Chapter 34
Chapter thirty-four
Kate
Complete and utter mortification. That was the only way I could describe Izzy’s expression. To be fair, mine probably was the same. It wasn’t every day the words “someone tried to poison me” came out of my mouth.
“Shit, Katie.” Izzy grabbed her drink but paused before the straw touched her lips. She eyed the glass with suspicion then set it down without taking a sip.
I’d done the same to my water.
“Yeah,” I sighed and leaned over the table to take her hand. “Please don’t tell Mom and Dad, yet.”
“Katie—”
“Please, Izzy,” I begged. “I don’t want to worry them.”
She gave me an incredulous look. “They deserve to know. What if…” She stopped talking and shook her head. “We don’t keep secrets.”
It was my turn to gape at her with disbelief. “And yet you haven’t told them about my little trip to the courthouse.”
“That’s different. If they knew you tied the knot without them, they’d be hurt. This though…” She leveled me with a stare. “Wouldn’t you want to know if Millie was in danger?”
I didn’t have to say a word, she already knew the answer to that. Of course, I’d want to know so I could protect her. The thing Izzy didn’t understand, our parents couldn’t do anything.
No one could.
Unless that detective found something.
“I’m not trying to meddle,” Izzy added. “I’m just worried.”
“I know you are, and I love you for it, Iz.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You freaking bet—”
“Hi.”
Both Izzy and I looked up. When my gaze landed on the person who’d interrupted us, a sour taste filled my mouth. I shouldn’t have been surprised though. With how things were going this week, it was inevitable I’d run into her at some point.
“Taelyn.” Jaw clenched; I pinned her with my fiercest glare. “What do you want?”
Dressed in a white-and-pink pantsuit, hair pulled back at her nape, and a string of pearls around her neck, she was as flawless as ever. Weird how she reminded me of Eleanor.
“Do you have a minute?” Taelyn said, stealing my attention. She jerked her chin at one of the empty seats and gave me a hopeful look. “May I sit?”
“Are you nuts?”
“No.”
Izzy and I spoke in unison.
Taelyn flinched. “I…uh…I guess I deserve that.”
“Taelyn.” An exasperated sigh blew over my lips as I asked for a second time, “What do you want?”
Her gaze bounced from me to Izzy then back to me. She seemed restless, shifting from one foot to the other, fidgeting with her hands. Even her mouth had a slight tremble to it.
Curious, I sat up straighter.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I’m sorry I tried to take Millie from you. I was so tired of trying, you know?” More fidgeting. “Duke and I have been through every treatment you can think of. And we’re still no closer to having a baby than we were when we first started.”
It was impossible not to empathize with her situation. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the kind of pain that came with desperately wanting to be a parent and it not happening.
Still didn’t make what she was doing right, when she was the one who hadn’t wanted anything to do with her sister’s child to begin with.
“I’m done. It’s over.” Her voice sounded again.
A frown pulled at my brows. “What?”
“Millie is happy with you. She’s built a life with you.”
A tiny sliver of hope bloomed inside my chest, but I didn’t acknowledge it. Not yet. Not until she said the words out loud.
“I won’t fight you for her. She belongs with you, Kate.”
That tiny bloom blossomed into something big and so powerful, it was difficult to contain. I wanted to jump, to scream, to cry.
“And we’re supposed to believe you’re walking away?” My sister’s tone was clipped, her every word coated in venom. “Just like that?”
“Well—”
“And there it fucking is.” Izzy threw her hands in the air.
“I’m not going to pursue the custody case,” Taelyn said quickly. “I wasn’t lying about that. I want…” She let out a long breath. “I was hoping you’d let me see her, spend some time with her. She’s the only part of Clara that’s left.”
For what felt like the hundredth time in the past two days, my head spun. This was so…unexpected. She said all the right things, but this was Taelyn. It was difficult to believe she’d had such a sudden change of heart.
But then again, how was I to know it was sudden? We hadn’t heard from her in a few weeks. She could’ve been on a journey of self-discovery the entire time. Or maybe she and her husband realized they were trying to break up my family to build theirs.
What did it matter where it came from, a little voice inside my head said, as long as it was true.
“You’re serious?” As much as I tried, I couldn’t keep the hope out of my voice. “You’ll drop the custody thing?”
“It’s already done.” She smiled. It was sad. My heart broke a little for her. “You should receive word of it later today. It was a happy coincidence I spotted you here and got to deliver the news myself.”
