a single man, and she was a mother with a child he loved. It seemed that Neil was doing the right thing, making sure that Benjy was taken care of. “I’m guessing that you’ve talked about custody before now.”

  “Well, yes. And we agreed to make those decisions later.”

  Her reluctance to assign custody said more about her state of mind than Neil’s. She was willing to marry the man and have him raise Benjy, but she didn’t want to think about giving up her child. Shane had a pretty good idea why she was disturbed. “This is about Tom.”

  “Benjy is his son. Benjamin Thomas Hawthorne. I don’t want to change his name to Revere. He needs to know who his father was.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Shane wanted to preserve his memory as much as she did. “I won’t let him forget, and neither will you. But Benjy might benefit from having a flesh-and-blood father.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I’m talking about.”

  She turned her back and stalked away from him. At the far end of the conference table, she whipped around. “I know it’s important for Benjy to have a positive male role model while he’s growing up. And I know Tom would want his son to have a full life.”

  “You don’t have to convince me.”

  “Here’s something you need to understand.” She came back toward him, one deliberate step at a time. “You saw me at the worst time in my life. You stood by me, and I’ll never forget your support and your kindness. But I’m different now. I don’t spend every waking moment thinking of Tom. Not anymore. I have Waffles. I have friends. My life is full, and Benjy is thriving.”

  Though she was looking straight at him, she sounded more like she was trying to convince herself. He said, “I’m proud of you. The way you’ve grown.”

  “I’ll always be Tom’s widow. But I’m about to become Neil’s wife. I’m ready to turn that page.”

  And he wanted to be happy for her. Her life hadn’t been easy; she’d lost both parents and a husband. But was Neil the right man?

  He looked down on the three stacks of papers. “Did Josh have any advice?”

  “He told me not to sign anything that made me uncomfortable.”

  “Hell, I could have told you that much.”

  “He’s really glad that you’re coming to work for him. He told me about how you met.” She reached out, touched his shoulder and gave a light squeeze. “I’m not the only person who thinks you’re a hero. Josh credits you with saving the lives of his three clients.”

  “Just doing my job.” Mountain rescues could be a tricky business, and Shane had a lot of experience both in tracking and in pulling people out of dangerous spots.

  “He says you’re the best hire he’s ever made.”

  “That remains to be seen.” He had a lot to learn about personal security, especially when it came to the electronics. “Can we get back to Josh’s legal advice?”

  “The middle pile is about the possible dissolution of the marriage. Josh said it was one-sided.”

  “How so?”

  “There were a lot of ways I could screw up and cause a divorce. But not so many for Neil.”

  From what he’d seen of her fiancé, that didn’t surprise him. Neil wouldn’t admit to any flaws. “What about the adoption papers?”

  “I’m having a hard time dealing with the fact that Neil tried to sneak this past me. I’ve already made provisions for what happens to Benjy if I up and die.”

  “He comes to live with me.” He reckoned that Ne
il hated the current setup. It might be one of the reasons he was so hell-bent on getting the adoption under way.

  “You’re his godfather.” Her wistful smile contradicted the fire in her eyes, reminding him of her gentleness. “You’ll always be in Benjy’s life.”

  Not if Neil had anything to say about it. Shane was beginning to object to the adoption from his own standpoint. “Did Josh point out any legal problems?”

  “There was a section defining what happens if either Neil or I become incapacitated.”

  “Incapacitated?”

  “It’s designed to cover dire circumstances. For example, if I go into a coma, Neil has full custody and makes decisions for Benjy.”

  “A coma? That’s dire, all right.” Legal documents seldom dealt with the good times. “But it makes sense. What bothered Josh?”

  “The language was too broad. This clause says that Neil has immediate custody if I’m incapable in any way or manner—physically, mentally or emotionally—to care for my son.”

  “Does that mean Benjy could be taken away from you?”

  “If I can’t take proper care of him, yes.” She glanced down at the papers. “I’m sure Neil is just trying to make sure my son is protected.”

