Fidelity by Aleatha Romig
“What?”
“I hired her back. There were so many things that happened.”
“I think she did,” my mother said.
“What?”
“I think Suzanna killed him.”
“He changed his will,” I explained. “Alton did, making Bryce his heir. My attorney said it was done only two days ago. That was the day he said he’d give you the divorce if I married him.”
Momma’s lashes fluttered as she slowly moved her head back and forth.
“Jane said they fought—Alton and Miss Suzanna. I saw how angry she was in the attorney’s office. She even cursed.”
“Saying he’d marry you over her was probably the final blow. She expected more, but she wasn’t good enough. No one ever was… he excelled at making people feel that way.” Momma’s eyes closed. When they opened, they were moist with new tears. “Alexandria… I’ve thought about his proposal to you over and over since you called. I need to know something. It’s true that I turned a blind eye to many things, but the one thing I tried to do, and Jane tried to do, was protect you. Did he ever…?”
“Do anything—sexually?” I asked, finishing her sentence. “No. I never felt that vibe, not until the proposal. And even then, it was a feeling. He didn’t actually touch me. It was the way he looked at me, and how he said Bryce couldn’t tame me, but he could. I thought I’d vomit right there. Nox went nuts. Suzanna went crazy, as I said, cursing and yelling.
“While I was growing up, he was demeaning and cruel, psychologically abusive. I never knew when he’d blow. He believed in corporal punishment. But no, thank God, he never made sexual advances.”
She closed her eyes. By the fire’s light, I watched as a tear trickled down her cheek.
“Were you and Suzanna really friends?”
“Yes,” she said. “I know that may be hard to believe. It even pains me to think of her arrested for Alton’s death. Part of me wants to thank her. She’s cleared a path for you with Montague, but the other part of me feels sorry for her. I was married to the man for twenty years, but she was the one who loved him.”
I scrunched my nose. “How could you be all right with that?”
“I wasn’t. I accepted it. If I’d loved him, I might have been jealous. As I said, I never did. My marriage was a business deal. I was nothing more than a bartering chip for my father to ensure the future success of Montague Corporation.”
“Do you think he loved her?”
Mother shook her head. “I’m not sure he loved anyone, except himself and money and power.”
“Momma, I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. I don’t deserve that. I almost did the same thing to you, and I’ll regret that for as long as I live.”
“Stop.”
Her blue eyes opened wide. She looked too frail. In the fire’s light, I could see her cheekbones, and the bones of her fingers as her hands clenched in the blanket’s edge.
“We’ve lived with enough of that. There’s been enough regret. Spend your energy getting better, growing stronger. Decide what you want to do about Montague Corporation.”
“Me? It will be yours.”
“Ours. As I’ve always said, I don’t want it. If you do, make it a success. Show the world a female Montague is better than the male in her stead. Besides, I’m going to be a little busy.”
Before I could go on, we both turned to Oren and Nox coming through the doorway toward us. Though Nox had been happy, perhaps even joyous, when we’d arrived, both his and Oren’s expression had turned. Lines cluttered their brows. Even their steps seemed slower, creating a cloud of unease.
“Is everything all right,” Mother asked.
“I was about to ask the same thing.”
Nox sighed as he sat in a nearby chair. “Everything is fine. Work has been piling up. It’s time to get back to the city.”
Momma reached for my hand. “I’d hoped you’d stay here a little longer.”
“I have a few more weeks of class and finals. There’ll be no honors this semester. I’m hoping to pass.”
“I’m impressed you’ve been able to keep up to date as it is,” Oren said.
“Yeah, it’s been a little difficult.”
“You have your life to keep you busy. I understand,” Mother said.
I’d been right when I’d told her to stop with the regret. Alton was dead. Bryce was in jail and now so was Suzanna. My mother was sober and clean, and most importantly she was alive. My monsters were caged, and miraculously, we’d survived. It was time to focus on the future.
