by Force, Marie
Thank God, this time Flynn is with me. He never leaves my side, keeping his arm around me until the last second, until I’m called to the stand by the prosecutor to provide testimony as to why my father would’ve wanted my former lawyer dead. I’m here to establish motive, or so the prosecutor told me.
“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” the bailiff asks.
“I do.”
“Please be seated.”
I take my seat and keep my gaze firmly fixed on my husband’s handsome face, just the way we planned. If I don’t look directly at my father, he can’t hurt me, or so I tell myself.
The door to the courtroom opens and my mother comes in, taking a seat in the back row. Knowing my parents are no longer together, I hadn’t expected to see her here, and her appearance throws me off my game.
Flynn senses something has happened behind him, but he moves to get my focus back on him.
When my eyes meet his, I’m immediately centered again, determined to get through this and get out of here as fast as I possibly can.
“Mrs. Godfrey, could you please state your legal name for the record?”
“Natalie Godfrey.”
“You were previously known as April Genovese and Natalie Bryant. Is that correct?”
“It is.”
“You’re aware that the defendant, Martin Genovese, has been accused of murder in the first degree of your former attorney, David Rogers?”
“I am.”
“And do you see Mr. Genovese in this courtroom today?”
“I do.”
He asks me to identify him, and I gesture to the defendant’s table without looking directly at my father. I look above him, so as not to give him the satisfaction. Flynn and I came up with that plan on the flight from LA.
“Can you please detail your involvement with Mr. Rogers?”
“He provided me with a new identity after I testified against former Governor Oren Stone, who kidnapped and raped me when I was fifteen.”
“Who else knew about your new identity?”
“No one except Mr. Rogers.”
“You didn’t tell a friend, a boyfriend, an associate, the family who took you in after the attack?”
“I told no one.”
“And did Mr. Rogers tell anyone?”
“After I was seen at the Golden Globes with my now-husband, Flynn Godfrey, Mr. Rogers sold the information to the Hollywood Starz TV show. They published it.”
“What happened to you when your connection to April Genovese was made public?”
“I lost my job, my new identity, my anonymity. My husband and I were relentlessly pursued by the media, which threatened our safety.”
“Is it safe to assume the loss of your anonymity was traumatic for you?”
“Extremely. I’d worked very hard to establish a new life for myself after mine was ruined by Oren Stone when I was a teenager. Losing that hard-won new life was like being assaulted all over again.” Emmett had suggested I say that last part if I got the chance. I’m glad I could get it in there. “To know that he did it for money was the worst part.”
“When you heard your father had been accused of murdering Mr. Rogers, were you surprised?”
“Not at all.”
“Can you elaborate?”
“My father would’ve been incensed that Rogers had dragged Stone’s name through the mud and resurrected the story of Stone’s downfall, which my father blamed me for causing. When Stone attacked me, my parents sided with him.”
A loud gasp comes from the juror’s box, and I revel in that sound. They ought to be shocked.
“Why did they side with him?”
“He was my father’s closest friend and his employer. My father chose to protect his relationship with his friend and to protect his job over his own child.”
“Objection,” the defense attorney says. “Hearsay.”
I shrug. No, it isn’t. It’s the truth.
“Sustained,” the judge says.
“Why do you think they sided with him over you?” the prosecutor asks, reframing the question.
“I believe it was because my father cared more about Oren Stone than he ever did about anyone else, including me, my mother and my sisters.” My sisters wanted to be here today to support me. I begged them to stay away. I want none of this to ever touch them. I’m thankful they heeded my wishes.
“Nothing further,” the prosecutor says.
The defense attorney stands, and my stomach clenches. Other than the possibility of having to see my father, this is the only part that makes me truly nervous. “Did it ever occur to you that your father might’ve killed Rogers to get justice for you?”
“No,” I say.
“Not for one second?”
“Not for one instant. It wasn’t about me. It was about Oren Stone. It was always about Oren Stone for him.”
The defense attorney seems rattled by my certainty. Apparently, that wasn’t what he expected me to say. “Nothing further.”
I take a deep breath and release it, flooded with relief. I came here and did what I needed to without it costing me anything but a day away from home and my work with the childhood hunger foundation Flynn and I have started.
“You may step down, Mrs. Godfrey,” the judge says.
I stand and leave the witness seat, heading directly to my love without sparing my father so much as a glance or another second of my time or attention.
Flynn puts his arm around me and leads me to the door where two of Gordon’s men are waiting to escort us back to the car.
We’re on our way to a clean getaway when I hear my mother calling me. “April, wait. Please wait.”
“You don’t have to,” Flynn says low enough that only I can hear him.
“Please,” my mother says again. “Wait.”
I stop, take another deep breath, release it and then turn to face my mother. She’s aged in the nine years since I last saw her. Her once-dark hair is streaked with gray, and her face bears the ravages of the choices she made.
Her eyes, the same green as mine, fill with tears. “It’s so good to see you.”
I can’t say the same, so I don’t say anything.
