Page 20 of Securing Samantha

She grabbed her coat and walked to Claire’s temporary office until the following week when she planned to move to Chase’s hospital.

She knocked on the door and entered when Claire called out.

“Hello, Samantha. What a nice surprise.” Claire set her pen down and appeared confused by her appearance.

“Whiskey and I made an appointment at noon. Did I get the dates mixed up?” She pulled out her calendar from her purse and flipped to the month.

“Whiskey called yesterday and mentioned you and him didn’t need to attend any more sessions together. He only wanted to continue separate therapy. I apologize, I assumed you talked about it.” Claire’s eyebrows creased as she thought about the problem.

“No. As usual we didn’t discuss anything. I haven’t seen him since the night after the cabin incident.” She angrily stuffed the appointment book back into her bag. “Let Whiskey know if he intends to waste my time canceling appointments without notice, don’t bother making them.”

Claire nodded. “Sit for a moment. I want to discuss the night at the cabin. Can you tell me what precipitated it? Whiskey mentioned you argued.”

Samantha sat down on the edge of the chair. She already planned on talking to Claire, why waste the hour?

“I understand my husband’s changed. No one experiencing such horror and pain comes out unscathed. My concern lies on how he doesn’t attempt any contact outside of this office. We haven’t discussed our son or how to tell his parents. They’ll feel crushed to find out we knew this entire time. If it meant he stayed here to heal physically and mentally, they’d support him. Whiskey seems…stuck.” Claire started to speak. Samantha raised her hand. “I know, patience. But how can I practice it if he’s not around? He doesn’t want to spend time with me or meet LJ. It hurts, Claire. It kills me every time you ask me to leave the room. Or I hear how Kassie’s help played such an instrumental part in his healing process. I’m his wife. I don’t have a problem stepping aside if him spending time with you and her meant he’d also involve me. Right now, he doesn’t involve me even in the simplest of decisions. We don’t act like a team anymore.”

Claire walked around her desk. “I wish I could assure you Whiskey will one day wake up and magically feel healed. This process can last a lifetime. You need to ask yourself if you’re willing to wait while Whiskey works on himself? Neither of you seem happy with this arrangement. I know you’re struggling with the current situation and the aftermath of your own trauma. Perhaps if we worked on your anxiety and focused on you separately, you might feel less stress about the situation. The same applies to Whiskey too. I intend to advocate for both of you. With time and work, I believe progress can be made.”

Samantha hesitated. When did she get to meet and spend time with Whiskey if not at Claire’s? “I’ll talk to Whiskey and get back to you.”

She rose from the chair and headed back to the shop.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Samantha glanced up as the courier brought in the paperwork for the business. She excitedly opened the legal document and scanned through the changes Joe suggested. Bryan didn’t fight any of them. At the very end, the lawyer scribbled an appendage to the document. Samantha O’Neil must travel to New York for plant inspection upon completion of the paperwork. Date will be negotiated at a later time. She smiled. Bryan must’ve added it after their conversation. Slipping the documents back into the envelope, she placed them in her bag. She decided to read through it at home and not in the shop where customers drifted in and out.

A tall man dressed in black walked in. Between his all-black coat, black pants and black gloves and pale skin he reminded her of the grim reaper. He strolled in her direction. “Samantha O’Neil?” he asked.

She straightened. Strangers typically didn’t walk into her shop at the end of her day.

“Yes?” She moved closer to her bag to grab her pepper spray as the man reached inside his coat and pulled out an envelope. “You’ve been served.” He handed her the papers, turned and exited her shop.

She shook her head at the man as he closed the door. Bryan must’ve sent over additional contracts. She hurried to the window and flipped the closed sign around and locked the door. Flipping the lights off to the front part of the store, she headed back to her work area.

The envelope felt bulky, and she sat down curious as to what Bryan forgot. She slid the letter opener through the top of the envelope. Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage read across the top of the paper. Her hands shook as she let it fall to the floor. Her heart split open, and she cried out from the pain. How could Liam do this to her? To LJ? He didn’t even have the guts to discuss it with her. She dropped to the floor and curled into a ball. She held her knees to her chest trying to put pressure on the wound inside her heart. She let out the anguish she felt inside her soul. She cried out for the man who promised her forever.

When the crying subsided, she lay on the cold tiled floor. She saw the papers lying only feet away from her and she wondered what other surprises Liam held for her. She rose and scooted in their direction and pulled them into view.

One document gave her full custody of LJ. Disappointment for her son to never know the man she told him about at bedtime hit her gut. The other papers listed the property in her name and all bank accounts for her business and personal to remain fully hers. Liam planned on taking nothing. As if she never walked in and discovered him the day after Kassie’s wedding.

Worry filled her. What if he planned to harm himself? He mentioned several times he wished Leo had never found him. Or how he wished he died over there to spare them all the pain. She grabbed her coat and purse and raced to her car. She dialed Edie’s number. When the woman answered Samantha wasted no time with pleasantries.

“Edie, Where’s Saint?” she urgently asked.

“He left with the team for a meeting,” Edie informed her.

“Can you watch LJ? I have an emergency.” She turned her car in the direction of the cabins.

“Of course, do you need me to call Saint?” Edie’s worried voice conveyed she knew Samantha’s emergency involved Liam.

“No. I’ll stop by the team base and catch him.” She hung up the phone.

She pulled into the cabin subdivision and ran to Whiskey’s cabin. She beat on the door. When he didn’t answer, she turned the knob to check the lock. The door handle turned, and she rushed into the cabin, fearing the worst. Her heart pounded as she ran to his bedroom closet and yanked the door open as she simultaneously flipped on the light. Whiskey wasn’t there. She checked the deck and walked through the cabin. Spread all over the kitchen floor, lay tea leaves. The wall held a small indent as she picked up the wrapper and saw the logo from her store and the label spelling out the name of the tea, Whiskey and Sunshine. On the counter lay his phone.

She grabbed her device and called Leo and Saint’s numbers. No one answered. She ran to the car and raced to the other side of the mountain to the team facility. She jumped from her car and rang the buzzer. Her body shook as she waited for someone to answer the door. An intercom overhead came on. Shadow’s voice came through the speaker.

“I’m coming, hang on.” He sounded in pain.

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