Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
MEET ME IN ST. PAUL
TULLY
I’ve got some news. Lola and I have talked, and I’ll give you guys the short version of what’s up.
Of course, this can’t go anywhere beyond this thread, family vault.
Daniel, as in my fucking AGENT, has been blackmailing Lola for years.
She finally opened up about it when I was in New York, and she was okay with me telling you.
I’ve hired Marcus and Wade to get to the bottom of things.
Without going into all the details on here, I’ll just say that after all this time, everything finally makes sense.
Lola will be at the charity event on Saturday night. I wanted her to meet Marcus and Wade in person, and I’d like her to meet you guys if everyone is up for that.
Goldie
OMG. Are you serious? I can’t believe that! Daniel has been blackmailing Lola? All this time?! I’m…I don’t even know what to say. Of course we want to meet her. Do you have time for brunch on Saturday?
Dylan
What in the fucking hell? Will Daniel be there Saturday night? I’d love to give him a piece of my mind with my fist.
The last time I talked to him about it, he was unsure if he’d make it, so I don’t know.
I hope for Lola’s sake he’s not, and yet, I really want to shake him up.
It’ll be hard not to punch him, but I’ll get some satisfaction in making him squirm.
We can’t let him suspect that we’re onto him, but I think just seeing Lola there will have him on edge.
Dad
What a piece of work! Yeah, I wouldn’t mind punching him myself! I can’t believe we believed he was looking out for you. He was after money the whole time! I can’t wait for him to get what’s coming to him.
Deep breaths, Dad. I don’t want your blood pressure going up.
Dad
Don’t you worry about me. That man will pay for this. But yes, on a calmer note, I am so happy that you got some resolution, son. I’ve wanted to meet Lola for a long time. We’ll watch out for her on Saturday night, but it’d be nice to break the ice beforehand. Should we do something at the house?
I’d love that.
Camden
Unbelievable. I’ve never liked the guy but appreciated that he seemed driven to get you the best possible deals—no fucking wonder! We’ve got your back, man. And Lola’s. Just name the time.
Noah
Just tell us what you need from us, and we’re there.
Thanks, guys. Let’s do brunch at eleven.
I pick up Lola from MSP Airport late Friday night. We’ve talked on the phone some this week, but both of us have been busy, so it’s not been as much as I would’ve liked.
She seems shy when she sees me. We hug, but I don’t miss the way she looks around carefully when she steps back.
Since our conversation about Daniel, she’s changed all her passwords, set up two-factor authentication, gotten a new phone, and has been staying with her friend Briar.
Once I found out more details about the times Daniel had stepped in and turned her life upside down, I made the call to Wade, and he agreed to be her security detail.
He’s the one who told us where to start taking action for her protection. It’s only the beginning.
“The guy’s found some way to track her,” he said. “Or he’s got cameras on her. Maybe a little bit of both, but since you see him often, I’m thinking it’s the latter. If he suddenly loses access to her, it’ll shake him up, and eventually, he’ll make a mistake.”
The whole thing makes me fucking ragey, but I’m trying to stay focused. One thing at a time. We’re going to find a way to nail this motherfucker.
“How was your flight?” I smile down at Lola.
“Not bad at all.” She grins. “The stache is a vibe.”
“You think?”
She giggles. “Yeah.”
I take her suitcase, and we walk toward the door. “Wade is picking us up and then coming right back to catch his flight to New York.”
“I’m excited to meet him,” she says.
We’ve had a three-way FaceTime call already, so this meeting is mostly just to put Lola at ease once she’s back in New York with him.
Wade steps out of the car and offers his hand to Lola. They shake, and I make the introductions. Wade opens the car door for her, and once she’s inside, he smooths down his mustache and walks around to the driver’s side.
“Is he doing Movember too? In person, he looks like Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic,” she whispers, looking at me in the back seat.
I chuckle. “He likes being told that, even if he pretends not to. He prefers Pascal to Tom Selleck. And it’s his full-time look.”
She laughs softly and turns to face forward when Wade gets in the car.
“Were you able to get everything switched over—new phone, new passwords, and all that?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“Great. We’ll be watching closely. I’ll go over your apartment thoroughly, make sure there aren’t any cameras or recording devices. Same with your shop.”