  “From you?”

  “Stop it, Shane. Don’t make it sound worse than it is.”

  He couldn’t ignore the threat. Being physically incapacitated fit her earlier example of prolonged hospitalization with a coma. But mentally? Emotionally? According to those vaguely defined terms, she could lose custody of her son if she had a nervous breakdown.

  Her nighttime panic attacks took on darker implications. Had she imagined an intruder breaking into her house? Was she emotionally unbalanced enough to slash her own wedding dress? It wouldn’t be hard for Neil to build a case against her, especially if she was living with him and taking medications he prescribed. He could make her look insane. He might already be laying the groundwork with his supposedly well-meaning suggestions that she should see a psychiatrist.

  “The very same clause,” she said, “applied to Neil. It’s the same wording.”

  “But Neil hasn’t been suffering from vertigo and panic.”

  “Usually, neither am I.” Her lips pinched. “It’s stress. After the wedding, I’ll be fine.”

  “It wasn’t stress that stole your knife and slashed your gown. You didn’t imagine that. I was there. I saw the evidence. Someone carried out that act.”

  Her spine stiffened. “What are you suggesting?”

  “Hell, I’ll do more than suggest.” He couldn’t let her walk into this trap. “Neil is trying to make you look crazy.”

  “I can’t believe that. He’s a world-renowned virologist. There’s no way he’d sneak through a back alley with my knife.”

  “He could hire someone to do it.”

  “But why?” Her voice trembled with anger. “To make me look insane and get custody of Benjy? Why would he want to do that?”

  “I don’t know his motive.”

  “Because there isn’t one.” Furious, she glared at him. “Whether you like him or not, Neil isn’t a monster. He’d never do such things.”

  “Prove it,” he said. “Give me one of those sedatives he prescribed for you and let me have the PRESS lab analyze it.”

  “Fine.” She grabbed her shoulder bag from one of the chairs, dug inside and pulled out the vial. She tapped a pill into her hand and set it on the table. “Take it.”

  He slipped the light blue pill into his pocket. Tersely, he asked, “What do you want to do next?”

  Moving stiffly but swiftly, she got right up in his face. Her cheeks flamed. Her eyes shot daggers. Even her hair looked angry. “If you were anybody else, I’d tell you to go straight to hell. But we’ve been friends for a long time, and I know you think you’re protecting me.”

  He was protecting her. Blinded by her imminent wedding, she couldn’t see the danger coming at her like a freight train. “Correct.”

  “Let it go.”

  “Fine.” Until he had proof, he’d step aside.

  She tossed her head, and her long hair rippled. She flexed her slender shoulders, shaking off her anger. “Okay, then. All right. Can we pretend that we never had this conversation?”

  “I doubt it.” He wasn’t letting go of his suspicions until he was proved wrong. “But we can call a truce.”

  “That’ll have to be enough.” She hoisted the strap of her purse onto her arm. “I need some time to cool down. I’d really like to go back to my house tonight if you think it won’t be dangerous.”

  “I’ll make it safe.” Safer than being with Neil.

  “As for the pre-nup,” she said, “I don’t know what to do. One thing is for sure. I hate the adoption and custody section.”

  He took those papers from the table and tore them in half. For emphasis, he tore the half into fourths.

  Never before had he taken a strong position on what she ought to do with her life. His role had been to stand beside her and offer support. When she did well, he applauded. When she fell apart, he picked up the pieces. He never judged her.

  As she looked at him, her eyes widened as though she were seeing him differently. “Well, I guess that decision is made.”

  “Damn right.”

  He didn’t know why they were playing this game, but he’d make sure that Neil wouldn’t win.

  AT HER HOUSE, Angela stood on the front stoop while Shane checked the door to make sure the lock hadn’t been tampered with. He bent down and focused the beam of a flashlight on the keyhole.

  Benjy hovered close beside him. “What are you doing?”

