Sea of Dreams (The American Heroes Series Book 2) (30 page)

He reached her, putting his hands on her arms affectionately. “It’s going to cost a lot of money.”

She shrugged and looked around the space. “I have a budget I’ll stick to. I know how much something like this should cost.”

“Don’t you think you should be saving for a wedding?”

She looked at him, surprised, as if she had completely forgotten about that. “I don’t know,” she stammered somewhat. “We’re all so happy living at the Victorian that I haven’t really thought about it. There’s been so much going on.”

His expression grew serious. “I realize that,” he said softly. “But I want you to think about it. I don’t want to put the wedding off too much longer. I’d like to be able to refer to you as my wife and not my girlfriend.  Have you even thought about a date yet?”

Truth was, she hadn’t. She shook her head. “No,” she said honestly. “But you know what would be fun? To get married at Christmas and have it up at Lake Tahoe in the snow.  The girls would love that.”

He smiled and pulled her into his arms. “I don’t want to wait that long,” he murmured, nuzzling her cheek. “But if you want a Christmas wedding, then so be it.”

She snuggled against him. “We could just go to the courthouse on Saturday. I’m fine with that, too.”

“If you’re fine with it, I’m fine with it.”

She grinned up at him. “How soon do you want to do it?”

He shrugged and then dug into the pocket of his jeans.  Blakesley’s heart jumped into her throat when she realized he was pulling out a small ring box; she could see that it was covered in dark blue satin with gold script on the top.  He held it up to her.

“How soon do you want to wear this?”

She shrieked and went to snatch it but he pulled it back, moving away from her and putting it back in his pocket. She stomped a foot, frowning.

“Beck,” she pouted obviously. “Don’t tease. That’s mean.”

He tried to look stern but it wasn’t working; his grin kept breaking through. “You’re teasing me with ideas of snow weddings and city hall dates,” he said. “I don’t hear anything firm.”

She sighed heavily and pulled out her smart phone.  She began pushing the touch screen and scrolling around. Beck watched her curiously.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

She held up a hand to him as if to silence his question , pushed another button, and put the phone to her ear.  He continued to watch her curiously, meeting her gaze as she apparently waited for someone on the other end to answer the phone.

“Hi,” she said when the party answered. “I’d like to know if you have any appointments open on Saturday for a civil ceremony and marriage license.”

Beck grinned as he watched her turn away from him, phone to her ear, listening to what she was being told.  Every once in awhile she would say yes, or no, or answer a question with a few short words.   He watched her pace across the floor, studying her sexy backside and thinking dirty thoughts.  But more than that, he realized he was excited about the possibility of getting married on Saturday.   She finally hung up the phone and turned to look at him.

“The soonest appointment they had was next Saturday at ten in the morning,” she said. “I took it.  Can I have my ring now?”

He smiled broadly and pulled the box out of his pocket.  She scooted over to him, excited, but before he could open the box, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

“I wasn’t deliberately putting off our wedding,” she murmured into his ear. “Honestly, there’s so much going on and we’re so happy just where we’re at right now that I didn’t see any rush.  I’m sorry if you thought I was trying to put it off.”

He hugged her tightly. “I didn’t think that at all,” he said. “I’m just really excited that we’re getting married next Saturday.”

“Will you wear your white dress uniform?”

“Hell, yes.  I guess now you have to go shop for a dress.”

She kissed him sweetly. “Go with me.”

“I wouldn’t be any help with that, baby. Take Gina and the girls.”

She shook her head. “I’ll take Gina, Lizzie and Cadee, but you have to watch the little girls and Spike.”

He nodded. “I can do that.”

She grinned, full on, gazing into his handsome face. “I swear I’m the luckiest girl in the world.  I’m so lucky to have you.”

He pulled her against him, echoing her sentiment. He felt like the most fortunate man on the planet. He kissed her a couple of times, feeling the excitement of their coming wedding full-bore.

“Can I have my ring now?” she asked again.

He laughed softly as he let her go, presenting her with the box that was still in his hand.  Thrilled, Blakesley opened it up and her face went from grinning to tearful in a matter of seconds.  He looked at her, concerned.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

Her smile returned to let him know she wasn’t upset. “This is so beautiful,” she said, pulling it out of the box. “You have amazing taste.”

