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“I ain’t done nothin’, just hurry up and get here.” I hang up the phone and get back to comforting Leia.
“Wade, this whole thing, me marrying Caleb, was nothing to do with the Organization, it was Caleb. He was blackmailing my dad, he saw what happened and he was threatening to tell you. My dad put me through all that just so he could save his own ass.”
“It’s over now, darlin’,” I assure her, keeping her body tight to mine. I knew about Caleb’s blackmail, but I had no idea that he was the sole reason Walker wanted her married to him. I believed the same lie he told Leia, that this was what the Organization had ordered.
“Wade, I don’t think you're hearing what I’m saying. My dad killed your sister, she didn’t jump, he pushed her.”
“I know.” I close my eyes as the words come out. “I’ve known since I left town, so does Garrett, and so does Cole.”
“What?” The betrayed look on her face breaks my heart.
“We were gonna kill him ourselves, we were holdin’ out for the Organization to give us the all-clear. I wish now we would’ve. It shouldn’t have been you.”
“You knew… and you left?” She steps away from me.
“Leia, I had to, I knew you would never forgive me for killin’ him. You loved him, you were even marryin’ Caleb to show how fuckin’ much. I did what I thought was right, and I warned Caleb, I told him to treat you right.”
“You left,” she repeats, looking devastated.
“How could you have ever loved the man who killed your father?” I ask, trying to make her understand.
“I’d have loved him because it was you. Wade, you gotta stop being like everyone else, let me make my own decisions. You should have told me this.”
“No, Leia, I couldn’t. You thought the world of that man. Where everyone else in your life let you down, you saw him as the one person who didn’t. I wasn’t gonna take that away from you. I had the others agree to make it look like an accident, we were gonna make sure what he did never came out. I was so wrapped up in protectin’ you from that, that I lost sight of the real threat. I’m sorry, Leia.”
“I would have had you, and that would have been enough.” She takes my hand.
“Yeah well, after years of lovin’ you, that felt a little too good to be true,” I admit, hating myself for being partly to blame for all the hurt she’s feeling.
“Promise me it’s over.” She looks up at me. “You can fix this, right? Take me home, no more waiting. No more Caleb, just us.” She looks so desperate, and I don’t care what I’ll have to sacrifice to give her what she wants. I make her that promise, nodding my head back at her, and feeling a rush of relief when her lips press against mine.
“Are you mad about the baby?” She pulls away from me, reminding me that there’s a fuckin’ kid growin’ inside her that’s mine.
“Your jokin’, right?” I laugh to myself. “Leia, d’ya have any idea how excited that makes me? We’re havin’ a baby, how in the hell could I be mad about that?” I feel a goofy smile lift on my face before I kiss her again, and when she pushes me away for a second time I wait for her to tell me why.
“I’m gonna end up having this baby in jail if we don’t fix this,” she reminds me of the mess we’re in, and I have to quickly put all my happiness to one side and think straight.
“I got my brother and the River Boys comin’. We’ll fix this,” I assure her, keeping any fears I have masked. When Maisie was pregnant, Garrett was always worried about her stressin’, it weren’t good for the babies, and now it’s my job to make Leia as calm as possible. Her and my baby have already been through enough shit for one lifetime.
“My mom and sister, they’re at the spa, I don’t know when they’ll be back. You're never gonna get this place cleaned up in time.” She starts to panic, and I ignore the fact she’s making a very valid point and do what I gotta do.
“It’s fine, we’ll figure that too. Just stay calm. Okay?”
“Wade, I’ve never done anything like this before, how am I ever gonna act normal around them? He was my dad.” What she’s done here suddenly hits her again and she struggles to breathe.
“You have to, sweetheart, what you did here was justified. He was always gonna die, and I’m sorry you ended up bein’ the one who did it. But you will not go to prison. I’ll die before that happens.” What she doesn’t know is that the law is the least of our fuckin’ problems, the law can be bought. WhatI’mworried about is Harvey, and how he’s gonna react to this.
“Listen, you're comin’ back to the ranch with me tonight and I'm gonna take care of ya. I’m gonna take care of both of you.” I look down at her blood-splattered clothes as I place my palm against her flat stomach and I can’t help feeling blessed. Maybe all that churching paid off, after all.
“Wade!” Garrett bursts through the door, and his eyes widen with fury when he sees Mayor Walker dead in front of him.
“What the fuck?!” Cole steps in after him, staring at the mess on the floor and looking ready to kill.
“She knows,” I tell them both before they lose it. “There was an incident after church, Caleb pushed her down the stairs and she came here to tell her dad she had to leave him. He told her why she couldn’t, and she killed him.” I give them the summary of events, holding my girl protectively in my arms while my brothers come to terms with the fact they ain’t gonna be able to make the man who took Breanna from us pay.
“You okay?” Garrett surprises me when he asks her, almost sounding sympathetic, and Leia don’t look at all convincing when she nods her head back at him.
“Where’s Caleb now?” Garrett asks.
