Unmistakably Us (Imagine Ink Book 5)

by Verlene Landon

  Fuck me, she really is a sociopath.

  “Your little hair stunt there, just confirms the lengths our girls have gone to defy us.” She spoke as if doing a television interview. Complete with high emotion and concerned eyes. She wiped it all away before her parting shots.

  “Now, run along to bed, dear. You don’t want to look exhausted for the fitting tomorrow. We are doing an ‘impromptu’ photo shoot. A team will show up and crash the fitting at 11:30. Make sure you are in a definite no dress but not a gaudy one then. Show people that we are just like them.”

  Looking at her father for the first time, January realized he was truly an unwilling party, but he was also too weak-willed to even help his daughters. He had done her mother’s bidding for so long, he wasn’t even his own person anymore, just a shell, a puppet Melody controlled. Exactly what Augusta had warned her about when she left home for good and again touched on when January was in Florida.

  Melody Thorne destroyed people by any means necessary, turned them into husks of human beings. She watched the husk and the bitch head down the hall. In a superior voice, her mother called out, “Good night, darling.”

  January had been really looking forward to tomorrow. After speaking with Andy, she was ready to turn Monday into a circus…after she tried on a few dresses she’d dreamed of, but now, not so much.

  With the threat to Gus even bolder, January would remain totally compliant tomorrow. Even smile and blush for the camera that would catch her so unaware in an off the rack not designer gown. But damn it, she would leave as soon as damage control for Gus was in place.

  She didn’t give two shits about being buried under her own stupid contract and a mountain of debt for it. Hell, a lot of jobs paid under the table so she could manage even if the courts awarded her parents a settlement.

  Gus was a different matter. No one deserved their business to be broadcast in the streets. Besides, mental issues were nothing to be ashamed of, damn it. Everyone needs someone to talk to now and then. The stigma around it made January sick. Forcing people to wear a badge of shame if they didn’t process things the same way as everyone else. So for her mother to out and out threaten to expose that just proved to January the flawed attitude toward a very real issue. The added threat to tell the world about Gus’ abortion just proved that her mother had less than zero love for anyone.

  After closing herself in her room, January removed her phone and swiped to stop the application that was open. “Yes.” She quickly dialed Andy and gave him the rundown.

  “Is there a possibility that someone other than you or your father heard this exchange? A housekeeper, perhaps?”

  “No, just us.”

  “January, this is important. You’re sure your mother actually threatened to release private medical information of another individual? Not just hinted?”

  “Um hmm.” January was unsure why that was the most important part, but Andy was the lawyer. “Positive, you can hear it for yourself if we Skype.”

  “What?”

  “I recorded it. On my phone.”

  The laughter that shot through the phone like a rocket took her by surprise.

  “Oh January, you clever, clever girl. Send me a copy via secure email, and then do me a favor. Make another copy then turn off your phone and secure it. It can’t hurt to have the original audio file, uncompressed and unedited.”

  Finally, something going my way.

  “What’s the address of the bridal shop?”

  January didn’t know why that question made her uncomfortable, but it did. “Why?”

  “Because, I plan to serve your mother with some legal paperwork before close of business. If she won’t be home, I need to know where she will be. Besides, the more public she is served, the better for us since her social perception seems all important to her. She can’t very well say she didn’t read them, receive them, understand them, etcetera. Her comprehension will be witnessed.”

  They said their goodbyes for a second time, and January did as instructed, sending the file and securing her phone, but not before texting Logan.

  She typed and retyped before settling on a generic text to save face and to save Logan any further heartache if things didn’t go as planned as swiftly as they’d hoped.

  JANUARY: I hope you give me a chance to explain. But even if you don’t, please know I never meant to hurt you.

  Spending time with the Reids without that looming deception was…nice. Most people saw nice as an inadequate or average description for things, but to Logan, it was beyond that. Many nights, he prayed for nice. Growing up, nice would’ve been a hell of an upgrade.

