After he’d dropped Grandma off at her house, Jed had headed straight to his parents’ house to console his mom and find out the truth behind the headlines. Sitting at the breakfast counter, he watched his mother pace the kitchen. “What’d Dad’s lawyer say?”
She shook her head and made a sobbing sound. “They’ve made a mistake. Your father would never do what they’re accusing him of.” She sat at the far end of the breakfast bar and covered her face with her hands.
“Have you talked to Christian yet?” Had his brother even heard the news?
“He’s heading back from Houston now and should be here within the hour.”
“Good.” Regardless of how all of this played out, their mom would need all of the support she could get.
His phone chimed, and he glanced at the screen. Paige. Just the thought of her brought comfort.
He pulled up her text message. Are you okay?
He typed a response. Mom’s freaking out.
Paige replied. Meet me at the Literary Sweet Spot. Hot chocolate and cinnamon roll. My treat.
He set his phone on the counter and eyed his mom. She’d resumed pacing, mumbling something about money-hungry liars who were out to ruin her husband.
Sitting here wasn’t doing his mom any good. And he needed a moment to think, to talk things out with someone who wasn’t emotionally involved.
To be with the woman who could always brighten his worst day.
He glanced at the clock on the microwave. “I need to leave for a spell.”
His mom whirled to face him. “What? Where?”
“I’ll be back—I promise.”
“Did you hear something? Who texted you just now?”
Telling her would likely only aggravate her further. He grabbed his Stetson from the hat stand, put it on and walked toward the entryway.
His mom scurried after him. “Are you going to meet with someone?” She grabbed him by the wrist. “Jed, talk to me!”
He faced her, with his jaw tight. “Let’s not go borrowing trouble right now, Mom.” He softened his tone. “As far as we know, Dad will be released by Sunday.”
She took in a deep breath and nodded. “Of course. You’re right. This is all just a big, unfortunate misunderstanding.”
He stepped out the front door and nearly ran into Barb, his father’s secretary, who was dressed in work attire. Why was she here? “Howdy.”
Her eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red, and dark circles hung beneath them. Tearing up, she looked from Jed to his mom. “Do you have a minute?”
His mom’s posture stiffened. “Now?”
“I’m... I need to tell you something. Something I’d rather you hear from me.” Her gaze zipped between them again, and her thin brow was pinched. “Can we go inside? Please?”
Hugging her torso, Mom looked about ready to cave in on herself. “What’s going on?”
“I’m the one who called the authorities.”
Jed recoiled, feeling as if he might be sick. “What are you saying?”
“I wrestled with my decision for a long time. You have to know I didn’t want to turn your father in. But I had to do what I felt was right. The truth was eating away at me. And I knew, if the Feds figured out what he was doing, and that I knew, and I didn’t say anything, I could be implicated. I can’t go to jail over this. I’ve got kids at home.”
Jed’s stomach clenched. “So you’re saying the news reports are true? And that you were involved?”
“I had nothing to do with it. I wouldn’t have even known what he was doing if I hadn’t audited our finances. My company credit card was frozen, which surprised me, as I hardly ever use it, and never for anything significant or out of the ordinary. So I did some digging.”
“You’ve made a mistake.” His mom’s voice sounded scratchy. “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”
“I wish that were the case. I really do.”
Mom shook her head, her face pale. “You’re lying. I don’t know what your game is, but you better leave this house. Now.”
Barb’s eyes blinked rapidly, as if she were fighting to hold herself together. “I know this is hard, but I wanted you to hear it from me first. Before...” She took a breath. “Before the trial.”
“I said go. Otherwise my son will make you leave.”
“Mom.” Jed placed what he hoped to be a calming hand on her shoulder. “What if she’s telling the truth?” The genuine anguish in her eyes said she was.
He couldn’t believe this was happening to his family. It was all so unreal.
Paige sat in a pale green velvet chair with her hands wrapped around a steaming vanilla latte. Across the table from her in a wingback chair with plaid upholstery, Jed stared into his mug of hot cocoa. He’d not taken a sip yet. Hadn’t even touched his favorite part—the whipped cream on top.
He sighed and lifted his eyes to hers. “He could face some serious jail time.”
“I’m sorry.”
“And they could lose everything, including the house. Which he might deserve, but not my mom.”
“Where would she go?”
“I suspect my grandma’s.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I want to believe he didn’t do this, but my gut says otherwise. Still, it’s hard to wrap my head around. This is something you see unfolding on television, not within your own family.”
That statement couldn’t be more true. Mr. Gilbertson was the picture of success. A well-respected community member and family man.
Jed rubbed his knuckles along the scruff on his jaw. “I guess I’m glad this is all coming out now, before...”
“Before what?”
“You know, that conversation we’ve been having.”
“Before I committed my life to you, you mean?”
“You don’t need this kind of mess in your life.”
“Your father’s poor decisions won’t scare me away.” Funny how she could say that without hesitation after how she’d felt regarding Jed’s mom. But somehow, seeing his need, his hurt, changed everything. Urged her to hold tightly.
To be there for him.
Wasn’t that what love was about? Standing by one another’s side through the good and the bad?
She’d allowed her past to distort her present, and it’d nearly robbed her of her best friend. And the man she loved. She knew that now as clearly as she knew why she’d worked so hard to push him away—because love was scary. And sometimes it hurt. But maybe, just maybe, it could help them both heal, too.
“It’s time I quit running scared,” she said.
“What does that mean?”
She offered a shy smile.
