A Couple of Forevers (This Time Forever Book 2) (17 page)

Renee had returned from checking on Noah and Noelle, who
were sleeping.  “I wish I could drive you there myself, but this whole thing
with Jonathan makes it difficult.  I will be up early though.  We’ll have
breakfast before the car gets here and you two can spoil the munchkins a little
more before heading out.” 

After Elliott and Renee had said goodnight to Dennis and
Sharon, Elliott went into his office to call Daniel and Renee went into the
bath area of their bedroom to get ready for bed.  Renee had just gotten into
bed when Elliott walked into the room.  She had her laptop with her and was
going over some financial information that the accounting department had sent
to her.  She peered over her glasses at him and said, “You know you surprised
me with Hawaii, right?”

Elliott removed his t-shirt and jeans and slid into the bed
with Renee.  He removed her glasses, closed her laptop and placed it on the
table by his side of the bed.  “You remember we agreed to not bring work to
bed, right?” 

“Don’t change the subject.  You know there’s going to be a
lot going on for the next few weeks.  I’ll need to be here so that I can be on
top of anything that comes up.  We already talked about that,” she said.

Elliott was irritated, but no so much with Renee as he was
with himself.  He had been chastising himself for not really seeing from the
beginning how involved the whole process was for not only opening the salon,
but also the business part of it.  He absolutely knew what it took to start and
keep a business running and profitable.  He’d done it himself and he saw his
clients do it all the time with their businesses.  He even advised them on how
to do it.  However, it was different when the woman that he was in love with,
the mother of his children, was the one who was running the show. 

He took a deep breath and said, “Look, I just want us to get
away for a couple of days.  Think about it this way:  we could take a couple of
days off.  Things will be busy, but it’s not like there will be nobody here
keeping an eye on things.  I mean, your personnel department hired the best
people to handle things out here.  It’s not like you have to be on top of every
little detail.”

Now, she was really irritated with him.  “We keep having
this conversation.  I’m really trying, here, Elliott.  I really am.  But you
keep making me have to repeat it.  I know you don’t think I have to be here for
every little detail, but I really do.  You do realize this is my company,
right?  Everything about it always comes back to me.  My name and my image are
all over it.  So, to be clear, Elliott, I kinda do have to be on top of every
little detail.  I know it may not seem like very much to you, but it means a
lot to me.  I thought you understood that.”

Elliott took in a deep breath before speaking.  “Baby, no,
that’s not how I mean to come across at all.  I don’t mean to come off like I
don’t understand.  I know you built the business from the ground up and I know
that it is very, very successful because of you.  I would never diminish that
fact.  I’m just saying that you’re in a position that you don’t have to do so
much.  We have talked about this before.  We will never be financially
limited.  Our family is growing and will always come first, Renee, and you know
that.  You also know that I didn’t want you getting involved with making
television appearances, but that didn’t stop you from telling everyone that was
watching that you’d be happy to make another appearance, did it?”

Seething mad.  That’s how Renee felt at this point.  What on
Earth had Elliott heard when she had explained to him how important her
professional life was to her?  It was plainly clear to her now that Elliott
didn’t believe she was capable of handling a professional and family life.  Renee
did what she does best when she felt that she was in a situation where someone
was trying to corner her.  She shut it down.

“I’m not having this conversation with you.  It’s
groundhog’s day and I’m tired of it.  I’m going to sleep now.  I will say this,
Elliott.  You’d better get over it.  I haven’t done anything to make you think
I can’t handle this.  Noah and Noelle have me as much as they need and want and
I love that.  You have me as much as you need and want and I love that.  I am
running my company.  I am going to keep doing exactly what I have been doing,
the way I’ve been doing it.  You can either get with it or not.  The choice is
yours.”  She turned off her bedside lamp and slid under the covers.

Elliott sighed and turned off his light.  He knew that Renee
was finished talking, but he tried once again to get his point across to her. 
“Renee, I just . . . ,” he started.

“Elliott, please.  We’re both tired.  It’s been a long day. 
Let’s just go to sleep.” 

