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I told you this would happen.
I could now see that he didn’t just have the will but had opened the package—the one I hadn’t dared open yet. I didn’t want to know Mother’s last parting words, not after she’d sent me on this wild goose chase of a scavenger hunt. I didn’t want to see if I’d met her intentions with my actions or not. At least not right now.
“Cody,” my voice shook as I reached out to him, palms up in surrender, but he just closed his eyes and shook his head in dismay.
“Why didn’t you just tell me about all this?” He asked, and his shoulders dipped in defeat.
This was so much worse than I thought it’d be. At least if he yelled at me, I could fight back. But no, this was brutal. With Cody, words were overrated, but the words he chose now were raw with pain—a pain I’d inflicted on him.
“I’m so sorry,” I repeated his earlier words, hoping he’d give me the same mercy. “I was afraid you’d only want me for the money.” It came out a whisper, and I let my gaze fall to the floor in misery.
His hands fell to his sides, and his chin dropped to his chest. He kept Mother’s will clutched tightly in his hand, and for once, I didn’t care. I rushed forward, knowing he wouldn’t stop me from touching him. I slid my arms around his waist and hugged him tight against me. We stood like that for what felt like hours but had only been minutes. Me embracing him, and him not reciprocating. My lungs expanded into a hiccup of tears as he slid his callused hands down my arms and forced my hands to unlock from his waist, effectively releasing him from my grip. I fell to the floor, a puddle of tears, sorrow, and regret as he walked out the front door and silently shut it behind him.
CHAPTER 10
The following day, I woke determined to fix the mess I’d caused. Cody hadn’t returned to the cabin last night, resulting in me crying myself to sleep and a severe case of reddened, puffy eyes. I tried to cover the dark circles and redness with makeup but failed miserably.
I might be unable to save my relationship with Cody, but I’d at least give him back the life he’d left before meeting me. That was the least I could do.
I parked my car on the street’s curb and exited the vehicle. I stared up at the courthouse and clutched my satchel tightly. The contents were the key to getting Cody his life back, and I was determined not to screw this up.
I walked with determined strides up to the revolving doors and entered the building with my head held high. If there was one thing Mother had taught me, it was never to show weakness to your opponent and to keep your head held high even if you were shaking like a damn earthquake on the inside.
After placing all my belongings, reluctantly, onto the scanner, I walked through the metal detector and smiled at the officer who handed me my bag and phone. That went faster than anticipated, so I marched forward, feeling positive for the first time this morning. I rounded a corner and then another before I found myself planted in front of the Honorable James E. Johnson’s office, Strawberry Flats, one and only county judge. I allowed my gaze to rise to the ceiling before closing my eyes briefly, saying a silent prayer for the strength to pull this off, and opened the door.
Opening the car door, I felt immense satisfaction that Mother’s lessons had indeed paid off. The look on Judge Johnson’s face as I showed him the proof I had of his extramarital affair was priceless. And just as Susan had suggested, it worked. After only a few minutes, the Judge caved, begging and saying something about his career and how being the only Judge in these parts was the only thing keeping him sane these days. So, as soon as he asked what I wanted, I told him I wanted the charges on Cody; I mean, Jack dropped.
He was all too willing to oblige and was grateful when I didn’t try to keep the pictures I had of him and his mistress hostage. And I didn’t relay my secret, that those were copies, of course, as a girl should never share her secrets. But I did feel very proud of myself, and as I left the courthouse, my gaze landed on the shiny metal of Cody’s motorcycle as it sat idle on the curb. He would be coming out a free man with a clean record any minute, so I slid into the driver’s seat of my rental and started the engine. I would return to the cabin and wait with fingers crossed that some time apart had helped him clear his mind and heart enough to forgive me.
Walking into the cabin, I realized I hadn’t cleaned up after our argument the night before. Papers were crumbled and scattered on the floor and kitchen table, and as I got closer, I picked up each one and tried to flatten out the wrinkles. I supposed it was time to review the documents in the package from Mother. I’d proved what I needed to gain my inheritance, so what was I so afraid of?
Maybe that she was disappointed in you?
But that wasn’t it. Mother was proud of me; I knew that. And she only left her most prized possessions with me because she knew I’d take care of them. I rounded the table, another white envelope in my hand, and pulled the chair out to take a seat just as the rumble of an engine caught my attention. I knew immediately that it wasn’t just any car engine but a motorcycle engine. Dropping the envelope onto the table, I rushed to the front window and sighed in relief at the sight of Cody expertly parking his bike and removing his helmet. I swiftly reached for the front door, and as it swung open on its hinges, he stood at the bottom of the porch steps. His eyes raked boldly over my body as he stepped forward.
He took the steps two at a time, and when close enough, he pulled me roughly, almost violently, to him. He held me closely and tipped my chin up to meet his gaze before he kissed me with his blazingly hot lips. They left my mouth burning as if on fire, and I wanted more.
“I didn’t leave you, Dahlia.” His lips brushed against mine as he spoke, “I could never leave you.” His tongue broke through my lips before he pulled away briefly.
“I don’t care about any money, Dahl. I could live here with you, forever broke and starving, but I’d be happy because I’d be alive,” I smiled a watery smile as our eyes met. My blue to his golden hazel. “With you.”
I nodded because, for once, I was the silent one. And as we walked inside the cabin, holding each other close, I sighed in relief that my inner self had been wrong all along.
Yeah, yeah, go ahead and gloat.
EPILOGUE
I squeezed Cody’s hand firmly as I sat by the fireplace in Mother’s study. The white envelope sat in my lap and threatened to give me a damned heart attack. He smiled in encouragement and nodded for me to open it, but I paused.
“Just open it already, Dahlia. I never pegged you to be so indecisive.” Susan drawled from the chair in front of Mother’s desk behind me. She’d just plopped lazily into the comfortable chair with a loud sigh.
With shaking hands, I ran my pointer finger along the seam, and the envelope popped open without a single tear. I wasn’t sure how I’d managed that, but I put that thought aside as I removed a piece of paper from the envelope’s open pocket.
Before I could unfold the paper, an old picture fell out. It was wrinkled and appeared to have weathered some heavy storms in its lifetime. I laughed because, in reality, hadn’t we all?
I looked down at the photo. It showed a middle-aged man with raven hair and blue eyes just like mine and Mother’s, and how his reflection mirrored mine was uncanny. If I had actually met this Uncle Jack, I would have been absolutely sure he was my uncle, just by the look of him.
I flashed the picture at Cody, who just shook his head no, in answer to my silent question. So, there was no telling who the man was Cody had buried deep in The Redwood Forest. It would keep this secret safe for now. At least we knew it wasn’t my long-lost uncle. My eyes narrowed, and then, without further delay, I opened the letter from Mother.
