Laying it Bare After a Loss Read online

  “Thanks Charity. For everything. You were always there for me and I feel bad we see each other only once or twice a week if we’re lucky.”

  “Hey, we both have an amazing guy now in our life and we will always have each other. Go celebrate your pregnancy. I know I’m going to.” She giggled before giving me another squeeze and then heading over to Jace.

  Jace nodded at Mitch before helping Charity into his truck.

  After Mitch got me settled in the seat, he hopped in on his side and twisted to face me. “Are you okay? You didn’t have to share your story with them tonight. They would have let it go.”

  “Actually, I’m pretty good. Talking about him is always going to bring me some heartache but I still have all of the good memories too. And it’s not like they were looking for gossip. They truly care about me. And wanted to know about my loss. I love you.” I traced my fingers along his scruff.

  “I love you too. You ready? Charity had the right idea. We need to go celebrate, again, too.” He winked at me before starting his truck and heading home.

  Sunday afternoon, Mitch packed a bag for the week and drove us to my place. And I couldn’t deny I was excited about our new arrangement. I wasn’t quite ready to officially move in with him yet but I couldn’t deny I loved spending every night in bed with him.

  On Monday, Mitch had a few things to tie up at work so he expected to be a little later than usual. But that gave me some extra time to prepare something special for dinner. I had stopped at the store to grab ingredients to make stuffed shells and was busy unloading the bags at my bar when someone crashing through my front door startled me. I dropped the container of ricotta cheese onto the floor at my feet, jumping back in barely enough time to keep from getting sprayed with the exploding contents.

  “What the fuck?” I yelled and then gasped at who had just busted in my door.

  “I’ve come for payback, Trinity. You cost me a hell of a lot.” His dirty blond hair was much longer than I remembered but his blue eyes were the same emotionless cold. What had I ever seen in him?

  “Nowhere near what you cost me. Nothing will ever equal what you took from me, Donovan.” Spatting his name, I stepped around the mess on my floor and stalked toward him, careful to keep some distance and regretting not grabbing a knife to threaten him with. But my luck, his lawyer would find a way to prove me guilty of something even though he was the one who had broken into my house.

  He waved his hand dismissively at me. “He was just a kid. Make another one.”

  My hand unconsciously dropped to my stomach for a moment. He or she would not have that same fate. Mitch would see to it. That thought made me pull my phone from my pocket and quickly send Mitch a text that just said ‘Lawyer!’

  Donovan was on me so fast, I yelped. He grabbed my phone and glanced at the screen. “What the fuck does that mean?” He shook the device in my face. “And who’s Mitch?”

  “It’s an inside joke between us because he knows I despise lawyers. And he’s gonna be home soon for dinner.” And that was all the information he was getting on that subject.

  He flung my phone across the room and it skittered along the hardwood to the other side. I wasn’t sure if it had shattered but my money was on the very good chance he had broken it. Then he slapped me across the face. “I have some needs that haven’t been met for a long time and you’re going to take care of that for me right now.”

  Swallowing down the bile that thought evoked, I balled my hand into a fist just like I had been taught, cocked my arm, and clocked him right in the face.

  Blood dripped from his nose. “Bitch!” He made a grab for me but I ducked out of the way, taking on the fighting stance that we had worked on just two weeks ago at the gym. Then he released a maniacal laugh. “You think you can best me with your fancy moves?”

  I wasn’t positive but I was going to keep him distracted long enough in the hopes that Mitch was on his way. “What are you doing out already anyway?”

  “Don’t you remember? My attorney got the charges down to misdemeanors so I paid fines and got a shorter jail sentence. You owe me that money too.” He growled.

  “Fuck that shit. You didn’t even get a third of what you deserved for what you did. YOU KILLED MY SON!” Yes, it was stupid on my part but grief over what he had done transformed into a massive surge of rage that he had invaded my house looking for restitution after all the torment he had put me through and I struck out with all of that fury.

  We exchanged blows but my time at the gym not only taught me how to fight but how to dodge hits and I deftly ducked and shifted out of his way so that his hits weren’t as hard or on point as he had wanted. And I made sure my stomach was protected at all times, taking a few hits to the face to ensure that.

  When I swung a perfect uppercut, catching him off guard, he crumbled to his knees.

  But just as I was going to make a dash to the front door, he pulled a gun from his waist band and trained it on me as he slowly rose.

  And of course I hadn’t even brought a knife to this gunfight. But apparently I had brought my sass even though I had blessedly left it in my head. I swallowed hard and kept my eyes focused on him.