Flynn’s fingers dig into my shoulder, letting me know how difficult it is for him to stand there and allow this to happen when all he wants to do is get me the hell out of here, away from these people who hurt me so badly, who turned their backs on me when I needed them most.
“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for everything. I left him. I wanted you to know…”
“I know that already. Livvy told me.”
“You… You’re back in touch with them?”
“I have been for quite some time.”
She seems truly surprised to hear that. Whatever.
“I have to go.”
“April…”
“My name is Natalie. April is long gone.”
“Natalie… I know it doesn’t matter now, but I have to say it anyway. I was wrong to let him convince me to abandon you. I have no explanation other than I was afraid of him for most of the time we were married. That’s not your problem, but it’s the only excuse I have. I was afraid of what he would do to me and the girls if I defied him. It broke my heart to leave you in that hospital, and I’ve regretted it every minute of every day since then. I just wanted you to know that.”
“If that’s the case, why haven’t you tried to get in touch with me before now?”
“I didn’t think I’d be welcome.”
She wouldn’t have been.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you aren’t able to forgive me,” she says as tears run down her face, “but I wanted you to know how truly sorry I am for letting you down when you needed me most. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
I have no idea how to respond to that. I never expected her to say these things to me.
“We need to get going, babe,” Flynn says, squeezing my shoulder.
“I won’t take any more of your time,” my mother says. “Thank you for listening.”
We start to walk away, heading for the door and our great escape. I want out of there so badly, I can taste it, but something stops me.
“Wait,” I say to him.
He releases his tight hold on me so I can turn back to my mother, who is still standing right where we left her.
“Give me a couple of weeks,” I tell her. “And then call me. Candace and Livvy have my number. I’ll tell them it’s okay to give it to you.”
Tears continue to stream down her face as she nods, and I realize right then and there that she’s as much a victim of my father and Oren as I am. “Thank you.”
I take hold of Flynn’s hand. “Let’s go.”
A crowd has gathered outside the courthouse, people wanting a glimpse of Flynn and maybe me, too. He tells me they’re much more interested in me than they’ve ever been in him, but I don’t buy that. He’s the star. I’m just along for the ride.
They call out to us, but we get into the backseat of the black SUV and the door closes behind us.
It’s over. I did it. And now I’m free.
He wraps his arms around me. “I’m so fucking proud of you right now, I can’t even find the words to tell you how much.”
I lean into him, absorbing his love and support the way I have from the day I met him.
“You were amazing in the courtroom and just now with your mother.”
“You probably don’t agree with me allowing her to call me.”
“Baby, that’s up to you. I want what you want.”
“I want it to be over.”
“It is. It’s over now.” He caresses my arm and kisses the top of my head. “How do you feel about what she said?”
“I believe her when she says she was afraid of him. That explains a lot. She was always a good mother to us before everything happened, so it never made sense to me that she let him drag her out of the ER that night.”
“Fear is a powerful weapon.”
“Yes, it is. I don’t expect I’ll ever be close to her again, but forgiving her frees me from having to carry that shit around with me. I’ve carried it long enough.”
“You certainly have.” He tips my chin up to receive his kiss. “I love you so much, my fierce, beautiful wife.”
“I love you, too. Thanks for being there with me. Being able to look at you rather than him made all the difference.”
“The only place I ever want to be is wherever you are.”
“Take me home. That’s where I want to be.”
“With pleasure, my love.”
* * *
Keep reading for JOYOUS, A Quantum Christmas…
JOYOUS
A Quantum Christmas
Christmas has never been my favorite holiday. Probably because it’s also my birthday—a year of buildup for one big day that’s over in a blink. When I was a kid, I’d get so excited for my big day only to experience massive letdown on the twenty-sixth, knowing I had a full year to wait for my big day to come around again. I also hated that my sisters got presents on my birthday. Sure, I knew it was Christmas and everyone got presents, but I didn’t think it was fair that there wasn’t one day that belonged only to me like their birthdays belonged to them.
I know, I know. I sound like a spoiled brat, but that’s how I felt back then. And I love my sisters. Always have, even if they’re royal pains in my ass most of the time. They’re the reason the fame and success I’ve had as an actor never made me into a world-class jerk. They wouldn’t have stood for it, and I’m thankful for their influence on me even when they’re driving me nuts.
As an adult, Christmas and my birthday have been just another day—especially since my nieces and nephews began arriving and the day became even less about me. This is the first year in forever that I genuinely care about Christmas, but it’s not because of me. Nope, it’s all about my beautiful, sweet, sexy wife. Now that I have Natalie in my life, every day is like Christmas, and I want to put in the effort to make sure she has the best holiday ever. She was separated from her family when she was only fifteen, so it’s been nine years since she had a family to spend the holidays with. I want her to have the most amazing, special Christmas of her life, but I’m stumped as to how to pull that off.
Because I suck at this crap, I’ve brought in the expert—Addison York Roth, my faithful assistant, the little sister I never had and my business partner Hayden Roth’s new wife. Addie is the most organized human being on earth, and she loves Nat almost as much as I do. She knows all about the nightmare Natalie endured at fifteen and the resulting estrangement from her parents and sisters, so Addie will fully appreciate my desire to give my beautiful wife a Christmas she’ll never forget.
