Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
Caleb
It’s a little after four on Saturday afternoon that my mobile rings.
Noah.
“Hey,” I say, answering his call.
“Grandad’s here. Mum doesn’t know I’m calling. He’s not at the door yet, but he’s in the driveway sitting in his car.”
I’m already picking up my keys before I answer. “I’ll be there in five.”
“Thank you.”
Anger flares in me as I walk to my Ute and slip into the front seat.
Knowing how rattled Emma was by him last time makes me grip the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turn white.
He’s not getting away with this.
Bailey’s waiting out the front when I pull up. Her brows draw together in worry as she indicates I should park outside and waves me toward the front door.
“Grandad’s at the back door—Mum won’t let him in.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. Do me a favour? Make sure your brother and sister are tucked out of the way.”
She rolls her eyes. “We’ll all be listening.”
I chuckle. “You shouldn’t. But I know I can’t stop you. Just stay out of his sight. The last thing I want is for you to be dragged into this.”
Bailey pauses, before flinging her arms around my waist. “You’ll take care of things?”
“I will, sweetheart, but I’ve got to get into the house first.”
She nods and drops her hands to her sides.
I slip in the front door and through to the kitchen toward the back.
Emma jumps when I slide my arm around her waist before turning her head, her eyes wide as she takes in the sight of me.
“What’s going on here?” I plant a soft kiss on her temple.
She stiffens briefly before relaxing into me.
Her father glares at me, and I force a smile. “I gather this isn’t a social visit?”
“I’m here to talk to my daughter. Not you.”
“Then you talk to both of us because we’re together.”
He sneers. “That didn’t take long.”
He might be angry, but I’m not about to bite. “And you know why. Was it too hard to be honest? My family would have welcomed Emma with open arms.”
His nostrils flare. “You weren’t part of the church.”
“And look how well that turned out.” I give Emma’s hip a squeeze.
“This has nothing to do with you.” He narrows his eyes.
“It has everything to do with me. You should be ashamed over how you treated your daughter. And you should know she’s protected now.”
He crosses his arms. “And how are you going to protect her when the court hands over everything she has?”
“You can waste all the money you want. They won’t do that.”
Emma’s grip tightens on my arm.
But I’m not letting her go down without a fight.
“You’re not the only one who can afford lawyers. I’ll fight for Emma and our family.”
I shoot a glance at her. The fear is in her eyes, but her jaw is set.
He scoffs. “Your family?”
“We both know who Noah’s father is. And I’ll adopt the others once Emma and I are married.”
My gaze is fixed on his and he’s studying me closely—presumably to see if I’m bluffing.
“Married?” His voice cracks. He thought he was going to get away with bullying Emma—that no one would be on her side.
But she’s got me.
She’ll always have me.
“Yes.”
“I have rights. They’re my grandchildren.”
I take a step forward. I’m taller and bigger than him. He might be an elderly man now, but I have no problem in intimidating him the way he thought he could do the same to Emma.
“You have nothing.”
He’s silent for a moment. His attempt to scare her isn’t working. “This isn’t over.”
“Oh, I think it is.”
Our gazes are locked and for a moment we both stand there, saying nothing. He knows he’s lost, but I suspect he’s too proud to acknowledge it.
“I’ll see you soon, Emma. In court.”
He turns and walks away, and I grip Emma tighter as she stumbles.
When he’s gone, she buries her face in my chest. I close my eyes as her tears soak through my shirt.
“What is his issue? Why does he want so desperately to make you feel like he’s in control and you have nothing?”
Emma shrugs. “I guess Malcolm lied about his assets …”
“No, babe. It’s more than that. I get him being after the money, but why is he threatening to take the kids?”
Her eyes meet mine. The horror in them makes my throat tighten. “The girls. They want the girls.”
I set my jaw. They married her off at sixteen—what would stop them doing the same to Bailey and Kiera? He wants to crush the rebellion out of her and show her he’s in control again.
“Tough shit. He’s not touching a hair on either of their heads.”
She pats my chest. “Thank you. You didn’t have to lie to him like that though.”
“I’m not lying.”
Her eyes search mine. “Caleb …”
“I love you, Emma. Marry me. Be with me.”
Her eyes fill with tears. “Is this what you really want?”
I cup her cheek. “You are what I want. I meant everything I said.”
“I know you want to protect me from Dad, but—”
“Hey.” I slide my hand down to grasp her chin and pull her gaze to mine. “This would have happened eventually because you and those kids are mine. Doesn’t matter if I’m not the father of all of them—I will be. We’ll just bump up the timeline.”