“Nox?” I asked.
His eyes opened wide as joy returned to his light-blue eyes. “Are you sure?”
A grin covered my face as I nodded. “I am. Let’s concentrate on good things.”
“Alexandria, what is it?” Momma said.
“Yesterday,” I began, “at the standoff at the hotel, I fainted.”
“Lennox told us,” Oren said.
“You called from the hospital,” Momma said. “Were you hurt more than you said?”
“No,” I replied unable to contain my smile. “Even though I hit my head when I fell…” I touched the back of my head. “…and it’s still sore, they didn’t do a scan.” I shook my head. “This is really weird talking to both of you like this.”
“It is,” Nox agreed. “I have no idea what you two plan on doing, but no matter what, Charli and I need to let you know that you’ll share a grandchild.”
Oren shot to his feet. “Did I just hear you correctly?”
The cloud of death and poison infiltrating our thoughts disappeared as Momma reached for my shoulders. “You’re pregnant? My baby’s having a baby?”
I lifted my shoulders. “That’s what Dr. Beck said.”
“Dr. Beck…” She sighed.
“Yes, he asked about you.”
“Alex, are you all right?” Oren asked.
It was Nox who answered. “Dad, she’s perfect. We had an ultrasound last night. You should have seen…” He pulled the picture from his pocket.
I couldn’t stop the tears. My damn emotions were on overdrive. The man who’d told me he never wanted children, the same one who warned me about his father, was oozing joy and excitement, explaining to that same father about the ultrasound and how our child was safe and secure, exactly where he or she belonged.
When I turned to my momma, her eyes glistened with the new tears. For once, they weren’t from sorrow or pain. Tears of joy blurred our vision.
“What?” Silvia asked, coming back into the room. “What’s happening?”
Nox turned. “How does Aunt Silvia sound?”
Her face paled as she looked from Nox to me and back to him. “It sounds great,” she said cautiously. “And you’re happy? You’re really happy.”
“I am,” Nox said.
THE BED DIPPED as I cuddled toward Nox’s warmth. His cologne filled my senses as he wrapped his arm around me providing his hard shoulder as a pillow.
“That went better than I imagined,” he said.
“How is this going to work?”
“What work?”
I lifted my head. “Hi, baby, this is your grandmother and grandfather. What will our baby think when he or she figures out they’re your dad and my mom. That should make grandparents’ day at school interesting.”
Nox’s shoulder shrugged. “Who knows? It’ll work. I don’t know how. I have no idea what they plan to do.” His nose wrinkled. “I don’t think I want to know.”
Laying my head back on his shoulder, I giggled. “I agree. Not going there…” Unwanted images flashed in my mind. Things a child never wants to imagine with her mother. “Ewww… now I’m going there. Yuck. Make it stop.”
Nox rolled me to my back with a soft laugh. “We could replace those thoughts.”
“What, sir, do you have in mind?”
Our lips united, fueling a hunger I hadn’t realized I had. He pulled away. “I love you. I plan to say that every day. There’s just
“Every day?”
“Yes, everyday, and it’s not what you’re thinking, but I’m good with that too.”
I was thinking what he thought I was thinking. I was thinking about wrapping my lips around his cock and the way my big protective, dominant man trembled as I worked my tongue over his velvety tip and ran my hands up and down his hard shaft, but… every day?
“Every day,” he said, pulling me from my own erotic scene, one I could enjoy since we were in the starring roles. “I’m going to hold you to your promise. Your only job is to stay safe.” He reached down and covered my stomach. “To keep you both safe.”
I nodded. “Yes, Nox.”
“Are you sure Dr. Beck said it’s all right to…? I mean, I don’t want to hurt…”
Reaching up, I cupped his cheeks and pulled his lips back to mine. “We already have, multiple times. Remember, I’m six weeks. That means I’ve been pregnant since…”
His grin grew. “I think it was the night you wore that red dress.”
