Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
PATIENCE
The tears may have dried, but I knew the streaks down my face would give me away.
Didn’t care.
I made it to the front desk at No Surrender and tossed my purse into the drawer, slamming it shut. Hitting the keyboard, I brought the double screens to life and plopped down in my chair.
“There you are.”
Swiveling in my seat, I saw Kace and Gyth approaching, knowing it was Kace who had made the comment. I’d worked with all the guys and been around them enough to recognize their voices.
“Whoa, have you been crying?” Gyth asked, both men now standing in front of my desk.
Kace backhanded him across the chest. “You’re a real Sherlock Holmes. What gave that away?”
“Shut it, dickweed, I was trying to be sympathetic,” Gyth countered back with a scowl on his face.
Shaking my head, the slightest of smiles threatened to emerge. I swear those two were at it all the time and it was funny as hell.
But even they couldn’t pull one out of me right then.
“I went by the condo on my way in,” I announced, leveling my gaze at Gyth. “You should have convinced him to come home.”
My temper was gearing up to make another appearance.
He looked sorry, but his rebuttal knocked the wind out of my sails.
“I wish that had been the right move, but it wasn’t.”
The big man’s eyes clouded for a minute, taking on a faraway look as if he were remembering a much more personal time of his own. Then he was back.
“You can’t push someone who is working through some of the worst shit of his life.” He paused, his features tensing. “Whatever happened out there—and it’s his story to tell, at least what he can—I’m guessing he’s suffering from survivor's guilt.”
A sick feeling settled in my stomach. “How do you know?” I asked softly.
Gyth blew out a rough sigh. “Because I’ve been where he is.”
Seeing the torment on Gyth’s face after all this time and knowing Jett was going through the same thing was heart-crushing.
Kace clasped a hand on his friend’s shoulder in support, picking up on the deep emotions rumbling through him.
“It’s not an easy road he has to travel right now, but if you're there for Jett, it will make all the difference in the world,” Gyth said, after blowing out a breath. “But sweetheart, it won’t be easy on you either. If you need anything, remember we are all here for you too.”
Shame and love.
Both emotions swarmed me at once.
I was lucky to have these people in my life, but I’d also let all the hurt bubble up and take over. I knew I had a right to my feelings, but I shouldn’t have lost sight of the fact that my best friend needed me.
We needed each other.
That still didn’t mean a fake marriage was the answer.
It would never be fake for me.
I’d managed to get through half the day before things went from bad to worse.
After the initial conversation with Gyth and Kace, one which left me reeling as mixed emotions swamped me, things had been relatively quiet. The guys had mostly given me a wide berth.
That may not have happened if Lyric had been there, but he had to check out a job and hadn’t been in all morning. If he had, he would have wanted to talk to me. He was that big brother I never had. All the guys were. It was amazing and annoying at the same time, depending on the circumstances.
It was finally lunch and after the sleepless night I’d had, I decided to run out for coffee. I let Braxton know I was running out for a bit, checking to see if he or anyone else wanted anything, but they all declined. I grabbed my purse and headed for the door.
Pushing it open while glancing down to zip up my jacket, I wandered out into the cool March air. When I looked back up, I was startled to find a strange man standing in front of me.
I took a step back as I heard the click of the door shutting behind me. There was nowhere to go. It would take too long to punch in the code with him right there, but the guy didn’t advance on me.
“Patience Williams?”
Confused and caught off guard, in a shaky tone, I answered, “Y-Yes?”
The man took one big step toward me, thrusting out a large manilla envelope. Without thinking, I grabbed it from his hand just as I heard someone yell, “Don’t take that!”
It was too late.
A satisfied grin stretched across the guy's face as Alley raced up to us.
“You’ve been served,” the dude said, my eyes widening in shock.
Shooing the man with her hands, Alley yelled, “Get your snaky ass out of here before I get the bat from my truck right there and use it on you!”
His eyes widened just as mine had, and he took off at a fast clip back toward the parking lot, glancing over his shoulder as if he were worried the woman beside me would come after him.
The big-ass truck alone should scare someone, but Alley’s crazed eyes, tone, and threat of bodily harm with one of her legendary bats might just make a grown man shit his pants.
Again, for the second time that day, another moment that would have been funny as heck if I wasn’t in hell.
“Asshole,” my friend muttered, turning toward me.
I stared down at the envelope in my hand. “What just happened?”
Alley wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “Aww, honey, let’s go talk to Landon.”
As her words sunk in, I knew it was bad.
