Two Years Later

by Jones, Lisa Renee

  I cup her head, wanting to tell her I know, but now isn’t the time. “A husband who loves his wife and wants everything with her?” I kiss her. “Let’s go and get back. We have a date for pizza, no olives or wine, and I intend to keep that date.”

  She laughs. “Suddenly I think I might want the olives.”

  And I think I might just want her. Forget the pizza, no wine. We can’t get this meeting over and back home soon enough for me.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Cat

  “How much can I reveal?” I ask as Reese and I settle into the back seat of Royce’s SUV, both of us now in jeans and button-down shirts. “I need to call my editor.”

  “Scoop it, baby,” I say, squeezing her. “It’s out tomorrow anyway.”

  “Don’t name me as a source,” Royce says. “But otherwise, go for it.”

  I grab my phone. “My editor is going to have an orgasm with no man present.”

  Reese and Royce both laugh. I punch in my editor’s number and she answers immediately. “I was about to call you. Word is they’re searching houses.”

  “And dismissing the charges against Dana tomorrow. I’m going to tell all. I’ll have my column to you in about an hour.” I think about Dana. “Actually, I need two.”

  “We’ll make it work. Write it, baby!” She hangs up. I pull out my MacBook and I have a brief moment when I think of Reese in the hallway of our apartment earlier, worried about me and us. What I felt in him and from the experience with Debbie helps me connect to all the things Dana must be feeling. I start to type:

  Lies never end well. People suffer. People hurt. In the end, though, we all hope that the truth wins. It has. The truth has won.

  Reese leans close and studies my words. His lashes lower and there is this new torment in him that I don’t understand. I touch his cheek and give him a questioning look. “And we’re here,” Royce says. “I’m going to valet.”

  Reese kisses my hand and my door is open by a hotel employee. Reluctantly, I shut my MacBook and suddenly wonder if Reese has guessed I’m pregnant and read something bad into my silence. Oh God. He has. I know him. I scoot out of the vehicle and before I can even speak to Reese, Royce is by our sides.

  We head inside and I spy a seating area. “I’m going to park myself right there.” I push to my toes and kiss Reese, and stay right there, close to him. “Whatever is bothering you, you’re overthinking it. Be as confident in us as I am.”

  He cups my head and despite the busy lobby and his preference for privacy, he kisses me. “I love you, Cat. I’ll be back soon.” He starts to move away and I catch his arm.

  “I love you, too.”

  His lips curve and he leans in and kisses me again before he joins Royce at the elevator. I watch him disappear into the car and then claim my seat to start typing, certain that every word will be motivated by the ironic way the lies that have attacked our lives, have attacked Dana and this trial.

  ***

  Reese

  “I think she’s pregnant,” I say when the elevator doors shut. “I think she’s pregnant, and she has regrets about it because of Debbie. I need that DNA test, Royce. Whatever it takes, however much it costs.”

  Royce glances over at me. “You think she has regrets? Why?”

  “She hasn’t told me. How can she want to be pregnant after another woman just claimed I fucked around on her?”

  “I know people, and on top of that, your wife is close to my wife. Cat is not filled with any kind of regret.” The elevator halts and we step into the hallway, but we stop right there.

  “I didn’t think so,” I say. “But why the hell hasn’t she told me?”

  “Lauren and I had two pregnancies and one failed,” he says. “The second time she waited a few weeks to tell me because she knew I’d be crushed if we lost the baby. I guessed just like you seem to feel that you have and that’s when she told me. Maybe she just wanted out from under all of this before she told you.”

  “Well,” I say. “I can’t blame her for that.” I think of her birthday surprise. Maybe that’s why she’s waiting, but I need to fucking know. “Let’s go deal with this.”

  We head down the hallway and knock on the door. Savage answers quickly. “Bossman one and two,” he greets. “We have pizza. Come. Eat. Talk.”

  We join him just inside the doorway, a hallway separating us from the living area where Dana is likely waiting. “She’s feeling thankful and reasonable,” Savage murmurs softly.

  Royce glances at me. “We’ll stand outside. I’ll join you when you’re ready.”

  I nod and round the corner to find Dana standing, now in sweats and a tee, her arms crossed in front of her. “Tomorrow in court the charges will be dropped.”

  Her eyes go wide and she starts to cry. “Oh my God. Oh my God.” She races forward and hugs me. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She pulls back to look at me. “Did Reginald do it?”

  “Let’s sit,” I say and she claims a chair while I claim the couch.

  “Well?” she asks, nervously.

  “Martha is being arrested, but they aren’t ruling out Reginald. They could still re-charge you. This isn’t an acquittal. That means you can’t leave yourself exposed. Get on a plane and go somewhere where you and this case have distance. Keep me informed so I can reach you.”

  “And don’t take Reginald,” she says.

  “Distance yourself and let this play out. I don’t think Reginald will be charged but give this time to tie up. If he loves you, he’ll wait. If you love him, this is better for him, too.”

  She presses her hands to her face and then looks at me. “I’m going to go to Paris. I have a friend there. Now that it’s over, I want it to stay over.”

  “Good decision,” I say.