His grin blossomed in full, but then he sobered, and his gaze intensified. “Man, you’re beautiful. And kind, and smart and super talented.”
Her heart squeezed, followed by a rush of panic that made her want to bolt out of her seat and hurry back to Chicago. If not for the words she’d spoken to Jed moments ago and to herself the entire drive over. She needed to let the past go, silence her fears and quit fighting what she’d known to be true all along.
This man was capturing every last piece of her heart.
The next day, Jed drove to the county jail to visit his father. He wasn’t sure he wanted to go. What he wanted to do was pretend this whole mess hadn’t happened, that his mom wasn’t home alternating between sobbing and pacing her kitchen. That his dad would likely spend the next few years, if not more, in prison.
His law firm would go under—if he were convicted, no client in their right mind would want anything to do with him. That meant Jed’s parents could lose their place, Mom would—
“You okay?” Paige, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat, touched his arm.
He released a breath. Then he nodded. “Just letting my thoughts get away from me.”
“I can imagine.”
He looked at her. With soft ringlets framing her peach-toned face, and her delicate brows pinched above her blue eyes, she was so incredibly beautiful. Inside and out. “Thanks for being here, for coming with me.”
“Of course.” She twined her hand with his and gave a gentle squeeze. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His heart lifted. They could talk about her plans, about their relationship, later. Right now he needed to see his dad. To get answers.
“Want me to go in with you?”
He shook his head. “This is something I need to do alone.” He and his dad needed to have a serious talk.
“Can we pray?”
He studied her. Did that mean...?
She gave a soft laugh. “You act like I asked you to join me on an international mission trip or something.”
“It’s just...” He paused.
“That God and I weren’t on speaking terms with one another?”
His mouth twitched toward a smile. “Something like that.”
She shrugged. “We worked things out. Or more accurately, I decided to quit being an angry little brat.”
He laughed and pulled her close. “I’d love to pray with you.”
With their hands twined together, and her forehead pressed against his, he closed his eyes.
“Dear God, please be with Jed right now. Give him strength and surround him in Your love. Amen.”
“Amen.” His voice sounded husky. He cleared his throat. “Thanks for that.”
She nodded.
He stepped out of his truck, crossed the lot and climbed the stairs of the county jail. Inside, he signed in with the receptionist, and then waited half an hour before being taken back to see his dad. Then he was led down a long hall and into a white room filled with rectangular tables. Officers stood along the bare walls, watching everyone and everything.
Jed scanned the area and made eye contact with his dad. He sat at a long rectangular table, dressed in an orange jumpsuit.
Jed approached on stiff, heavy legs and then lowered himself into a chair across from him. Warring emotions raged within: anger that his father could do this, and disbelief that he was here at all. Shock and grief. A sorrow he didn’t quite understand, except to say he’d lost his dad—the man he’d always thought him to be.
“How’s your mom doing?” Dad’s eyes searched Jed’s, as if studying his reaction.
“How do you think she is?” She’d lost her husband. And, quite likely, her way of life, everything she’d envisioned for their future.
His father winced and dropped his gaze; his shoulders stooped. When he lifted his eyes, tears were pooling behind his lashes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt her. Didn’t mean to hurt any of you.”
“You did it, then? What they’re accusing you of?”
Dad glanced around the room and then looked at Jed again. He pulled on his earlobe. “It’s all just a big mistake. I mixed some numbers up, made some accounting errors.”
“Two million dollars’ worth?”
“Everything happened so quickly. Bills and retainers coming in, checks going out.”
“Don’t lie to me.” That was one thing Jed couldn’t stand, a liar. “Barb stopped by the house.”
Dad blanched.
“How could you?”
“I’m sorry.” He sobbed and dropped his face in his hands. “I messed up. Big-time.”
“How long? How long has this been going on?”
Dad shrugged.
“Growing up, I tried so hard to please you. To live up to the ridiculously high standard you set. Always felt I didn’t measure up...”
“I’ve always been proud of you. I’m the one who’s not good enough for you. Your brother. Your mom.” He stared at his hands for a long moment, as his shoulders were quaking. Then he swiped the back of his hand beneath his nose and raised red-rimmed eyes. “Take care of your mom for me.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t deserve her.”
Jed shoved back from the table, scraping his chair legs against the linoleum floor, and stood. “I’ve heard enough.”
He half expected, maybe hoped, his dad would call out after him. Nothing.
By the time he returned to his truck, he felt as if every ounce of energy had been sucked out of him. The little he’d eaten for breakfast churned in his gut. He still couldn’t believe this was happening. And yet it all made sense.
He slid behind the steering wheel and leaned his head back against the headrest.
Paige placed a hand on his knee. “You okay?”
“I will be.” He started to shift into Reverse, but then stopped, letting his arm drop. “Money’s always been his top priority. I can see that now. And to think, all those years I blamed myself for the distance between us.”
“It wasn’t you.”
“Guess I’m the one with daddy issues, huh?” Seemed he and Paige had more in common than he’d thought.
“We’ve all got issues.” She offered a gentle smile and linked her fingers with his. “How about we work through our issues together.”
“Promise?”
She hesitated just long enough to make him nervous.
Releasing a breath, she nodded. “I’d like that.”
He leaned toward her and cupped her chin in his hand. “I love you,” he whispered.
A flash of fear filled her eyes, but she didn’t pull away. He closed the distance between them and kissed her gently.
All the while praying, trusting, this wouldn’t be their last. That she’d stay with him for good.