Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
Emma
It’s the legal claim to contest the will that comes first.
Our lawyer says they’re wasting their time. No court is going to give Malcolm’s assets to the church over his own family.
Malcolm’s death left me comfortable, and while my father could have applied for a copy of the will once it went through probate, it was vague enough that he doesn’t know the extent of the assets that were transferred to me.
The only thing he will know is how much the children received in trust.
“He’s doing this to put you off balance,” Caleb says.
“It’s working,” I mutter.
“The lawyer will deal with this. He’s throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something will stick.”
I nod. I have faith in Sean and the lawyer he’s involved in this. He’s handled anything legal for Caleb for years, and the two of them are close.
“Trust me?”
“Of course I do. I hate that you were dragged into this.”
Caleb shakes his head. “No one dragged me. Your father is a selfish bastard. We’ll head him off at every attempt he makes at getting at you or the kids.”
“Thank you for being here for me.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Despite all the reassurance, I’m left feeling uneasy for the whole day. Caleb went to work like any other day, and although I told him that I was fine, I spend most of the day on the couch, Googling for other cases.
I don’t find anything like ours, but that doesn’t help to ease my mind.
And it’s obvious to Caleb when he walks in the door.
I’m not sure if he shares his concerns with Noah, but the two of them swing into action, making sure that everyone’s fed and before I know it, it’s time to go to bed.
Caleb climbs into bed beside me—I’m not even in the mood to ogle him.
He kisses my shoulder and places his hand on my thigh.
“You’ve been away with the fairies all night.”
I shrug. “I’m not really feeling that great.”
“I know you’re worried about your father.”
His eyes search mine.
Tears prick my eyes. “Yes. I hate this. I hate him. He destroyed my life—our lives. Noah didn’t grow up with his father because of him.”
“Then we’ll beat him, Emma. At every single stage we’ll head him off until he crawls back to his miserable life and leaves you alone. I’ve got your back. We can do this.”
I sniff, and the tears escape, rolling down my cheeks.
“I’ll protect my family. I promise you that.”
“I know, it’s just …”
“He still scares you.”
I nod. “I trust you and I trust Sean to take care of any legal things, but he’s going to do his best to undermine me as a parent.”
“You’re an incredible mother.”
I sniff again. “Even if I stayed in an abusive relationship for so long?”
“You did what you could to protect those kids. You’re not at fault, Em. You didn’t cause this, and you didn’t want it. They adore you, and that’s because they know you did your best. That counts for a lot.”
I sigh, leaning my head on his. “What if it’s not enough?”
“It is. Now, what I’d like to do is make love to my wife.”
I kiss his jaw. “I’d like that.”
He reaches for the hem of my pyjama tank and raises it over my head.
He’s seen me naked, but I still feel a little awkward around him and cross my arms across my chest.
“Don’t hide from me, wife.”
I laugh—I can’t help it, and Caleb’s lips curl into a smile.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to.”
“You’re beautiful. You always have been.”
I let my hands drop to my sides and wriggle down under the covers.
Caleb produces his boxers from under the covers.
“Your turn again,” he says.
God, how he makes me smile.
I hook my fingers in my panties, and do the same, throwing them to the floor beside the bed.
Caleb reaches for me, suckling on my nipple as his fingers trace a line over my belly and toward my pussy.
He sips his fingers over my clit and I tense.
“You okay?”
“Yes. So much yes.”
He chuckles, his fingers probing me, rubbing my clit until I grasp his bicep and cry out his name.
“You’re on top tonight.”
I swallow hard. “I’ve never—”
“Our life is going to be full of things you’ve never done. You’d better get used to it.” He tilts his head. “Now, get up here.”
“Okay, okay.” I laugh.
My heart speeds up. I’m naked and self-conscious, but I straddle Caleb’s legs.
He fists his cock. “I’ll help.”
“You’re too kind.” I roll my eyes and he grins.
I get up on my knees until I’m over his cock. He holds my wrist with one hand, the other guiding himself inside me.
I’m so distracted in the action that it takes me a moment to realise he’s buried deep inside me.
“Oh.”
Caleb’s eyes light up, and he smirks.
“Just rock, baby. I’ll do the work.”
He grasps my hips and I move as he shows me, my body finding a rhythm with his as he thrusts from below.
This is heaven.
Once we’re in sync, he moves his hands to my breasts, cupping them and running his thumbs over my nipples.
“I like you like this.”
He pulls me closer, taking one nipple into his mouth, and sliding his other hand between us to play with my clit.
I gasp and ride him harder, needing the friction and riding the high.
My world explodes.
He places his hand on my hips again and pulls me down hard.
“Caleb.” I moan. “Caleb.”
He groans and slows, letting me slow to my own pace. My body is on fire, sparks of electricity still flowing through me.
“That was insane,” he says. “We are so doing that again.”
“Yes, but not now.” I pant.
He laughs and pulls me down to kiss me.
“I am going to spend the rest of my life making you come and enjoying the hell out of it.”
I let out a laugh. “I want that.”
His eyes search mine. “I’m so addicted to you.”
I roll off him and collapse on my back. “I feel the same way.”
“I will never, ever get enough of you.”
Weeks of intimacy have made everything easier.
Caleb rolls over some time in the night and slides an arm over me, and I don’t freeze in fright. Instead, I snuggle back against my husband and go back to sleep.
There’s never any pressure.
And as it turns out, consent is really sexy.
He checks in with me constantly when we’re in bed together, always making sure I’m comfortable and ready for the next step.
I’m not healed—I’m not sure that fear will ever completely go away. But Caleb’s making all the right moves, and I’m so glad it’s him.
It could only be him.
For days, I agonise over my father’s actions.
Sean promised he’d let us know when he’d have an update, and Caleb keeps telling me no news is good news.
A week after the initial call, Caleb’s phone rings and he meets my gaze.
“It’s Sean. I’ll put him on speaker.”
He answers the call and sets the phone on the coffee table.
“Hi, Sean,” I say.
“Hey, Emma. I’ll just cut to the chase. It’s done.”
I glance at Caleb and frown. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, confronted with the law and the fact that my lawyers were better than his fresh-out-of-law school lawyer, your father folded like a pack of cards.”
I slam my hand to my mouth.
“What does that mean?” Caleb asks.
“The court action’s been withdrawn. We sat his lawyer down and explained to him that no judge on this planet is going to take away the inheritance the man left to his family and give it to an organisation he hadn’t been a part of for years.
” He sighs. “I’ll send you everything, but I’m guessing they couldn’t find anyone else willing to take their case.
The paperwork they submitted was a mess. ”
“I don’t understand. It was that simple?” I ask.
Sean laughs. “Unless they find another lawyer stupid enough to take that on, it’s sunk. We’ll cross that bridge if and when we hit it. But they have no proof of any promise Malcolm made them. It’s all based on the word of your father and one of the other church elders. There’s nothing in writing.”
“Okay.”
Caleb squeezes my hand. “So, what now?”
“Now we sit tight. I’ll head off anything else that comes up.
As I explained, probate being granted makes it harder.
He missed that, and then he missed the six months that you had to sit on the estate before distributing it.
And now the clock is ticking for the twelve-month deadline which stops any chance of him contesting it.
But he has no grounds, and now he’s shown his hand. ”
I breathe a sigh of relief. Our previous conversations had told me he had no chance but hearing that he tried it was enough to stress me out.
Life has been so good with Caleb, and despite knowing that this might happen, it was still a shock my father had the balls to try and do this.
The only thing that matters, is that he doesn’t get what he wants. My family and our money are off-limits.
For the first time in so very long, I feel safe.
Though I’m not so sure how long that’s going to last.