  “When can I have Reginald join me? When is it safe?”

  “When they clear him. I’ll let you know.” I then make an attempt to escape. “I’m going to have Royce update you with a few more details.”

  “Can you please stay? I feel like I need your input on any question I might have.”

  “I can’t. I need to take care of some things, which is why I’m going to let Royce answer your questions on his own.”

  She ignores my reply and then proceeds to ask me a good forty minutes of questions before I’m finally standing. “Thank you, Reese,” she says. “You’re worth every penny you charge.”

  I give her a nod. “I try to be.” I walk to the door and exit to the hallway. “She’s in a good place,” I say. “I just need to have you, Royce, give her a chance to ask questions. And then I need your team to make sure she gets on a plane out of the city once she’s released tomorrow.”

  “Done,” Royce says, his eyes narrowing. “You’re not going to wait on me, are you?”

  “No. I need some time with my wife.” I eye Savage, “Without you or your men.”

  “Understood,” both men murmur, and they’ve barely spoken the word before I’m walking away.

  I impatiently step onto the elevator and punch the lobby button. If my wife is pregnant, I not only need to know. I need to know that she’s happy. That’s not a conversation that can wait until my birthday, if that’s her plan.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Reese

  The minute Cat sees me she shuts her computer. “Perfect timing. I just sent my column to my editor. Where’s Royce?” she asks, stuffing her MacBook into her briefcase.

  “I left him to talk with Dana,” I say, helping her to her feet.

  “Is she okay? Is she thinking straight?”

  “Remarkably clear headed. She’s going to visit a friend in Paris. I’m past due some quality time with my wife.”

  “I’m with you all the time,” she says, her hand settling on my chest, those beautiful green eyes of hers searching mine. “What’s going on with you, husband?”

  “We need some time together without everything else suffocating us. And now it’s all
but over with the exception of a few loose ends. The case. Debbie. All of it.” I bring her fingers to my lips and kiss them. “Let’s go home. I ordered a car on the ride down.” I wrap my arm around her and we start walking. I have a moment when I consider that maybe she’s not pregnant, but if she’s not, she’s not. She’ll know that I very much want her to be the mother of my children. She’s the entire reason I want children. This world needs more people like Cat.

  The car is waiting for us outside, and we’re inside and at our apartment in a few short minutes. Once we’re inside the building, I think about feeding my wife. “Pizza, no olives?”

  “Pizza with olives,” she laughs. “I’m suddenly really wanting olives again.”

  The elevator opens and once we’re inside the apartment, I start to order pizza and hesitate. We need to talk. I link our fingers and lead her to the bedroom, sitting her down on the couch where I proposed, that overlooks the city. We both sink down into the cushion, our legs connected. And as we do often, especially as we shift from one challenge to another, we stare out at the city. Parenthood would certainly be a new challenge.

  “When do you go back to the doctor?”

  She looks over at me. “Who said I do?”

  “Do you?”

  “Yes. Monday.”

  “Good. I’ll go with you.”

  “You’re not going to the doctor with me, Reese,” she says, looking away. “I’m fine.”

  “And if I want to go?”

  I glance over at him. “Why would you want to go?”

  He stares at me several long beats before he says, “Because I love you. Because I’m worried about you. Why else would I want to go, Cat?”

  “Whatever your question is, the answer is yes.”

  I arch a brow. “Yes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t ask it though,” she warns. “It’s your birthday present.”

  “Holy fuck.” I go down on a knee in front of her. “Are you pregnant, Cat?”

  “Reese!” She leans forward and presses her hands to my face. “I told you not to ask.”

  “Tell me,” I order.

  “Reese—”

  “Say it, Cat.”

  “Stubborn man. Okay. Yes, I’m pregnant.”

  I bury my face in her lap and press my hand to her belly, emotions sideswiping me, momentarily overwhelming me. I look up at her. “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure. How do you feel about it?”

  “Blessed. Happy, Cat, I’m happy but it’s you I’m worried about. How do you feel about it? You didn’t tell me.”

  “Blessed. Happy. Of course, I wanted to tell you. We’ve always talked about this, but I found out right before your opening statement. I wasn’t going to distract you from that and then I was going to tell you once you were past that, but then Debbie—”

  “You had to deal with Debbie, while you were pregnant. Please tell me you haven’t been regretting this, Cat.”

  “My God, no. Regret your child, our child? Never. I knew Debbie stole a little of my joy and I didn’t want her to steal yours. I wanted this moment to come when we were past her threats and I wanted it to be special. Why do you think I did the whole ‘end this in one week’ demand? That’s not like me. I kept telling myself I could make it until your birthday, which I was going to tell you then no matter what, but it was killing me to hold it back.”

  I lay her down on the couch on her side and go down with her, facing her. “I understand why you held it back. I do. You tried to protect me and something special between us.”

  “Yes. Very much.”

  “And you succeeded. Now we don’t have to think about Debbie or Dana.” I laugh. “Let’s stay away from names that start with a D. Boy or girl?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t even know when we’ll know. I had to see the nurse. The doctor is gone until my next appointment.”

  “Due date?”

  “June 11th.”