  Logan felt like a real part of the family. The January situation was still tearing him up. Funny, I had everything I could have ever wanted and couldn’t see it in time to keep it all. He had January but when he got greedy, thought to have a family too, and he reached for one, he lost the other.

  That line of thinking served no purpose except to torture him beyond measure. Logan dug the heels of his hands into his gritty eyes. Even though he had made a run to the hotel to shower and change and grab a power nap, it wasn’t enough. He had never been emotionally drained before, not like this. No amount of hot water, clean clothes, or vile chicory was going to help.

  Almost everyone had shown back up over at Michael’s and most were in the kitchen making a brunch worthy of high society. Logan was all about the French toast he could smell. A few more memories surfaced of his mom, and as soon as he shared the powdered sugar pancake story with Michael, it was on.

  The flurry of activity slowed when Andrew arrived. Stacy came bounding out of the kitchen, clapping her hands like a child. “Can I tell ‘em? Please, let me fucking tell ‘em.”

  Stacy didn’t wait for Andrew’s permission before grabbing her briefcase and setting it on the coffee table. Andy did the same, and they both sat after calling the entire family to the living room.

  “First thing’s first, I am speaking to you all now as experts.” The confusion and scoffing was disruptive.

  “Oh, he’s a clever one, this one, almost as good as me…almost,” Stacy interjected.

  “Pipe down, Rainbow Brite.” Andy’s tone was mocking but in a loving way.

  “Rainbow Brite? How the fuck do you figure?” Since Logan had met Stacy, he noticed her increasing embracement of all things happy, but he didn’t have a lot of comparison material. Everyone talked about how she used to be, but Logan had only witnessed that Stacy when she was in crush and destroy mode.

  “I figure because you are practically glittering with rainbows and sunshine. Look, you’re even wearing—gasp— pink. Face it, you’re no longer an adult goth in Donna Karan.” Andy slapped her thigh. “We are so rubbing off on you.”

  Stacy examined her clothes before making a retort. “This isn’t pink. It was red, and it faded due to my superior laundry skills. Besides, who are you to talk, gay boy. If the fucking sparkling tiara fits—”

  “Children!” Francis admonished. “Let’s get on with it. I’m dying to hear what Andrew has to say. Besides, the sooner we’re done here, the sooner we can eat.”

  “Thank you, Francis.” The wink was over the top, but Andy was good at the schmoozing. “As I was saying, before we go forward, I want y’all to know that any information I am sharing with you is shared because I feel you are all experts on one aspect or another of the matter at hand.”

  Logan looked around the room. Dax, Francis, Tori, Michael, and John were the only people who were there and not in the kitchen or elsewhere. He wasn’t sure what he could possibly be an expert on the same as these folks, but he guessed this was a family thing and he was being included.

  “First, before I dive into all this, Logan, I need to ask you a few questions. I want you to answer as honestly as you possibly can and from the heart.”

  Logan was about to jump out of his skin and run. He did not have a good feeling about having two lawyers staring at him and asking questions.

  “What’
s this about? You’re making me nervous as fuck.” Logan reached into his pocket and worried the stone with his thumb. Francis sat on the arm of his chair and tried to soothe him. It was working too when he glanced up at her face and saw love reflected there.

  Andy drew his attention with a soothing tone. “It’s not bad, I promise, just humor me.” A nod was the only response Logan could manage.

  “Do you love January and can you forgive her for anything she may have done?”

  Logan did jump up then, but he was still wearing his skin and raking his hands through his hair. “Why are you asking me this? It doesn’t matter. The fact is she’s getting married, so my feelings mean jack shit.”

  “Logan, your heart? Leave the facts to me. They’re kinda my thing. I know you love her, so I want to know if you can forgive her for her actions? Especially if I could prove to you right now that she loves you?”

