26 The Free Fall
Dash
Something akin to a fresh breeze blew through my mind as I stared at the small black-and-white photo of my family. Not a family completely made by blood, but by people who had picked me up and dusted me off after my foundation crumbled into rubble underneath me.
Where would I be today without these people in the photo?
If I had a skill, it was recognizing the one important person who’d be strong enough to walk through life with me. Beau. The rock who stood like a sentry in the waiting area, making sure he stayed between me and anything that might hurt me. That included Collin, the blood brother currently waiting in the conference room for my return. He was the sibling closest to my age. The weight of his worry caused him to appear much older.
Beau had no idea what was happening, but he waited quietly, ready to pick up whatever pieces shattered around me. My tears ebbed and flowed, never spilling over. After this was all said and done, I’d have to put my life back together once again.
The tears of my lost life, and the relief that this was almost over, had me rolling my neck and shoulders, trying to relieve the tightness there.
I sat with Stone inside my closed-door office, waiting on Lon to review the settlement offer my brother had delivered in person.
Without Beau’s influence, I wouldn’t know Lon or Stone. I rested my head against the headrest of my ridiculously comfortable desk chair.
I took for granted the way Beau had carefully documented our lives. The walls and shelves, end tables and credenza had strategically placed framed snapshots of us over the last twenty-four years. Such a special existence. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen the collection of photos, but today they drove their message home.
Collin had perused the candid snaps, briefly setting aside the tense, challenging meeting to show me his two beautiful children. They were toddler boys. Twins, who looked very much like Fisher.
I drummed my fingers against the armrest.
Maybe tonight represented the moment my mind had finally allowed its last thought to penetrate. The constantly pistoning cylinders had locked in place.
Through it all, this had been the most challenging time of my life.
“Carter’s on his way here. I told him that you weren’t available to talk until we finished, but he follows his own rules,” Stone said from the other side of my desk. “On his way means flying home from Canada.” A big toothy grin broke through the tension-filled wait. “Lon agrees with the terms. Teresa sent her approval to Brianne. We’ve reached an agreement.”
Stone turned the screen of his laptop toward me. Lon’s image showed him jumping up, driving his fist forward. Every ounce of fatigue Stone wore on his otherwise worry-free expression lifted. The tortuous journey had come to an end with swift, surprising finality.
Overwhelming sentiment assailed me. The fight and overload of emotional baggage was over. A tear built enough steam to trickle down my cheek. I was fucking crying when I should have been preening throughout the room. A cock of the walk. Instead, all I wanted was to fill my guy in and thank Stone. There was probably going to be a hearty hug between the two of us before this night ended.
“Let’s get some signatures, then we’ll have a proper celebration. I need to talk to Beau.”
“Sure thing, buddy.” Lon pointed his finger at me, the screen split into three with Penny, Brianne, and Lon. “Richmond-Brooks, I knew you were worth the effort. Excellent job. The student has officially outpaced the instructor.”
“Oh, Lord,” I chuckled. “Finish this up before you’ve realized what you said and take it all back.”
“Beau,” Stone called from the doorway to my office, laptop in hand, motioning Beau inside.
He went from appearing ass-kicking to drained in seconds when he caught sight of my tears. I wiped them away and came around my desk. “We’re very close to done. We’ve accepted their settlement.”
“Why’re you cryin’?” Beau asked, unsure how to proceed. I had to reach for a tissue as I went for him. He stayed rooted just a foot inside my office. “I feel like I have to prove the kids right and go kick your brother’s ass. Are those bodyguards flankin’ his sides? He probably heard about my reputation and got scared.”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure,” I said, appreciative for the teasing words. I leaned my ass against the edge of the reception desk. “The text messages we found gave Collin what he needed to back up the Stuart Intelligence internal investigation. Richmond Holdings hasn’t been a unified company for many years. The board has officially voted my father and his allies out of the company. That means the entire senior executive team. As of a few hours ago, they’ve all been removed. Collin’s in a temporary CEO position. It’s chaos over there.”
I drew Beau between my parted thighs, giving Stone enough room to close the door behind him. “Did you get the settlement you wanted?” Beau asked.
“We did. Quite a bit more.” As much as I wanted to say the amount, jump into his arms and celebrate our victory, I stayed in this weird, otherworldly place. I reached behind me for the printed settlement.
Beau glanced at the page, then up again, confused. “It’s less than.”
“Look closer.”
His eyes dropped. Confusion turned into bug-eyed wonder. I almost laughed because it was probably my exact expression when I saw the total.
“Dash, is it billions?”
I nodded. With my share of this settlement, for all the work and pain that had gone into achieving this result, I no longer had to file bankruptcy. My children were going to be able to continue at their private school. Beau no longer had to work so damned hard to cover my slack. I could take care of my husband like I had always wanted to do.