  “Not so tough now, bitch.” He seethed at me and then spit blood onto my floor.

  “You’ve always been a – ”

  Thankfully, my sass was interrupted when my door, which had been barely hanging by its hinges, came crashing in. “Trinity!” Mitch bellowed. And when his eyes landed on Donovan, with his gun pointed at me, his troubled features twisted into rage.

  Before I could react, Donovan grabbed me and swung me around so that his arm was braced across my chest and I was pulled snug to his with the tip of his gun pressed to my temple. “You’re interrupting a private party so why don’t you just turn around and leave before I blow her pretty brains out all over the floor.”

  If I thought my heart was pounding in overdrive before, that was nothing compared to the battering going on now. I believed Donovan assumed he was above the law and would get away with this, so he’d pull the trigger. He’d kill me right in front of Mitch and although this time it would have to be considered premeditated, it wouldn’t matter because I would be dead.

  Mitch paused for a second, as if he were listening for something, and then raised his hands in front of him and stared at Donovan. “Just let her go, Donovan. It’s over.” Then he focused his intense gaze on me. “It’s going to be okay, Trinity. Don’t drop on me, Sweetheart.”

  Spinning that statement around in my head, his meaning clicked. Praying Mitch knew what he was doing – he didn’t have a gun on him that I could see but he would never intentionally put me in danger – I went limp in Donovan’s hold and plummeted to the floor.

  A split second after my ass connected with the hard floor, a gun shot rang through my living room. Releasing a scream as Donovan fell behind me, I scampered over to Mitch on my hands and knees.

  He dropped down beside me and curled me onto his lap. “Oh God, Cheeky. When I got that text message I just knew something bad was going down. Thank you so much for coming up with that even though it’s an insult to me.” He peppered the top of my head with kisses and his arms crushed me to his chest. “And your face is all bruised.”

  “Who . . . Who shot him?” My voice trembled. My entire body shuddered with leftover fear. “I . . . I didn’t see you pull a gun.” I burrowed farther into his embrace, not wanting to catch even a glimpse of Donovan’s slack body.

  “Taggart stopped by my office today. That was the loose ends I was working on. When I got your text, he came with me. He was off duty but he’s always a cop. He stood right outside the door, while I smashed through it.”

  Sirens pierced the air and I jolted.

  “It’s okay, Trinity. I got you. And Tag and his back up will get Donovan. He can come find you later at my place to talk to you. Can you stand if I help you?” He pressed a kiss to my temple and helped me to my feet.

  I spared a quick glance over
my shoulder to where Donovan was moaning on the ground, his hands in cuffs. Then I nestled my face back into Mitch. “I’ll text Charity in a bit and see if she can come pack me a bag. Do you have a shirt or something I can wear after I shower? I want to get a nice long shower and then just curl up on your couch with you.”

  Two officers rushed inside, spared a quick glance in our direction, and then joined Tag.

  “I want you to go to the emergency room first to get checked. I’ll get Tag to use his connections so you can get seen quickly. I want to make sure you and the baby are okay. But let’s get you out of here first. We’ll wait in my truck for him to get a moment.” When we were tucked inside Mitch’s truck, he tugged me tightly to his side and then sent a text to his brother.

  A few minutes later, Tag walked out to us. “I’ll have to send Oliver to your house for your statements. Since I was involved, I can’t take them. I’ll tell him to give you a couple hours. First get her seen at the ER and fed and stuff. I’ll see that the door gets boarded up.”

  “Thanks Bro.” Turning the ignition, Mitch steered us in the direction of the hospital.

  A little over three hours later, I sat on Mitch’s couch wearing one of his t-shirts, snuggled between his legs with my back to his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, his hands resting on top of my belly. Charity had stopped by while Mitch and I were eating dinner and dropped off some of my things, chatted, and hugged me numerous times. Then she had left when the officer arrived.

  Snuggled in his embrace, I traced little circles along his arm. “Hey, you know I had said I wasn’t ready to move in with you.”

  Mitch spun me around to straddle his lap and cupped my face in his hands. His face was split in the most adorable smile. “I want you living with me but not because you’re afraid. I don’t want you to feel like you’re being forced.” His grin diminished.

  “I don’t feel that way. It’s just that Donovan has completely tainted that house for me. I can bring my memories of Ben here with you and also continue to build new memories with you, here. It’s not that I don’t feel safe there. Although we both know he’s just going to get his scum bag attorney to get him a lesser sentence again. I’ll have to get a restraining order or whatever so that he stays away from me when he’s released.”