He smiled as he watched her inspect the nearly one carat solitaire, held in place by an intricately beautiful pave diamond band. It was truly a spectacular ring and he took it from her, slipping it on her left hand.  It fit snuggly and she admired it, teary-eyed and smiling.

“My God, Beck,” she breathed as the light caught it. “This is really gorgeous.”

He watched her reaction. “I did it all by myself,” he told her proudly. “I was going to have Lizzie go with me, but I wanted to do it alone. I wanted to give you something I picked without any help.”

She took her gaze off the ring long enough to put her arms around him and kiss him. “You did a beautiful job.”

“So you like it?”

“I love it.”

Pleased with himself, he hugged her for a few moments, feeling her against him, feeling a lot of excitement for the next chapter in his life with her by his side. Six weeks ago, he would have never believed such a thing possible. He still felt like he was living a dream.  He was going in for another kiss when his phone buzzed.  Noting that the caller I.D. was Lizzie, he answered accordingly as Blakesley went over by the window to admire the glitter of her new ring.

“Hi, baby girl,” he said pleasantly. “What’s up?”

“Dad, I’m sorry!” Lizzie cried. “Mom was trying to get me to come home and I told her no and….”

“Slow down, baby,” he said softly, firmly. “What happened?”

Lizzie was frantic. “She was being so mean, Dad. She was saying how you stole me and you’re not getting away with it. She made me so mad.”

Beck remained cool. “What did you say?”

Lizzie was verging on tears. “She was just yelling at me and telling me I’d better come home or else. I told her to screw off.”

He sighed heavily.  “Is that what you really said?”

“No,” Lizzie said reluctantly. “I told her to fuck off.”

He grunted softly, with regret. “Lizzie, you know better than that,” he said quietly. “I don’t care how mad you are. You don’t say things like that.”

“I know,” Lizzie tried weakly to defend herself.  “But she threw something at the door. I think it was a….”

“The door?” Beck’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Mom threw something at the front door. I think it was a soda or something.”

“Was she at the house?”

“Yes,” Lizzie said. “Dad, I don’t know how she got our address but she showed up and wanted me to come home. I told her to fuck off and she wanted to talk to you. I’m sorry, Dad, but I told her where you were. I just wanted her away from here.”

Beck was not only shocked at Sharon’s appearance, he was also very concerned.  Unfortunately, he could see that he had Blakesley’s attention and he hastened to cut the conversation short.

“What did you tell her?” he asked steadily.

“At Blakesley’s new gallery,” she said. “I told her it was downtown by the Hard Rock.  Dad, I just wanted her away from the house. She was yelling and the girls were scared.”

“It’s okay,” he assured her softly. “I want her away from the house, too. I’ll take it from here, baby girl. Just keep the house locked up and don’t open it for anyone but me or Blakesley, okay?”

“Okay,” she replied, sounding afraid. “Are you mad?”

“No, baby, I’m not,” he told her. “I’ll call you later.”

He hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket, taking a deep breath and wondering what he was going to tell Blakesley.  He opted for the truth simply because he wasn’t in the habit of lying to her.  She was still standing over by the window, admiring her ring, as he approached her.  She smiled when she saw him coming.

“I think we have a bit of a problem,” he said softly.

Blakesley’s smile faded when she saw the look on his face.

Sharon Du Pont Seavington Tracy was a beautiful woman.  She was tall, lean and elegant, with long brunette hair, a well cultivated California tan, and brilliantly white teeth.  She wore expensive designer jeans and was very well dressed, like she had just walked out of Nordstrom’s.  When the woman pushed open the gallery door, Blakesley could smell her expensive designer perfume.

Upset and apprehensive, Blakesley sat by the front window near the door so that when Sharon came in, she didn’t see her tucked back against the wall.  Beck had specifically put her there so she wouldn’t instantly be the target of Sharon’s venom, and he had no doubt that the woman was out for blood. An unexpected appearance had him very edgy.  Before she could even speak, Beck set the ground rules for the conversation by taking the offensive.

“If you ever show up at my house again uninvited, I will file a restraining order against you,” he spoke in a deadly tone that Blakesley had never heard before. “Are we perfectly clear on that?”

