I closed my eyes, wishing that I could disappear back into last night. Feel Emery’s warm body against mine and pretend not to have a care in the world. But reality was crashing back down. I had to face Marc and Vanessa today. I had to claim my son. Last night had been a dream, but it was time to wake up.
Kissing Emery’s forehead, I washed last night’s events off of my body and changed into a crisp black Tom Ford suit. Everything about the ensemble screamed power and money. Both things I wanted to exert to the two people who had ruined my life. Marc had stolen my wife. He wasn’t going to steal my son, too. It wasn’t enough that I had bought out his company and was in the process of selling it off for parts like a used car. I would bury him before letting him have access to Colton. My lawyers had been working on a case against Vanessa since the day I left New York. We could handle her if need be.
“You’re up early,” Emery mumbled from the bed when I appeared once more.
“Six hours of sleep is plenty for me. You can go back to sleep.”
“Mmm,” she said, letting the sheet slip down her naked body.
“If you keep that up, you’re never going to leave that bed.”
She blushed a soft pink that I adored. After all our sex, she still blushed at my comments.
“I should probably check on Kimber. When do you meet Marc?”
“This afternoon. He had to fly commercial,” I said with a twitch in my lips. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
“Oh, the horror,” she joked.
“So, I can pick you up from the hospital later if that works for you.”
“Yes, as long as you think you’ll be all right.”
I nodded. “I have some work to do and a meeting with my lawyer before that. I’ll be occupied. Plus, you helped me last night. I can face another day with you at my side.”
She smiled lazily at me. “Good. I’m glad.”
It was hours before I would get to see that smile again. Work was torture. I hadn’t wanted to worry her, but the hours waiting, even when I was busy, didn’t help. She dampened the pain. Only her.
By the time I finally got to pick her up again, it was like a balm. I didn’t show nerves or stress. Only a few people—primarily Morgan—even noticed, but Emery seemed to have a radar for it. She put her hand on mine as soon as she sat down in the Mercedes and kissed my cheek.
“I’ve been thinking about you,” she said with such candor.
“How are Kimber and Bethany?” I asked as I pulled away from the hospital and drove across town.
“They’re great. All of them are. Ready to go home.”
“I bet.”
“They’re getting discharged within the hour. So, they get to take the little cutie home with them.”
“I remember what that’s like,” I said softly.
I rarely talked about what it had been like in those first two years with Colton. The facade that Vanessa had created was so great that, when she took it all away, even the happy memories were tainted with her lies.
Emery squeezed my hand and nodded. “We’ll work it out.”
“You’re right. We will,” I said, going back to that cold, detached place that fought my battles and won my wars. I would damn sure win this one.
We parked out front of the lawyer’s office. I recognized Vanessa’s father’s car, which meant she must have left Colton with him for this meeting. Good. I didn’t want Colton anywhere near this. It was going to get ugly. I didn’t know what Marc was driving, but I didn’t see anything pretentious enough for him.
Emery hurried around to the other side of the car and took my hand. She held it, as if we were a united front against the enemy. And I couldn’t have been more thankful to have her there. She made me a better man. And, with her, I had the added benefit of putting Vanessa on edge.
As expected, when we walked into the lobby, Vanessa whipped around and glared at our entwined fingers. Her lawyer was talking on a cell phone in a corner.
“You’ve got to be joking,” she spat. “She can’t be here.”
I shrugged and gave her a cool smile. No reason to give in to her antics. We were only here because of her bullshit. We would end it here, too.
We waited another five minutes in tense silence before Marc finally showed. I was surprised Abigail wasn’t with him. She went everywhere with him to temper his anger. I wondered if he’d even told her what was happening before disappearing. Instead, he only had his lawyer present with him. I shouldn’t be surprised that he’d gotten someone on his own to represent his interests instead of relying on Vanessa.