  “Not to change the subject but that’s why I was detained at work. I can’t give you specifics but his attorney will be losing his license here in the next couple of weeks. So Donovan is going to get what he deserves this time.”

  A mixture of emotions – although I wasn’t sure I could identify all of them – flowed through my chest before I really didn’t feel anything. “You know I should really feel more satisfaction in that but I’m kinda numb to it. He’ll never get what he deserved for taking my son from me. But I don’t want to dwell on that. I’m moving forward with you and our little one.”

  “We’re going to have a great life together. I promise you that.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “But back to you moving in with me. I would love for you to do so but when you’re ready not when you feel like you have to.”

  “I want to move in with you. I’m ready for the next step. I don’t want that house anymore. You are my life now and I know you will do everything you can to make this transition easy. Besides, it will help ease things for when the baby comes. I’ll already be settled here. I know that’s like nine months away but it will go by quickly. I’m definitely taking a sick day tomorrow and maybe Wednesday too. So maybe we can plan to move me in to your place this weekend. I’ll have to talk with my landlord. He’ll be fine with me moving out; I’ll just have to give him next month’s rent because I have to give him a month notice. But that will also give me time to have a professional clean the front living spaces.”

  “I’m going to take a day tomorrow too. I don’t have any meetings or court. You can relax and I’ll take care of you.”

  After watching another episode of some sitcom, Mitch and I retreated to bed. Things were going to be changing for me but I was ready to embrace them. Even though we had an odd start to our relationship and I never in a million years would have seen myself falling in love with a lawyer. But I couldn’t be happier fate had dropped me in his path.

  About two months later . . .

  Mitch and I sat out on the deck of the small beach house we had rented on Jekyll Island, the waves gently crashing into the sand and the sunset shading the water beautiful hues of reds, oranges, and purples. I had been fully moved in with Mitch and completely settled for over a month and a half now. So we were finally taking that much needed get away we had talked about months ago. Since our world had been tilted on its side with the unexpected pregnancy and then again with the confrontation with Donovan – which I guess would mean it had been turned upside down – we had forgotten we had talked about going away together. We wanted to make sure we took a trip before I was too pregnant to enjoy it. And now that I sported a baby bump – which Mitch rubbed and kissed often, annoying me, but because I loved him dearly, I didn’t complain, much – we decided not to put it off any longer.

  “I have a serious question for you.” Mitch arranged us in the beach lounger we were sprawled in so that I faced him. Then he reached into the pocket of his board shorts and pulled out a small black box.

  My breathing and heart rate kicked up several notches.

  “Now calm your beautiful self down. I don’t need you pushing that baby out here. We can stay engaged for a year or two if you want. I can’t go much longer though. I want people to know I love you; that you are it for me; and that you belong to me.”

  “I think the baby bump shows I belong to you.” I pushed my round belly into his.

  “Nah, that just shows you had an oops with a virile guy.” He gave me a lopsided smile.

  Pursing my lips, I narrowed my eyes.

  He took my mouth in a hard quick kiss. “Will you make me more complete than you already have and become my wife? Will you marry me, Trinity?”

  My lips curled into a grin. “Are you gonna let me see the ring and put it on my finger?”

  “You haven’t answered my question.”

  I raised my eyebrow at him, my grin widening.

  “You could’ve changed your mind about me. We have been officially living together for almost three months. Maybe you’ve decided I’m too much for you.”

  When he popped open the box, I couldn’t stop the gasp that fell from my lips. It was a gorgeous princess cut diamond. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Taking my hand in his, he slid the ring onto my finger and then pressed a kiss to it.

  My smile grew devilish. “In like four or five years.”

  “Still so Cheeky.” He gave me another hard kiss before leaning his forehead to mine.

  “I’ll always be your Cheeky.”

  “Yes, you will.”

  The Laying it Bare series continues with

  Laying it Bare Through the Lies

  Coming Spring 2022

  After a serious accident leaves Tenna James with amnesia, she can’t help but feel as if her parents are lying to her and she is missing something incredibly vital.

  When Dane Masterson runs into Tenna at a bar one night while out with his brother, he can’t believe his luck that fate has given him a second chance at love. But will he be able to win back her love if she can’t remember ever being with him? And when others are working to keep the two of them apart?

  Laying it Bare series:

  Laying it Bare with a Friend Request

  Laying it Bare with an Ex-Con

  Laying it Bare with One of the Guys

  Laying it Bare on the Run

  Laying it Bare in Pre-Med

  Laying it Bare After a Loss

  Laying it Bare Through the Lies (coming Spring 2022)

  Other Titles by L.E. Martin

  The Renters

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