Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“If you do, I’ll tell you,” she says with a shrug. “But if you don’t, that’s what you’re paying me for. I’m going to make sure that when we file for divorce, he won’t be able to contest it.”
“Is that legal?” I whisper.
Debra glances at Ryder, who places his hand on mine and squeezes and then nods at her.
“Men like Brian don’t play by the same rules,” Debra says. “He’s a high-powered attorney with a lot of connections. He’s done enough shady shit that if it were to come out, it would end his career. In a perfect world, you should be able to file for divorce and get it, but Brian’s in a different world, and in order to get what you want, you’re going to have to play by his rules, which means getting our hands a little dirty.”
I nod in understanding. “I don’t need to know,” I decide. “As long as nothing can be linked back to me, I don’t care what needs to be done to get him to sign those papers. But what I am worried about is, once we file, he’ll know where I live, and he’ll come after us.”
I glance at Ryder and say something I’ve been thinking about, but not wanting to voice. “Maybe Violet and I should move somewhere else.”
“What?” he hisses. “Why?”
“It’s one thing to put myself and Violet at risk. I did this. I married him, and I have to deal with the fallout. But I don’t want to put Addie or you in the line of fire. If something happened to that sweet little girl or you …” I shake my head and sniffle back my emotions. “He’s a monster, Ryder, and he will stop at nothing to come after me once he knows where I am.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Ryder says. “And that asshole isn’t going to know where you are.”
“How? Don’t we have to put my address on the divorce papers?” I ask, confused.
“Ryder’s purchased a post office box here in Houston,” she explains. “And I’ve put my office address on file in case anything needs to be signed for. He’ll know the state you’re in, but that’s it.”
“And when is all this going to go down?” I ask, already dreading the day Brian receives the divorce papers.
“The PI is still digging,” Ryder answers. “But we’re planning to serve him right before the Fourth of July.”
“Won’t we be …”
And then it hits me. Ryder’s thought of everything. Including making sure that we’re out of town when the papers are served, just in case Brian somehow finds a way to figure out where I’m living.
“While he’s being served, we’ll be on the beach, hours away from Rosemary,” I say out loud.
“Bingo,” Ryder says, setting his hand on my thigh and squeezing. “I promised nothing would happen to you and Violet, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that holds true.”
“If you have any questions, you can call me anytime.” Debra slides her business card across the desk.
I wonder how much Ryder is paying her for her to be available twenty-four/seven. It must be hundreds of dollars an hour.
“Hey,” Ryder says, leaning in. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop. We’re in this together. It’s you and me and our little girls against the world.”
And just like that, I fall a little harder for the man who I wasn’t expecting to turn my life upside down in the best way possible.
“Mommy!”
The moment Violet spots me, she jumps up from the couch, where she was watching a movie, and runs toward me, not stopping until she crashes into my legs.
I’ve only just wrapped my arms around her when a high-pitched voice yells, “Mama!”
I look up and find Addie toddling over. She mimics Violet by wrapping her tiny arms around my legs, and I stand there, frozen in place, shocked by her word choice.
“Mommy, I had so much fun,” Violet says without missing a beat.
“Mama!” Addie repeats, lifting her arms so I’ll pick her up.
Without thought, I do so, and the moment her face is near mine, she slobbers kisses on my cheek.
“Hey, Monkey,” I say, giving her a kiss on the tip of her nose.
“Mommy!” Violet repeats, only for Addie to copy her again.
“Mama!”
“It seems somebody has become a parrot,” I say with a laugh, trying to make light of it even though my heart is pounding behind my rib cage at the thought of this sweet little girl thinking I’m her mother.
I bend down slightly to give Violet my attention, and Addie clings to me like the monkey she is. “Yes, sweetie?”
“Can we go swimming when we get home? I haven’t been in the pool in forever!”
“You were in the pool yesterday,” I point out.
“That was so long ago,” she whines.
“We’ll see. Go clean up any mess you made so we can get going.”