  “Making sure nobody messed with the door.”

  “It was locked,” she said with some exasperation. Since the real estate agent hadn’t scheduled a showing for today, she’d also fastened the dead bolt before they left. “And I have the key.”

  “Don’t tell your mom, but you don’t always need a key to open a lock.”

  “Really?” Benjy whispered back. “How does it work?”

  “Magic,” she said, hoping that Shane wouldn’t insist on giving her son a lesson on how to pick locks. “Let’s get inside.”

  Shane entered first and turned on the living-room light. He carried a large metal case imprinted with the PRESS logo. It contained the equipment for a top-of-the-line security system, which Josh LaMotta had been happy to provide free of charge with the stipulation that Shane do the installation as a training exercise. Though she was grateful to have the protection, she hated the necessity.

  They’d already had dinner, but she went to the kitchen anyway. There was a lot on her mind, and cooking always helped her concentrate. As she washed her hands in the sink, she looked into her backyard, remembering her terror when she’d thought she saw approaching headlights through this window. Her panic was gone. With Shane in the house, she had no reason for fear.

  He tromped into the kitchen with her son at his side and announced, “We’re going to get started.”

  “Our house is going to be a fortress,” Benjy said. He’d been excited and impressed with all the cool equipment he saw at PRESS. “With computers and valance cameras.”

  “Surveillance cameras,” Shane corrected.

  “Mommy, I want to be a bodyguard when I grow up.”

  “Not so fast,” Shane said. “I thought you wanted to be president.”

  “I’ll be both.”

  “Bedtime,” she said sternly, “is in an hour.”

  Before they left the kitchen, Shane gave her a fond smile. Such a handsome man with his blue eyes and black hair, he truly was one of her best friends. It was impossible to stay mad at him, in spite of the terrible things he’d said about Neil.

  She took a mixing bowl from the cabinet below the sink. Neil had left two apologetic messages on her cell phone, and she needed to call him back, but she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to say. She was still angry about the way he’d dropped that pre-nup on her with his self-importan
t father standing over her and looking down his nose.

  She searched her cupboards. Since she’d been clearing things out, there wasn’t much to choose from. But she could throw together a cinnamon and brown sugar coffee cake for tomorrow morning. As her hands busily sifted the flour and creamed the butter, her brain sorted out what she wanted to say to her fiancé.

  There was no way she’d agree to the custody conditions of the pre-nup. On that point, she was firm. She’d refuse even if he insisted, even if he threatened to call off the wedding.

  She groaned, thinking of the weeks of preparation that would go down the drain. She couldn’t turn back now, she’d gone beyond the point of no return.

  On the other hand, this marriage had turned her life upside down. She was selling this little house that she loved and moving far away from her business. Relocating Benjy presented another set of problems. Though she intended to keep him with the same babysitter when she came to work, she’d need backup nearer to Neil’s house. He’d suggested a nanny, but she didn’t want a full-time employee to take care of her son. Spending time with Benjy was the best part of her day. Why would she want to lose one minute of that precious time?

  Neil really didn’t understand what it was like to be a full-time parent. But he loved Benjy.

  While she stirred the batter, she wondered. Did he love her? When she’d stormed out of his house this afternoon, he made very little effort to stop her. Not that it would have done any good. She wouldn’t have listened. How much do I love him?

  Her wooden spoon stilled. Planning the wedding had been so stressful that she’d forgotten the most important part. She and Neil hadn’t been behaving like two people in love.

  She spooned the batter into the greased pan and slid it into the oven. Call him. Back at the sink, she washed her hands again. From down the hall, she heard Benjy and Shane working on the security alarm project. Maybe she should go and watch them, make sure that Benjy was winding down for bedtime. Call him. She went to the fridge and looked inside. There were plenty of eggs and some wonderful baby Swiss cheese from the deli on Arapahoe. It might be handy to make a quiche. You could never go wrong with quiche.