Come Together by Marie Force

Chapter Fifteen

“The heart was made to be broken.”

—Oscar Wilde

Before he drove across the street to the inn, Noah stayed outside the diner until he heard that Megan and her newborn son were okay. While he’d waited for word about the delivery, he’d eaten his breakfast and kept the sandwich he’d bought for Brianna warm by putting the bag on top of the heating vent on the dashboard of his truck.

At the inn, his entire crew was already there and working, as was Brianna in her cute white hard hat and the Carhartt coat that hid all her most delicious curves.

But he knew they were there.

He handed the sandwich labeled “no bacon” to her along with a coffee.

“Thank you,” she said. “What’s going on across the street?”

“My cousin and his wife just had their baby.”

Brianna’s eyes bugged. “In the diner?”

“Yep. Her labor came on fast, and by the time the paramedics arrived, it was already too late. The baby was coming.”

“I can’t believe that’s even possible. How does anyone have a baby knowing that can happen?”

“Judging from the way my cousin came unglued, I suspect they had no clue it could happen that way. But all’s well that ends well. Baby Carson Elmer Abbott has arrived.”

“I love that name.”

“All the Abbott grandchildren have C or S names.”

“Your family sure does keep things interesting.”

“I guess we do. Stuff like this is so ‘normal’ for us that I barely notice it.”

“Stuff like having a baby in a diner?”

Noah smiled at her retort. “Well, not that specifically, but it’s always something between the Abbotts and Colemans.”

“You’re lucky. That sounds fun, even when babies arrive at diners.”

“It’s pretty fun, for the most part.”

“Noah,” Carlo called to him. “Electricians are here.”

“Duty calls,” he said to Brianna.

“Thanks for breakfast.”

“My pleasure.” He left her with a smile and went to supervise the electricians. As he worked, he thought of the advice his sister had given him to be a friend to Brianna, to be there for her, to show her he was worth taking a risk on.

And did he want that? Did he want her taking a risk on him?

Yeah, he did. He was sick of being a grumpy asshole loner. He was tired of his own company, of lonely nights and endless weekends spent alone. Being with her the other night had shown him something much better, and he wanted more of that feeling—and of her.

As he worked with the electricians and answered a million questions, he kept half an eye on the sexy architect who had him so captivated. Maybe he’d been better off when they’d been fighting all the time. Allowing himself to get caught up in a woman again opened him to all the things that went with it, up to and including heartbreak.

But he had a good feeling about Brianna. She certainly understood heartbreak, and he couldn’t imagine her hurting someone the way she had been. But then again, Noah hadn’t expected his wife to devastate him the way she had.

If you’d asked him before that dreadful day when he’d caught Melinda with Miguel, he would’ve said she loved him as much as he loved her. They’d been happy together, or so he thought. Three years later, and hours upon hours spent rehashing every second, looking for clues that hadn’t been there, he still didn’t understand what had gone so wrong between them that she’d take up with his friend and employee.

Maybe Brianna was right, and it was better that their fling was a one-and-done. What business did he have wishing it could be more than that when he still couldn’t say how or why his marriage had reached the point where his wife would sleep with someone else? Shouldn’t he have the answer to that question before he started something new?

That thought stayed with him throughout the day as he worked alongside his team and the electricians and prepared for the next stages that would include plumbing, flooring and drywall. Keeping things moving, ensuring the workers had what they needed for each step and sticking to the schedule was his primary role.

He was finishing up with the electricians for the day when one of his men came to find him.

“There’s a guy here looking for Brianna. Seems kind of sketchy. Figured I should let you know.”

“Thanks, Mark. I saw her go upstairs about half an hour ago.” What did it say about him that he knew where she was at any given moment? That he was keeping tabs on her without even realizing it. “Will you run up and get her?”

“Sure thing, boss.”

Noah took off his work gloves and stashed them in his coat pockets as he walked toward the Elm Street entrance to the inn. Sure enough, a jittery young man was outside the door. “Help you?”

“I’m here for Brianna Esposito?”

The kid still had acne, and his nervous disposition put Noah on edge. “What’s your business with her?”

“I need to speak to her.”

“About what?”

“I’m afraid that’s none of your business.”

Noah was about to tell the guy to get lost when Brianna appeared beside him.

“You’re looking for me?” she asked.

The man thrust an envelope at her, giving her no choice but to take it or be knocked over by the force at which it came at her. “You’ve been served.”

As Noah reached for Brianna to stop her from falling backward, the man took off and jumped into a running car at the curb.

“What the hell?” she asked when she’d recovered her equilibrium.

“Someone is suing you.”

“Seriously?” She ripped the envelope open and quickly reviewed the documents inside, her expression conveying her growing horror. “Are you fucking kidding me? He is suing me for slander that ruined his reputation and made it impossible for him to gain meaningful employment after I went public calling him a sociopath.”

