“I know. And it will be. ”
A tall, well-dressed man appeared in the waiting room. He crossed to where Adam stood and extended his hand.
“Adam, it’s damn good to see you again. ”
“Cal,” Adam returned.
Cal turned to shake hands with Ethan and Ryan then settled his gaze on Holly.
“You must be Holly. ” He smiled warmly at her, and she relaxed some.
She extended her hand and shook Cal’s. “Thank you for seeing us. ”
“My pleasure. ” He turned and extended a hand toward the hallway. “If you’ll all come this way to my office, we can get started. ”
Adam reached for Holly, and she went willingly into his embrace. His hand squeezed her waist comfortingly as they followed Cal into a large, expensively furnished office.
Cal gestured for them to sit down then settled behind his mahogany desk. “Adam has filled me in on most of the details. ” He looked up at Holly. “May I call you Holly? Somehow I don’t think you’d like to be called Mrs. Bardwell. ”
“No, please, call me Holly,” she said huskily.
He smiled. “Okay, Holly. ” He opened a folder and pulled out a sheaf of papers. He slid them along the polished surface of the desk in her direction.
“I’ll have you look over and sign these so I can get the ball rolling. Your case is pretty straightforward. If there aren’t any complications or objections, you’re divorce can be final in as little as ninety days. Ob
viously if problems arise, it will go longer. ”
Holly stared down at the papers in front of her. It sounded so simple. Ninety days. She could be free in three months.
“What if…what if he doesn’t agree?” she whispered. “I mean what if he won’t sign the papers?”
She looked up at Cal, trying to keep the fear from her expression. She wanted to appear calm and confident, but inside she was a wreck.
“Then we kill him,” Ryan muttered.
Cal chuckled. “As much as I like Ryan’s idea, we’ll leave it in the hands of the legal system. Once your husband is served, he can do one of three things. He can sign the papers, he can ignore them or he can hire a lawyer and show up in court to contest. ”
He leaned forward and put a hand over Holly’s. “No matter what he does, though, he can’t prevent you from divorcing him. All he can do is delay the inevitable. Remember that. ”
Holly blew out her breath. “Thank you. ” It was all she could manage without betraying how badly she was shaking. She felt like standing up and yelling. Finally she was taking a proactive stance in deciding the course of her life. And it felt damn good.
She glanced sideways at Adam, Ethan and Ryan, unable to keep the small smile from tugging at her lips. Then she looked back at Cal. “Is that all? I don’t have to do anything else?”
“No,” Cal said.
She paused for a moment and took in several steadying breaths. “Will I…will I have to face him in court?”
“No. ”
The answer came from at least three different sources and she turned in all directions.
Cal chuckled. “No. If he opts to go to court that is his prerogative, but you aren’t asking him for anything. There’s nothing to dispute, so I doubt he’ll want to appear, and if so, I will appear on your behalf as your counsel. ”
She smiled, felt her entire face relax. The more she tried to contain her joy, the wider she felt her face split. Adam slipped a hand up and down her back then rested his palm on her shoulder and squeezed.
Cal looked intently at her. “This will end soon, Holly. You have my assurances. ”
A tear slipped down her cheek. She wiped it away impatiently, not at all sure why she was crying. She was thrilled. She was relieved.
“Thank you,” she said again.
Adam stood beside her and reached across the desk to shake Cal’s hand. “We appreciate everything, Cal. ”
Cal also stood. “I’m glad to do whatever I can. You know that. I’ll be in touch. ”
Holly followed the men out of the office. Ryan hung back in the hallway and immediately pulled her into his arms. She hugged him back, feeling just as relieved as he seemed to be.
“Want to find a salon now?” Adam asked as they stepped out into the cold air.
She bobbed her head enthusiastically. They walked over to the Land Rover and Holly slid into the front seat. She let out a long whoosh of air and briefly closed her eyes.
“Feel better?” Ethan asked from the back.
She opened her eyes and swiveled her head to look at him. “You don’t even know,” she said softly.
“I know I feel better,” Ryan muttered. “The sooner she no longer bears that bastard’s last name, the better. ”
Holly wrinkled her brow. She hadn’t considered the issue of last name. Once she was divorced, would she resort to her maiden name? She didn’t see how she could take Colter since it wasn’t exactly legal to marry more than one man. But at the same time, she wanted to belong to them, didn’t want to be viewed as merely a lover or a girlfriend.
“What are you thinking about, baby?” Adam murmured as he started the engine.
She paused not wanting to admit exactly what had crossed her mind. It seemed presumptuous at best. She hated the insecurity that crept in despite her best efforts to keep it at bay.
She opened her mouth to respond, but couldn’t make the words come out. “Nothing,” she said with a slight stammer.
Adam braked and shoved it into park halfway out of the parking place. “What are you afraid of? What is it you won’t say? You have to know you can tell us anything. ”
She swallowed. “It’s ridiculous. ”
Adam cupped her chin, rubbing his thumb gently over her jaw. “I hate that you worry so much around us. Now tell me. ”
“The whole name thing,” she mumbled. “I just wondered. ”
“Wondered what?” Ethan asked leaning forward in his seat.
“I kind of liked the idea of being a Colter,” she said, her cheeks flaming. “But I know it isn’t possible. ”
“What?” Ryan demanded. He grasped the back of her headrest and pulled himself forward until he met her gaze. “Why isn’t it possible?”
Ethan and Adam also wore questioning expressions.
“I can’t exactly marry all of you. Legally. That is if you’d even want marriage. Oh hell, I’m making a mess of this,” she muttered, closing her eyes.
“Baby, do you doubt how much we want you?”
She hesitated for the briefest of moments then finally shook her head.
“As soon as possible you will have our name,” Adam continued. “Call me old-fashioned, but you belong to us. We want you to be a Colter. ”