Legal Legacy 2 (Surrendering Charlotte Chronicles Book 10) (2 page)

Charles
had never seen Alexander Bly happier or more hopeful as he waited to marry the love of his life. Charlotte’s hand was trembling as it rested on her father’s arm and they walked together along the flagstone path from the mansion to the tiny chapel overlooking the sea.

“Are you nervous, darlin’?” Ch
arles whispered to his daughter patting her hand and gazing down into the sapphire-blue eyes she had inherited from him. Her face was a work of art, the flawless alabaster skin, high cheekbones and full rosy lips. Charlotte reminded him of his own mother who had been the most coveted and sought after debutant in New Orleans in her day, she’d driven so many young men to distraction it had caused quite a scandal among the tight-knit southern society.

“No, I’m excited,” she whispered and held on tighter as they entered the sanctuary with its
faded murals and dozens upon dozens of white roses and shimmering candles. Bly had sent white roses to Charlotte the morning after he followed her home from the mayor’s gala, a huge bouquet that JP had smiled and handed to her, roses whose scent drifted back to her now in this idyllic chapel on this magical night before Christmas.

Bly could hardly breathe as he watched Charlotte gliding down the aisle toward him. She move
d gracefully and with a purpose. That purpose was to join him at the altar and then be joined to him for the rest of their lives. He could see it on her face and in her secretive smile and mostly in the incandescently joyful glow of her brilliant blue eyes. They shone in her pale beautiful face like jewels and they silently spoke every word of love he had waited so many years to hear. Charlotte loved him, truly and completely, her heart and her soul were entwined irrevocably with his. His immense wealth by no means defined him, it was the solid and immoveable fact of Charlotte’s love that made him the absolute richest man in the world.

Atticus, Holden, Charlie,
Christopher and West stood at the front of the chapel with Bly, and Amanda, Hadley, Mia, Skyler and Ava took their places opposite them. A classical guitarist played instrumental versions of Charlotte’s favorite songs and when she appeared at the door of the chapel the notes of “Here Comes the Sun” softly floated in the rose and beeswax tinged air.

Time
stood still when Charles kissed his daughter and placed her hand into Bly’s and yet it also moved swiftly. It seemed as if she had only just handed her frothy bouquet of tiny white roses studded with holly and red berries to Amanda and looked up into Bly’s eyes and then suddenly they had pledged to love and cherish one another from that moment on until the end of time and then they were kissing with no intention of stopping.

“Dear and honored guests,” the minister said
, clearing his throat as Bly and Charlotte continued to kiss and smile and laugh and kiss yet again as if only they existed in the chapel and in the world. “I present to you the happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Bly. Merry Christmas Eve to all and the festivities will continue in the main ballroom!”

Charlotte and Bly didn’t leave the chapel even after all the guests had filed out. Bly kissed Charlotte’s hands and she marveled at the
colossal emerald-cut diamond ring he had saved from their long ago trip to New York. He rested his forehead against hers after kissing her eyes and her cheeks and her lips and he said he knew that special ring was meant for this once in a lifetime occasion. He had never once lost hope that he would slip it on her finger in the sight of God and the people who were closest to them and although the ring was one of a kind and beyond compare, it paled in comparison to the priceless gift of Charlotte’s love and her intrepid spirit. His lips moved against the smooth hollow of her neck, the soft curve of her cheek and rested against her ear. He whispered words of a love that was too large to be contained and had no end. He wanted her to know that she was a miracle in his life, she filled his heart with such a brilliant abundance of joy that it spilled over and washed through his body and soul and completed him at last.

*

As best man Atticus attended to his duties and escorted his Aunt Amanda out of the chapel, across the wide expanse of lawn and patio and then he kissed her cheek as Christopher took her off his hands. Atticus had a kind word to say about almost every person he’d ever met but Amanda had fallen from grace in his eyes with her cold indifference toward Skyler. He watched her lavish attention on his Uncle Christopher and on Ava and Jack as she circulated throughout the ballroom and although she was Alex’s sister and she and Atticus shared a bond of blood, he couldn’t find a soft spot in his heart for her.