“Let’s go see my brother.”

She looked up at him, her eyes on fire with rage. “Your brother?”

“He’s a lawyer. He’ll know what you should do.”

“I, um, well… Okay.”

To Carlo, who was now lurking in the framed hallway behind them, Noah said, “Finish up here, and lock up for the night.”

“Will do. Everything okay?”

“It will be.” He’d make sure of it. There was no way that son of a bitch was going to get away with this. Grayson would know what to do. He always knew what to do. That was something Noah had counted on for most of his life.

He escorted Brianna to his truck and held the passenger door for her, mindful that their coworkers were watching. He couldn’t care less if their colleagues saw them leaving together in his truck. What would’ve been inconceivable this time last week was now as natural to him as breathing.

She was in trouble and needed help. He was going to help her. End of story.

* * *

That motherfuckingson of a scum-sucking bitch! Brianna had never been more furious in her entire life. His audacity knew no bounds. He was suing her? After the hell he’d put her through.

“Talk to me,” Noah said as he drove them out of the downtown area, such as it was. “What’re you thinking?”

“How dare he come at me this way when he knows exactly what he did to me? He lied to me about everything. He practically bankrupted me by spending money like we were printing it and then sticking me with most of the debt while he was off having full-blown relationships with other women and telling me I was the only one he’d ever want or love.”

“Just tell Gray all that. He’ll figure this out.”

“I should call my lawyer in Boston.”

“Gray can do that, too. Between the two of them, they’ll figure this out. Try not to worry.”

“He’s suing me for four million dollars, Noah.”

“Fuck.”

“How can he do this to me after what he’s already done?”

Noah reached for her hand.

Brianna held on tight, thankful for his support. Four million dollars. If she sold everything she owned, she couldn’t raise a fraction of that.

“Try not to panic. You’re on the side of truth here, and that will count for something.”

“Except he has no relationship whatsoever with the truth. There’s only his perception of things and how he tries to gaslight everyone else into believing his side. It’s hard to understand how manipulative he is if you haven’t experienced it firsthand.”

“I assume you have proof of everything he did?”

“Every single fucking thing. I have receipts, videos, social media posts. You name it. I have it.”

“Then you’re going to be fine,” he said, sounding relieved to hear she had proof. “The truth might mean nothing to him, but it will to the courts. You’ve got the proof, Bri. That’s all you need. This is him trying to strike back because he knows you have everything you need to destroy him.”

She loved the way her nickname sounded coming from him. “Maybe so, but it’s a nightmare that refuses to end. He won’t sign the divorce agreement, and now this. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever be free of him.”

“You will. It might take time, but you’ll get rid of him.”

“I hope you’re right, because I’m not sure how much more of his shit I can handle. Just when I start to feel like I’m moving on and recovering from it all, he does something else that starts it up again.”

Noah parked in the driveway of an adorable home that had once been a church. She couldn’t wait to see the inside of it.

“My brother is here, so that’s good news.” Noah turned to look at her, his gaze intense, concerned and deeply involved. That wasn’t supposed to have happened, but she couldn’t remember why, exactly. “Don’t let this take you backward. It’s a desperate move by a desperate man. In his fucked-up mind, he’s probably thinking he put a lot of effort into you. He’s making sure that investment pays off, even though he doesn’t have a chance in hell of winning any lawsuit against you.”

She took a deep breath and released it slowly, comforted by his words. “You’re right. That’s very true. He knows I’ve got him nailed. That’s why he’s refusing to sign the divorce agreement. Because he gets nothing, except the debt he ran up while we were married.”

“The lawsuit is a fundraising attempt that will fail, Bri. He doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”

His certainty filled her with a determination that she deeply appreciated. “No, he doesn’t.” She smiled. “Thank you for talking me off the ledge.”

“No problem. Let’s go see what Gray has to say about it.”

Brianna followed Noah up the driveway and into the mudroom, which he entered without knocking. They took off their boots and hung their coats on hooks. In the kitchen, they found Ray at the table with an adorable redheaded girl. They had mugs of hot chocolate and, judging by the smell, freshly baked cookies.

“Hey, Ray,” Noah said. “You remember Brianna.”

“I do,” Ray said. “Nice to see you again. This is my granddaughter, Simone. Simone, say hi to Noah’s friend Brianna.”

“Hi.” Simone raised the plate of cookies to offer them one. “Pop makes the best cookies.”

Noah and Brianna each took one.

She took a bite of the gooey goodness. “You made these, Ray? I’m impressed.”

“My sweetie Simone likes warm cookies after school,” Ray said, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“Don’t do anything to mess with our arrangement,” Simone said.

Noah laughed at the cute face she made at them. “Someone has you very firmly wrapped around her little finger, Ray.”

