Page 31 of False Evidence

Alexandra and Gemma had been invited to Erica and Lee’s for Christmas dinner. She had initially declined until Erica assured her that JT wouldn’t be there because everyone attending would have kids. Curt and Mara would be there with their son. Alec and Isabel’s baby wasn’t due until March, but they planned to join the fun.

She’d been so looking forward to it. Once upon a time, she’d been friends with Curt and wanted to get to know Mara, who was close to Erica. The women were tight in a way Alexandra and Erica had been for a time.

The way Alexandra and Kendall had once been. Before Brent. And, to be fair, before JT.

Now Kendall was gone and Alexandra’s future was in serious doubt. Would she ever have a chance to forge new friendships that had felt so promising a week ago?

She wanted Gemma to have the feeling of an extended family, even though she was the only child of a single mother who had also been an only child. Alexandra’s parents were still alive, but both had dementia and lived in a care facility in Delaware.

Like Gemma, Alexandra had been born to a woman of advanced maternal age, and her parents were now in their mid-eighties. Her mother’s mind was sharper than her father’s, but she was only sporadically lucid.

She shuddered at the idea the press might find a way to invade her parents’ peace in their memory care facility, but security was extremely tight to protect the patients, so it was unlikely.

JT said goodbye to Keith, then spun around in his chair to face her. “I’m pretty sure Keith didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t know where you were, but like I figured, he didn’t probe.”

“I’m going to pay you back. I know Raptor doesn’t come cheap.”

JT rose from his seat and circled the desk to stand in front of her. He reached out a hand. She took it, and he gently pulled her to her feet.

His arms enfolded her. He’d held her on the couch, but this was the first time they’d embraced without Gemma between them.

He held her tight. She’d never in her wildest dreams imagined being in his arms again. His embrace was both familiar and foreign.

His grip loosened, and he raised his head. She did the same and met his gaze. “Let me do this for you, Lex.”

She studied his eyes. Deep brown and beautiful. His hair was going gray, and the salt and pepper looked damn good on him. “You don’t understand. I can’t let you, JT. You put your money between us in the past. I don’t trust you not to hold this against me too.”

“I was a complete ass, looking for a reason why you’d stayed with me. I figured it had to be the money because it was never my winning personality.”

His words were shockingly self-aware for a man who’d never exhibited such insight before. “I was with you because I loved you.”

Past tense. Now she was with him because she needed him. And right now, what she needed was his money.

“I wasn’t worthy of your love then. So I was certain you only tolerated me because I was rich.”

“That’s because you’re a dumb fuck. But yeah, you’re right. You didn’t deserve me.” She’d put up with him far longer than she should have. And it was that tolerance that had made him disrespect her more.

It had been a vicious cycle.

“I’ve done a lot of work. I’m not the man I was then. I was working up my courage to reach out to you, to make amends. When I heard you’d had a kid, I knew I’d waited too long to get my shit together, and I didn’t want to intrude on your happiness, even if only to give you closure.”

She pushed away from him, stepping back and pacing away. His words were nice, but even now, it was all about him. He couldn’tbestowclosure on her. She’d had to find that for herself. No. He’d wanted to reach out to make himself feel better. Closure forhim.

“This isn’t the time to talk about this. I need your help, and I don’t want to fight.”

“I’m making it worse, aren’t I?”

“Not worse, but not better either. You’re still centeringyou.”

He smiled. “I love that you aren’t hesitating to call out my shit even now.”

“I’ve learned it’s better than stewing in silence.”

“You used to do that. When we were first together. When we were engaged. Even when we were on again, off again. It wasn’t until my life fell apart that you held back.”

“Will it make you happy to know it’s because you were fragile as a wasps’ nest?”

He frowned, his brow furrowed in question.

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