Unintentional (27 page)

The detectives wait patiently for the introductions.

“This is Laurel? The famous Laurel! I’ve been wanting to apologize about the misunderstanding at the nightclub. I was so excited to have surprised him, I think I jumped all over him. I can understand why you might have gotten the wrong impression.”

“The fact that you are one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen didn’t help matters much.” I laugh.

Her eyes brighten up. “Oh, Cade, may I say I love her? Is that allowed?”

We all laugh. Uh oh, we’ve forgotten about the very patient detectives.

“Sorry, I haven’t seen my sister for a while,” Cade explains.

“Yeah! Ever since I won that contest. It almost turned into a disaster though.”

Did I hear that right? She won a contest. Why does that sound familiar? My brain is frantically searching, trying to sort through the events of the past few weeks. The fact that I’m sleep deprived probably isn’t helping. Finally, a memory comes back to me. Full force. The last time I recall hearing about a contest was when I was at Douglas’s house when he was talking to his boss.
Was he talking to his boss?
I’m starting to feel a distinct uneasiness build in my stomach. Could there possibly be a connection?

“Allix, did you actually enter a contest?” I ask.

Cade turns toward me. The waver of my voice has alerted him.

“Why, I must have, right? The organizers pulled my name out of a big jar in the commons area. It was such a coincidence, with it being a trip to Seattle and all.” She notices Scott. She blushes a little and waves. “Hey, Scott. How are you?”

“Allix, this might be important.” Cade tries to get her to focus.

She pouts, obviously wanting to talk with Scott. “Okay, what do you need to know?” The detectives step in at this point.

“We’ll need to know the organization that sponsored the trip.” Detective Hanson asks.

Allix thinks about it. “I can’t remember, but I think it was some bank.”

The uneasy feeling in my stomach starts to expand.

“What type of calls were made to Rodney?” I ask the detectives.

“He claims it was someone trying to help him get the band to sign with him. They would call and say things like, ‘Mattie and Cade are no longer talking,’ and a male voice would inform him he needed to make a trip to Seattle and that the door would be wide open for negotiations with the band. The last call was received right before the accident with Mr. Harkins. We’ve verified it with his cell phone company.”

I can’t stand any longer. My legs are giving out. Cade notices me wobbling and leads me over to one of the vacant chairs. He sits me down, concern etching his face.

“I have this horrible feeling I know who did this. I can’t
believe I’m even thinking about it, but it makes sense.”

“Who Laurel? Who would want to hurt you?”

“Not me, Cade. You.”

“Me?”

By this time, the detectives are sitting next to us, with pens and notebooks ready.

“You’ll need to check out Douglas Kennedy. He’s an ex-boyfriend of mine. We only dated for three months over two years ago, but we’ve kept in touch.” I look down. “He wants to get back together.”

Detective Roberts asks, “Why do you think it might be this ex-boyfriend?”

“Allix came to the nightclub where Cade’s band was playing. I saw them together and thought they were a couple.” This is so embarrassing to admit. Now, even more so knowing that it was a possible set up.

“I had a date with Douglas recently. He’s been so persistent about wanting to give our relationship another try. I was upset, and I went to see him. When I arrived, he was finishing up a phone conversation. He told the person on the other end that the contest was a
success. I think he may have set it up to look like Cade had a girlfriend so I’d be upset and run to him. Is this crazy? I mean, who would do something like that?”

“Someone very calculating. Did you notice him being overly obsessed with you while you were dating?”

“No, actually the opposite. It was like he was the perfect boyfriend.” I stop, remembering. “Too perfect, even from the beginning.” I look at the detectives. “This might have been a set up from the beginning. Part of the reason I broke up with him was because he was too agreeable.” I give Cade a glance. “Sorry, Cade.”

He laughs, knowing what I mean. Cade is strong. He stands up for himself. He isn’t the type to say yes to me if he doesn’t agree. I love our tug-of-wars. He challenges me.

“Douglas always wanted to please. For a little while, I thought that’s what I wanted. But after three months, I broke up with him. He was very upset, but he didn’t approach me again for almost a year. By that time, I’d forgotten why I broke up with him. He was always so accommodating.”