“She sure does. The only thing she can’t get me to do for her is her homework.”

“I’ve even tried bribing him,” Simone said.

“How do you know about bribery?” Noah asked.

“They learned about it in school,” Ray said, sounding amused. “And now she’s trying to practice what she learned on me.”

“He won’t budge,” Simone said with a cute pout.

“I assume you’ve come to see your brother?” Ray asked.

“We have, but the cookies and the bribery made for a nice extra,” Noah said.

“He’s in the office. You know the way, right?”

“I do.” Noah ruffled Simone’s hair as he went by her. “Good luck with the bribery.”

“Thanks. I’m gonna need it.”

“They’re adorable,” Brianna said as she followed Noah through the living room in what had once been the central part of the church. “And this house is amazing.”

“Yes, they are, and isn’t it great? It was already like this when Grayson and Emma bought it, but it’s one of my favorite houses in Butler. I’d love to do more of this type of renovation.”

“Why don’t you?”

He shrugged. “There’s more money in the big stuff.”

“Not if you had a few of them going at the same time and sold them all at a profit. You should think about that.”

“Maybe.”

“Gray’s office is behind these French doors,” Noah said as he knocked.

“Come in, Simone, but only if you’re bringing cookies.”

Noah opened the door and stuck his head in. “Sorry to disappoint. I’m not a cute redhead, and I have no cookies.”

His brother laughed. “That’s okay. You can come in anyway.”

“I brought a potential client. This is Brianna Esposito. Bri, my brother Grayson.”

Grayson stood to reach across his desk to shake her hand. His coloring was like Noah’s, but he had a more refined way about him. He wore a dress shirt under a navy V-neck sweater and dark jeans. “Nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” Brianna said.

“Have you seen Iz today?” Noah asked his brother.

“Not yet. Emma and I are going tonight. What about you?”

“Going after this. Anyway, Brianna is the architect working on the inn with me.”

Gray gave his brother a curious look. “Oh right. You were at a meeting the day I came to visit.”

“Sorry I missed you,” Brianna said.

“Her asshole ex-husband is trying to sue her after he made her life a living hell. I thought you might be able to help her.”

“If you have time,” Brianna said. “We didn’t even ask if you were busy.”

“I’ve got time. Any friend of Noah’s is a friend of mine.”

“Your family is very sweet.”

“Just us,” Gray said, smiling. “The rest of them not so much.”

Brianna laughed. “If you say so.”

“She met most of them last night,” Noah said. “She brought us dinner after the hospital.”

Grayson seemed intrigued to hear that news considering Noah’s reclusiveness lately. “So, what’s up with the ex?”

“It’s kind of a long story.”

“Start from the beginning. Tell me everything, and then I’ll look at the lawsuit and see what I can do to help you.”

Over the next hour, Brianna told him everything about what’d happened with Rem, giving him details she’d left out of the retelling to Noah the other night. While she talked, she felt Noah watching her in that intent, unblinking way of his. It was intriguing to her that his brother was every bit as attractive as Noah, maybe even more so, but Brianna had no interest in him. She was, however, incredibly aware of Noah sitting as close to her as he dared with his older brother watching their every move.

Grayson took notes as she told her story. When she got to the part about how Rem’s frequent disappearances had led her to start tracking his credit card, Grayson looked up from his notebook. “Did you keep everything you uncovered?”

“Every single thing.”

“That’s good.”

“Even before I understood the full scope of what was happening, I had the foresight to know I might need to document it all. Especially when the money in our joint account started to disappear.” Her heart ached whenever she thought of those frantic early days when she’d first begun to put pieces together that added up to a nightmare.

“Did you figure out what he was spending it on?”

“Mostly other women and hotel rooms right in Boston. He didn’t even try to cover his trail. He thought he had me so wrapped up in love for him that I’d never question what he was doing or who he was doing it with.”

“Did you?”

“I confronted him with proof of multiple affairs. He said I was crazy, that he’d been working and had never been with anyone but me. I even had photos of various times I’d followed him and seen him with other women. He said it wasn’t him. I had the wrong guy, and how dare I accuse him of cheating on me when I knew full well that I was the only woman he’d ever love.”

“Unreal,” Noah muttered.

“I’ll take a look at the lawsuit,” Gray said.

Brianna handed him the envelope, and as he read the opening pages, she fought the urge to fidget as nervous energy ran through her like nuclear power.

Noah reached over to put his warm hand on top of the freezing hands she had clutched in her lap. “Keep breathing.”

Having him there and so clearly on her side helped tremendously. Later, when they had a minute to themselves, she’d tell him so.

“Talk to me about where the word ‘sociopath’ came from,” Gray said.

“My therapist. She said that she could tell he had all the hallmarks of a sociopath without even meeting him. For one thing, he lacks a conscience. Without that, there’s no hope of having any kind of meaningful relationship with him.”

