Page 43 of Embattled Ever After

They informed her of the provisions of the will in effect when Derek had been killed six months ago and had sent her notification that she now had access to a maintenance stipend that had been set up to take care of Mercy. That stipend had been a devastating amount of money. When she’d contacted them to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was, they had assured her that the stipend was a normal amount for the size of the inheritance Mercy would eventually collect, and the amount itself had no bearing on the valuation of the company. When they assured her that the same amount would be deposited every month in an interest bearing account for her use for Mercy’s care and living expenses, Lora had almost fainted.

“It was the amount negotiated between Rosalind and her son, to take effect when he was granted custody,” Doug Samson told her.

That ‘when’ had pissed her off and totally changed the way she looked at the money. At first, she’d been reluctant to take their ‘blood’ money. But after she talked to Samson on the phone, he’d seen her spine go ramrod straight. “Thank you, Mr. Samson.”

They’d started looking for houses the next day and Mercy had been enrolled in an exclusive early education school. At first, Lora had cringed at the amount of money she’d been committing to, but she justified it by knowing it was for Mercy’s education.

Chad loved the strength she gained while dealing with these aspects of her life. Even if at night she was still the woman growing to love being a woman again. He made sure not to offer her unsolicited advice. If she wanted his input, she asked, but she’d begun to be the strong woman he’d always seen beneath the carefully shuttered exterior of a victim of domestic violence.

She had asked him if he liked the house she’d found for them. It was stone and glass, and much larger than what they were moving out of. Chad had loved it, because there were delicate little artistic touches that gave it character, like stained glass accent windows and curved wooden doorways. There were several extra rooms, and when he’d remarked on it, she’d shrugged lightly, her cheeks pink. “If your family comes to visit they’ll have space. And we’ll have room if we decide to expand.”

That had made Chad’s throat close off with emotion. He hadn’t dared hope for anything more than the blessings he’d already been given, but if Lora were already thinking in that direction, he could bide his time.

“I think it’s glorious.”

Those little reinforcements bolstered her ego more than he’d ever have expected.

She’d turned that house into a light-filled, loving home, full of delicious scents and hugs that were shared all around. When Chad had been sent to Vail to cover for Diego for a week, it had been one of the hardest times he could remember. Mercy had become more dear to him than anything and Lora… Lora was his heart. But she’d assured him that she would be fine, that they would be fine.

Chad came home that last day to find her grinning. It was a remarkable expression, one he’d begun to see more and more, but it still made him stop and stare. “I love you.”

“I know you do, but I want you to follow me. Come on.”

She tugged on his hand, leading him down the hallway toward the kitchen. Then she’d veered to the basement steps. Chad was curious, but he was more excited to be with her, and see her. Her hair smelled of some exotic perfume and he wondered if Mercy would go play for a while so Lora could welcome him home properly. Then they’d reached the bottom of the steps, and he’d been floored.

Chad wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it definitely wasn’t the man cave she led him into. When he’d left for Vail, the basement had been just a blank space, dry walled but not decorated or painted. From the plank floors to the beer signs decorating the walls, everything had been changed. There was a bar along one wall, stocked with several different kinds of beer, as well as every type of soda he’d ever seen. The other half of the massive room had been turned into a movie theater, with a huge flat screen television that took up most of the wall. A cupboard in one corner housed an updated version of the game console he owned, as well as a collection of games.

“I had to ask a couple of the guys what you liked. I hope we did okay. It took a lot of planning. We weren’t sure if you would leave us for a week or not. I had to pretend to be strong so you wouldn’t worry about us, but the guys came over and Rachel stayed with us for a few days.”

Chad looked at her, so impressed at everything she’d done to give him this. “I can’t believe you did this for me. You didn’t have to. Not by any means.”

She shrugged. “I know, but you’ve done so much for us that I had to show you somehow.”

He shook his head, humbled by her generosity and thoughtfulness. “You show me every day when you curl up in my arms and tell me you love me.”

Her luminous green eyes glinted with tears and she nodded. “I do love you. More than I ever expected to.”

He had wrapped her in his arms and swayed with her in his new hangout. “You know, I think I see room for a toy box and maybe a little art desk or something.”

She chuckled against his chest. “We’ll see what we can do.”

***

They headed backto the house in a dream state. John couldn’t think of anything to say to Shannon, other thanI love you, babe. She seemed content with that though, because she was also dazed.

“I need to call my mom and dad,” she said finally. “They’re going to be over the moon.”

John glanced at her. “You didn’t tell your mom you were pregnant yet?”

She glanced at him, one brow raised. “Of course not. That’s personal, intimate information I needed to share with you first. You’re the most important person in my life, John. I love you.”

He knew that, honestly, but it was still a little shocking sometimes.

“I want to tell Duncan,” he admitted softly.

“Then let’s go tell him,” she said with a burgeoning smile. “We can see if Alex is still there, too.”

John wondered if Duncan would appreciate the invasion. Maybe, maybe not depending upon how their ‘visit’ was going. It was late afternoon now. Maybe they’d drive by his house and see if he was home.

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