Elliott took another deep breath and attempted to go to
sleep.

~~~~

Maggie watched Renee’s TV appearance earlier that day.  Now
that she had an address where she could go and see her, she intended to take
that opportunity and use it to her advantage.  She had to talk to Renee.  She
didn’t want to leave things the way they were.  The run-in at the restaurant
had almost been a disaster.  She knew that she didn’t have any right to expect
forgiveness from Renee or Elliott, but she did want the chance to see her.  She
had made it up in her mind that she would keep up with Renee through social
media, though she didn’t really understand how it really worked.  She only used
the various medias very sporadically, but now she was going to be using them frequently.

~~~~

Jonathan had also seen Renee that day.  He didn’t have to watch
her on television, though.  He knew someone who worked backstage on the set who
allowed him entrance to the studio.  He was standing where she couldn’t see
him, but he had an excellent view of her.  She had been keeping a low profile,
not getting out as much.  He’d driven by her salon several times, but noted
that her friend Liza and E, who he figured out to be Liza’s husband by their
obvious affection towards each other, had been present for the final
construction phase and now the decorating phase.  He didn’t go into the salon,
but he was close enough to see that everything was complete.  Watching her
during her interview had only driven his desire for her even more.  Her
physical beauty, her voice, everything about her fueled him. He knew that it
would seem beyond weird to anyone else, because he had never spent any real
time with her.  He didn’t need to spend any more time with her than he already
had to know that she was exactly what he wanted.  That she was married and had
family was something they would deal with once he had her to himself. 

Chapter
17

  The next few days went by very quickly.  Things with Renee
and Elliott were somewhat tense.  Neither of them was willing to bend on their
positions about how much she was working.  Admittedly, Renee was exhausted.  
She and Elliott were fortunate to have Liza and E as such good friends.  They
had extended their stay in Los Angeles and were able to accompany Renee to the
salon so that she could see how it looked now that it was completed.

“It really is beautiful,” Liza said as she walked through
the salon with Renee and the contractor. 

“Yeah, it really did turn out nice,” Henry agreed.  “We’ll
be done and out of here as soon as the crew finishes up a few minor things and
we do the final walk-through.  Is your husband going to be able to be here?”

“No, he had something to take care of at the office today,
so it’s just us,” Renee said. 

After the walk-through was completed, Liza drove Renee
home.  Renee told Liza about the disagreement that she and Elliott had.  “I
know he feels like I’m spending too much time away from him and the kids.  I do
understand his point, but I wish he could see my point of view, too.  I mean, I
have done everything.  Nothing is lacking.  I would never ignore or compromise
my family.”

Liza listened to Renee and took in everything that her
friend had to say.  “Okay, I’m just going to say this.  Since we’ve been here,
E and I have watched you run around just doing everything.  I understand the
first time you did it, you were making a name for yourself and building your
brand.  You’ve done that.  You are now married to the most successful attorney
in the state of California.  He loves you, Renee.  The look on his face when he
sees you working so hard and so late when you don’t have to says it all.  He
simply wants to take care of you and the kids.  He doesn’t want to take
anything from you, but he just wants you to slow down and enjoy your life with
him.”  For good measure, she added with a chuckle, “You know I’m always right,
right?” 

Renee took in Liza’s words.  She knew that what Liza said
was right.  Renee knew that when Elliott came back into her life and when she
had the kids, that her priorities would need to shift in a major way, and she
was okay with that.  She just had such a difficult time in letting go of
something that was so familiar to her.  Her business had been an integral part
of her life for almost as long as she could remember and as such, she had
allowed it to define her both professionally and personally.  Giving up so much
of it would be like giving away part of herself. 

After they pulled into the driveway, Renee sighed and said,
“I’m just so used to doing things a certain way.  It’s just so different this
time around.  I’ll figure something out.  Something that we can all be happy
with.  She laughed and said, “For the record, Liza, yeah, you pretty much are
always right.”  She gave her a brief hug before she got out of the car.

“Hey, give us a call whenever you are ready to pick up the
kids from Ben and Lena’s, okay?”

