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I told them they could ask him themselves if they wanted. There was no blackmail on my part.
Then the room became perfectly silent. Ava was crying as was Susan. Henry looked like a marble statue. Avery just looked back and forth between Pearce and me.
Finally, Henry said, “Under the circumstances, I think the wedding should be postponed.”
Pearce leaped to his feet this time and yelled, “I disagree. This changes nothing for Alexia and me. We still love each other the way we always did. We’re not letting this get in the way.
Susan protested, “But how do we know she’s not after your money?”
“I don’t give a damn about the money. Cut me off. I’m a surgeon. I make a decent living and we can live just fine on that. Alexia doesn’t give a damn about the money either!” Pearce yelled.
“That’s the last thing Lexi cares about,” Justin yelled as he strode into the room. “I can vouch for her.”
“I’d like to say something, please.” It was Avery who spoke. “I believe I have more experience in judging character and integrity in a person than anyone else in this room and I’ve been observing these two young people now for the last few minutes. Pearce is hovering over her like a mother hen, waiting to attack the next person who dares to move against his girl. Alexia has walked into this nest of hornets and boldly told us what has happened. That takes a lot more gumption than I ever had at her age.”
Susan interrupted Avery before she had a chance to finish. “That’s all well and good but Lexi’s reputation could ruin Pearce’s.”
“I think it’s my turn to say something again,” I piped in. “There’s one thing you’re missing in this whole equation. I would take a bullet for this man standing next to me and if anyone dares try to ruin anything, including his reputation, they’ll have to go through me first. Mine’s already been dragged through the mud, so I don’t give a flying fuck what they say about me. But when it comes to Pearce, they better put on their armor because I’ll be coming for them.” My breath was coming out in pants. How dare anyone suggest someone would try to ruin him because of me?
“Mom, Dad, Alexia has been through the wringer with this guy who’s stalking her. He’s abducted her, stabbed her and left her for dead on the side of the road on Johns Island.”
“What?” they both yelled in unison. They never knew about the original attack. It hit them below the belt. John explained to them the horrible story and then told them how the police were trying to catch this guy. Their looks changed from hostility to pity, which I really didn’t want either. I massaged my temples with trembling fingers as I pulled a ragged breath into my lungs and briefly wondered if I’d ever feel normal again. I zoned out for a minute while their conversation buzzed around me. Pearce must have noticed because he tucked me into his side and put my head against his shoulder as he rubbed my forehead.
He leaned in and asked if I was okay, did I need anything, or could he get me something to drink? I just shook my head. This whole exchange had zapped the energy and everything else out of me.
Pearce’s arms went around me. “Look, Alexia and I are getting married on October twenty-nine. We’ll either do it as originally planned, or we’ll go somewhere. It really doesn’t matter to me, and I know it doesn’t matter to her. What matters is that we marry, and she becomes my wife and I become her husband. Y’all can keep bickering. I’m taking her home so she can sleep.” We walked out, he put me in the car, and we drove back to his house.
Twenty-Seven
Pearce put me to bed, and I slept the day away. When I woke up, I was in a panic because I remembered that when I left my house yesterday, I hadn’t bothered to lock my door and my purse was inside.
“I should’ve brought it here yesterday, but I didn’t know where you were at the time,” he said.
Throwing on his running shoes, Pearce was out the door and headed over there to check things out. It was only thirty minutes later, and he was back with an overnight bag, my purse, phone, and keys. Everything had been just fine. He told me he saw the smashed-up TV in the driveway, so he cleaned it up for me, as well as the DVD player in the living room.
When I looked at my cell phone, I saw the eight missed texts from Pearce and just smiled.
“Come over here, please.” He came and sat on the bed. I was still sleepy, but he assured me I’d be better the next day. “Thanks for taking such good care of me.” I kissed him and just let him hold me.
“Are you hungry?”
“You know what I want?”
“What, sweetheart?”
“Chicken soup from Omie’s.”
“You got it.”
I sank into the soft bed and wrapped his pillow around me to have his scent near me. Oh lordy did I ever love that man.
* * *
On Sunday, Pearce, John, and I sat around and strategized the damage control. John was convinced we had our guy. The police had his name and address, and they were waiting on the search warrant. The video worked in our favor. After it came through, they told us that without it, the judge wouldn’t have signed the warrant.
I called in sick on Monday. They were planning to search his house today. They wanted me protected, just in case something didn’t go right, because they were hoping to get all the accomplices too.
Thank God for Phil. The Xanax was making this all bearable. I was no longer shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, but one at the beach on a breezy day instead. I was beginning to worry about my weight too. If I didn’t start eating soon, my wedding dress was going to hang on me. Pearce brought home a variety of Ben and Jerry’s for me to nibble on whenever the urge struck.
