“We got the other one sobbing in the back of a squad car.” He held out a hand and I gladly handed Paris over.
“She confessed in front of me, but I'm not sure what she'll tell you,” I said. Then I handed him my phone. “The entire confession is recorded on this.”
Detective Travis gave me a hard look. “Miss Machus is lucky to have you,” he said grudgingly, taking the phone.
I gave him a nod of acknowledgment, but I knew the truth. I was the lucky one.
Chapter 24
Leighton
I
paced around until I was exhausted and then finally crashed in front of my laptop. I couldn't do more than stare at it though. Worry for Ian and for Haze mixed in my head. Grandfather told me that Haze had gone to see someone about news about Ian.
But I didn't think it should've taken this long.
I had a bad feeling he was doing something stupid.
“How are you doing?” Haze asked.
I jumped out of my chair as relief rushed through me. I threw my arms around him. “I'm so glad you're okay. What'd you do? Did you find something out about Ian?” The words rushed out of me, tumbling together.
“No, no, not yet,” Haze said. He pulled me down on the tufted leather sofa and held both my hands. “I went to see a friend. He said you shouldn't worry. Communication from where your brother is sometimes takes a lot longer than it should.”
I thought it over and then nodded. “You know what I keep thinking about? I keep thinking about that breakfast on the balcony. About us. And it gives me hope.” I leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around me.
We were quiet for a moment, and then I felt Haze's body tense. “There's more,” he said. “I followed up on the men who attacked us and one of them described the people who hired him. I went to another eye-witness and they confirmed it.”
I pulled back, looking into his beautiful eyes. “So you know who's been threatening me this whole time? It's over?” I frowned at the look on his face. “Why doesn't it look like that's good news?”
He blew out a breath. “The people he described, you know them.”
My chest constricted. Someone I knew. “Who was it?” I was proud of myself for keeping my voice even. “Who would do that to me?”
Haze leaned back and took both my hands again. “It was Paris, sweetheart. Paris and Ricky.”
I just stared at him. He had to be wrong. “They had me kidnapped and beaten?” Now my voice shook.
“Ricky thought it was just a prank to scare you. Paris tricked him. She'd been writing the letters for months hoping to scare you, but your grandfather kept them from you. She got more and more frustrated and, in her jealousy, took it too far.”
“What's going to happen to them? Did you see them?” I asked. My hands were cold inside of Haze's.
“I got to them before the police. They had an argument in front of me, confessed everything.”
“Where are they now?” I asked.
“In jail, and probably both facing prison.” He wrapped his arms around me again, pulling me against his chest.
Both Paris and Ricky had betrayed me before, sleeping with each other, but the numbness I felt now was colder and more frightening. They weren't my friends. They'd never been my friends.
“I'm so sorry, baby.” Haze kissed the top of my head. “I'm so sorry I had to tell you.”
“I'm glad it was you.” I looked up at him. “You've challenged me, protected me, and helped me face the truth. They can't hurt me anymore.” The cold inside me melted as the realization hit me. “In fact, I feel sorry for them. I mean, look at where we all ended up. I have you.”
He unwrapped his arms and put his hands on my shoulders. Suspicion made my eyes narrow as his expression grew serious.
“Leighton, you do have me, but, I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise.”
What the hell was he talking about?
“Back? Where are you going?” Before I finished the question, I knew the answer. There could be only one thing that would make him leave me. “Please, don't say it. Don't even think it.”
“I have to go, Leighton. I know the area. I can find out what happened. I can bring him back to you.”
“So I've lost my brother, and your solution is to put yourself at risk?” My voice was harsh, but I didn't try to temper it. I pulled away from him, unable to take his touch when he was talking like this.
“I'm doing it for you, baby. You and your grandfather. I can do this.”
“Of course you can do it, you idiot, but I can't believe you think I'd let you.”
Before things could get any more heated, a sharp ringing interrupted. I stood as Haze pulled out a phone I didn’t recognize.
“It's my friend.”
I held my breath, every nerve in my body stretched taut as Haze answered the call. In short, concise words, he held a conversation that told me nothing. He finally said goodbye and I stared at the phone as he tossed it onto the leather sofa.
With a huge grin, he picked me up by the waist and spun me around before pulling me so tight against him that it almost hurt.
“He's okay,” Haze whispered against my ear. “Ian's okay. He made contact. He was pinned down in enemy territory without a radio, but he got through. He'll have to wait until he's done being debriefed before he can call, but he's okay.”
All the strength went out of me and my legs buckled. If Haze hadn't been holding me, I would've fallen to the floor. He kissed my temple.
“I'm here, sweetheart. Everything's going to be okay.”
I let him hold me and make his promises because I knew I could trust him. He wasn't going to leave me. And, more than that, I knew things would be okay because I knew now who I was.
And I was strong.
Chapter 25
Haze
“
Better
?” Ian asked as he tied his black bow tie for the fourth time. “I swear, I can break down and clean a rifle fifty times faster than I can tie this thing.”
I chuckled and shook my head. I knew what he meant though. Sometimes being a soldier was a much simpler life.
“What on earth have you done to your tie?” Devlin asked. He batted his grandson's hands away and deftly tied a perfect flat bow in seconds.
“I don't even know why I'm wearing a bow tie,” Ian said, looking at me. “Haze, your entire family is here. Are you sure you don't want one of your brothers standing up there with you?”
“Leighton and I decided we didn't want big wedding parties. Just want you. After all, you're the one who brought us together.” I grinned at him.
“Come on, we all know you met before that.” Ian raised his eyebrow, gave it a little wiggle.