“I’ve let Briar and Juni know that someone will be doing maintenance tomorrow after closing.”
“Sounds like you’ve done your homework.” He smiles at her. “Now we’ll be tracking and see the log-in attempts, get IP addresses and whatnot. Don’t worry. We’ll find out how he’s getting in.”
We go over a few more things on the way to my condo, and it’s not very far, so the ride goes by fast. I’d offered Lola a hotel room, my guest room, or our family home in St. Paul.
She chose my guest room, so I had my condo cleaned and ordered groceries ahead.
Everything’s ready for her, and it’s funny how nervous I am.
When we walk in, Lola takes everything in.
“This is so nice, Tully.”
“Goldie helped me with everything. She’s better at all that than I am.”
“Well, I love it.”
Her hand glides along the back of my couch, and it’s hard not to stare at her. She pauses and looks at a framed picture I have of my family in front of Windhaven.
“Such a beautiful family.” She grins.
I can’t believe she’s here. I’d given up hope of this ever happening.
“Are you hungry? Do you need a bedtime snack or some hot tea?”
“No, I’m good. I have a little bit of water left.”
“Your room’s up here.” We go upstairs, and I show her the bedroom.
She turns, smiling as she looks at everything in here too.
“What are you thinking?” I ask, chuckling.
“You’re so grown up now. College Tully’s room was not like this.”
I swipe my hand down my face, laughing. “College Tully was definitely more of a slob. It helps that someone cleans for me. But yeah, I like to think I’ve matured and gotten some style.”
She glances over at me, her eyes genuine when she says, “I’m really proud of you too, you know.”
“Thank you,” I say sincerely.
She tries to hide a yawn.
“I’ll let you get some sleep.”
“Thank you, Tully. For everything.”
“Are you kidding? This is the least I can do. I wish I could undo everything that man has done.”
She reaches out and touches my arm. “I wish I’d told you years ago, and at the same time, I’m terrified that you know now.” She shakes her head. “He’s done a number on me.”
I put my hand on top of hers. “It’s understandable. I wish you’d told me too, but I get why you were scared to.” I move my hands to her shoulders. “We’re working together now, and there’s strength in numbers.”
Her lips lift and she nods. She leans up and kisses my cheek. Everything in me comes to life. When she pulls back, I put my hand on her cheek. I want to kiss her so bad, but I lift her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles instead. We stare at each other, our breathing shallow.
“Good night, Lola,” I say softly.
It takes an extraordinary amount of willpower, but I turn and go to my room.
After coffee with Marcus the next morning, we head to my house, where the family is waiting. It’s been a long time since we’ve all been at the St. Paul house together.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asks nervously.
We’re about to pull in the driveway. When I mentioned having brunch with my family, she looked terrified, but she said she was dying to meet them.
“They must hate me so much,” she says quietly.
“No, they don’t hate you. They didn’t hate you before I told them about Daniel either.”
I bring the car to a stop.
She turns to look at me. “They didn’t?”
“Well, Goldie might’ve briefly after I told her you left me in Nantucket—”
She winces.
“But once she knew more, she was quick to forgive. She can’t wait to meet you.”
She lets out a long exhale. “I’m really sorry I did that, Tully.”
“I know. You’ve already apologized.”
“Do you think you can forgive me, though?” She bites the inside of her cheek.
“I forgive you,” I say, my voice hoarse. “I…don’t know why I’ve been hesitant to—”
She reaches out and almost touches me, but pulls back. “I’d understand if you can’t move on with this. I appreciate you helping me, but…I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck with…this turning into more.”
My mouth goes dry. Does she not want this to be more?
“I don’t feel stuck,” I tell her.
“Good,” she whispers. “Do you think you could ever…would you ever be able to trust me again to be more than friends?”
“I wouldn’t be bringing you to brunch with my family if I didn’t.”
There’s a sharp intake of breath, and she breaks out into a wobbly smile. “Really?” she breathes.
“Really.”
I kiss her hand again. “Are you ready?”
“Absolutely not,” she says, while nodding.
I chuckle. “Perfect. That’s my girl.”