Sharon came to a halt about ten feet inside the door, pulling off her expensive designer sunglasses. “You have a lot of nerve to threaten me,” she fired back. “You stole my child. I’ve come to take her home.”

“I will not continue this conversation unless you tell me how you got my address.”

“I’m not telling you anything.”

“Then you can walk right out of here because I have nothing more to say to you.”

Sharon just stood there and glared at him. “Since when have you become so aggressive?”

Beck didn’t say anything; he just folded his big arms across his chest and stared at her.  Sharon grew frustrated. “Very mature, Beck,” she said. “The silent treatment always works wonders.”

Beck shifted on his muscular legs, waiting.  Finally, Sharon rolled her eyes in surrender because she knew how stubborn he could be. She knew he wouldn’t talk to her unless she told him what he wanted to know.

“Lizzie’s boyfriend gave it to me,” she said. “It wasn’t his fault. I tricked him into it, so don’t get mad at him or at Lizzie. She doesn’t know.”

Beck cocked an eyebrow. “Tricked him?”

She nodded curtly.  “I told him I had accidentally deleted it from my contact  list and I needed to mail her some stuff.  He gave it to me.”

Beck was coming to understand now. “So you just show up down here? I told you that Lizzie is going to live with me from now on. She’s not going to live in the same house as a pedophile.”

Sharon went into furious mode in an instant. “Screw you,” she hissed. “He is not a pedophile.”

“He’s jacking off outside of your fourteen year old daughter’s bedroom, Sharon,” Beck fired back. “He also had sex with one of her underage friends. What the hell would you call it?”

Sharon was livid. “He says it didn’t happen and so far, I don’t have any proof that he did anything wrong other than Lizzie’s testimony.”

“She saw him.”

“She could have imagined it or maybe she just made it up. Dan says he didn’t do anything wrong.”

“So you believe your husband over your own child?”

Sharon jabbed a finger at him. “At least he’s home,” she hissed. “He’s home more than you ever were. He cares for Lizzie and is good to her.”

“He wants to sleep with her, Sharon. What’s it going to take for you to believe your own child? A rape?”

Sharon’s jaw ticked. “He would never do that. I resent you for suggesting it.”

Beck was struggling with  his temper. “A police report was filed by your daughter,” he rumbled. “Dan has been accused of lewd acts upon a minor and statutory rape among other things.  Lizzie has already spoken to the San Francisco police and they’ve taken her statement, but you already know all of this; otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.  Based on the lawsuit, my lawyer has said that no judge will allow Lizzie to go back into that environment. She’s with me now and she’s staying with me. If you came down here to talk me out of it, then you’re crazy.  Go back up to San Francisco and your pedophile husband because Lizzie is never going to be around him again.”

Fury wasn’t working so Sharon resorted to tears.  “God, you’re such an asshole,” she hissed, turning away to wipe at her eyes and catching sight of Blakesley sitting near the window. Her eyes widened. “So this must be Blakesley? She beautiful, Beck. Very beautiful. You did well for yourself.”

Beck’s eyes narrowed. “You’re talking to me, not her. Leave her of it.”

Sharon swung around. “Leave her out of it? I think not,” she pointed in Blakesley’s direction. “Her husband murdered his mistress and you have the nerve to lecture me on Dan? You’d rather have our daughter around… around that?”

Blakesley wasn’t surprised she knew all of that. It was public knowledge and, apparently, Sharon had done her homework. Blakesley remained cool but Beck didn’t.  He marched up to his ex-wife, putting himself between Blakesley and Sharon.  Before Blakesley could stop him, he towered over his ex-wife, posturing angrily.

“If you ever talk about her like that again, you’ll be very sorry,” he rumbled. “You leave her the hell out of this.  She loves Lizzie and Lizzie loves her, and she’s been extremely good to my daughter. She’s been more of a mother to her in two months than you’ve been in her entire life.  You back the hell off of Blakesley.”

Blakesley came up behind him, putting her soft hands on his arm and pulling him away from Sharon before the confrontation went to the next level. She knew that Beck wouldn’t physically assault the woman in any way, but he wasn’t so sure about Sharon.  If she threw a punch, Blakesley would be forced to throw one back.