“Whoa, glad I’m not the one you’re giving the ‘rot in hell’ look. Ah, the newly sober and now in love Auntie Amanda. I’ll take a leap of faith here and guess that you’r
e not deciding whether she should be nominated for Mother of the Year.” Holden said, nudging his brother and handing him a glass of champagne. “Let’s drink to our parents’ marriage, they are embarrassingly happy aren’t they? I know how Dad feels when he looks at your mother, I feel the same way about Hadley. And you, bro, you’d better find yourself a girl who can fuck all the memories of Skyler out of you. I gotta tell you Atti, when you look at Skyler you have that same tortured look that our father had all those years when he waited for Charlotte. Trust me, it’s not a good look for you. Ava brought a couple of decent looking girls with her tonight, why not go talk to one or two of them, maybe it would help, you know, the kindness of strangers.”

“I’m good where I am and besides nobody
is stranger than you,” Atticus said and they both laughed and he looked like his old self again.

“
You’ve fucking got that right and it’s my family that’s made me strange. There are too many of us with mothers and fathers and sisters and assorted relatives in common. I will be your brother
and
your brother-in-law eventually, you know. You can deny what you feel for Sky but I am
not
staging a repeat of the Charlotte, Alex and Finn saga. I love Hadley, there’s no getting around that and I don’t want to, guess I’m like Dad in that way, loving only one woman for my whole life. I look at other women and I find them attractive but sex without love, man, I am so over that.” Holden said, and then he wished he hadn’t when the sour look returned to his brother’s face.

“What do you think about this monstrous big house since it’s time to
change the subject anyway? Alex’s place in San Diego seems kinda small compared to this one and now he’s into growing grapes and winemaking, what’s that all about?” Atticus said, exchanging the empty champagne flute for a full one as a server with a silver tray passed by.

“Fuck
if I know, it’s not like our dad is exactly right in the head and who would be with the ‘Wicked Witch of Paris’ for a mother? At least my mom stayed away and had no interest in me, Evangeline has definitely made Dad miserable for his entire life. You probably don’t see it that way since she thinks you’re the greatest thing to happen to her since the first Holden Bly made her a very, very rich woman. Yeah, I don’t think she loved our legendary grandfather but I do think she loves his money and you,” Holden said as he and Atticus walked through the crowd to a linen-draped round table where Hadley sat talking with Mia and her friends.

“Okay, what’s going on you two? Secret missions, assassinations, the over-throw of facist dictators
, drug lords and other assorted megalomaniacs?” Hadley asked, standing and pressing her body against Holden as his hands slipped around her narrow waist drawing her nearer. “Hey lover, are we doing anything for New Year’s or should I find myself a hot date?” She asked, tangling her fingers in Holden’s wild tosseled hair, their eyes full of love and lust as they gazed at each other.

“You two need to cool down, there are way too many starry-eyed couples in this room tonight,” Atticus said,
glancing around for any sign of Skyler before checking the incoming call on his phone and sighing deeply as he answered. “I need to take this call, Holden, catch up with you later…. He walked outside and far away from the crowd before he spoke again, “Lucy Archer why are you calling me on Christmas Eve, let me rephrase that— why are you calling me at all?”

“I need you Atticus and don’t start in with the “I’m all about the SEAL teams and the CIA is for
pussys” and all that testosterone fueled bullshit. You’re going to get a call from your commanding officer any minute now, it’s all set up. I’m borrowing you and a few other SEALs for a mission. Like it or not, you are part of my Black Ops team, so get to Washington fast and I’ll brief you. This is important to me, Atticus, and it’s what you’ve been waiting for all your life— it’s dangerous and it’s real and there will be blood.”

*

“Jumpin’ Jack Flash, we need to talk. Where is your sister? I want to talk to Skyler before I leave.” Atticus said clamping his huge hand on Jack’s shoulder and dragging him away from the pretty young lady he was cozying up to.

“Sky left already, she got a ride into to
wn with some friend of Hadley’s— ‘Reef whatshisname’. What do you want to talk to her about? I hope it’s that you intend to let Skyler get on with her life, you gotta stay away from her Atticus. She deserves the chance to be happy, don’t you think? You aren’t in love with her so let her go… for good.”