  Logan’s head snapped up so fast, he gave himself fucking whiplash. Exhaustion and acceptance made him drop back into the chair. Francis was there with a gentle squeeze and the boost he needed.

  “Yes,” he breathed, barely audible. “Yes to all of it. I never wanted the domestic life or a family, but now I don’t know if I can live without it all. Without her.” Michael came to the other side of the chair and squeezed his shoulder.

  “Brother,” that was the first time he had called him that since he knew it to be true, and it meant something to Logan, "you have the family no matter what. Even if you and January don’t make a go of it or even if you and I can’t get past all the water under the bridge, this family…they’re permanent. No matter what, the Reids are bound together by something stronger than blood and that shit lasts.”

  Stacy was beaming and beautiful as it was, but the look she sported now kinda scared the shit out of Logan. She opened her briefcase, produced an envelope, and handed it to him. Nothing had ever come to him with good news that he had to unwind a red thread to open. “Open it.”

  Once the flap was open, Logan slowly extracted the papers inside. Before he could make heads or tails of them, Stacy couldn’t contain herself. “Those are everything in this world that January owned on her own, what you now own.”

  With his jaw on the floor, Logan sought clarity by looking from Andy to Stacy and back again.

  “Oh, look at that, isn’t he adorable in all his dumbfounded glory?”

  “Stacy Olivia, you stop making fun of your brother and explain this to him. Can’t you see he’s in shock and still hurting?” Leave it to Francis to say what needed to be said in the least amount of words. Not to mention, she called them siblings as easy as breathing.

  “The papers in your hands are the title to her bike and a check from the balance of her bank account I closed earlier. All the money she socked away over the last few years that her family didn’t know about. She wanted you to have it. I tried to get her to take some to have…” Stacy trailed off but Logan had quit listening anyway.

  “Demon?” It was rhetorical question that was whispered in an attempt at comprehension. “But she loves that bike.”

  Now it was Andy’s turn to mumble. “Obviously, she loves you more, you big lug.”

  Logan’s eyes snapped up at that.

  “When? When did she have time to do this? I don’t understand.” Logan slapped the papers down and just reeled trying to grasp the meaning of everything.

  Sheepishly, as if dealing with someone on the verge of a breakdown—and he kind of was—Stacy extended another piece of folded up paper. “There was also this.”

  Treating it like a snake that would strike at any minute, Logan leaned away from it. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, it won’t bite you, big baby.” Stacy brought the paper back toward her and unfolded it. “I choose you. I will always choose you. Even if I’m not right here, right now, Logan Chapman, you are my choice. I hope you can forgive me for things I had to do, but I would never, could never choose anyone other than you. My first, my last, my always.”

  Stacy’s voice was very flat at first and almost void of emotion, but by the end, she was “oohing” and “ahhing” like everyone seemed to be doing. No, there was no I love you at the end, but what she had said was more than that.

  “What, that’s it? Where is the declaration of undying love and a lifetime of blow jobs?”

  Everyone turned toward the door where Walker stood wiping his hands on a dishtowel.

  Frank gave him a disapproving look and had his mouth open to scold his adult son when Michael broke in.

  “It’s there. Clear as day, right, brother?” It was, and Michael understood the significance of those words, and damn it, so did January.

  Someone chose him. Logan couldn’t even begin to wrap his head around what was going on other than she loved him deeper than most people would understand.

  “Okay, then we have a plan to make. John, we need to talk about some things first, I want to consult with you on some details. There are…things that—”

  John cut Andy off with a simple hand in the air and a soft-spoken, “I think we know, and it’s okay. We’re prepared. Let’s bring January home where she belongs.”

  Francis got up and threw herself at her husband who stood by her side. When she pulled back, the wet spot on Frank’s shirt was visible. “Oh, do you hear that, honey? She’s coming home. All our kids will be here where they belong.”

  Frank kissed the top of her head and held her tight, agreeing with her words.

