My eyes watered as my brother’s kindness made my heart swell with emotion. "You're so good to me."
He smiled. “You deserve it, Amelia. You really do."
After one more hug, I headed out the door to a waiting car James had ordered for me while I’d cleaned up the breakfast dishes.
When I arrived home, I got into the shower, washing yesterday off me, and then dressing in a pair of jeans and an extra-large sweatshirt. I made myself another cup of tea and then went into my home office, determined to get my life straight. I couldn’t control what Max or my father might do, but I could be proactive in my life. I would do whatever was necessary to protect my business and my baby.
I started by sending every one of my clients a Happy New Year email that included a recap of all we'd accomplished over the last year and what I looked forward to helping them accomplish in the coming year. I had to hope if my father tried to ruin my reputation with my clients, they would remember how much I’d done to help their businesses.
Next, I took another look at my finances to see how long I could live if my business started to tank. I didn't want to let my staff go, but if my father caused my business to falter, I might have to in order to save money that I needed for the baby.
Finally, I researched places I could move to. Places that were out of reach of my father and his cronies but affordable. I also needed to consider places that had a decent job market in case something happened to my business and I decided to get a job. It also needed to be a place with good healthcare and educational systems.
A few hours later, I was too tired to keep working even though my plans were far from being fleshed out. I went to lie on the couch to rest before I took another look at my life to make sure all my bases were covered.
Knocking startled me awake. My eyes opened, and I lay on the couch, listening. The knock came again. I launched myself off the couch, rushing to the door, my heart thundering with hope that it was Max. But as I reached the door, I tempered that hope. There was no way the man who threatened to take my child yesterday was at my door. At least not because he loved me.
I looked through the peephole. James. He stood just outside holding several bags.
I unlocked and opened the door. "Hey. You got your errands done?"
He nodded. "I meant it when I said that you’re not alone. I’m here for you."
I tilted my head to study him, wondering what had happened that he felt compelled to remind me of his vow.
"But I'm not here just to support you and stand by your side, Amelia. You and I are going to do this together. We’re going to make sure Dad gets what's coming to him. I’m going to make sure that you and your baby are safe and happy."
"You said that before."
He nodded. "I just wanted to make sure you understood. You and I are partners in this now, okay? Together, we’ll face whatever Dad brings on. And maybe your baby won't have a dad, but he can have the best fucking uncle in the world."
It was funny how I could smile when I felt so much pain. Perhaps it was the relief in knowing I wasn't alone. The gratitude of knowing my brother didn't just have my back, but he was here with me. By my side. I would've flung my arms around him again, but he was still holding the bags.
"Your words mean everything to me."
He nodded. “It’s you and me against the world. Just like always.”
I looked at the bags. "What are these?"
"Some of it’s food, but the rest of it is supplies. I'm going to work with you on the game plan. And while we need to watch our backs with Dad, we definitely need to go on the offensive. If we do that and are able to drive Dad away, you don't have to move."
"We need to be realistic here, James. Dad is practically an institution here in Las Vegas. He has friends or people who owe him and will protect him."
"I have the name of the man who is running the premier security company in the country. These guys recently brought down a cartel. If they can do that, they can help us bring down Dad. If we’re lucky, he'll end up in prison, but if not, we could still make his empire crumble."
What he was saying would take a miracle. At the same time, his words infused me with energy and hope. It would probably go badly, but if James and I were going to go down, we were going to go down kicking and screaming and dragging our father with us.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Max
I was supposed to leave Las Vegas with my parents and Vivie the next day, but I had to file the annulment papers, so I was desperately looking for an excuse to bow out of returning with them. I decided I would tell them that I planned to go to Los Angeles to check on the club development while Sam was on his honeymoon. I would have to actually go so I wouldn't be a liar, but I could file the annulment papers tomorrow morning at the clerk’s office and then get on a plane and be in Los Angeles by lunchtime.
Later that evening, my parents said they decided to stay in Nevada, wanting to spend more time checking out the sites. Vivie decided she would go to Los Angeles, visiting a friend from college. For once, it felt like the universe was looking out for me. Instead of making a detour to California, I could file the paperwork and then go to the airport and head back to New York. Go back to my old life.
I spent the rest of the night reading through the paperwork Amelia had brought me to make sure there wasn't a loophole or legal statement that would fuck me up. Anyone who was willing to drug a person and force them into a marriage wasn't beyond tampering with legal documents. Although I was no lawyer, and it took me fucking forever to read the papers, everything looked okay to me.
I was at the county clerk's office the moment they unlocked the door to open for the day. As I approached the counter where a woman waited to help me, a feeling of sadness washed through me. I had really thought Amelia was different. For the first time in years, I'd wanted to open myself up to the possibility of love. It had been bad enough to be cheated on and ridiculed by former girlfriends, but what Amelia did effectively killed any ability for me to love.