“You don’t know shit about me and Skyler so shut the fuck up….
” Atticus ran his hands through his hair and ripped off his bowtie and unbuttoned the top buttons of the tuxedo shirt in irritation. “I’m sorry, sorry Jack, you’re right, I should stay away from her. Consider it done. That’s not what I want to talk to you about. I just got a call, it’s all classified but there’s a briefing tonight in DC as soon as I can get there. This is it, the real thing, blood and bullets and death at the door. A helo is picking me up right out on the lawn in fifteen minutes, I want you and Holden to come with me, are you up for it? It’s my choice, two men to add to the team, Holden’s the best sniper and you’re the best combat paramedic, what’s your answer?”

“Hell yeah! Where’s Holden? Hello yellow brick road, this is what we’ve been waiting for
. I’m sick of those chicken-shit raids on small time arms dealers and dope smugglers, bring it on, the dirtier and the bloodier the better.” He said and his eyes were on fire with enthusiasm as adrenaline coursed through his veins— Jack Thomas was JP’s son without a doubt.

Atticus moved in close to Holden and whispered the news in his ear so that Hadley wouldn’t hear but she turned her face up to glare at them both.

“Don’t you dare ruin Mom’s wedding, Atticus. I know that look, Dad used to get the same glint in his eyes when he told his ‘swimming with sharks’ stories. I’m getting a ‘Best New Actor’ award from the Women in Film Association next week and Holden’s going with me. Isn’t that right, Bly? ” Hadley said, clinging to Holden’s hand and looking up warily into the sea-glass eyes she loved so well. She knew the answer— he loved her more than life itself, but at twenty-one he thought he was invincible. The double edged sword of youth strengthened his body for sex and battle and weakened his decision making in love and war.

“It’s up to him,” Atticus said
but the three of them knew that even his love for Hadley wouldn’t stop Holden from going.

“I’ll go with yo
u to the awards thing, Hadley,” Beau said, he and Keller had joined the group and he jumped at the opportunity. His relationship with Mia had been over for more than a year and a half and he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Hadley all night. “I live in L.A. it wouldn’t be that much of an inconvenience.” He smiled and it was a smile full of unspoken intent that made Hadley grin and made Holden uneasy. 

“
That’s so sweet, Beau. Here, put your number in my phone and I’ll call you for lunch in a couple of days,” Hadley said tossing her mane of dark hair dramatically as she handed Beau her cell phone. “I promised my friend Reef that if Holden stood me up on awards night he and I would go together but I’d love to meet you in L.A. for lunch or a drink.”

“Hads,” Holden pulled her to him and when she smiled up at him he brushed the tips of his fingers
along her maddeningly succulent mouth. It was a constant struggle— his love for Hadley and his loyalty to Atticus. But they were young and life stretched out before them, he had just had his twenty-first birthday and Hadley was months away from twenty. There was time to be in love but for now he chose adventure and often he woke in the night with a stab of fear that Hadley would discover some other adventure on her own. “We need to be alone to say goodbye…. You don’t have to try and make me jealous, Hadley, I am jealous of every man who looks at you or dares to think you might be his. I have to go with Atticus, tell me you understand even if you can’t tell me it’s alright. I love you and we have time, I promise, we have the rest of our lives. I will come back to you, Hads, it’s you and me forever— say you believe it.”

“
I do believe it, so go do what you think is best, Holden. I know you love me and I know you love being part of the teams. I won’t call your war-games idiotic because I understand that career comes first right now for both of us. But I worry about you when you’re not near me.” She leaned in close and let her hands slide under his tuxedo jacket, his body had become even more provocative thanks to the rigorous SEAL training he endured daily. His body was so perfectly sculpted it made her want to drag him into one of the empty rooms, push him down on the cold marble floor and slide her body slowly on top of his. He was hers, that’s all there was to it. Atticus could borrow him for a while, but this incredible man with his wide sea-glass eyes who wore his love for her like a badge of honor, was undeniably the love of her life. “I’ll miss you so much when you’re off doing whatever crazy shit you do that involves all your bulging muscles and high-tech weapons. Come back to me, always come back to me Holden.”