  Andy turned his attention to Logan. “Is that what you needed? You ready to bring your woman home?

  Logan couldn’t say yes fast enough.

  Twenty

  In spite of the company waiting when she arrived at the bridal shop, January was going to make the most of this occasion. She’d always dreamed of choosing her perfect wedding dress with Gus by her side. They would giggle, drink champagne, and pick her the most amazing dress.

  It took some considerable effort on her part, but she didn’t let the reaction or the explanation of her hair get under her skin. Of course, her mother would bond with Chadwick’s mother over rebellious kids who made poor decisions. She was going to be like Elsa and just let all the shit go, until Melody blamed her sister’s influence.

  “Mother, that’s not true. Gus is the best influence I can think of. It was you who influenced my current, and if I do say so, awesome as fuck, style.” Before her mother could scold her further, she left them in the lobby and headed to the red-haired lady who was waiting with anticipation.

  “You must be the bride-to-be, I’m Lydia. Right this way. I’ve picked out some dresses in your size that should suit your style. We have champagne and anything else you might need, you only need to ask.”

  “Lydia, I am a bit baffled about my style. I don’t know that I have a clue what it is, so how you should, confuses me.” Lydia paled. She seemed like a nice lady, but January wasn’t in a great mood. Not after realizing that the other five people with Chadwick’s mother were her bridesmaids and maid of honor. Not her choice, and she’d only ever met her maid of honor at a few functions. She was connected to the Rodgers family somehow, but she’d be hard pressed to recall how.

  Lydia led her to an elaborate room with multiple couches and three stages, all surrounded by mirrors and lights. “Sorry, your mother came in a few weeks ago and we had a storm sesh on what style you prefer. They’re waiting in the changing room over there.”

  “Of course, she did.” The sarcasm wasn’t hidden, but Lydia remained professional.

  “You’ll notice we have stocked the room with champagne and comment cards for your wedding party to fill out anonymously so their opinions can’t hurt your feelings.” She then pointed toward the stages. “Each platform is equipped with a different style of lighting so you can see how the dress will look at both the ceremony and the reception, even the hotel lighting after.”

  “Wow, Lydia. You’ve outdone yourself, but may I ask a favor?” A quick nod from her hostesses was all she needed. “Can you show me some ot
her dresses in my size?” Lydia’s face fell like she had just been insulted. I may be over-annoyed by everything else surrounding this day, but Lydia really had outdone herself. It wasn’t her fault my life was in the fucking can.

  Squeezing her arm reassuringly, January tried to do some damage control, especially since Lydia was the only person on Team January in the whole building. “I’m sure the perfect dress is already hanging in the dressing room, but I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone. You never know. Plus, between you and me, I plan to punk my maid of honor and pretend to fall in love with a hideous dress.”

  You’d think Lydia just got a puppy on Christmas morning the way she reacted. “Oh, what fun, I have a perfect dress for that. She’ll just die. Come on.” Lydia pulled her along, chattering the whole time.

  They hung the dresses with the others in the humongous dressing room. “Okay, are you ready to start? I say we try this one first.”

  “Um, Lydia, I’m not comfortable dressing in front of someone. Can I have some privacy?” Lydia didn’t seem hurt, so January was calling it a win.

  “No worries, I’ll be behind that curtain, so I won’t be here while you’re changing, just pop in to assist. Or, if you prefer, I can wait outside that door until you need me. If you manage yourself, just knock and I’ll come around to the viewing room. You can enter through that door without going around.”

  January breathed a sigh of relief. She kind of wanted to play dress-up and just live the fantasy in here. She only planned to step out for a minimum amount of time, long enough for her mom to bash all the dresses except the preferred one.

  “That would be best if that’s okay with you?” Lydia nodded and turned toward the door. “Oh, by the way, which dress is the one my mother chose?” Lydia looked like she was about to protest. “Come now, we both know she is leaning toward one in particular. Mom’s are all the same, am I right?”