  “Do you want a boy or a girl?” I ask.

  “Either, but a boy that can be just like you would be very special. You?”

  I stroke hair from her eyes. “Either, but a girl that can be just like you would be very special.”

  She smiles, but it fades quickly. “This wasn’t how we planned this,” she says. “We were waiting a while. I was on the pill. I don’t know how it even happened but it did. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

  “It seems to be that little one in your belly made that decision for us and yes, Cat. I’m fucking perfect.”

  “You’re not scared?”

  “Should I be?”

  “Well, I wasn’t, but now that we’re talking about it, it’s hitting. There’s a baby in my belly and we’re responsible for that life. That feels intimidating.”

  “If it didn’t,” I say, “you wouldn’t be the perfect mom I know you’re going to be.”

  “Even that statement feels like pressure. Is there such a thing as a perfect mom or dad?”

  “Perfect is you and me doing this together and we’re good at doing things together, Cat. We’ll figure it out and even if we get it wrong, our child will feel loved.”

  Her hand comes to my face. “I need to tell you something. Lauren knows. I was freaking out over holding this back, but afraid of messing with your opening statement. Royce walked in. He overheard. He knows. No one else knows.”

  I laugh. “I put Royce on the spot in the elevator. I told him I thought you were pregnant and that I needed the DNA test from Debbie. Cat, I started thinking that you were—”

  “Not telling you because I doubted you?”

  “Yes. Exactly.”

  “I didn’t think of how my silence might create those feelings for you.” Her fingers trail over my lips. “I just wanted this to be special for us. I promise.”

  I catch her hand and kiss it. “It is. We are.” Her stomach growls and we both laugh.

  “The baby isn’t even born yet, and she’s making herself known,” Cat says. “I’m starving.”

  “She?”

  She smiles. “That slipped out, but maybe it’s instinct. I need that pizza, with olives.”

  “How about half and half in case you change your mind?”

  “I like that idea. I do believe, you, Reese Summer, will be quite skilled at negotiating with a toddler.”

  I laugh and half an hour later we sit at our window eating pizza, and Cat decides she only wants the olives. “I think we need to name this kid Olive.”

  “That’s a bad joke. We will not name our child Olive. What’s the middle name going to be? Branch?”

  We laugh through a selection of names until we close up the pizza box. “When and who do you want to tell?”

  “Lori and Cole should know, I think,” Cat says. “Don’t you?”

  “Agree but what about family?”

  “Can we wait until at least twelve weeks? Just to be sure everything is okay?”

  The tentativeness in her voice draws an instant reaction from me. I lay her down again and settle my knee between hers, my body on the couch next to her. “We will tell people when you want to tell people.” I stroke her cheek. “Cat, I know how disconnected you’ve always felt from your family, and how important ours is going to be to you but know this: That family starts with us. If something were to happen, which it won’t, we still have us. And that will always be the start of good things.”

  Tears pool in her eyes. “Yes. Yes, you’re right. I won’t forget that. That’s why Debbie couldn’t get to me. I know how good we are.”

  I stroke away the dampness on her cheeks. “We’re going to think only good things. Okay?”

  “Yes. Okay.”

  I slide down her body and lift her shirt, pressing my lips to her belly. “Our baby.”

  She smiles and laughs. “Little Olive.”

  “Little Olive,” I jokingly approve. “Now,” I reach for her zipper. “I’m going to need to kiss you from
head to toe, just to make sure you know how happy I am about this news.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Cat

  The morning after Reese learns he’s going to be a father, we wake to the news that Martha has officially been arrested. Everything is going as expected which means Reese and I are in the back of Savage’s SUV on our way to court when my agent calls. “Your publisher read your column this morning along with the rest of the world. They want a book. Ten percent higher than the last deal.”

  “Send me the contract to review,” I say.

  “To review?” Liz demands. “Are you crazy?”

  No, I think, just pregnant. I have a baby to think about, which means deadlines and due dates, have to be considered.

  “Do you know how much money this is?” she adds.

  Since I keep reading about how expensive babies are, I decide the offer is a good offer. “I’m always cautious. I need to review the contract but it’s probably a yes.”

  “Probably?”

  “I need to go,” I say, as we pull up to the courthouse. “I’ll call you later.”

  Reese arches a brow. “Book deal?”

  “College fund.”

  He laughs, and a few minutes later, with Savage still by my side, through at least today, I enter the courtroom. Not much later, there’s a press conference with Reese and Milton, and Dana as the special guest. It’s hours before the crowd thins and Dana is so ready to be away from it all that we discover that she’s already packed and Savage is dropping her off at the airport. “Savage talked to Reginald for me,” she says as we walk her to the side exit with Savage moving on ahead to clear the exterior of the building. “He seems to understand why I can’t talk to him.”

  We stop at the doors to wait on Savage and Dana hugs me and Reese. There are lots of happy words. Finally, Savage waves her onward to join him outside. We’ve just sealed her inside the SUV when she rolls down the window. “Maybe I’ll take Savage to Paris.”

  We both laugh and the SUV pulls away. “You think Savage will go?” I ask.

  “Not Savage. He’s not about money.”