Page 133 of Hard Limits

My father made a weird gurgling sound and balled up his fists, and I ran through the possibilities in my head. Cardiac arrest? Aortic aneurysm? No…just anger. He turned the colour of a ripe tomato, and his eyes glittered with fury.

“You want a picture for your mantel?” Brax asked. “We can mail one.”

“You’ll pay for this.”

“I don’t doubt it. She costs me a fortune in jewellery, isn’t that right, my darling? But she’s worth every cent. Can I offer you a ride to the airport? My driver’s about to leave.” He turned to Meera’s parents, who’d been watching wide-eyed. They knew a little about the difficulties I’d had with my parents. I’d stayed with them several times over the years, mostly when I couldn’t face going home to Springfield. “And you must be Mr. and Mrs. Adams? Meera’s told me so much about you, all good, of course.”

Brax had dismissed my father so politely, so effectively, that he didn’t know what to say. But my older brother refused to give up.

“You can’t just marry her. You didn’t ask us for permission.”

Brax turned back. “That’s because we live in twenty-first-century America. The only person whose permission I needed was hers.”

And I’d gladly given it.

My younger brother stepped in. This was a real family affair, wasn’t it? “She has to come back to Springfield. There’s a warrant out for her arrest.” His voice was smug, and his tone said “Gotcha.” “She’s a thief.”

Now Brax’s expression turned from congenial to hard. “No, you’re the one who has to return to Springfield. Your captain would like a word. You abused your professional position to frame your sister for a crime she didn’t commit, and if you’d bothered to show up to work today instead of wasting your time here, you’d know the charges have been dismissed.”

Vimal was smart enough to realise that he was way, way out of his depth, and he took a step back.

“It was a misunderstanding.”

“Bullshit. You know what? Take a cab to the airport. We’re done here.” Brax turned back to Meera’s parents. “Would you like to join us for dinner? I’m sure you and Meera have a lot to catch up on.”

They looked at each other, and her dad nodded. “We’d appreciate that.”

“You’ve brought shame on our family,” my father hissed. “You’re dead to us.”

Do you know what I felt at his words? Not sadness, not anger, but relief.

Relief that I could finally live the life I wanted instead of one chosen for me. I didn’t shed a tear as my father marched off along the street, trailed by Raj and Vimal.

Meera’s mom had a hundred questions, I could tell, but she started with the obvious one. “Indi, you married Meera’s boss? She didn’t mention that the two of you were seeing each other.”

Brax answered for me. “Meera introduced us, and we hit it off from the start.”

Okay, so the hitting part had come from the side mirror of his Porsche, but he wasn’t lying.

“Mom, it was a whirlwind romance. Isn’t that cute?” Meera gave each of her parents a hug. “Sorry I forgot to call. Indi and I took a last-minute trip to Europe, and there was the time difference, and then the wedding…”

“We were just worried about you. Your phone was turned off.”

“It keeps doing that. I think the battery’s faulty.”

The doorman held the door patiently, and we all trooped inside. The chandelier twinkled above, and Mrs. Adams’s look of awe reminded me how stunning Nyx’s decor was. I only hoped she didn’t look too closely overhead—if she paused to study the crystals, she might realise they were somewhat phallic. Fortunately, Brax quickly herded her into the elevator while the staff fetched our luggage from the limo.

And I breathed deeply for the first time in years.

Brax and I were a team. Partners, the way a marriage should be, not king and subject, not master and slave. We’d support each other in every way possible.

Our secrets were safe.

And so was my heart.

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