Should’ve Known It’s You (Not You Again #7)

Chapter 62

CHAPTER 62

KENNEDY

T he two weeks after Austin’s arrest were nothing short of chaos. By the time we reached mid-December, all I could do was thank God I had Austin by my side. I doubted I could’ve gotten through it all without him.

On top of us grinding to start my hotel with his investment, and taking on a surprise partner to carry some of the financial weight, we’d also been dealing with Danny. He’d decided he would be pressing charges and I had been a solid knot of nerves ever since.

As we waited in Austin’s lawyer’s office, I could hardly breathe, I was so nervous. My stomach swirled, my palms weren’t even just clammy, they were wet, and my heart hadn’t stopped racing since I’d opened my eyes this morning.

“Relax, baby,” he said, watching as I paced back and forth in front of the wall of windows in Sarah’s office. “We were warned about this. Danny thinks charges are his only option. After today, I think this is all going to be swept neatly under the rug. Come sit with me.”

He patted the empty chair beside him, but I couldn’t bring myself to go to it. I couldn’t just sit around, twiddling my thumbs. Inside, I wanted to rip Danny’s face off and mount it on a post outside Austin’s home to warn any other potential threats that if they messed with my man, they would have me to contend with.

But that would be a special kind of crazy, right?

I shook my head at myself, trying to center my thoughts, but it just wasn’t working. Stress made me think wild thoughts. After we’d taken Slate on as our second investor for the hotel, things had started happening fast. Between Austin and his brother-in-law, they had heaps of connections and zero patience for delays.

They were awesome business partners, but if anyone even thought about getting in their way, that person was quickly taken to task. It’d gotten me all fired up about being the same way, but now here I was, feeling all protective and fiery, but I was alone with my boyfriend while we waited for the settlement conference to start.

Ready for battle and no one to fight against. Perfect.

I exhaled harshly, adrenaline flowing like fire through my veins, and checked my watch again. “Where is she? I thought we were starting at ten. What kind of tricks are they trying to pull?”

“That’s still ten minutes away,” he said calmly. “Come here, baby. Please?”

“I can’t. If I sit still right now, I’m going to spontaneously combust. I just can’t believe that he’s actually following through with this. I really thought that for once in his miserable life, he was going to do the right thing. I should’ve known better, but shit. Tate turned around. If he could do it, I thought anyone could.”

Austin’s dark eyes came up to meet mine, and while there was a definite edge in his gaze, for the most part, he seemed pretty cool and confident. “Let’s see how this goes before we work ourselves up. I honestly don’t think he realizes that there are alternatives. That night, when the cops asked him if he wanted to press charges, he said yes. I think that to his mind, that means he needs to go through with it.”

The door opened and Sarah walked in. We’d been to a few meetings with her in the last couple of weeks, and as soon as I saw her, I realized that it was finally time to go to war.

“You can come to the negotiation room with me now,” she said, her tone clipped. “Danny and his lawyers are already waiting, so get your game faces on.”

Austin rose and held his hand out toward mine. I took it, squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin. Please let this be over by the time we leave here today.

Sarah led us down a long, carpeted hallway and into a room painted in a calming taupe color. The table at the center of it was large and round. Soft classical music whispered in the background. I had a feeling this space had been designed to slow racing hearts and soothe flaring tempers, but I still glared red hot daggers at my ex as I walked in. He was lucky I didn’t scratch his eyes out.

“No,” he said immediately when he saw me, his gaze briefly dropping to my hand where I was still holding Austin’s. “She needs to be removed from the room. I’m not comfortable doing this with her here. He might hit me again if he thinks I’m looking at her the wrong way.”

Sarah didn’t even blink before she shook her head. “She’s an essential witness to our case. My client has every right to have invited her here with him.”

Danny slammed back in his seat, pouting as he turned to glare at his lawyer. “If she’s here, I’m leaving. It’s as simple as that.”

His own lawyer seemed exasperated by him but glanced at Sarah. “We’re here as a courtesy. You heard my client. If she stays, we’re out of here.”

Sarah looked like she was ready for more back and forth, but in the end, I stepped forward and shook my head. “It’s okay. I’ll go.” I squeezed Austin’s hand. “I’ll be right outside, okay?”

“Alright,” he murmured, tugging me to him and laying a sound kiss on me before he let go. “I’ll see you soon.”

Reluctantly pulling away, I shot one last glower at Danny before I left. My pacing continued once I shut the door into the hallway. As I marched back and forth, my phone rang and I wasn’t surprised when I saw who was calling. Austin’s sister was just as nervous as I was.

“Hey, Jess,” I said. “There’s no update yet. They just went in. I’m outside because my coward ex is too scared to face me.”

She sighed loudly. “Damn it. We were hoping there would be progress by now. You’re on speaker with the whole family, by the way.”

“Hi, Merricks. Sorry I got your son arrested.” I smiled, but my gut, stomach, and intestines were all twisted up. “I promise to let you know as soon as I hear anything, but I just got kicked out of the negotiations. I might not hear anything until they’re done.”

