Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72895 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72895 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Kat stepped forward hesitantly, but her joy overrode her need to suppress her emotions, and she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.
“This is great, Ma. How did you get all this done two days before the wedding?”
I shrugged. Once I realized what needed to be done, it wasn’t a big deal. A few nights ago, I stood and stared at the fire as my shoes burned. It gave me plenty of time to think about how I wanted to move forward. I didn’t want Kat to start her married life unhappy. This was her day, not mine, and I couldn’t relive it through her.
“It’s the smart thing to do, and it’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Kat nodded. “Yeah, it’s exactly what I want.”
“And it’s your day, so you get what you want.”
And it would be easier to keep the manor secure with additional protection. Every fucking vendor had been vetted thoroughly, and still, each had a bodyguard following them to make sure they didn’t make any calls, leave any doors unlocked, or snap photos of shit they shouldn’t.
“Thank you, Ma. This means so much to me.”
“I know.”
Kat hugged me again, and this time I didn’t hesitate to hug her back. I soaked up the love from the daughter I’d never bothered to get to know until recently. She wasn’t the woman I’d accused her of being. She was so much more.
“Love you, Ma.”
I groaned, and Kat laughed. “We’re really doing the whole syrupy wedding shit, then, huh?”
Kat laughed. “Yeah, Ma, we are. This is my wedding, and even though we’re a non-traditional type of family, we love each other fiercer than any family I know. Besides, I have a gift for you. Sort of.”
“It’s not my wedding.”
“No, but you’re footing the bill, and I know how important this is to you.”
She pulled out her phone and pulled up some photos. “I got the wedding dress altered to my own tastes without taking away from the dress.”
I took the phone and stared. “It’s stunning, Kat.” It was as if someone had taken a photo of the dress and made it to fit today’s fashion standards and Kat’s body. “Incredible.”
“Old meets new,” she said with a defiant smile.
I shook my head with a reluctant smile. “Come on, all these emotions are making me thirsty.”
A stiff drink was just what I needed, but I accepted the glass of soda and bitters Kat put in my hand.
In the middle of the chaos, in the middle of the afternoon, Kat and I shared a moment of recognition. We didn’t have to be the same to get along, as long as we got along. That was all I gave a fuck about.
“Aw, isn’t this sweet.” Agent Beck’s grating voice interrupted the moment, and I turned to her with a glare.
“What the fuck are you doing in my house?” I upped my outrage to make the bitch feel better and because she had Jamie with her. “Well?”
“I’m here to arrest you, of course.”
I rolled my eyes and let out a put-upon sigh. “Haven’t we been over this already?”
Beck flashed a smug smile. “We have, but we’re here for your shoes, and as soon as I find them, I’ll slap the cuffs on you myself.”
“What shoes are you talking about. I have a few pairs.”
I batted my eyes, giving my innocent Sadie look.
Beck tossed the search warrant on the table, her smug smile even bigger. “The description’s on page two. I’m sure you’ll recognize them. Not many women own them.”
I leafed through the warrant and threw it down in disgust.
“Is that how smart but frumpy FBI chicks get their clothes these days? By stealing them from rich suspects? Not how I’d do it, but to each her own, I guess.”
I shrugged and flashed a smile guaranteed to rile her up even more.
“Laugh while you can, Sadie.”
“I’ll laugh every day I wake up, Addison.”
I wasn’t worried, not anymore. I knew what Beck thought she had, and I’d already followed Jameson’s advice on how to dispose of the shoes. “Thomas, please show Addy to my shoe closet.”
“Uh-huh,” Beck insisted with a shake of her head. “Any and all places where your shoes are kept.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I growled. “I’m not some common animal like you, Addy. I have a closet for my shoes.”
“I’ll find those shoes,” she promised.
I looked up from the warrant with a grin of my own. “This says you want to search my shoe collection, which is in my shoe closet. Thomas, make sure they only search the closet.”
Beck growled and turned to face Thomas, who led her and Jamie, along with two uniformed officers up to my dressing room.
“Should I call your lawyer, Ma?”
I wanted to say no if for no other reason than to ease Kat’s mind, but she was a grown-ass woman who didn’t need the world sugar-coated for her benefit.