“It did. He only defrauded his employer because Ingrid placed such demands on him. Then she divorced his ass the second he was arrested. When he got out of jail, she was already remarried, and she’d offloaded their son to Curtis’s parents. He’s forty-four and living back home again because he’s broke, and no one will hire him. He lost everything including his other three kids.”
“West, Stella, and Ridge don’t speak to him?”
I shake my head and curl my fingers around his, needing to feel closer. “He basically cut them out of his life after we moved. I arranged a few visits for Ridge, and Curtis always canceled at the last minute. I blame Ingrid, but he never stood up to her. He never fought for them. West hated him for the cheating, and after he told him about my relationship with you, he broke away from him for good. Curtis said that to hurt West. Sure, he did it to hurt me too, but ultimately it hurt our children. One part of me feels sorry for my kids because it has messed with their heads. West and Ridge in particular. But another part of me is relieved he is out of their lives so he can’t hurt them again.”
“I’m glad my father is finally out of our lives so he can’t interfere anymore.” Lowering his voice, he casts a quick glance around. “After the time I tried to visit you, when he left me bloodied and bruised, I almost hired a hitman to kill him.”
“Why didn’t you? And by the way, I’m not shocked because I’ve had similar thoughts.”
“I didn’t go ahead with it because then I’d be no better than him. I didn’t want my soul carrying a black mark, and I was wary of his criminal contacts. I also didn’t want to risk getting caught and spending my life in jail. My goal was to find a way back to you, not to end up behind bars. I knew the only way to beat him was to find evidence of his crimes and get him put away for it. I was working that angle when I heard rumblings of a case being built against him.” He takes my other hand in his and peers deep into my eyes. “You were behind that, weren’t you?”
I nod. “I came to that conclusion far earlier than you. I had been working that angle from the time I left Colorado. When I first moved here, I worked with my friend Lynette at her law firm. She helped me set things up so I was pulling the strings anonymously in the background. A girl named Tania, who I used to work with at Bentley Law, held the mantle, but I did all the legwork behind the scenes. We identified more women he had harassed and assaulted in other law firms your father worked at over the years and gradually started building a case, but it was slow, painstaking work. A lot of them wouldn’t talk to us; some of them couldn’t because they had signed NDAs.”
I pause to take a sip of water before continuing. “We had enough evidence to go after him, but then we couldn’t get anyone to take on the case. Everyone we approached declined. Gregory’s reputation preceded him, and most firms were too afraid to go up against him because his criminal ties were pretty widely known. That’s the point where I got very depressed,” I admit. “It had been six years, and I was missing you so badly. It all seemed like such an uphill battle. I began to wonder if I could ever defeat him. If I would ever get to see you again.” Tears prick my eyes. “I almost gave up, and then a miracle happened.”
A ginormous smile lights up his face, and I realize now it wasn’t luck or coincidence. “It was you!” I clutch his hands for dear life. “You found Jenna Layton.”
He bobs his head. “When I discovered there was a group working diligently and privately to take my father down, I hired a PI to find Jenna. I knew about her. She was the reason we had to move to Colorado. Greg was obsessed with her to the point he murdered her fiancé when she wouldn’t agree to dump him and start an affair with him instead. Then he raped her and left her half dead. She went to the police, and he was questioned, but they couldn’t prove anything because his mob friends had helped him commit the crime and dispose of the body. No one believed Jenna, or if they did, they refused to help. She disappeared overseas, assumed a new identity, and tried to move on with her life. Until I found her and begged her to help.”
“Jenna was the turning point we needed,” I confirm. “She had a personal story, but she also had evidence of his mob connections. We were able to link him to several murders and other perversions of justice. Things did a complete one-eighty after we joined forces. Then law firms couldn’t wait to take our case. They were practically beating our door down. Everyone wanted to go after him and one of the biggest criminal organizations in the US. Everything fell into place after that.”
“I’m glad he’s locked up with no chance of parole. I’m only sorry it took this long.”
“Don’t be sad.” I run my fingers back and forth across his hand. “Things happen for a reason, and maybe this needed to happen for you to achieve your dreams.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
“I do. We knew we’d face roadblocks like we have in every lifetime. I put my trust in destiny. I might have lost faith a few times, but ultimately I believe we are here now because this is the way it had to be.” I bite down on my lip while trying to pluck up the courage to direct this conversation where it needs to go. “I’ve been dreaming of you. Reliving the memories of our past in my dreams, and that gave me the strength to go on when things seemed impossible.”
“Me too.”
“I recognized all of your paintings, Vander. I was seeing those visions too.”
“I had planned to visit you tomorrow. I was going to give you a private showing. I wanted you to see how inexplicably woven you are in my life and how you have always been with me, even when we were separated.”
“Still such a poet.” I reach out and touch his hair because I have been dying to all night. “And your talent is awe-inspiring, Vander. You are truly gifted.” His smile matches the dreamy quality in his eyes as I skim my fingers through his hair. “I have the picture you painted of me framed and hanging in the closet at my new house.” Although I’m incredibly proud of that drawing, I won’t put it on full display because children should never see their mother like that. It was also one of the most intimate, erotic moments of my life, and I don’t wish to share that with anyone but Vander. “And the painting you left for me at Jimmy’s, the one with the lines and the hidden faces, occupies a proud space in my living room. Whenever Ridge brings dates home, he likes to brag we have a Vander Henley original on our walls.”
Vander chuckles. “How is Ridge? I’m guessing he’s about eighteen now?”
“He is almost eighteen and in his senior year of high school.”
“And what about Stella? How’s she doing?”
“Stella is a nurse, and she’s been in a relationship with Amanda for the past two years.”
“Okay, wow, didn’t see that coming.”
I shrug. “She came out as pansexual her freshman year of college. She’s dated men and women over the years, but Amanda seems to be the one. They have a great relationship, and I’ve never seen Stella so happy. Amanda is cool. You’d like her. She’s a tattooist by day, and she sings vocals for a rock band at night.”
“What about Stella’s daughter?” he asks, and my heart almost stops in my chest.