The women hurt and abused by my family would have their day, and a public apology.
Their lives, which had been so negatively impacted by those heinous crimes, had now been changed forever as a direct result of their strength and conviction.
Beau tossed the paper on the desk and grabbed me into his arms. The tight embrace radiated relief, devotion, and something more. My love believed in me. My arms circled him, clinging to my life’s preserver. We’d weathered the storm together.
“We’re takin’ time off,” I said against his ear, but I didn’t want to leave home. I needed to be put back into the day to day of my life. Make sure Beau and I were settling in for the long haul of peace and tranquility.
A quick rap on the door broke us apart. Well, inches apart. “Come in.”
Collin surprised me by stepping inside as if it were the most normal thing in the world. He stared at Beau. “I wanted to meet you. The apology I extended to Dasham needs to be given to you as well. I also offer appreciation. Richmond Holdings has been in the fight of its life over the last few years. The leadership needed to leave the helm years before.”
“What happens now?” Beau asked, threading our hands together.
I was certain none of my siblings had ever had a partner show such a sweet gesture like taking my hand and keeping me near. I recognized Collin taking us in, seemingly curious.
“We’ll get the settlement offer in front of the judge,” Collin answered for me.
“When its approved. We celebrate,” I concluded. “Collin has his work cut out for him. My father won’t be easy to deal with.”
Collin’s expression didn’t change, but he offered one decisive nod at my statement.
“Dash, we’re ready,” Stone called.
“Let’s get this done,” Collin said. “I have a flight waiting.” He left the room. When Beau tried to loosen his handhold, I tightened mine. We had only minutes left before I requested an amendment to our marriage contract, I wanted to add a twenty-four-seven clause, meaning I wanted to be with Beau every second of every day for the rest of our lives.
April 2025
“I feel like I’ve done this before,” I murmured to myself. The salty breeze off the ocean teased my hair and added an extra layer of serenity to this monumental occasion. The rhythmic back and forth of the waves against the shore provided the perfect peaceful soundtrack for the day. The calm inside me was a significant contrast to the emotional upheaval of the last year.
Of course, this time was different. My clean-shaven husband stood beside me, looking like a million bucks in his linen button-up, tailored shorts, and expensive slide-on Italian loafers. And our beautiful children were here with us. Their laughter mingled with the squawks of the seagulls.
Who’d have thought that twenty-five years ago, being forced to come to Sea Springs, Texas would set such a far-reaching trajectory for my life?
The family I’d made were all here too. Joy and her family had come to celebrate the day. Scott, Lauren, Carter, Linda, and Kailey stood with me in front of the oceanfront hotel, a relic of its former glory. Even Amelia, who had fought me tooth and nail, was here with me. As much as anyone, she belonged on this day. That sweet woman had stayed by my side through the entirety of my life. She loved me and this family unconditionally. I felt the same in return.
The twenty-seven women who’d officially become multi-millionaires this morning were also in attendance. I had bankers and financial planners available as the settlement was distributed a few hours ago. Their joy, not just for the money but for the acknowledgement of what had happened to them, was palpable as they sipped champagne, waiting for the party to begin.
Somehow, everyone involved had managed to put the brutal bullshit, years in the making, behind them. Turns out, “fake it until you make it” worked.
How had this special moment come to be? Me standing in front of the former Richmond hotel complex was nothing short of being in the right moment at the right time. My firm had acquired the hotel and surrounding properties for pennies on the dollar. Plans for an office park, apartments suites, and my firm’s new headquarters were already in motion. The building was large enough to fit every employee who worked for me, including a new office for Stone, and a new assistant for him while he assisted me. That was a firm must-have on the new contractual list of conditions he’d given me to live by these days.
“It’s time,” Stone announced, bullhorn in hand. His voice cut through the loud chatter, drawing everyone’s attention. From our vantage point on the other side of the parking lot, we watched men work from the scaffolding, hanging from the top of the building.
The ocean breeze carried the chant that started with Beau and my rambunctious children. “Bring it down, bring it down…” Soon, everyone joined them in unison.
The previous exterior signage, the Richmond Resorts omen that always hung over my head, was removed from the building. Shooting streamers bombarded us from every direction and loud dance music added to the complete joy of the occasion. My firm’s logo signage would replace it soon enough. Beau slipped an arm around my waist, drawing me close.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” he yelled, his voice barely audible over the cheers. He pressed a kiss on my lips, and for the briefest of moments, the world around us faded.
“How did we make it through?” I said, rearing no more than an inch from Beau’s handsome face. I marveled at the obstacles he and I had overcome. My hand cupped Beau’s neck, drawing him in and down for another kiss. Smaller arms circled my knee. Fisher was there.
