Chapter 30
TOMáS
Tino
How’s it going?
It’s going
Dante
You gotta give us more than that
I will but it’s more of an in-person type chat
We’ve been staying at her brothers’ ranch. Tino you’d love this place. It’s a weed resort
Tino
Say what now? A weed resort?
Yep, they have literally everything you can imagine here
Tino
Looks like Lo and I are going to Colorado
Dante
Anyway, what else is going on?
Her brothers are chill, same with her sister and fiancée
Tino
BTW… how long am I supposed to lie to your sister?
Dante you told him?
Tino
Yes, he did. Why didn’t you?
I didn’t know how to, but I’ll tell her. Just don’t say anything yet. I don’t want it coming from you
Tino
Fine. But omission of truth is the same as lying Mr. Attorney
Don’t worry. I’ll handle it
Should be interesting at the rehearsal dinner tonight
Tino
Good luck. Keep us updated
Dante
Yeah def
Will do
“You two work a lot,” Noah observes as Sarina and I finish going over the final documents we need to send over to the bank for a closing next week.
It doesn’t matter that it’s the rehearsal dinner night, or that we aren’t in the office but sitting at the main bar at Hemp Grove just outside of the event room the dinner will be held in.
There’s always work to do. At least being able to work alongside Sarina makes the never-ending tasks seem more bearable.
I close my laptop, and Sarina follows suit, and Noah offers to stash them behind the bar until after the rehearsal dinner.
“Believe it or not, this has been a slow work week. You should see the workload when we’re in New York with multiple deals going at once.”
Noah tosses up his hands. “I’ll pass. I’m busy enough between here and…” He pauses looking at Sarina as if he needs permission to continue. She tilts her head subtly and he takes it as the sign he needs to resume speaking. “Our other ventures. I couldn’t imagine.”
Liam walks around the bar, grabbing a THC seltzer for himself while asking what else we want. At first, I say that I’m good, but then he insists, looking at who just walked in. Their dad. “You sure about that, bud?”
“On second thought, I’ll take another.”
“Make it a double. Both of ours,” Sarina adds.
We take our drinks into the event room, sitting at our assigned table, which thankfully isn’t shared with Sarina’s parents but instead with her brothers.
Small talk fills the time, until the first course is served. When we finish our salads and our plates are collected, the clinking of glasses sounds as Mr. Tesoro’s voice booms over the speaker system.
With a microphone in one hand and a champagne flute raised high in the other, he begins his speech.
Though I’d be lying if I said I was retaining any of what he’s saying through that fake grin of his, since the three empty seats to his left are now occupied by two unfamiliar faces that just walked in and one very familiar one.
Sarina’s dad makes a point to glance over at our table, pausing his speech. He turns to hug the first two people who walked in, and with the microphone positioned conveniently by his mouth, he hugs James. “It’s so wonderful to see you, son.”
That was intentionally said for Sarina and me to hear. And of course, James, smug as can be, looks over at us, waving our way as he sits down, gloating.
None of us return the gesture. If anything, my fist, that’s resting in my lap, is doing the same thing Sarina’s brothers’ fists are doing from what I can see.
They’re all clenched. All of us wanting nothing more than to walk over and punch him.
It takes a lot of nerve for him to waltz in here the way he did.
I wonder since James and Michael Tesoro are so close if what happened at Luxe was mentioned.
Not that James knew my name, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it came up in passing, with at least a description of what I look like.
Then again, seeing as Sarina’s dad has a thing for playing games, he could very well know that a man matching my description was introduced as her husband, and be keeping it for some sort of ammo when I meet with him after the wedding to discuss business.
My mind is reeling, but all of that quiets when Sarina rises from her chair, seating herself on my lap.
“What are you—”
“Shh.” She presses a finger to my lips.
For a moment I wonder if she’s sitting on my lap to get back at James.
Not that I would blame her, but it’s when her dad’s signature disgusted look creeps back onto his face even as he resumes his speech, I realize it’s her way of getting at him.
To a man like Michael Tesoro, control and appearances are everything.
His daughter —grown as she may be— acting in a way that he can’t immediately correct, with a man he has no control over her being with, infuriates him.
Seeing how Sarina held back around him has become ingrained in my mind.
I hated seeing someone with a voice deserving of being heard, instead be ignored.
So if this is helping her speak to up in silence then so be it.
She can use me however she sees fit. And seeing how I can’t stand her dad, I’ll gladly be an accessory to her pissing him off.
I keep my gaze where it belongs —on her— and tune out the end of her father’s speech and the ridiculous applause that follows.
“Sorry, I just needed to…” Hesitation claws at her throat, and a visible swallow flows down the column of her neck, and if we weren’t sitting in a crowded room I’d lick it.
“Piss him off?” My head subtly juts over to the direction of her parents’ table.
“That’s part of it. But I don’t know, I like how-” her voice trails, reducing itself to a murmur devoid of words.
“I make you feel?” A question camouflaged as a statement. A bold assumption that I need nothing more than to hear her confirm, whether it be through words or a simple gesture, anything at this point.
“Yes,” she breathes with confidence.
Pride soars through my chest, and I try my hardest not to let it show, not wanting to scare her off. “Are you okay?” I settle for.
She grabs my hand, lifting it and pressing it against her cheek. “I am now.”