“You do? What makes you think that was the night?”
“Because it was perfect—the garter belt, the lack of panties…” He wiggled his brow. “Fuck, I’m getting hard just thinking about it.”
The imaginary blow job I’d been thinking about faded away as memories of that night came back to mind. Instead of Nox between my lips, I recalled the lasagna and bread, the chicken and vegetables…
I sighed. “Oh, the food at that restaurant was so good. We need to go back…”
“Is that how this is going to be?” he asked with a grin. “I’m imagining you in fuck-me heels, a black garter belt, and sexy stockings with your tits and pussy at my disposal, and you’re thinking about food?”
No… and yes.
My core twisted at the memories of not only the sex, but also the prelude. It had been perfect. The sexual tension that he’d built had had me ready to combust. Then again, the food was awesome.
“Well,” I said, “I am eating for two now.”
He reached to my breast and rolled one of my nipples into a hard nub. Even without his ministration, the other nipple followed suit. It was as his scruffy chin abraded my sensitive skin and kisses peppered my neck that all thoughts of Italian delicacies slipped away. Well, all but him.
“Oh.”
“That’s it, princess.” His skillful hands moved lower, his fingers splaying over my stomach. “I’m going to dominate your body and mind until the only thoughts in that beautiful head are about me and the ecstasy of me inside you. I’m going to make you hungrier for what I can give than what Antonio can.”
I giggled. “He makes really great lasagna.”
He pointed to his chest. “No more food talk. Me. Mind on me.”
“Yes, Nox.”
It wasn’t difficult to follow his instructions. Lennox Demetri was a man on a mission. As he did as he promised, dominating my body and mind, my legs parted, heels planted against the soft sheets, and back arched. His touch was the music that rocked my world. I was his instrument. Together our song filled the air. My whimpers were the high notes while his growls created the bass.
The flurry of the last few weeks disappeared as we sang, not with our voices but with our bodies. They moved in sync, coming perfectly together. Apart we were half—unwhole. Together we were one—complete.
As I drifted off to sleep my mind lingered in the almost-dream world. It was there I heard the word marriage, the word that used to scare me, but no longer did. It wasn’t a proposal—maybe it hadn’t been audible. I wasn’t sure if it came from Nox or from my heart. All I knew with complete certainty as I surrendered to slumber was that I was loved and adored by a man with whom I would willingly spend the rest of my life, the man whose baby was inside of me.
WE WERE FINALLY nearing the meeting I’d been dreading. It hadn’t occurred in a day or even a week. Time had ticked away. Life had moved on, and so had death.
Christmas was near. The houses in Brooklyn Heights were decorated with colorful lights and lush greenery. Wreaths hung on doors, while trees sparkled in windows.
Adelaide was doing better by the day. She still experienced tenderness in her ribs and occasional migraines, but most notably her mind was clear. Five weeks clean. She said it was an everyday battle. Nevertheless, she was winning.
The shine in her blue eyes and the color in her cheeks was what brought a smile to my face.
The case against Suzanna Spencer had built and held steadfast. She was being held without bail. Alton Fitzgerald’s funeral had happened and was done. Much to my chagrin, Adelaide went back to Savannah to oversee the arrangements. As she explained, news of her divorce wasn’t news at all. The papers were never filed with the court. She was a widow. More than that, she wanted to quell the rumors of her illness.
With Silvia’s help, Adelaide had even managed to gain some weight. The therapists who still visited daily were pleased, as were the doctors. Her decision to attend the funeral was her declaration to those who’d wished her harm. She wanted all of Savannah to know that Adelaide Montague was alive and well.
While in Savannah, she’d taken advantage of the current uncertainty of Montague Corporation and as the majority stockholder called an emergency meeting of the board of directors. She spoke honestly, asking them to remain steadfast during this time of upheaval. While the courts were working out the details, she assured them that Montague Corporation was her priority. She didn’t want to make any major personnel changes for the time being, relying upon the knowledge of those who’d helped foster its latest success. The only change she stressed was the need to move all legal matters to a new law firm: Preston, Madden, and Owen.