“He got you too?” Beau asked playfully.
“Yup.”
Beau and I glanced down together to see Fisher’s ever-smiling face. Then he placed a kiss on my knee, then on Beau’s. His newest way of joining in our affection. Beau scooped our boy up into his arms. “You’ve been particularly good today.”
“Yup. Daddy said if I was good, we could go to the trampoline park tomorrow,” Fisher stated proudly.
“Next weekend,” I corrected, smiling.
“I like the loud pop of the bombs.” Fisher bounced off Beau’s side, mimicking the sudden burst of the streamers. “But it scared Hunter.”
“Margaritas and lunch in the foyer!” Stone interrupted again, the bullhorn still on blast. The throng of people began walking through the parking lot toward the grand foyer that had been transformed into a seascape of food and fun. Every woman of the twenty-six was given a hotel room for the weekend. The last guests to stay before the remodel began next week.
“Daddy, can we go inside?” Livie asked, tugging at the bottom of my shirt.
Linda swooped in, taking Fisher from Beau’s arms and corralling the kids with practiced ease. “Best sons,” she said, putting Fisher on his feet, who took off running. “After today, it’s time for some quiet, easy years. Leave the drama behind.”
“I’m into her idea,” Beau said, lifting a hand to motion any stragglers toward the building. “I was thinkin’ about becomin’ a house husband.”
His unexpected words stopped me in my tracks. I was stunned speechless. This same man who had given me hell over the years about paying his own way in the world was suggesting a slower pace? I searched his face for sincerity.
Beau and I had spent the last several months on a perpetual vacation, rediscovering who we were and how devoted each of us were to our family. I’d learned again about the effortless commitment, friendship, and understanding he and I had shared since day one.
The best part of the case ending successfully was my win also being my family’s win. It took a village to get here. All of us had mucked through the scum to be standing here together.
Beau extended a hand, and I readily took it, separating the space between us. “I’d love you becoming a house husband. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Come on, guy,” Beau said, chuckling at me, not with me. He released my hand to wrap an arm around my back, walking side by side with me to the front. “I don’t wanna be a house husband like the Real Housewives , but I do want to permanently slow down. I want you to too. We lived way too much life on the front end of our relationship, let’s keep the backend low-key.”
Before I could respond, Hunter’s triumphant yell drew our attention. He stood atop a mound of flowers, fists raised high, while Fisher lay face down, trapped under Hunter’s tennis shoe.
Ava stood to the side, glaring at Beau and I, her finger pointing at the boys. “See what they do? You can’t go anywhere with them. Why do we keep trying?”
“What’s wrong with those boys?” Beau muttered, quickening his pace toward the kids. To my surprise, Amelia appeared beside me, keeping stride with me.
“You did it, Dasham,” she said, her voice soft and encouraging. “You made a better life. We know love.”
My arm anchored around her shoulders, slowing our way to the entrance. “You were always my strength, Amelia. I wouldn’t be here without you. You keep this life moving for us. Especially over the last couple years. You kept me emotionally afloat.”
“All that sweetness, and you’re still good at keeping secrets.” Not necessarily the conversational direction I’d expected. I ran through the words again before turning my head to her. Based on all that accusation on her face, the sweet moment I thought we shared, turned darker.
Okay.
She knew.
Dammit.
Amelia was the secret-whisperer. She read me like a book, a toddler-level read. “Don’t tell Beau. I will after the party. I don’t know that he knows we’ve moved past the figuring it out stage.”
“How far along is she?” Amelia asked, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
“Six weeks,” I lied, but Amelia wasn’t fooled. “I’ve been waiting because Beau’s nervous about handling the load. He doesn’t understand I’m almost forty-one years old, and we need to wrap all this up.”
With only a look, she suddenly reduced me into a young boy, explaining why I wasn’t wrong.
“Seven weeks and three days,” she said and pulled the sonogram picture out of her bag. “Don’t leave things lying around if you don’t want them seen.”
The way she held the picture to her heart zipped my lips. The photo was an email attachment which meant she was poking around where she shouldn’t have been and printing things that definitely needed to stay hidden. It didn’t matter. Amelia loved my newest little nugget just like I did, just as Beau would after he finished freaking out.
“I was planning to tell Beau tonight,” I called.
Every dream I’d had as a young man was a reality. My life partner, Beau, our beautiful children, the normal life with normal people we created, all happened for me. The overwhelming contentment squeezed my heart.
With belief, work, and nurturing, dreams did come true.
My lips quirked up in the corners as I tucked my hands into my pockets. She didn’t catch my other lie. I figured forty-five years old was a good age to stop having children. We still had lots of time.
The End