Page 87 of Deserving Maisy
“Yeah,Stellina?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being here. For not freaking out when I said I needed to confront Jason. For making me feel safe. For forgiving me.”
“You don’t have to thank me for any of that, Maisy. We might not have started our marriage in a conventional way, but I take my vows seriously. If you want something, I’ll bend over backward to get it for you.”
“I don’t need anything but you,” she said.
“You’ve got me.”
And that was a miracle. Jason had done this man so wrong. Had kidnapped him and forced him to marry his sister. And yet, he was the best man Maisy had ever met. Not only was he good-looking—which was the least of her desires when it came to a partner—he was smart, forgiving, understanding, empathetic, and kind. She literally couldn’t have done better if she’d picked her own husband. Which kind of galled her, because she didn’t want to give Jason even one little iota of credit for how happy she was right now.
“I love you,” Maisy whispered as she snuggled into Jack’s side.
He squeezed her affectionately in return. He hadn’t said he loved her since he’d regained his memory, but Maisy could be patient. It was crazy that she was so in love with him after such a short amount of time, but she didn’t care. She needed him to know how she felt, even if he didn’t feel the same in return. She hoped he would someday. Hoped he’d be able to love her as much as she loved him. He’d said the words before, when he didn’t know who he was, and she had faith he’d say them again.
Neither she nor Jack slept all that great, but at least neither had a nightmare. They’d gotten up, prepared for a long day, then met Brick and Tiny downstairs before heading over to the bank to be there right when it opened.
Everyone was tense, and Maisy regretted eating as much for breakfast as she had. She prayed she wouldn’t throw it all up from nerves. Brick and Tiny were on high alert, and for the first time, Maisy got a glimpse of the Navy SEALs inside the men. Their heads were on a swivel and they kept themselves between her and anyone who might approach them at all times.
Jack’s hand was locked around hers, even refusing to let go when they’d arrived at the bank, insisting she scoot across the seat and get out on his side of the vehicle. Truthfully, while their actions were freaking her out, Maisy was relieved they were so vigilant.
And thinking about how this would’ve gone down if Jason had gotten his way, with him dragging her down here, probably holding her arm tight enough to leave bruises, threatening her the entire way…yeah. She was happy to have the three overly protective men at her side instead.
To her surprise, signing the paperwork was actually anticlimactic. After all these years, after all the stress and pain, they met the gentleman in charge of her trust and were led into the bank manager’s office, where signing the papers to gain access to ten million dollars took less than thirty seconds.
After it was done, she was reassured the papers would be filed immediately and the money would be transferredto her new account—the one Ry had opened for her in a bank in Los Alamos—within a week. He apologized that it would take so long but because of the amount, certain protocols had to be followed.
Then they were back in the car and the atmosphere felt twenty times lighter.
“That was…different than I expected,” Maisy said when Tiny started the engine.
“What did you expect?” Brick asked from the front seat.
“I’m not sure. More security, more…something.”
Jack smiled. “It’s done. Your brother no longer has any control over what you do, where you live, or how your money is spent."
It hit her then. “It’s over.”
“Yes, his reign of terror is over,” Jack agreed.
Then Maisy burst into tears. They were a mixture of relief, sadness for her parents, and happiness that her brother could no longer hurt her.
“Shit! She okay? Should I pull over?” Tiny asked a little desperately.
Brick grinned. “You have a lot to learn about women. She’s good. Just a little stress relief, right, Stone?”
Maisy felt Stone nod as she did her best to get control over her emotions. The easy part was done, but she still needed to face Jason, find the evidence, and pack. Later tonight, she could have another breakdown, but now she needed to get her shit together.
Taking a deep breath, Maisy sat up.
“All good?” Jack asked.
Maisy shook her head but said, “Yes.”
