Page 146 of Finding Forever

“I wanted to let you know that Abernathy was arrested after you fell. On assault charges. The police have already questioned me, but they’re going to want to speak to you at some point as well. Would you be willing to do that?”

“Yes, of course,” she said with a dark little frown.

“There are plenty of witnesses who will attest to the fact that he grabbed you against your will,” Cade told her. He released her feet and she scooted upright.

“Also, Cyrus is coming over in a few minutes with some papers he’s going to need you to sign.”

“What papers?”

“I’ll leave it to him to explain it to you.”

“It can’t wait?”

“Better to get it over with.”

“You’re being a little cryptic,” she complained.

“Am I?” he asked cryptically and she glowered at him.

He grinned unrepentantly.

“God, you’re annoying sometimes,” she said and his grin widened.

“But you love me anyway, right?”

“Ugh, you know I do.”

The doorbell rang and she squeaked.

“Is that Cyrus? Right now? But I look terrible. And I’m not dressed.” Her hand went to her hair, which had mostly dried while she was asleep. She would usually have braided it, so it was a bit messy. Not that Cade cared. She looked amazing no matter what.

“You look beautiful,” he reassured her. “And he’s not expecting you to be dressed up fancy to meet him, you were in the hospital. Just stay right where you are, he’ll come to you.”

Cyrus was brimmingwith concern and sympathy when Cade let him in. The older man went straight to Fern—who still felt more than a little self-conscious about meeting her attorney in her sleep shirt—and sat down on one of the easy chairs.

“How are you doing, Fern? I’m so sorry about what happened. If I’d known things would turn out this way, I would have rejected Abernathy’s request out of hand.”

Cade handed the man a cup of coffee and sat down in the same spot as before, taking Fern’s feet back into his lap.

“So many people apologizing for Granger’s actions,” Fern said, her eyes darting to Cade wanting him to know she meant him as well. “When the only one responsible for what Granger did, is Granger himself. I don’t blame you for facilitating the meeting, I don’t blame Cade for not catching me, any more than I blame the stairs for being there or the floor for breaking my fall. So please… no more apologies. Okay?”

Cyrus nodded and smiled.

“How are you feeling?”

“Perfectly fine, thank you. And so’s the baby.” Her hand went to her tummy to give it a reassuring pat. “So, what brings you around?”

Cyrus exchanged an enigmatic glance with Cade, before balancing his briefcase on his lap and removing a sheaf of papers from the interior.

He cleared his throat and leaned forward to hand the documents over to Fern.

“This is an offer from Hawthorne Construction & Engineering to purchase Lambecrete (Pty) Ltd from its owner Fern Imogen Lambert to the tune of two hundred seventy-three million five hundred twenty-two thousand pounds.”

“What?” she whispered, her wide unseeing eyes going over the bold print at the top of the page without absorbing a single word. “I’m not sure… I don’t understand. What does this mean?”

“It means that we’re buying Lambecrete from you, Fern,” Cade informed her softly. “I want there to be no misunderstandings as towhyI’m with you.”

“You don’t have to do this, Cade.Iknow you love me.”

---