by Jeannie Moon
“NO! NO! You can’t take her. You can’t! Why would you take her? My husband—”
Meg was cut off by the snide response of her mother-in-law. “Your husband isn’t here. He’s out of the country. But just like the past, Meg, when you thought he was yours, he stayed loyal to his family.”
“No, he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t.”
His mother tapped the folder. “He signed one of the documents. It’s right in there.”
Meg didn’t even have time to process Jason’s betrayal before the sheriff pushed her aside and took Molly by the hand. “NOOOOOOO!” the little girl screamed, and when she fought him too much, the deputy picked Molly up and carried her to the car.
“Noooo, Mommy! NO! I don’t want to go. Mommy!!! No, let go of me! Mommmmmy, M-m-o-ommy.” Her sobs were only drowned out by Meg’s as she followed the sheriff and Molly to the car.
“Molly, oh, no, please. Don’t do this. Molly.” The court worker sat with Molly in the back of the sheriff’s car, and the deputy held Meg back. Molly was still screaming and lunging for the closed window. Once he let her go, Meg pressed a trembling hand to the glass. The sobs were choking her. She couldn’t cry, couldn’t scream; everything was bottled up inside, and before she could do anything the sheriff’s car pulled away.
Chasing it about halfway down the driveway, Meg stumbled and landed on her knees, crumbling onto the pavement. She let out a howl of pain that sent the birds scattering from the trees.
Unable to stand, she stayed on her knees in the cold driveway until a pair of designer shoes appeared in front of her.
“You were never going to win,” Alicia Campbell said. “The marriage is a sham. Everyone knows it, and we petitioned the court to grant us custody based on your fraudulent adoption application.”
“It’s not a sham. It’s not. We love her, and we’re going to be a family.”
“No, Megan. Jason never had any intention of making this permanent. You should know by now he can’t be trusted. Look what he did to you last time. Did you really think he would change?”
Meg was sobbing now, freezing, and still on the ground. She wanted to turn on her side and curl into a ball. The pain of losing Molly and hearing that Jason knew about this was killing her. If she couldn’t have them, she’d just as soon curl up and freeze right here.
“Learn your place, Megan. You’ll never win against us. Never. I wouldn’t stand for it.”
***
Meg didn’t know how long she was curled up in the driveway when she heard another car pull in. She slowly realized she was still clutching the court documents that remanded Molly to the Campbells’ care, unable to believe this was happening to her. “Why? Why did they do this?”
“Meg? Oh, my God. Meg, what happened?”
It took Meg a second to realize the voice belonged to Harper.
“Are you hurt? Meg, say something!” Harper looped her arm around Meg and helped her sit. The cold took hold and Meg started to shiver, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. “God, you’re freezing. Let’s get you inside.”
“They took Molly.”
“What? Who? Who took her? Was she kidnapped?”
Meg shook her head and held out the court papers. Her hand was shaking, but it didn’t take Harper long to read the first document and see what had happened. “Son of a bitch. Oh, no.”
Meg still hadn’t moved. She was bone tired, shivering, and had nothing left. Nothing that mattered.
“Come on.” Harper grabbed her under the elbow and got her to her feet, wrapping her arm around her as they walked to the house. “You need to warm up, and I have to mobilize the troops.”
“She said she knew our marriage was a fake and they told the court the adoption was a scam. But it’s not, Harper. It’s not. We want to be a family.”
Harper nodded as she moved her through the house to Jason’s office. “I know, Meg.”
“Mrs. Campbell said Jason knew this was going to happen, that he . . . he . . .” Tears started to choke her as she dropped into a large chair. “He wouldn’t do this. Why would she say he would? He wouldn’t.”
“Not a chance.”
***
An hour later, Meg was sipping hot tea that Harper was forcing her to drink, and she was feeling warmer, but not any more hopeful. “They always win, don’t they?”
Harper was sitting at Jason’s desk, working on her laptop. She turned and pushed her hair behind her ear and then moved herself next to Meg.
“People like the Campbells don’t care about anyone. I’ve known a lot of people like them, and they don’t care who they hurt as long as they come out on top.”
“They said Jason knew what they were doing. That he betrayed me once and he was doing it again.”
“I don’t believe that. And I hope you don’t, either.”
Meg shook her head. “No. Have you talked to him?” Harper glanced away and pressed her lips together. Meg had a pretty good idea that she hadn’t. “Has he ever been out of contact like this?”
“Yes,” Harper said. “The last time he was on Crete. Look, this has got to be killing you. I know his itinerary had him with several members of the bank’s board of directors for a dinner cruise on the chairman’s yacht. Then he’s supposed to get some sleep and leave there at five in the morning their time.”
Meg drew a breath. “That’s ten o’clock tonight.”
“I know. He won’t be here until about noon tomorrow.” Meg dropped her head and tried to keep the tears at bay. She didn’t know what Jason would do if he were here, but she just wanted to talk to him. Just needed him to hold her.
Harper stood and came to where Meg was sitting. “I don’t believe for one second he betrayed you. I looked at all the documents, and the one with his signature looks funny to me. Our attorneys have mounted a challenge, and we’re all calling everyone we can.”