We walk up the porch steps together, and the noise hits us immediately when I open the front door—voices layered over each other, something clattering in the kitchen, and then above all of it, Grayson’s voice shrieking He’s here, he’s here, he’s here!
—and then we start seeing faces, first the puppies’ and then everyone else’s.
Kevin twirls at our feet, and Bill stands stoically, waiting for us to notice him. I tell Lola who’s who, and she oohs and aahs over both dogs, giving them lots of scratches.
My dad gets to us first, and he hugs me and then steps back to smile at Lola.
“Hello, Lola,” he says. “I’m Everett. I’m so glad to finally meet you.”
“Hi, Mr. Whitman.” Her voice is steady. “I’m so glad to meet you. Thank you for having me.”
“Please—call me Everett,” he says, shaking her hand.
Grandma Nancy appears with a dish towel over her shoulder and studies Lola sharply. She has opinions about everything, and I should’ve warned Lola that my grandma would probably voice some of those opinions with her today.
“This is Grandma Nancy. Grandma, this is Lola.”
“Hello, Lola. You’re a very pretty girl,” Grandma Nancy says finally. “I have a bone to pick with you.”
Lola freezes, bracing herself.
“If I remember correctly, you’re the one who got my grandson into tattoos.”
Lola laughs nervously. “Oh, yes. I’m guilty of that, I’m afraid.”
“Well, I don’t know how anyone chooses what they want on their skin for the rest of their life, but to each their own,” Grandma Nancy says.
“Uncle Tully!” Grayson wraps his arms around my waist and looks up at me with Noah’s eyes and his mom’s freckles.
I love that he has the absolute fearless confidence of a four-year-old who has never once doubted that he is welcome anywhere.
“Is this Lola?” he asks.
I lift him as I hug him. “That’s her,” I say, smiling at Lola. “That’s Lola.”
“You gotta meet everyone. There’s lots of us,” he tells her.
Lola smiles at him. “I’m excited to meet all of you.”
“Hey, Lola.” Noah comes up behind Grayson and offers his hand. “Good to finally put a face to the name.”
“I’m Camden, and this is my fiancée, Juliana, otherwise known as Juju,” he says.
“Hey, it’s great to meet you,” Juju says.
“Great to meet you,” Lola responds.
“We won’t make you remember all our names,” Dylan says, his smile wide.
“Dylan, right?” she says.
He lifts his brows. “That’s right. And this is my fiancée, Dahlia.” He looks around. “And Chloe.” He points out the little girl twirling around the dining room.
“Hi, Lola,” Dahlia says. “Chloe, say hi to Lola.”
Chloe turns and waves. “Hi, Lola.”
“I think I’m a little starstruck,” Lola says. “Finally meeting the Whitmans.”
Everyone laughs.
“We’ve been dying to meet you.” Goldie’s got her arm around my waist, waiting her turn. “I’m Goldie.” She moves toward Lola. “Are you a hugger?”
“Yes.” Lola and Goldie smile at each other and then hug, and I think my life might finally be complete.
Grandma Donna arrives from the kitchen with her reading glasses pushed up on her head, and she takes one look at Lola and says, “Oh, she’s lovely, Tully,” like Lola can’t hear her, and I say, “I think so too.”
Lola laughs as she turns to face her. “You must be Grandma Donna.”
“I sure am.” Grandma Donna beams.
“The grandmas have been cooking since daybreak,” Goldie says. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“Just a little of this and that,” Grandma Nancy says.
Goldie puts her arm around Lola’s waist and turns back to look at me. Her grin is enormous, and she gives me excited, wide eyes.
I cough behind my fist. My family struggles with subtlety. Hell, so do I.
They walk toward the kitchen, and we all follow. I hear Goldie introduce Lola to Milo in the kitchen.
My dad puts a hand on my shoulder. Squeezes once.
“How you doin’, son?” he asks.
“I kinda can’t believe this is happening,” I say.
“I felt the heat when you guys looked at each other,” Dylan says, raising his eyebrows.
“Yeah, I can see why you had such a hard time getting over her,” Camden says, his expression sympathetic.
“Happy for you, Tulls,” Noah says.
I watch Lola through the kitchen doorway.
Goldie holds up a large dish of Lutheran Jell-O, and I can read her lips from across the room.
“You’ll want to stay away from this.”