“Are you ready to eat?” I asked after Bleu Harmony had finished her set and been introduced to Delaney, who she graciously took pictures with.
“Yes, I can eat now that Bleu’s gone. I can’t believe that you did that.”
I grabbed my cane and led her to a table that had been set up for our dinner. “There’s nothing that I won’t do for you, Delaney. Nothing.”
A small orchestra came in and took Bleu’s place as we settled down for our dinner.
“You made some accusations the other day when you were upset with me, and I want the chance to clear them up.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“I’m not in the mafia, and I never have been. Yes, our firm represents people who are affiliated with crime organizations, but that’s as close as my ties go. Have I had to do some illegal things to handle business? Yes, and I always will where my family is concerned. But I will never put you all in harm’s way.”
She stared at me and shook her head. “I know that you said I shouldn’t ask these questions, but I’ll ask you once more. I hope that you’re honest with me, because I’ll know if you aren’t.”
“I’m listening.” My belly tightened, and I prayed that she didn’t ask me anything about Clayton, because I didn’t want to lie to her, but I might have to.
Relief filled me when she asked, “How can you afford all this? A boat, private catering, bringing Bleu to sing for an intimate date night, closing a theater and a museum, and cars for hire? And now that clock that arrived this evening? A clock I’ve searched for forever. You’re an attorney. Granted, you are a partner, but still. How do you afford all of this?”
“You’re right. I did invest a lot in to finding that clock. Not just money, but a team of people to track it down, negotiate with the current owners, and persuading them to part with itin exchange for something they had been seeking, a priceless painting that my family has owned for years.”
“You did that? For me? But why?”
“Because you’re worthy of it, Delaney, and there’s not a thing that I won’t do for the woman I love. My firm is very lucrative, and I make a wealthy living from that. But you’re right about that, too—that’s not where everything comes from. My maternal great-great-grandfather was a wealthy white man whose parents owned a tobacco company.
“He still held it until my great-grandfather became an adult. They made the decision to sell it off when my great-great-grandfather was dying from lung cancer. But they took the proceeds of that sale and invested in art, stocks and bonds, real estate, and antiquities. They also purchased a company called Weller Atlantic.”
“The pulp, paper, and building products company?”
“Yes. Our family is extremely protective of one another and those associated with us. We will do whatever it takes to keep our family and friends safe and to ensure that our assets are not touched, compromised, or lost in any way. So when he made that comment about my mafia ties, that was what he was referring to. No one touches our family.
“I would never take advantage of anyone’s heartache, weaknesses, or insecurities. That is what Clayton attempted to accuse me of, as if I couldn’t fall for you on my own. I have a confession to make. I was attracted to you the moment that you stepped into the conference room at the first proceeding. When I kept staring at you, where you saw intimidation, that was only infatuation. But I knew it was inappropriate. I couldn’t help myself, Delaney.
“Your private investigator came to me the night after the final hearing. He had evidence that Clayton was lying. The divorcehad been decreed, and there was nothing anyone could do anymore.”
“Are you serious? What sort of evidence? Why didn’t he come to me?”
“Yes, I’m serious. The sort of evidence that were written admissions of guilt, taped conversations between Clayton and his witnesses, and things along that line. I didn’t act on it right away, because I wasn’t sure how to. Clayton was protected by client-attorney privilege, and I did more digging over time, and I was able to confirm all of it. Why he didn’t tell you was because he was afraid that you would kill Clayton. He said that he knew you had lost enough behind that guy, and he didn’t want you to lose more.
“That solidified things for me. I knew that my attraction to you was more than physical, and I wanted to get to know the woman whose life I had helped destroy. Still wasn’t sure how to approach you until the auction came on my radar.”
“Why are you telling me all this now? He’s still protected by client-attorney privilege.”
I couldn’t tell her that nothing could protect him or harm me, because he was dead. Instead, I professed, “I don’t think he’ll be a problem anymore. He won’t be calling or reaching out to you, and if we’re moving forward together, you won’t do the same.”
“But he lied on me in court! What about my integrity?”
“Exposing him changes nothing. It gives people more to speculate about, but it doesn’t take away the pain you’ve gone through or the hardships. You grew stronger and better. I have it on good authority that he won’t be contacting you, you’ll get more payments, and he’s moved on to greater pastures. Trust me, he’s paying the ultimate penalty for harming you. He regrets it.”
She furrowed her eyebrows. “I don’t get it.”
I simply kissed her forehead and replied, “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Everything isn’t meant for us to understand. I’m here to take care of you now. I just hope you can forgive me for not being forthcoming from the beginning, but I swear that I have not used you. I have no reason to try and get back at Clayton for anything. Trust me, if I wanted to, using you wouldn’t be the way to do it. I have more power and resources at my disposal than to play childish little boy games. Besides, he clearly didn’t care about you, so how does me getting with you impact him?”
“You’re right. I guess I didn’t think about it. He played on my insecurities once again. All I could think about was that why would a man like you be attracted to a broken woman like me? Someone who had lost everything and didn’t feel worthy of being loved.”
“Never underestimate your power, beautiful. I love you. I love the idea of you and the possibility of us. Now, will you forgive me for everything and give me the chance that I never truly got to prove to you that I’m a damn good man? A man who may have family on both sides that can be considered questionable, but I’m not. The only one thing you need to be sure of, is that my love will cause me to do any damn thing to protect you and what we’re building. I will stop at nothing to keep you and your heart safe.”
“I forgive you, Naijhel. I had no idea that you were a Weller. It all makes sense now. Your last name is King, so I didn’t go any further than that. I thought of your cousin, but nothing more than that.”