Meg nodded, acknowledging what Harper was saying, but all she could think about was the way Molly was taken from her. “I want Molly home,” Meg said. “I keep hearing her screams, and it’s awful.”
“I know. I’ve tried everything to get in touch with Jason. Sometimes the calls just don’t go through.”
Meg wondered what was going through Molly’s head. Wondered how she was going to get her back. The Campbells held all the cards, and she couldn’t see any way to beat them.
“Meg, don’t lose faith.”
“I don’t know if I have any left.”
***
The sat phone rang in the airplane cabin and the steward picked it up. Jason was relieved it was working again; he hated being out of touch. And he’d been out of touch for two days. The meetings with the bank had been exhausting and pointless. Essentially, he wasted several days on nothing.
“It’s your brother, Mr. Campbell.”
What the hell? He expected to hear from Meg. Harper. Maybe Owen or Nate. But Josh?
He took the handset. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Jay, there’s a problem. Our parents have petitioned for control of Molly’s trust.”
“What? They can’t do that! It’s in your control, and we’re adopting her. No court will give it to them.”
“Yeah, about that. Mom showed up at your house yesterday morning with a family court social worker, a sheriff, and a court order. They removed Molly from the house. She’s at the estate. I just came from there.”
Oh, shit. Oh, shit. “Meg . . .”
“Mom said the last she saw of Meg, ‘She was lying in the driveway like a piece of garbage.’ She’s charming, our mother.”
“Molly?”
“Is hysterical. I saw her, and she begged me to take her home. This is such a fucking mess. You were right about them.”
Jason’s stomach lurched, and he tried to process everything his brother said. Meg. Oh, my God. What was Meg thinking?
“Harper is at your house with Meg,” Josh continued. “I called there first, but Meg thinks I’m involved in all this. There’s some paper you supposedly
signed, too, but Harper is convinced it’s forged. Another thank-you goes to Mom for that one.”
“Oh, shit, Josh. I have another hour of flying time.”
“I’ll meet you at the airport.”
“Thanks.” Jason didn’t know why, but there was some relief knowing his older brother was in this with him. “I’m going to call home.”
Chapter 21
After thirteen hours of flying, a slow refueling stop, and his nerves fraying one at a time, Jason stormed into the house, Josh following, and found Harper in the kitchen with Owen and Nate. All three of them were on their phones, talking at the same time, and all three stopped when he walked in.
“Someone talk to me. How long has Meg been gone?”
He called the house to talk to her after he got off the phone with Josh. She was hysterical, and he could barely understand her. He called again as soon as he landed, and that’s when Harper discovered that Meg was gone. Her car was gone, and no one knew where she was.
His wife was distraught. Not only was Molly gone, but his parents were trying to make it look like he’d betrayed her.
Harper shrugged helplessly. “She was in your office resting. I was getting a thousand calls, and I didn’t want to upset her, so I came in here. When I went to take her the phone when you called, I don’t know, forty-five minutes later, she was gone. Based on that, at least two hours.”
He ran his hands through his hair, feeling helpless. “Someone tell me about this court order my parents got.”
Nate nodded. “I talked to a friend of mine in family court, and the petition was drafted a couple of weeks ago. There was evidence presented. Attorneys are working on getting it reversed now because it looks like at least one of the documents was forged.”
Jason leaned his elbows on the kitchen counter and dropped his head in his hands. “Jesus Christ, this is a nightmare.”
His cell phone started buzzing, and Jason looked at the unfamiliar number. “Jason Campbell.”
The voice on the other end of the line told him what he wanted to know about Meg, but Jason died a little when he found out where she was.
“I’m on my way. Thank you.”
Josh stepped toward him. “Meg?”
Jason could barely say the words out loud. “She’s at the medical center. She had a car accident.”
“Is she okay?” He’d never seen Josh concerned about anyone but himself, but he was concerned about Meg.
“They wouldn’t tell me. Oh, God . . .”
Harper was next to him, rubbing his back. “Go. She’s probably fine. Just go.”
Josh grabbed his keys and guided Jason’s steps.
“I can’t lose her, Josh. I can’t.”
“It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m the person I want to be when I’m with her.”
“You can tell her that.”
***
Meg lay on the treatment bed in the emergency room at the county medical center and wondered why God had let her survive the crash. When she swerved to keep from hitting a deer, she didn’t know that the wet leaves would send her hurtling into a tree. Right before impact, Meg wondered if she’d make it.
She’d lost Molly. She was tired of fighting. So tired.
Now she had a broken arm and more bruises than she wanted to count. Her arm had been set, and she was waiting to see yet another doctor when she heard a commotion outside the treatment room and saw people in scrubs go running.
There was a crash, the sound of metal hitting the linoleum floor, and then a big booming voice. Jason’s big booming voice.
“I don’t give a flying fuck about privacy! Where is my wife?”
“Sir. Please. I don’t want to call the police.”
“Call them! Go ahead! I want to find my wife. They told me she was here.”
Meg knew she was supposed to stay in bed, but she’d never listened to anyone before, and there was no reason to start now. And she needed to see him. To find out what happened to Molly.