“I don’t give a flying fuck about my birthday,” I tell Addie. We’re in my Los Angeles office at Quantum Productions, the company I founded with Hayden, one of the top directors in Hollywood. We’ve since added superstar actress Marlowe Sloane, cinematographer Jasper Autry and producer Kristian Bowen as partners in the company—and in life. The people I work with are also my closest friends. “Don’t let anyone make it about me. I want this Christmas to be all about her.”
Addie, still tanned from her three-week honeymoon in the Adriatic, has her iPad ready to take notes. “What do you have in mind?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem. I want it to be amazing for her, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what that should entail. That’s where you come in.”
“I need consultants on this one.” She gets up to use the office phone. “Can you come into Flynn’s office? Bring Leah, too.” After a pause, she nods. “Thanks.”
“I assume that was Aileen?” She’s engaged to Kristian. My sister Ellie is having a baby with Jasper, and Leah is hot and heavy with Emmett, our general counsel. It’s been one hell of a year for the Quantum family, and we need a Christmas that does justice to the changes we’ve undergone. I want it to be perfect, which means it’d be a total clusterfuck if I tried to do it myself. With Addie overseeing the plans, however, there’s reason for hope.
Whatever. As long as I’m with Natalie, it’ll be perfect. The rest is just details. Or so I tell myself. I’m not sure why I’m so stressed about a holiday I normally don’t give two shits about.
“Are you listening to me?”
Addie’s question cuts through the nonsense in my always-busy mind.
“Of course I am.”
She gives me a skeptical look. “I was saying we should go to Aspen.”
I toss the idea around in my mind. Natalie and Ellie, both of whom are pregnant, are safe to fly the two hours it takes to get to Colorado. The house is huge. It would easily accommodate the Quantum crew as well as Nat’s sisters, my sisters, their families and my parents—all the people we’d need to make this the perfect Christmas for Natalie. “That could work.” I just hope that everyone else will agree with the plan.
Aileen comes into my office. “What could work?”
Addie fills her in. “Christmas in Aspen. Flynn’s house there is enormous and close to skiing, shopping, five-star restaurants and anything else we could want or need.”
“Ohhhh.” Aileen’s expressive eyes glitter with excitement. “Sign me up. The kids would love to have snow at Christmas. It was so hit or miss when we lived in New York.”
The more I think about Aspen, the more I love the idea. Could it really be that simple? Leave it to Addie to cut to the chase.
Aileen, who was Nat’s friend in New York, offers a shy smile. “I don’t mean to imply that we’re invited.”
“Of course you are. It wouldn’t be Christmas without everyone there.” Aileen and her kids have made Kristian so happy. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her or the kids. They’re family to me now. That’s how it works with us.
Addie frowns. “Do we have to invite Rafe?”
Leah comes into the room, scowling at the mention of Rafe. “Don’t you mean he-w
ho-shall-not-be-named? Maybe he’ll go home to France for Christmas and we won’t have to invite him to whatever we’re doing.”
“Christmas at Flynn’s place in Aspen,” Addie tells her.
Leah plops down in a chair. “Hell yes. That sounds awesome, but Marlowe will want to bring him.” As Marlowe’s assistant, Leah has the 411 on her boss.
“Ugh.” None of us can stand the guy that Marlowe is crazy about, which puts me at odds with one of my best friends for the first time in the nearly fifteen years we’ve been close. None of us get what she sees in the smooth-talking Frenchman. Natalie tells me I don’t need to get it. According to my wife, Marlowe is the only one who needs to get it. Which is fine—until I have to spend Christmas with him.
“Time with my love in Aspen, sign me up.” Leah blinks and seems to snap out of her fantasies of alone time with Emmett in Aspen. “But it’ll be fun to have everyone else there, too.”
Addie cracks up laughing. “Nice save.”
Leah smiles. “I can be diplomatic when I need to.”
That makes me laugh. Diplomatic is the last word I’d use to describe Leah, one of the funniest people I’ve ever known. She’d been Nat’s roommate in New York when I first met them, and it’d been Natalie’s idea for Marlowe to hire Leah as her assistant. And now Leah is madly in love with Emmett, who walks around with a dopey grin on his face these days, all thanks to Leah.
Love has been in the air in the Quantum Productions office this year. Each of my friends and partners has ended up with someone I would’ve hand-chosen for them, except for Marlowe, that is. I keep hoping she’ll see the light with Rafe and dump his pretentious ass. I swear he’s dating her more for what she can do for his career than because of the magnificence that is Marlowe. He works for the company that distributes Quantum films in France, which is how she met him.
There’s just something about him that seems off to me, and I know Hayden, Kristian, Jasper and Emmett feel the same way. If I can prove he’s using her to get ahead, I swear to God I’ll bury him. Maybe the time in Aspen will give me more info to build my case. Not that I want to be the one to clue her in, but I’d rather it come from a friend who loves her than the media or someone who’d be looking to exploit her celebrity for their benefit.