Page 67 of Micah
“But…we’re not even officially together. I mean, it’s all been so fast, with the fire and my injuries…” I trail off, unable to finish the sentence. While it’s been fast, yes, it’s also been right in a way that’s a bit scary. I won’t deny it.
Maverick’s warm chuckle wraps around me. “Micah’s been talking about you for months. Every conversation somehow came back to you. I’d ask him how his latest build was going, and he’d tell me about a part you ordered for him, then spend a few minutes describing your dress and how pretty you were. Every. Single. Time.”
I cover my hot cheeks, dropping my head to hide my smile. There’s something about having Maverick tell me how Micah feels that settles deep. Micah has told me, but I don’t think I was fully able to believe it. Now, it’s starting to feel a little more true. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to take a man’s affection at face value. I did once and regretted it. I guess that lesson embedded itself pretty deep.
“Can I ask…why didn’t you go to Micah with this?” Ransom asks.
My eyes fall to the space between our chairs. My feet in cream flats look tiny compared to Ransom’s glossy black loafers. “My relationship with Micah feels very…one sided. He’s done so much for me. Coming to you feels a little more like I’m fixing my own mistakes, maybe? I’m sorry, that probably doesn’t make any sense. I mean, you’re his brothers, so I’m not trying that hard, but…” I shrug, feeling ridiculous.
“Is it wrong that he wants to take care of you?” Ransom asks with an arched brow.
I shrink a little under his gaze. “No, it’s not wrong,” I say, wetting my lips nervously. “But I lived with a man who took care of me. I didn’t have to worry about anything, but it came at a heavy cost. I…I’ve been talking to someone about that. I know not all men are like that, but it feels like I’m on unequal footing.”
“For what it’s worth,” Maverick says quietly, “I haven’t seen Micah as alive as he’s been in the month with you. The day you were in the fire he was…gutted, but once he knew you were going to be ok…well he seems happy every time I see him.”
Ransom sits back in his chair. “What are your intentions towards Micah?”
My eyes widen at the casual way he asks that. Like he’s a father talking to his daughter’s boyfriend. It never even crossed my mind that we might have this conversation.
“I really want to tell you to mind your own business, but I won’t.” I shake my head. “He’s lucky to have you guys. People who care so much for him.” How would my life have been different if I had an older brother, or a dad who cared about me the way these guys do for Micah? Would I have ever married Brent?
“Micah’s the best man I know. I want a chance to explore…possibilities with him. But I need to get out from under the cloud of my marriage first.” Resisting the urge to squirm, I let the men study me as I wait for their judgment. They seem to have some weird mental chat, then lean forward in their chairs.
“Ok,” Maverick says, “Let’s go over your options. There are two basic ways to play this. One, you file for divorce and get a judgment. We’ve got good relationships with lots of judges, so that’s easy enough to fast track. The second is to make Brent want to sign.”
“Make him want to sign?” I echo.
That predatory smile comes back to Mav’s face. “Oh yeah. Declan did a full background on Brent. He’s got significant assets; the house, a large investment portfolio and 401K. He made good money during your marriage. Your half of the assets would give you a significant nest egg, somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000. But if he doesn’t want to grant you a divorce, well, you’re his wife and can make use of all that as you see fit. You can sell the house, drain the accounts. He’d be left with nearly nothing by the time he gets out.”
“But…I don’t think my name is on anything. The house or the accounts. He always told me I had nothing.”
“You’re not on there…yet. But within an hour, all of that can change. Don’t worry about the hows, just know that it will be handled.”
“He’ll never believe me. It wouldn’t work.”
“You’d have paperwork to show him. But Kade, Ransom and Micah would be happy to pay him another visit instead.”
I freeze, moving my eyes to Ransom. For the first time, he looks a little uncomfortable, flashing a glare at Maverick.
“What does he mean ‘pay Brent another visit?’ When did you visit him?” I ask him.
Ransom meets my eyes. “After he was formally charged. He was hunting for lawyers. He was sure that he’d be proven innocent and released, so Micah, Kade and I all paid him a visit. Explained to him that he was much safer in prison, and that pleading guilty would be his…healthiest option.”
I sink back in my chair, stunned. I always wondered why Brent would plead guilty. It wasn’t like him at all to just accept defeat. He was always convinced he was smarter than everyone else. And he’d never want to give up control like that.
“And what, you just talked to him, and he agreed to plead guilty?”
Ransom steeples his fingers, resting his elbows on the arms of the chair. “A man like your husband wouldn’t just believe us, no. Something must have happened while he was in holding that convinced him our path was smarter.”
“Something?” I ask.
Ransom just smiles and shrugs. He’s not going to say any more on the subject.
“I was dreading a trial,” I whisper. “I would have testified, but…”
“None of us wanted you to have to go through that, but Micah was very insistent, so we handled it. That’s the way this works now, Holly. You’re family, so we take care of you.”
I let the idea that I’m part of their family sink in. Their easy acceptance and defense of me is…confusing. How did these men decide I’m worth taking care of when my own parents wouldn’t? They always told me I was flawed, and sinful, that I had no innate worth. But that doesn’t seem true. These men, Becca, all of them seem to see value in me.