I didn’t know what to say except, “Thank you.”
Another smile, another jerk of her chin then she was gone. Both Izzy and I stared until we couldn’t see her anymore before turning to each other.
“Wow,” I breathed out. “Did not see that coming.”
Izzy didn’t look as relieved as I was. “You believe her?”
The hope, the euphoria I’d felt mere moments ago slowly dissipated. “Why would she lie?”
“This is Taelyn we’re talking about, Katie. Why wouldn’t she lie?” My sister pulled her shoulders up in a shrug. “Maybe she’s trying to get you to let your guard down.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Or get you to come clean about your sham of a marriage.”
“Iz.”
Holding up her hands, she straightened. “I know, I know. Feelings are involved now. Things aren’t fake. Whatever. I’m just saying, it didn’t start out that way, and if she knows that—”
“She’ll use it against me,” I finished for her.
“I’m not trying to bring you down; I want you to be vigilant.” Her gaze softened, filled with love and concern. “Especially with the whole poison thing still hanging over your head.”
“I know.” Pushing to my feet, I grabbed my purse. “I better get back.”
Izzy stood as well. “Same.” She wrapped her arms around me and held tight. “Be careful, okay?”
“I will.”
With another hug and a promise to keep her updated on everything, we said goodbye and I headed to the office. Tristan hadn’t wanted me to go in at all, but I’d refused to stay home and allow whoever this asshole was to take anything else from me.
Besides if I hadn’t gone out today, I wouldn’t have had this amazing news to share with him.
Increasing my pace, I hurried to his office, only to realize it was probably empty. Tristan had a meeting scheduled with Mr. Livingston and those tended to take quite some time.
Guess I’d have to keep busy until he returned. Maybe I’d strip down to my heels and wait in his office. My stomach fluttered and that familiar warmth bloomed in my chest. I could already see the gleam in those dark eyes when he walked in and found me like that.
Oh, the delicious things he’d do to me.
I sighed.
If I was braver and not so afraid of someone other than Tristan entering the office, I would have loved to find out. With another heavy sigh and a longing stare at his office door, I let go of the idea.
Thankfully, there was always work to keep my mind occupied enough that it wouldn’t wander. Starting with the new contracts Tristan had to sign.
And since I couldn’t leave my naked self on his desk, I decided to leave a stack of papers instead.
When I opened the door though, my poor heart leapt from my chest. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s my office, where else would I be.”
We’d been here before. Only last time, he was halfway undressed. Remembering the way the sun had caught his chiseled chest and stupidly defined abs made my skin tingle. Had it tingled that day too?
“You’re supposed to be in a meeting.”
Instead of answering me, he pushed away from his desk. Dark stare in place, he made his way over to me. At least that’s what I thought he was doing until he walked right past me toward the door.
Confused, I looked over my shoulder just in time to see him click the lock in place. My stomach dipped, and a delicious warmth spread through my body. Hadn’t I imagined being alone with him in his office not that long ago?
“What are you doing?”
Again, he didn’t answer me. Simply closed the distance between us with long powerful strides. Towering over me, he took me in from head to toe. I tried not to squirm, but it was impossible not to.
The bastard knew it too. Lips curving into that panty-melting crooked grin, he stepped farther into my space.
“I have contracts for you to sign.” My voice was so breathy, my tone so sultry, I might as well have begged him to bend me over his desk.
“Contracts?” He raised a brow. One, two seconds ticked by before he took the papers from me and very unceremoniously tossed them on the desk. “Fuck the contracts.”
“Hey.” I pointed a finger at his face. “You’re going to fix those.”
Not even a little fazed, he grabbed me by the hips and pulled my body flush against his. Lowering his head, he buried his nose in the crook of my neck.
I shut my eyes and tilted my head to give him better access.
His satisfied hum sent a trail of goosebumps over my skin.
“Your lunchbreak was too fucking long.” he murmured, arms banding tight around my waist. His lips latched on to my skin, kissing and nipping along the column of my throat.
It was impossible to think straight with the pressure of his fingers in such contrast to the featherlight brush of his mouth.
“I missed you.” His kisses reached that sensitive spot below my ear. I shivered and again when his tongue darted out to taste. “Hmm. Delicious, and I’m fucking starving.”
His low, gravelly words barely rolled over my skin when my world spun. In one fluid move, he picked me up and parked my butt on his desk. Fingers digging into the spot above my knee, he shoved my legs apart and stepped in close.