“Do you remember how you met?”

“Oh, yes. He works at my bank. He’s the assistant manager. One day, he came up to introduce himself and asked me if he could help. You know how bank managers are.”

“Miss Lawson, most bank managers usually only approach their top clients. Would you happen to be in that category?”

Everyone stills as they wait for my answer. I’ve never told anyone about my inheritance before. I was concerned people would treat me differently. When I made my initial deposit, I made it clear to Mr. Huntington, the bank manager, it was to be strictly confidential. I even had my name changed to numbers as a precaution. He assured me no one else, even the staff, would have access to my information.

Now I wonder if Douglas somehow was able to uncover my secret. Damn. That means, if it’s true, Douglas knew all along about my money, and he was play-acting the whole time. The sweet guy, who I felt horrible about hurting, was possibly only after my money.

“Um, yes, I think I would be in that category.” I take Cade’s hand. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about this. I was planning to. I don’t usually even think about it.”

Cade squeezes my hand. “Don’t worry about it, Laurel. It’s not important. I don’t care if you have a little money or a lot. It doesn’t
make a difference.”

Detective Roberts asks, “When you say you might be a top client, can you give me a general idea of what we’re looking at here? Would it be enough for someone to go to elaborate lengths to trick you into dating them? To attempt murder? Are we talking a couple hundred thousand, or millions?”

All eyes are on me. I don’t want to keep secrets from the people I care about anymore. I’ve learned to trust, thanks to Cade. I say quietly, “Millions.”

There’s a hush in the room.

“Miss Lawson, can you give us an estimate? How many?”

“Thirty-four.”

“Did you say four? Holy crap! You snagged yourself a rich babe, Cade!” Scott gives Cade a loud smack on his back.

“She didn’t say four. She said thirty-four.”

Scott’s face goes blank. “Thirty-four?”

Sophie, who’d entered the waiting room during the last part of the conversation, says, “I had a feeling, Laurel. I’m overpaid, and you know it. Still, I think I’m going to need some combat pay for these
past couple weeks. My rosary beads have worn out with all the flying back and forth.”

I laugh as I hug her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

She shakes her head. “Of course I knew. I didn’t know the exact amount, but I knew. I didn’t ask you about it because, one, it doesn’t matter, and two, who cares?”

Cade takes my hand again. “It doesn’t matter to me either. As far as I’m concerned, you can give it all away. I really don’t care.”

Detective Hanson addresses our group. “If you’re right about this, it shouldn’t be too hard to collect the evidence. We have the fingerprint, and if we can find the tools the culprit used, we’ll have a solid case. Don’t worry, whomever it turns out to be, will be put away for a good, long time.”

We all thank the detectives as they leave to work on their case.

A part of me doesn’t want to believe Douglas orchestrated this, but in my heart, I know the truth. Once everything was laid out, it became apparent to me the role he played in this. What I mistook as genuine interest was only him trying to win me by doing everything I wanted. He always complained about his job. I guess greed got the better of him. He could be spending a lot of time in prison, giving him
plenty of time to think about his mistakes.

Cade wraps his arms around me, drawing me close. “It looks like this will be resolved soon. I’m so sorry, Laurel. I know you probably trusted Douglas and considered him a friend. I can’t imagine how you must feel.”

I tighten my arms around him. “Thanks. I’m just glad this is almost over.”

I close my eyes and lay my head against his shoulder. I feel awful, but I’m rapidly recovering with Cade’s comforting touch. Inhaling deeply, I savor his masculine scent. Ahh, that’s even better. Clean cotton with a hint of leather – he smells heavenly.

Cade whispers into my ear. “I’m writing you a song. The words are flowing. They won’t leave me alone.”

I turn to look at him. “Really? For me?” I’ve never had a song written for me. The excitement shows on my face.

“Yes. Do you want to hear the title?”

“Yes!”

“She Didn’t Run.”

Tears fill my eyes. I didn’t run. I’ll never run from him again.

“The next song will be Stubborn Love.”

Now I’m crying and laughing.

He continues. “The song after that will be Unintentional.” He becomes serious. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. I should have never agreed to help Mattie. I wasn’t thinking clearly. It must have been horrible for you to hear me say those words.”