Renee promised to give Liza a call in a couple of hours. 
She didn’t make that call.

~~~~

After a light lunch, Renee tied up some loose ends with
work.  She and Genie had set up several conference calls for that day to make
sure that everything was in order.  They conferenced with the accounting
department and the stylists and other personnel who would be working in the
salon.  After those calls ended, Renee received a message that the products and
supplies needed to stock the salon had arrived.  They were not scheduled to
arrive until a couple of days later.  The person on the other end of the call
told her that her husband had contacted them and asked that put a rush on the
items.  She was relieved that they had arrived early as that would be one more
thing she could strike off her list.  She really would have to thank Elliott. 
Even if he didn’t agree with her being so busy with it, he had been very supportive
of her.

She knew that she really wasn’t supposed to go out until
this whole Jonathan mess was settled, but since it was early enough in the day,
and salon wasn’t too far, she decided she would just quickly go ahead herself
to let the delivery people in.  She didn’t want to call Liza because she didn’t
want to interrupt her day with E, plus Liza also had to take care of her own
business.  Matt was busy with work as well.  She’d be out for 45 minutes tops,
depending on traffic.

The delivery people arrived shortly after Renee got there.  
The guys were young, cute, and very flirtatious with Renee.  She took it all in
stride, showing them where to place the boxes.  Her goal was to have them to
hurry and complete the delivery so that she could get back to her home before
anyone discovered that she had left. 

While the delivery guys were still there, Renee asked if
they would mind helping her to open the boxes so that she could check to make
sure that none of the containers were damaged.  Of course, they were all too
happy to grant her kind request.  After they left, Renee went to the back of
the salon where the massage and day beauty treatment areas were located.  Each
of the rooms had their own special ambience and she just wanted to walk through
again without any distractions this time to really get a sense of what her
customers would feel.  The rooms were beautifully appointed and she was sure
that each client would feel beautiful and pampered at the completion of the
appointment.

She glanced at her watch and noted that she had really lost
track of time.  She went to check her phone to see if she had missed messages,
but remembered that she had left it in her clutch, which on one of the sofas in
the reception area.  When she opened the door to exit the room, she ran into a
tall, sturdy frame.

“Renee, finally I have you all to myself.”

It was Jonathan. 

~~~~

“I’ve been trying to call her for the last hour, but it
keeps going to her voicemail,” Elliott said.  He’d been trying to call her to
let her know that he would be home earlier than expected that day.  The case
that he was working on had gone much smoother than he expected.  Once he had
exposed the opposing side’s contractual deceptions, they caved and agreed to
settle with his client.  A seven-figure settlement, to be exact.  He wanted to
share his good news with his wife.  He knew she’d been going stir-crazy having
to spend so much time at home.  He’d thought about asking his parents to keep
the kids for a bit longer that evening so that he could take Renee out to
dinner. 

Elliott’s elation at his victory had been cut short as his
worry increased.  He knew that things had been tense at home, but Renee never
ignored his calls.  He knew that she had some things that she needed to take
care of today, but she had told him that she didn’t expect to spend more than
three to four hours completing her tasks.  He’d called Lena to see if she’d
heard from Renee.  Maybe she’d called to check on the kids.  When Lena told him
that she hadn’t heard from her, Elliott’s worry level shot up another 10 points. 

“I’m sure everything is fine, Elliott.  She’s probably still
on her conference calls.  I’m sure she’ll call you soon.”

When he walked into the house, he immediately started
calling out for Renee while walking toward her office.  No answer.  He walked
into her office and it was empty.  Her laptop was still open.  He went to check
the garage.  Her car was missing.  Elliott immediately called Robert’s dad.

“I’m sure went to the salon.  There was an instant message
on her computer to her business manager saying that she needed to go open the
salon for a delivery that came early.  I’m on my way over there now.  Could you
send someone just in case.  I just have a really bad feeling.”

Doug Maddox, the police commissioner, knew Elliott very
well.  His son Robert and his wife Kim lived across the street from Elliott and
Renee.  While it was not typical that he would send an officer to a location
where no actual incident had been reported, he knew that this situation was
different and difficult.  From what his investigators had found out so far,
Jonathan was a dangerous and vile person.  His “business” was actually a front
for all types of illegal activity.  Illegal distribution of firearms was where
he made the bulk of his money, but he was also involved in other nefarious
activity. 

“I know you want to help, Elliott, but if you get there
before the officer does, please don’t go in, just let him deal with it.”