“Good.”
She goes to get up, but I holster her in place, keeping her in my lap. “Where are you going?”
“To sit back down to eat.”
I keep her in place with one hand, reaching over the table with the other and bringing her plate closer. “You can eat right here.”
A flirtatious grin forms. “Is that right?”
“Carino, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want to me.”
Her bottom lip falls to a pout. “You’re a good man.”
I thank her, confused by the glaze over both her irises.
“No, like a really, really, good man.” Her eyes keep darting over to the direction of her father. “I’m sorry.” The weight of burdens that aren’t hers to carry fall heavy on her breath.
I redirect her chin to face me. “Stop apologizing to me for him. You have nothing to apologize for. Sit on me. Eat your food. Let me enjoy how good it feels knowing my wife needs me.”
Finally, a genuine smile cracks through. “You really like that whole wife thing, don’t you?”
“Yep.” I really do.
Dinner wraps up relatively drama-free and thankfully, the collective warning glares from Sarina’s brothers keep James at bay. It’s bad enough that he’s here, but it would escalate to another level if he came over.
Harper joins our table, asking if Sarina wants to go out with the girls for drinks. She says she has cramps, which I sense is code for not wanting to go out since I know she’s not on her period. I’m ready to head back to our room with her when Noah stops us.
“Hey, Ri, you mind if we borrow your husband?” he asks with a wink.
“Umm, why?”
“Just want to fill him on some things before the big day tomorrow, that’s all.”
Sarina’s eyes narrow. “Sounds suspicious.”
“It’s not,” Liam chimes in, sounding very suspicious.
She looks to me. “Are you okay hanging with them for a little while? Or better yet, do you even want to?”
I glance over Sarina’s shoulder, studying the way her brothers are huddled, taking turns looking in James’ direction. Clearly, what they have to tell me is about him, and if it’s something that potentially affects Sarina, I want to know. “I’ll be fine, meet you in our room in a little bit?”
“Don’t take too long.”
“I won’t, don’t you worry,” I promise her.
Sarina turns to Noah. “Go easy on him.”
He tilts his head, the brim of his cowboy hat pinched in his fingers. “You got it, sis.”
Apparently, a walk means a drive —in complete silence.
The truck rolls to a stop, making the lack of conversation feel eerie, given our surroundings.
I stare at the gated property we’re parked in front of. “Where are we?”
“We got you the address of the attorney who drew up our grandmother’s will.”
I point at the car window. “I’m assuming we’re parked in front of it.” I can’t help but chuckle. “You know, you could have just sent me the address.”
“We could have, but where’s the fun in that?”
Clearly there’s something I’m missing here.
“I’m going to be honest, it’s been a long couple of days, I’m going to need you both to cut to the chase.”
“That’s fair. We know that you and Sarina are married.”
Fuck. This was only a matter of time.
Words filter through my mind faster than they can connect with my mouth.
“Don’t worry, she told us why. Which is why you need to talk to the attorney now.”
I sit with the name they’ve given me for a moment. It sounds familiar. After sifting through the Rolodex of names I’ve encountered during my law career, I’m reacquainted with the person in question. He went to law school with me, but opted out of taking the New York state bar.
“I know him.”
“Then that should make it much easier,” they say in unison.
“I’m not following.”
Liam lowers the window, pressing the intercom button, and within an instant, a crackling voice answers.
“I’m sorry Mr. Hutchinson isn’t taking visitors,” the voice says, apprehensive.
“Tell him we have an old friend for him.”
They look back at me. “Go ahead. Introduce yourself.”
“Who is it?” the voice asks.
I say my name into the intercom and that’s all it takes for the gates to swing open.
Sarina’s brothers clap in satisfaction as we drive through.
“Is there something I should know before we head inside?” I ask, unable to ignore the sinking feeling that there is a major component they are leaving out.
The car rolls to a stop before I’m given an answer.
“Did Sarina tell you about James?”
“Other than they were engaged, no.”
I know there’s more there. A lot more. Just the way he looked at her and acted at Luxe, told me everything I need to know about that piece of shit.
They exchange a look that quickly leads to a unified sigh.
“For years, our dad tried securing business ties with James’ family, and it wasn’t until the marriage was put on the table for Sarina and James, that his family seemed keen on forming a business partnership, if you will.
Everything was lined up to merge both family businesses, that was until Sarina broke off the engagement.
Then James started hanging around my dad more, and that’s when we found out he had taken over as attorney for our grandmother’s estate. ”
“Wait, so James is the attorney? Then why are we here?”
“This is where it gets murky since Hutchinson is who our grandmother had as her attorney, but at the reading of her will, we were informed of the change, and James was there in Hutchinson’s place.
Our dad informed us that our grandmother, shortly before her death, had a change of attorney and new will drafted.
None of us bought it. Especially not when the stipulation to Sarina receiving her portion was read. ”
“So, James altered the will, is what you’re saying.”
“That’s why we’re here. Small world that you two know each other, so this should make everything easier. Talk to your old friend about and find out for us.”
As I open the car door and spill out onto the cobblestone driveway with my pulse pounding in my ears, I’ve never been more determined in my life to find out the truth, or willing to potentially break the promise I made my dad.
Because if all this is true, and the will was tampered with, I’m going to act with much more than words.