Sitting up she felt a little dizzy, but once it passed, she swung her legs to the side and stood. Everything hurt. Everything. But she took some steps, and soon she was in the hallway looking at her guy. He looked upset and exhausted. His brother stood nearby, and Jason was listening to a nurse who’d managed to calm him down. There was a security guard standing by, but Jason wasn’t raging anymore.
The nurse patted his arm and he nodded. Then Jason turned his head and he saw her. She saw him mouth her name, and within seconds she was wrapped in Jason’s arms. “Oh, thank God. Meg. Thank God.”
He was holding her so tight, and deep down, Meg knew he hadn’t betrayed her. She could feel it in the way he held her, in the way he said her name.
He would never betray her.
“Oww, oww.” She suddenly felt pain in her arm and shoulder where they were crushed between them.
He jumped back a little, concern etched on his features. “Oh, God! I’m sorry. Jeez, did I make it worse? I’m so glad you’re all right.”
“I don’t know if I’m all right, but I’m not dead.”
“Oh, baby.” Jason stroked her face with one hand and kept the other laced in her hair. “I love you, Meg. I love you. I can’t lose you, and I will get Molly back. I will.”
She nodded. “Okay, I . . . I . . .”
“I love you.”
Meg leaned her head against his shoulder, and with a nurse directing him, he gently led her back to the treatment room. Once Meg was settled, she tried to relax, but she kept thinking about Molly in the back of the car yesterday.
Jason was talking to her doctor, and to her surprise, Josh stood by the treatment room door. He smiled and she was surprised again, because he didn’t do it that often. And especially not at her. Too bad. He actually looked like a human being when he did. “Hey there, champ,” he said.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m the designated driver. Distraught husbands don’t belong behind the wheel.”
Jason took her good hand when the doctor left. “Josh is here to help.”
“Help? Josh?” she asked. Josh never helped anyone except himself.
“Yeah.” Jason leaned in and kissed her temple. “Okay, you’re being released, and once we’re home we can get updated on the challenge to the court order. Harper’s been at it since yesterday.”
“She’s been so great. Don’t you dare fire her.” Meg would still be frozen in the driveway if Harper hadn’t come when she did, and she’d been nothing but compassionate since the whole mess went down.
“Really?” Jason found Meg’s shoes, slipped them on her feet, took her hands, and helped her stand, grinning because he knew she’d read his letter. “I guess she needs a raise.”
Meg agreed. “A big one.”
***
Once Meg was settled in their bed, Jason gave her the pain medication she’d been prescribed, knowing it was going to knock her out. She needed to sleep, and by the time he left the house with his brother to get Molly, she was snoring like a drunken frat boy. He was so relieved she was safe at home that he wondered when he was finally going to crack.
Emotions had swamped him when he’d helped her change and seen all the bruises forming on her body. All he could think about was how lucky they were that she wasn’t more seriously hurt.
“She’s okay,” his brother said, as if reading his thoughts. “And we’re getting Molly now. The sheriff will meet us at the gate.”
“I know. I just keep thinking about what could have happened.”
“But it didn’t, and your miracle worker of an assistant got this court order thrown out in record time. How the hell does she do it?”
“I have no idea.” That was the truth. He had no idea how Harper got anything done. But she always did.
“I could use her. The firm is in deep trouble. Having Molly’s money would sure help our parents out of trouble.”
When they pulled up at the gate, the sheriffs were already there. They’d sent tw
o cars to help out. Josh pressed a button in the car that was programmed for the gate, and once it opened, the two county cars went in ahead of them.
It was five thirty. That meant his mother was on her second martini, having a strict rule about never having a drink before five in the evening. Of course, by six, she’d be starting her third.
He got out of the car in time to see Carla open the front door.
The sheriffs and social worker went inside, and Jason and Josh were right behind them. Carla smirked and looked at the brothers with skepticism and approval. Her smile said it was more the latter. “You two on the same team now?”
“Where Molly’s concerned, it would seem so,” Josh said.
“It’s about time,” she snarled.
Jason kissed her cheek and entered his family home for the last time. He’d never come back here. Never. This part of his life was over, and once Molly was home, he was going to start the next phase, the one that mattered, with Meg.
His girl. Always.
***
Meg watched the dark settle out the bedroom window and tried to sip the soup her mother had brought up on a tray. Her stomach was a little shaky from the medication and the nerves of wondering where Jason had gone while she was asleep.
“Not hungry?” her mother asked.
“No, not really.” She adjusted her body and moaned because everything was starting to hurt. But she really had to move. “I think my bruises have bruises.”
Her mom nodded and was right there to remove the tray so Meg could stand and stretch. She wobbled a little, and her mother stood by in case she needed a hand for support.
Walking around, Meg steadied herself and realized that standing was the most comfortable position at this point.
Turning slowly in the middle of the room, Meg tried to decide if she should crawl back into bed or opt for the chair for a while. The bed looked comfortable, but she knew she’d be even stiffer if she didn’t stay up.
Her mother was sitting in the chair by the fireplace that dominated one wall in the master bedroom and was looking at a book. Meg was still standing. “Do you know where Jason went?”