Elliott promised Doug that he would let the officer handle
the situation, if indeed there was a situation.  Elliott’s instincts had never
failed him before.  He knew there was a situation happening.  He called E and
Liza to let them know what was happening.  He told them not to go to the
salon.  He told them that the fewer people that got involved, the better.

When Elliott arrived, only Renee’s car was in the parking
lot.  He briefly looked inside of it to see if anything was amiss.  When he got
to the front door of the salon, it was locked.  “Shit,” he said to himself.  He
felt around in his pocket and found the key that Renee had given him.  When he
got into the reception area, he noticed all of the opened boxes that had been
delivered earlier.  He had a sinking feeling.  Panic.  He couldn’t panic.  He
noted the receipt of delivery slip that had been signed by Renee.  He also
noted that a rush order had been put on the items.  Authorized by Jonathan
Hall.  Renee’s black clutch was lying on a sofa in the reception area. 

He ran down one side of the salon, checking the rooms for
Renee, or any sign that she had been in them.  As he rounded the corner to
enter the second side, he saw a faint shining from the bottom of the door and
he heard a muffled voice and then a sharp gasp.

~~~~

Blinding rage.  The only two words that could describe what
Elliott was feeling.  “Let her go.”  Elliott’s voice was low, controlled, and
deadly sounding.  Though his demeanor was that of someone who was holding it
all together, on the inside he had nothing but pure hatred for Jonathan.  On
the other hand he was breaking up at seeing the fear in Renee’s eyes while
Jonathan held her tightly by her waist, close to him.

“Mmmm,” Jonathan said.  “I almost feel sorry for you, man. 
She feels so damn good.  Soft.  Sexy.  Hear those sounds she’s making right
now?  Like she’s crying or something?  Is that how she sounds when she comes? 
She’s going to be doing that every day and every night while I give it to her. 
She’s so fucking beautiful and now she belongs to me.  I know you’re going to
miss it, but, well fuck, that’s just not my problem, now is it?”

Not caring if Jonathan was armed or not, Elliott moved in so
fast that it seemed like a blur.  He grabbed Jonathan by the throat, making him
release the death grip he had on Renee.  Elliott shoved Jonathan into the back
wall, knocking down pictures and lamps as he did so.  He drew his fist back and
landed his fist first in the middle of Jonathan’s face, simultaneously
bloodying his nose and lip, he landed another punch in his eye. 

As Jonathan tried unsuccessfully to get away from the beat
down that Elliott was giving him, Doug Maddox and three other officers entered
the room.

“Elliott,” Doug said authoritatively, “let him go.  We’ll
take it from here.”

Still filled with rage and adrenalin, Elliott did not
immediately release Jonathan.  He wanted so badly to beat him to a bloody
pulp.  To finish him off.

Renee’s voice brought him out of the haze.  “Elliott, please
baby, stop.  It’s over.  Just let them take his ass away.” 

One of the officers placed Jonathan in handcuffs and read
him his Miranda rights.   Another officer secured the scene, while the other
officer took Renee’s statement.

E arrived on the scene just as the officer was placing Jonathan
into the police car.  He had tried to get there as fast as he could and he was
kicking himself for not getting there sooner. 

Doug tried to convince Renee to get checked out by a
doctor.  She had some bruising on her arms and wrists.  “I’m fine, Mr. Maddox,
really.  I just want to get my babies and go home.”

Doug explained to Renee and Elliott that they would need to
go to the police station and give an official statement and press charges
against Jonathan.

After they finished at the police station, Elliott drove
Renee home.  While she was giving her statement, Elliott arranged for Matt and
Sonya to retrieve Renee’s car.  He also called his parents to see if they would
keep the kids overnight.  Of course, everyone was agreeable to help in any way they
could. 

The drive home that night was silent.  Elliott held Renee’s
hand.  He could see and feel her trembling.  He saw her fighting to hold back
the tears.  When they arrived home, they went into the living area.  Renee
tried to speak, but when she did, her tears overtook her.  “Shhhh, baby, it’s
over now.  I’m right here.  I’ll always be right where you need me,” he said as
he kissed her tears. Elliott helped her to the couch where they held each other
until much later that night. 

When Renee was able to speak, she said, “Baby, I just can’t
do it anymore.”   

~~~~