“It was, but you know, I can understand why you did it.” I tug on his shirt. “But don’t scare me like that again.”

“Scare you? No, Laurel, I win the award for that. My life flashed before my eyes—a life without you—and I didn’t like it. I hated it.” He holds me again.

“You and I, we’ll be together forever.”

“Are you proposing to me, Mr. Michaels?” I joke.

“Actually, yes, I am.” He bends down on one knee and takes a small, black satin box out of his pocket.

“I was going to wait for a more romantic setting, but this will do.” He smiles broadly.

I hear a squeal coming from his sister as she holds her mouth, jumping up and down. Sophie joins her, and, as a pair, they are making a scene. Scott, Ayden, and Mica come closer, not wanting to miss out.

“Do you remember the first day I met you?”

I nod.

“I don’t remember a lot from that day, but I do remember telling you I’d choose you.” He laughs. “It wasn’t the best of circumstances, but even then, I knew you were the one. From the start, we had this overpowering pull that wouldn’t go away, even though we both tried. But, do you want to know when I really knew I loved you?”

Words have escaped me, so shake my head.

“I knew it when Skype became the highlight of my day. I counted down the minutes until I could talk to you. Getting to know you, the real you, the person you don’t show to many people, that’s when I knew my feelings for you were genuine. I love that you’re stubborn and feisty. I love that you challenge me, making me a better person. I love your streak.” He reaches up and touches it gently, almost reverently.

“We’re going to have a lifetime of adventures together, and I can’t wait to get started. You have me, all of me. I’m madly in love with you, Laurel. Will you marry me?”

I get down on my knees and face him. I want my lips next to his. “Yes. A million times, yes!”

“You mean thirty-four million times?” Scott quips.

“Shut up, Scott!” we both say together.

Everyone laughs.

And, as I hoped, his lips meet mine.

Epilogue

Cade

Four Months Later

Sand flies into my face, going straight up my nose. I sit up quickly, taking the towel and try to remove it. Colton. He’s at it again. Mattie runs over, or tries to run. She’s almost six months pregnant now and it’s slowing her down a bit. Colton, on the other hand, has actually sped up. I didn’t think it was possible, but that boy has all of us on our toes.

We’re taking a break from our tour schedule and are relaxing, or trying to relax, at Cannon Beach in Oregon. Mattie picked out the destination because it’s her favorite vacation spot. She wanted to share it with all of us, and I’m so glad she suggested it.

Jeremy has healed from his injuries almost completely. He still has a slight limp in his right leg, but the doctors said, with physical therapy, it should be completely gone in a few months.

“Colton!” Mattie calls.

He giggles again. “Uncle Quade wants to play, right?”

“Yes, Uncle Quade wants to play. Go back and sit down, Mattie. I have this covered.”

She smiles, mouths thank you, and sits back down next to Jeremy.

This has been a great trip for all of us. The past three and a half months have been a whirlwind of activity for our band. Eighty cities in one hundred days. Laurel warned us all beforehand that it would be grueling, but we weren’t prepared for all the media attention.

Our first release has made it into the top ten, which meant television, radio, and personal meet-and-greets with all the “Important People.” I’m able to take it all in stride because I know it’s part of the package.

Laurel has been instrumental in keeping us all sane, and almost completely bullshit-free. She organizes all of our appearances, weeding out the gossip sites and trashy television entertainment shows. She knows fame isn’t important to me, but we’ll need to play the game if we want to sell albums. What’s most important to me are the music and our fans. I’ve really enjoyed connecting with them on tour. It’s been a blast.

We’ve started to get recognized by fans in some of the larger cities when we’re out sightseeing. To me, it’s a little unnerving, although I have enjoyed watching Scott soak it up. Ayden and Mica prefer to stand back, which suits Scott just fine. He loves every minute of it.

Colton eventually gets bored building sand castles with me. He toddles back over to Mattie and plops down next to her. He puts his head on her lap, and she mindlessly runs her fingers through his hair.

I catch Laurel watching them.

“Two more years?” I ask.

She smiles at me and nods. We’ve talked about children a few times. We both know we want a family together, but we plan to get our travel-lust out of the way first.