“Keep your chin up, Kenny,” Jeannie said warmly. “Just stay calm and be confident. Austin can handle himself.”

I appreciated their support more than they could ever know, and I took Jeannie’s words to heart. “Thanks. I feel like I should just try one last time to tell you how sorry I am about all this.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Doug said firmly. “We raised Austin to stand up for what’s right and for the people he loves. This wasn’t the first time he’s had to do that and it won’t be the last. We’re not thrilled he might get in trouble, but we’re mighty proud of him for not letting that scalawag get near you.”

“Scalawag, Dad?” Jess giggled. “I can think of a few better things to call him.”

“Like a rapscallion?” he asked.

Jess laughed again. “Like a good for nothing scoundrel.”

Doug pretended to gasp. “Gee, you’re going to need to learn how to control your language when the little one gets here.”

With their banter at the other end of the line, I finally started feeling like I might get through the day without wearing a divot into the carpet. The Merricks had been a godsend to have on our side through all of this, constantly calling for news and providing support from Firefly Grove.

Between them, Winrey, and Benji, it felt like we were building a new family. One that actually stood by each other.

The Merricks eventually hung up after making me promise to call them the second I knew anything, but even after they ended the call, it was like I could feel their love from afar. Ever since the night Austin had been arrested, I’d felt a dark hole slowly gaping open inside me.

I hadn’t expected to feel this way after cutting ties with my parents, but the depth of my grief had surprised me. Even though I hadn’t been close to them for over half my life, I couldn’t help but feel like an orphan all of a sudden.

I had never completely severed ties with them before.

To know that my parents weren’t there anymore and that they just really, truly didn’t care was a whole new level of abandonment. It made me feel so alone that I absolutely wouldn’t have been able to bear it if it hadn’t been for the support system I now had.

Winrey felt the same way. She and I had spoken about it a few times, and she was dealing with this pain too. Neither of us had expected it to hit quite as hard as it had, but we also agreed that in the long term this was for the best. We’d also discussed whether we thought either of us might change our minds eventually, but neither of us had any intention to do so.

Too much damage had been done. Too much hurt caused by the ways our outlooks fundamentally differed from theirs. Winrey and I were both all too aware that if we just forgave and forgot again, we’d be opening the door to even more pain and disappointment.

Ultimately, this mourning period was temporary. We’d get each other through it and we’d both be stronger for it, as long as we never opened that door again.

I stopped in front of a bank of windows in the hallway, raking my hand through my hair as I looked at the city below. There were so many people down there—and just as many problems. As it happened, the cross Winrey and I had to bear was that our parents prioritized money, friends, and status over us. Everyone else had their own issues though, and just like they would, she and I would get to the other side of this as well.

Drawing in a deep breath, I finally found a seat in a little waiting area close to the negotiation room and sat down, on tenterhooks to hear the outcome of the negotiations. Austin and I had officially been a couple for only two weeks, and these charges, as well as the hotel, had dominated our time ever since.

I so badly wanted Danny’s drama to be done with before the holidays. I needed Austin to be safe and to stop having this ax hanging over his neck, but in order for that to happen, Danny had to settle. My heart thrummed. My hands were sticky and sweaty all over again as I drummed my fingers on my thighs and obsessively checked my watch every other second.

Precisely forty-two minutes after I’d sat down, I heard a door open nearby and leaped to my feet, racing to the corner and peeking around it. Sure enough, Danny and his lawyers were emerging from the room, his representatives shaking Sarah’s hand before they left.

Their faces were unreadable, but Danny had a huge, smug smile on his face that made me nervous. Oh, no. What happened?

My heart went from thrumming to hammering, a lump the size of San Francisco growing in my throat. Sarah spotted me as our opponents disappeared, waving me over to join them back in the room.

“You can come in now, Kennedy. We still have a few things to discuss, but they’re gone, so you’re welcome.”

I swallowed hard, practically sprinting down the passage. My eyes zeroed in on Austin as soon as I ran into the room. He was standing behind a chair, looking relaxed as he gripped the back of it. As soon as he saw me, he straightened up and opened his arms.

“Hey,” he murmured as I ran to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Are you okay?”

“What happened?” I asked, my voice several octaves higher than usual. I tipped my head back so I could look directly into his eyes. “Is it over? Are you going to court?”

“It’s over.” He grinned. “Danny took the money and we reached a settlement. No charges. No court. No battle.”

Dizzying relief swept through me and I sank into him, dragging a deep breath of air into my lungs as I dropped my forehead right over his heart. “Thank God. This is the best Christmas gift ever. You need to call your sister, Austin. If they don’t hear from us soon, she might just panic herself into labor.”

He slid his phone out of his pocket as he sat down, pulling out the chair beside him for me. As I lowered myself into it, his arm wrapped around my shoulders and he glanced at Sarah, showing her his phone.

“She’s right. I need to call my sister, but after that, we’re all yours.”