I grinned. “Met, but I screwed it all up. Lucky for me, you decided to get shot.” I slipped on my jacket.
“Right before you blew us both up. You should probably stick with telling people you met Leighton at that party. Less gore.”
“If you two don't mind,” Devlin said. “That's your cue, Haze.”
He shoved me out of the pool house dressing room and I heard a ripple of laughter go through the guests. A moment later, Ian joined me and we walked to the altar that had been set up underneath the Roman columns.
“Just a warning,” Ian said as we walked. “Grandfather's been looking forward to this since before I re-enlisted. I might have to read parts of the letter he sent me as part of my best man wedding toast.”
“Really?” I looked over at Ian.
“Face it, Haze. For all your fast reflexes, you were pretty slow on the uptake when it came to my sister.”
I punched him in the shoulder and the guests chuckled again.
“You better not have messed up my bow tie or Grandfather's going to kill you,” Ian whispered as the music started.
Then Leighton appeared on the garden path and I forgot how to breathe. The huge bubble of happiness that welled up inside me threatened to suffocate me. Even Ian was speechless.
Leighton's dress had a loose wrapped neckline that reminded me of the red carpet dress she'd worn, except this version was ivory white and sleeveless. I'd never paid much attention to dress styles before I met Leighton, but now, I noticed everything she wore. The plunging neckline was tucked in tight at her waist by a wide band of pearl embroidered flowers. The skirt was layer upon layer of wispy, translucent chiffon and it floated out and back as she walked.
She'd left her curls free and untouched, my one request for our wedding day. The sunlight caught them in bursts of fire as she joined me under the Roman columns. A delicate circlet of pearls perched on her head and a gossamer veil draped over her shoulders and down to the middle of her back. I felt it brush my hand, light as a spider web, when I reached out to pull her to my side.
Devlin patted me on the back and kissed Leighton's cheek before he found his seat. We hadn't bothered with bride and groom sides so my family was scattered amongst Leighton's classmates, colleagues, and a few of the soldiers and staff from the rehab center. Hardly the big to-do LA had expected from Leighton Machus.
The chaplain gestured for all the guests to sit and then turned his attention to us. “Leighton and Haze, this is a happy day.”
I caught Leighton's lips twitch and knew she was remembering how I'd flat-out refused to let the chaplain use my first name. Mom was still the only person who got to call me Cormac.
The chaplain continued, “I know I can speak for everyone here when I say we are honored and overjoyed that you have included us in your union.”
By the time we stumbled over our vows, there wasn't a dry eye, myself included. And, when Leighton jumped into my arms, the cheers were exuberant and loud.
This was what we wanted.
Not the superficiality of the world Leighton had once been a part of. Only those who were genuinely happy for us.
“I'm so happy to be the first to congratulate the happy couple,” Dr. David said as he led the receiving line. “I knew you'd hooked my best volunteer, Haze. Congratulations!”
“Thank you for coming, Dr. David,” Leighton said, blushing prettily. “And don't worry, I'll be there as soon as we get back from our honeymoon.”
“What are you grinning about?” Leighton asked me as we turned to follow the guests into the reception area.
“It's my wedding, shouldn't I be grinning?” I asked. She elbowed me and I relented. “I'm just so happy. I think I might actually explode.”
“Don't do that,” Ian said. “You'll miss my toast.”
“You know he's threatening to read from your letters,” I told Devlin.
The old man slapped me on the shoulder. “Well, at least someone appreciates my sage observations.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “I married your wonderful, generous, and beautiful granddaughter, didn't I?”
“That you did,” Devlin said, his eyes glinting with tears.
He moved to Leighton's side as we all took our seats at the head table. Ian tapped on his wine glass as we settled into our seats and called everyone's attention.
“It is my great honor to toast the happy couple,” Ian said. “The fact that I'm here to see what an amazing woman my sister has become would be reason enough to celebrate, but to see her marry such a brave, kind, and strong man is more than I ever could have hoped for. Leighton and I lost a lot.” He glanced at his grandfather. “But we have a stronger family because of it, and I'm proud to add Haze to that family.”
I gave Leighton a soft kiss and then reached over to squeeze Ian's shoulder as he sat down.
“That was perfect,” I said. After a beat, I lightened the mood. “Now let's get something to eat. I'm starved.”
The reception moved by in a blur as we ate and kissed and talked. We cut the cake and did all the traditional stuff, but it wasn't until we moved to the dance floor for our first dance that the enormity of how much my life had changed finally hit me.
As I pulled Leighton's arms around my neck, emotion threatened to choke me. As if she could sense my change in mood, Leighton pressed a gentle hand over my scarred shoulder.
“It still hurts every time I think about how you almost died for me.”
“It still hurts every time I think about how I walked away from you,” I said. I brushed my fingers across her cheek. “Or when I think about what Paris and Ricky did to you.”
“I'm okay.” She brushed her lips across mine. “They're in jail and they'll never hurt me again.”
“And I'll never hurt you again either,” I promised. “I plan on spending the rest of my life making up for leaving you that day.”
To my surprise, she shook her head and smiled. “You don't get it, do you? Everything that happened…from the moment we met until the moment we confessed how we felt…all of that had to happen so we could become the people we needed to be for us to be together.”
I stared down at her. “When did you get to be so insightful?”
Her smile widened. “When I met the love of my life and realized that I could be more than some shallow arm candy.”
I bent my head and gave her the kind of kiss that left my pulse racing and my body aching for her. An ache that I planned on satisfying over and over again very soon.
“Trust me, sweetheart,” I murmured against her mouth. “You've always been more.”