Very, very bad.
This couldn’t be real.
It felt like a bad dream.
Landon scanned the documents and then looked up at me, a scowl on his face.
I’d been glad he happened to be in the office working on some things for No Surrender.
He might not have been former military like the others, but he was their personal lawyer.
But that wasn’t all. No, Landon had been friends with Braxton for a long time, and now he was his brother-in-law.
The man was a brilliant lawyer, an amazing artist, and an all-around great guy. He bounced between his time at No Surrender and the law office he shared with his friend Lance. Another guy who was great friends with everyone, along with his wife, London.
“Spit it out, babe,” Alley told her husband, her arms folded over her chest, a menacing look on her face that I knew wasn’t directed toward Landon—but because she was angry on my behalf.
Having Alley in your corner was like having your own bulldog. She was ready to attack anyone who dared to hurt those she loved. Sometimes, it was still hard to believe that I was on that list. It had been a miracle the day I met Jett, and he introduced me to so many wonderful people.
The thought of him sent a pang to my chest.
Shaking it off, I concentrated on the man sitting at his desk. He shook his head, a disgusted look on his face.
“This family is a bunch of pretentious assholes, and corrupt too. They have money, bad people in their pockets, own one of the biggest law firms around, and they do not play by the book.” Landon had a sour look on his face.
“They expect Charlton Huntington III to maintain a certain status when it comes to family now that he has joined his father at the firm.”
Just hearing Chaz’s full name made my stomach roll with unease. The name alone told a story that I wanted neither myself nor my son mixed up in. My body started to tremble at the thought of him or his family around Griffin.
Alley sat down on the leather couch that lined one of the office walls and once again wrapped her arms around me but addressed her husband.
“But you can fix this, right? I know you can, honey. You’re the best lawyer I know.”
Landon smiled, brows raised. “Exactly how many lawyers do you know?”
With her free hand, she pointed at him. “Good point. But I have the utmost faith in you. You need to shut these bastards down.”
I sat there, my world feeling as if it were flipping upside down. How was this happening?
“He didn’t even want him,” I whispered. “Chaz said it wasn’t his.”
Landon got up from his chair and moved out from behind the desk. Standing in front of me, I looked up at the man I was putting a lot of faith in to make sure these people didn’t get their hands on my baby.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to make this right, Patience. They are requesting a paternity test and claim that you are the one who said it wasn’t his child.”
“That’s a lie,” I choked out.
Alley pulled me closer, and Landon grabbed a chair, pulling it in front of me. He took my hands in his.
“Sweetheart, I believe you. I know what this family is capable of. They are friends of my parents and even go to the same country club as them.” His voice was laced with unmistakable disgust. “I’ve been in court with them and grew up around the family.”
I gasped, unable to comprehend what an amazing, down-to-earth man Landon was when he came from a life so different. I knew he had nothing to do with his parents anymore. Nor did his sister, Summer.
He gave me a knowing look, but it was Alley who commented. “Hard to believe that my husband is cut from the same cloth as people who look down their noses at so many, like myself, and treat others so poorly. But my guy is amazing. A keeper. And nothing like them.”
Landon smiled fondly at Alley. “Thanks, honey.”
Those two had a long history, and his parents hadn’t made it easy. I’m glad they’d weathered the storm.
Would I?
Landon dropped my hands and stood. He moved back around his desk and sat down.
“They’re going to lie. And they will use every resource in their arsenal.
They are pushing that Chaz and his wife Sloane not only deserve time with Griffin that you denied them, but that they are a well-rounded family and best for him. ”
“Chaz doesn’t care about Griffin. Something is going on. I don’t know what, but it has nothing to do with actually wanting time with his son.”
Landon blew out a breath. “And I plan to find out what that is.”
Nerves swam in my stomach. “Is the fact that they’re a married couple going to be really important to the courts if it goes that far?”
“It’s not going to hurt,” Landon said.
We’re getting married.
Then a little voice inside my head whispered…
Maybe that is the answer.
“I can’t lose my son to them.” I twisted my hands together. “Not even a little bit.”
Alley gave my shoulder a little bump. “Hey, you’re not going to lose him.”
I jumped up from the couch and turned to look at the happy couple. I’d always wanted that. But there had only been one person I’d ever seen filling that position.
“Jett said he’d marry me,” I blurted.
Landon’s eyes widened, and Alley yelled, “What?”
Jett may not love me, but he could maybe save my son from being relegated to a family that didn’t have his best interests at heart.
Could I really take him up on his offer?