The Private Serials Box Set(105)
“That’s a pretty big sacrifice.” And I’m not sure I’m worthy of it.
She sighed and leaned away from me, dragging a hand through her long hair. “It wasn’t a sacrifice. I guess, in reality, I didn’t give anything up; it was taken from me.”
“You know I want to give you everything, right?” I heard the words before I was even sure I’d been the one to say them. Of course they were true. They were the kind of truth that existed beyond everything else. I hadn’t even formed the words; they just were. “Everything you think you might have lost, or given up, I want to be the one to give it back to you.” I turned toward her, my body shifting to face her, my hands coming to rest on either side of her neck.
She nodded, as much as she could with my hands gently gripping her neck, but her eyes still found mine with a question in them. Her voice was a gravelly, quiet whisper when she said, “I guess I’m just not sure why.”
“Because you’ve given everything to me.” She shook her head, pulling away from my hands, looking down at her lap, still covered in a white sheet. “You’re not broken, Lena. I’m not here to fix you. You don’t need my help and you certainly don’t need me to bring you back to life—as you demonstrated by taking off to Hawaii on your own. I’m not trying to swoop in and make everything easy for you. I want to walk through the hard times with you, I want to celebrate every exciting milestone together. I want to be with you, forever, and to share a life with you. But in doing so, I plan on making sure you get every single thing you were afraid you’d never have with him, because you deserve them.” I pulled her chin up with a gentle finger and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You deserve to be a mom, to be a wife who’s cherished. And I want to be the lucky husband who gets to spend his life making sure you’re happy, safe, and fulfilled.”
“I want to give you all that too,” she whispered.
“When all of this is behind us, we’ll figure everything out. Together.”
She nodded then pressed one hand to my cheek while she kissed the other. “I’m gonna go take a shower.”
I watched her disappear into the bathroom, then raked my hand down my face as I sighed loudly. I wanted nothing more than to get Lena to a place where there wasn’t constant upset. She deserved peace. A normal life with normal issues.
I picked up my phone and dialed Parker, unaware and frankly uncaring of the time difference. He answered, sounding alert and awake.
“Preston, I was just about to call you.”
“Tell me you’ve got good news.”
“I do. I pulled a few strings and had a judge sign the divorce papers. So, it’s official.”
I let out a silent sigh, and my hand went through my hair as I exhaled. “Lena received the money too.”
There was a long pause. “Sounds like everything’s in order, then.”
“Yeah.”
“Preston,” he said, his voice pleading, “you don’t have to go through with it. There has to be another way.”
“This is the only way that ensures Lena is out of the mess for good. I don’t want this to touch her ever again.”
Parker sighed, and I could hear the torment in the groan he released. All he wanted to do was protect us, but we were out of his reach, both literally and figuratively. We were in too deep, and he was standing on the shore waving a life vest that could never save us.
“I’ll let you know when it’s over. Everything will be all right.” I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince more, him or myself. There was a very good chance that everything would definitely not be all right. I’d never attempted anything like I was planning with Derrek. But Lena’s safety and future happiness was more than enough of a motivator to get it right.
“If I don’t hear from you by midnight your time, I’ll call the local authorities. I’m serious, Preston. This ends today, one way or another.”
“I know. I’ll call you.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.” I’ll need it.
I ended the call with Parker and sent a text to the phone I’d given to Derrek.
**Meet me at the Marina at 2 p.m. Bring Jessica and the girls.**
At two p.m. on the nose, I watched as Derrek walked down the planked walkway of the marina, one hand holding Jessica’s, the other supporting the small blonde girl on his hip. Jessica’s free hand held on to the older girl’s hand. They looked like the perfect family, on vacation, about to enjoy a relaxing boat ride. They were all wearing white linen, sandals, and hats. I couldn’t have planned it better myself. It was the perfect set up. It was almost ironic.
“Derrek,” I said as he approached.
“This is a very strange place for a rendezvous,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain.
“There’s a method to my madness.” Just as my words left my mouth Lena appeared at the end of the walkway, and for a moment, I lost the ability to speak.
She looked the part as well. Too well. Her incredible body was adorned with a black bikini, her hips covered by a sheer black sarong that did absolutely nothing to hide the perfection of her curves. The sandals she wore laced up her calves and made her legs look endless. As she got closer, she pushed her sunglasses up, making her soft hair fall to the sides of her face, then flow behind her shoulders.