Her nose twitches. “You want to get married now?”
“I’d do it today, but it takes three days to get a licence.”
Her shoulders shake as she laughs. “You’re insane.”
“Maybe, but I’m all yours. I really didn’t expect you to laugh at my proposal.”
She lets out a sigh. “I thought we were taking some time out.”
I nod. “We were. But my woman needs me, and I’m right here ready to be taken advantage of.”
Emma snorts, and a groan comes from the doorway behind us.
I cock my head. “You do know that there are three children and a much older eavesdropper right next door, don’t you?”
Her brows knit. “I didn’t want them to hear Dad.”
“I think that ship has long since sailed. They came to talk to me about everything.”
Swiping her tears away with my index finger, I study her for a moment and then pull her into my arms.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispers.
“Whatever we decide, we do it together. I know you’re not ready for this, but I think we have to do whatever it takes to protect all of you.
As low as his chances are for winning any court case, this house and everything you have is your children’s legacy, and the least that bastard of a late husband of yours owes you and them. ”
She nods. “I know.”
“What do you say?”
A smile spreads across her lips. “You really want to do this? You’re not just asking me because I need help?”
“I’m asking you because I love you. Everything else is a bonus.
” I run my thumb along her bottom lip, and her breath hitches.
She’s so scared, but I’ll be patient and we’ll find our way back to each other—I’m sure of that.
“I know you want space. And I don’t know how that will work, but we’ll make it work. ”
“Thank you.”
“You know his threats are empty, don’t you?”
Her nod is slight. “Maybe. But if I have to defend myself in court, it’ll all cost money, and …”
“I’ll talk to my lawyer and work out what we need to do. Whatever it is, you won’t have to worry about it.”
“Are you sure?”
I hold her close and kiss her forehead. “I’d move heaven and earth for you and those kids. How about I give Sean a call? He’s my best friend and a lawyer with a firm in town. And then we’ll have dinner together.”
Emma’s smile is worth everything. “I’d like that.”
“I’ll make that call while you check on the kids. Bailey was out front when I got here.”
She sighs. “I’m sure Dad called in now to try and lay eyes on them. But apart from school, they’re still wary of people.”
“That’s not a bad thing while this is going on.”
With a nod, she steps back. “I agree.”
I give her hand a squeeze before she heads out of the living room to find the kids. Taking a deep breath, I make my way out to the deck.
Smiling at my handiwork, I sit at the picnic table by the back door and pull out my phone.
Sean answers after a couple of rings.
“Hey. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. Change your mind about going out tonight?”
I chuckle. His text this morning wasn’t unexpected, but it’s been a while since I’ve been anywhere social with him.
“No, but I wanted to pick your brain. It’s about Emma.”
“Ahh. What do you need?”
“Her father’s harassing her. He’s talking about getting a lawyer to fight her late husband’s will and making noises about her being an unfit parent.”
“What the hell?”
“I know.”
He sighs. “How long ago was probate granted?”
Shit.
“Uhh … She told me before she sold the house in Christchurch. That’d be maybe ten months ago?”
“Then, I really don’t think she’ll have any issues, but one of my lawyers has a lot more estate law expertise than I have.”
“What’s the deal with this?”
“Well, if he wanted to fight this, he really should have started before probate was granted. The fact that more than six months has passed is good for Emma.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear.”
“Once the estate is distributed, it’s a lot harder to make a claim.
I think we should be glad her father wasn’t paying more attention.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he gives it a go, though.
It sounds like he wants her off kilter. Which leads into the second part of his threat.
I’d be more concerned with him trying to make her look unstable.
Not that he has any legal rights to the children, but he could make her life difficult in other ways. ”
“That’s what I figured. If he makes accusations, then there’ll be some kind of investigation. And she doesn’t need that—not with everything she’s been through.”
He blows out an audible breath. “I wonder if he thinks she’ll crack under the pressure and go back? That if she’s under his control, she’ll hand over all the money and property.”
I swallow hard. “If that’s the case, he’ll have to get past me.”
“It’s good she has you. I’m going to guess he knows that she’s vulnerable. From what you’ve told me, he would have been witness to how toxic that marriage was, and he’s trying to take advantage.”
“He didn’t count on me.”
Sean chuckles. “No, he didn’t. And if you’re serious about being with this woman—”
“I’m going to marry her. I mean, I didn’t plan on doing it this soon, but if it helps protect her, I’ll do it now.”