She convinced the board to move fast, letting them know that she would be filing charges with the State Bar Of Georgia to examine the legal practices of Hamilton and Porter. With the current state of affairs, it was in the corporation’s best interest to avoid another scandal.
In record time, Hamilton and Porter lost its biggest account. On the other hand, Preston, Madden, and Owen was hiring new associates.
Though I would have liked to have been at her side as she showed Savannah her strength, she opted for Alexandria. Together they spoke to the board. Afterward, with the help of Gwendolyn and Preston Richardson, Alton’s sister and brother-in-law, and Patrick, Alton’s nephew, they faced the mourners and accepted kind words of sympathy.
She and Alexandria held their heads high, despite the murmuring by the entire country.
After all, the whole nation had watched the train wreck—on social media—as Alexandria’s engagement party ended with her fiancé’s arrest through the arrest of her future mother-in-law for the murder of her stepfather. The world hadn’t known that her engagement to Edward Spencer had all been a sham. Calling Spencer or even Suzanna out on that, at this point, would only add fuel to the fire.
The reporters had only scratched the surface of how the tangled web of intrigue had at one time been orchestrated by the puppeteer strings held by the man in the coffin.
Though I wasn’t there, Lennox was. He stayed in the shadows and out of the spotlight. After everything was said and done, he refused to allow Alex to go back to Savannah without him. I couldn’t say as I blamed him.
Thankfully after the funeral, Adelaide decided to return to Westchester County, to the home in Rye. I hadn’t been sure she would. I’d been too anxious to ask. However, when she did, when she returned to me without the assistance of kidnapping, I couldn’t have been happier.
Her strength to face life’s challenges with her head high continued to amaze me. I was continually awestruck by the woman who shared my life, my bed, and even our future grandchild.
We hadn’t broached the subject of our future. Just knowing it held untold possibility was enough for us both.
Adelaide and I also both waited and hoped for news of our children’s wedding, but as of yet, neither Nox nor Alex had mentioned it. It wasn’t that we were
At this moment, standing upon the stoop of Vincent Costello’s home, the baby’s last name wasn’t my or Lennox’s biggest concern. In our long wool overcoats as the snow flurried about and landed in white flakes on my son’s dark hair, my skin prickled with anticipation as our breath materialized in soft white clouds.
The door opened to Bella’s bright smile. “Oren! Lennox!” she said, wrapping both of us in a warm hug as she ushered us inside. “When Vinny said you were coming to our house, I had to question his sanity. Just maybe it’s still intact,” she said with a wink. “You’re here. It’s so good to see you!”
“You too, Bella,” I said.
“Your home is beautiful,” Lennox complimented as we took in the lovely woodwork of the classic townhome.
“We couldn’t stay out in the suburbs. We both wanted to be close to Luca and Luisa.”
“How is Luisa?” I asked, genuinely interested. She’d been the prettiest little girl. “I still remember her first communion.”
“The party,” Vincent’s voice came booming as he walked toward us coming from a back hallway. “You didn’t attend the church service.”
The man had the memory of an elephant.
I nodded. “Yes, the party was wonderful. She looked like a princess.”
“She’s doing well. Very well,” Bella said as she turned to Lennox. “Like you, she decided to do the school thing. She just finished her bachelor’s degree and has started her graduate work in kinesiology.”
“There’s so much I don’t understand,” I admitted.
“It’s science, sports medicine, and physical therapy,” Vincent explained. “Obviously she gets her brains from Bella.”
“Luisa’s a smart one,” I said.
“It would be good to all get together,” Bella said. “Family shouldn’t spend so much time apart.”
“Come back to my office and we’ll have some privacy,” her husband offered.