Chapter 21

*James*

Liv’s car pulled into the driveway about twenty minutes past six. Nick played the trump card, so my only option was to enjoy every minute with Livie while I could. On my way home from the police station, I stopped by the market and grabbed fresh salmon, asparagus and everything I need for twice baked potato casserole. It was incredibly rich, super decadent, horrible for you and exactly what the doctor ordered.

Once home, I cleared some space in the bedroom closet, half the dresser and the bathroom cabinet. Livie needed to know this was her home, no matter what the coming days may bring. We hadn’t discussed what she wanted to do with her apartment, but with Mom improving, I was hopeful maybe Beth could sublease. Each time my thoughts ran away without me, I reminded myself not to get too far ahead. Just enjoy what we have now. Soak up every second, memorize every freckle, find a way to bottle her scent.

When I heard the car pull up, I poured her a glass of wine, put on the Dean Martin album she loves, and walked to the door. She stepped through the doorway as I came into the foyer. Dressed in a form fitting peach dress that stopped mid-calf, she was the vision of summer. Her auburn locks were pulled into a soft low bun, allowing me to take in the sight of her gorgeous neck. “Hello, wife.” I wondered if I would ever stop feeling like a teenager every time I set my eyes on her.

“Hello, husband.” She set her purse on the table by the front door and pulled her in for a kiss. On contact, I knew I need more, so I wrapped my free arm around her, drawing her into me. She sunk into me and let out the slightest moan, and I took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. The past few days have been filled with ravenous kisses, fueled by lust, but this was a slow, savoring kiss. I wanted to stop time, right here, with her in my arms.

She pulled back first, and whispered, “Hi.” My forehead rested on hers, I whispered back. “Hi.”

“This is for you.” I handed her the glass of wine I was still holding. “And I was very domestic today, and am cooking dinner. Go put your feet up and I’ll be there shortly.” A quick kiss on the forehead, and back to the kitchen I went. Once the table was set, I went to the living room to find Livie curled up reading another book. “Hungry?” She looked up at me, and I wiggled my eyebrows. This earned me a laugh, now one of my favorite sounds.

We sat across from one another and tucked into the meal. “This is wonderful, by the way. Is there anything you can’t do?” Laughing at her question, I replied, “I can’t whistle.” She feigned shock and horror, and we both laughed. It was good to laugh after today.

“Detective Shepherd called me today.” Her eyes bored into me, waiting for my reaction. “He mentioned you two talked this morning.” Taking a big bite of salmon, I nodded my head. “And?” The tone of her voice shifted ever so subtly. She was worried.

I shrugged my shoulders. “It sounds like they don’t have anything concrete. I didn’t mention anything because I wanted to stay in our bubble a little longer. We’ll have another hearing about the Carter situation soon and Nick has stolen enough from us. I didn’t want to give him anything else.” I watched her silently consider my response and prayed it was enough for her to drop the topic for tonight.

“You’d tell me if it was important, right?” Her eyes looked at mine pleadingly. It broke my heart to keep this from her, but it’s for the best. For now.

“Of course, Liv.” A wink and a smile seemed to reassure her.

“I have to go in tomorrow, though. I already talked to Trav, and he’s coming with me. Noah wants to meet early in the morning to go over the property for the new office. Then I’ll head to the station.” She looked at me, studying my face. “Hey, we’re a team, right? Us against him.” It felt good to hear my words come from her. I nodded in agreement. “You better believe it!” We spent the rest of the night talking, making love, and watching old SNL skits. When she fell asleep in my arms, I felt as if I had finally found my place in the world.

Tuesday morning, Liv went in to the office early to meet Noah before her appointment with Detective Shepherd. I went for a run, desperate to clear my head. My thoughts and emotions were all over the place, and I had to know where the good detective got his information from. Only three people know. One of them is dead, and the other wouldn’t risk the exposure. Maybe the police didn’t have anything, and he was just throwing a dart in the dark. Fuck.

I had just returned from my run when the phone rang. “Dr. Wilson.” I answered distractedly. “James.” Inhaling a sharp breath, “Hi, Katherine.” My tone softened, but I mentally prepared for battle.

“James, I don’t want to fight.” Kath started, and I didn’t stop her. “We’ve known each other for years. At one point I thought… well, I hoped maybe we would be more. But you need to know, my concern isn’t coming out of jealousy. These allegations, James. Even if you’re cleared, this could ruin your reputation. You know how accusations stick to people.” I took a deep breath, contemplating her words.

“Kath. I know. It looks bad.” I paused, struggling to find the right words. “You know I didn’t do this? Right?” An overwhelming panic threatened to swallow me whole. She didn’t really believe I did this, did she?

“Oh, James, of course. When I saw you two at the gala, I wondered. For a minute. But that’s not you. You’re a good man. I know that.” Sadness dripped from her voice. “You really married her?”

“I did. I love her, Kath. She’s my future. Whatever that looks like after all this.” I felt a twinge of guilt, knowing I should have shut down any possibility of a relationship with her.

“Look, I’ll go to the board on your behalf. Assure them that in all the years we worked together, you have always been professional.” She shifted abruptly into business mode. “You on tomorrow?”

“Thank you so much, Katherine. I appreciate you, and I don’t want things to be weird between us. I care about you, just…” My words trailed, lost in the sea of all the unspoken things between us.

“Not like that. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, James.” She ended the call, and I sunk into my couch. Leaning my head back and closing my eyes, I was exhausted. The emotional whirlwind was giving me whiplash. Nick couldn’t win this war. Even if I lost everything else, I couldn’t let him control Liv anymore.

Around six, Liv called to let me know she would be late. The broker managing the property in Mormont scheduled a last-minute conference call to hash out a few more details before Noah and Chris finalized the purchase. After I hung up with Liv, I decided to call in and order takeout from the Japanese place down the road. Before I could pull up the number, I heard a knock at the door. Still scrolling through my contact list, looking for the restaurant’s number, I ambled over to the door and swung it open. My view made me laugh.

“MacCallum?” Travis was standing on my front stoop, holding a bottle of scotch. The same scotch I brought to him as an apology after busting him with Beth.

“Come on in, brother.” I stepped aside, giving him room to walk through the threshold. He followed me into the living room and grabbed two glasses off the bar cart in the corner. I sat back on the couch, resting my ankle across the opposite knee. “So, what do I owe for this visit?” Even though I knew the answer.

He handed me a glass filled with pale amber liquid and sat in the armchair across from me. “I’m worried about you. As your friend, I need to know that you’re ok. As your lawyer, I need to know if Nick has information that is going to blow up in my face.” I took a long swallow of my scotch, letting the warm liquid slide down my throat. “Does Liv know?” His question was a punch to my gut.

“No. No one knows. Well, dad knew. He took that to the grave. I just can’t figure out how that damn detective knows. The only other person who knows can’t possibly be stupid enough to talk. He’d ruin himself.” I finished the drink in my hand. Trav grabbed the bottled and refilled my glass.

“James. You are my oldest friend. You are the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother. Talk to me, man. What happened?”

I closed my eyes and tried to slow my breathing. It’s been twenty years since I talked about what he did. I opened my eyes and looked at my best friend. It was time.

“You know how dad used to take us camping all the time when we were younger?” Trav nodded and stayed quiet while I shared my story. The story I swore I’d never tell. The story that will break my wife’s heart. The story that could ruin everything. The story that may be the only way to free Liv from Nick’s grip once and for all.