“I have some experience with antisocial personality disorder. I handled a case for my former firm in which a woman left an estate to her grandchildren. One of them was a sociopath who gaslighted the others out of their inheritance. They sued him, and we represented his siblings and cousins. From what you’ve told me, I’d have to agree with your therapist’s assessment.”

“He’s a textbook sociopath with one caveat. Whereas most sociopaths are antisocial, Rem was very social, thus the fact that he could juggle five other women in addition to his wife. My therapist believed he was part sociopath, part narcissist.”

“A delightful combination,” Gray said with a hint of humor.

“Indeed. While my ex was lying, cheating and manipulating me into basically thinking I was losing my mind—which was intentional—he was pursuing grandiose, expensive endeavors that were mostly about feeding his ego. He used the savings we’d been growing to buy a house to open a restaurant he named for himself—Remington’s. When I found out where that money had gone, the restaurant was already closed because he’d run out of money before it could open. His business partner in the restaurant sued him for breach of contract, and I was named a codefendant because the partner knew I was the only one making any money. I was able to prove I had no knowledge of or involvement in the restaurant and was dropped from the suit, but not before it cost me ten thousand in legal fees to get free of it.”

“This just gets worse and worse,” Noah said.

“And we’ve only scratched the surface,” Brianna replied.

“How did he find out you were referring to him as a sociopath?” Gray asked.

“I told some of our mutual friends that I’d come to believe he had antisocial personality disorder, which is the official term for sociopathy. I explained what that means and gave them examples of things that’d happened to make my case. They were as shocked as I had been initially. I think some of them didn’t believe most of what I was telling them, because it seemed so farfetched that it couldn’t have happened.”

“You can’t honestly think he has a case against her when she can prove he did all this shit?” Noah asked, sounding as agitated as Brianna felt.

“My concern would be that Brianna isn’t a trained therapist or psychiatrist, so she doesn’t have the authority to diagnose him,” Gray said.

“That diagnosis came from a trained therapist,” Brianna said.

“Who has never met your ex-husband in person, correct?” Gray asked.

“Correct.”

“The diagnosis was made from anecdotes you provided, not from a complete evaluation of him.”

A sinking feeling overtook Brianna. “What does this mean?”

“He may have a case if the info you gave your mutual friends impacted his ability to make a living.”

She wanted to howl from the sheer injustice of it all. That Rem could treat her like he had, lie, cheat and steal from her and then sue her and possibly win? That couldn’t happen. It just couldn’t. “What should I do?”

“I’d suggest countersuing him for damages, focusing on the things he did before you split. We’ll toss in pain and suffering and generally throw the book at him.”

“How fast can we do that?”

“I can put something together this week. Do you know where to find him?”

“I think so.”

“Work on nailing that down so we can have him served. Often, suits and countersuits tend to cancel each other out when the rubber meets the road, so try not to worry.”

“How much will it cost to countersue him?”

“I’ll give you the friends and family discount wherever I can, but about ten thousand to start with.”

“To start with.”

“If the two suits don’t cancel each other out, it could get costly to defend yourself against his.”

“Even though she can prove all the shit he did?” Noah asked.

“Even though. He may have a case that your accusations hurt his reputation.”

“Even if they’re true?” Brianna asked.

“Even if.”

She’d known for some time now that life wasn’t fair, but this was almost too much to handle.

Grayson got up and went to his file cabinet, returning with a sheet of paper he handed to Brianna. “My engagement agreement. If you sign this, I can get started for you right away.”

Since she needed his help so badly, she took the form and signed it, resigned to fighting back no matter how much it cost her.

“With your permission, I’d like to retain a private investigator I’ve worked with before in Boston to do some groundwork for us. He’s excellent, and if there’s new dirt, he’ll find it.”

“Go ahead,” Brianna said, anticipating another costly, protracted battle to rid herself of the man she’d once loved so much.

“I know it’s easy for me to say try not to worry, but I honestly believe we’ll be able to reach a settlement with him that won’t break the bank. He’s going to have to deal with our suit, and at the end of the day, he’ll probably see it’s easier to let his go than to have to defend against ours.”

“You don’t know him. He won’t give up until he’s completely ruined me.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Noah said, reaching for her hand and holding on tight. He didn’t seem to notice the subtle lift of his brother’s eyebrows.

But she saw it.

“We won’t let that happen, Bri. You heard what Gray said. It’s going to be okay.”

“I’ve got a lot of experience in this kind of thing,” Gray said. “I’ll do everything I can for you, Brianna.”

Did he have a lot of experience dealing with sociopaths? Had he ever come up against someone so devoid of basic human emotions that he would do to someone what Rem had done to her? She doubted it, but he’d find out soon enough who he was dealing with.