One Christmas Wish by Brenda Jackson

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

“YOUHAVEGOODnews for me, Marvin?” Sierra asked her attorney in a hopeful voice. Marvin was the husband of one of her good friends from college. It had been a week and she’d been trying to think positive although Nathan expected her decision today.

There was a pause, and she had a feeling whatever he had to tell her wasn’t anything she wanted to hear. “Marvin?”

“I don’t have good news for you, Sierra. Instead, it’s pretty bad. Nathan Flowers was fired from his job today.”

That came as a shocker, but she recovered quickly. “How is that bad? Losing his job is his problem, not mine.”

“He doesn’t think so. In fact, he’s convinced you had something to do with it.”

Sierra rolled her eyes. “Let him think what he wants because I had nothing to do with it.”

“Are you sure, Sierra? Is anyone working behind the scenes on your behalf to ruin Nathan?”

She immediately thought of Vaughn, but then dismissed the idea. She had asked him not to get involved and he’d told her that he wouldn’t. She believed him. “No. There’s no one working behind the scenes to ruin Nathan on my behalf. Why would you think that?”

“Because according to Nathan’s attorney, his employer received a packet detailing some of Nathan’s extracurricular activities.”

Sierra’s eyebrows drew together. “What extracurricular activities?”

“Nathan’s attorney wouldn’t go into any details. Whatever the packet contained, it was enough to get him fired.”

“Good. Then he can’t continue with his custody suit,” she said, feeling hope spring to life inside of her.

“No, that won’t be the case. Whatever information his boss received was enough for his employer to fire him, but according to his attorney, it cannot be used to deny him custody of his child.”

“Teryn is not his child, Marvin.”

“Legally, she is.”

Sierra began pacing. “Let me get this straight. Nathan was fired and he thinks I was behind it and is blaming me?”

“Yes. He’d worked for that company a long time and he was obsessed with getting that promotion. Now he believes you’ve taken that away and feels he has nothing to lose and wants to make you pay.”

Sierra swallowed deeply. “Make me pay how?”

There was another pause. “Marvin?”

“Nathan’s attorney has requested a special court hearing with the judge on Friday. He has changed his demands, Sierra. Now he wants Teryn six months out of the year instead of just for the summers. He’s also requesting that he gets her this Christmas since you had her last Christmas.”

“What!”

“Like I said, he’s out for blood and will hurt you any way that he can.”

“And he thinks nothing of using Teryn to do it,” Sierra said angrily and continued pacing. “There has to be something we can do.”

“I tried pushing back to get another court date, but my request was denied. I don’t know how his employer got that information that got him fired, but it was really bad timing. I was close to working something out with his attorney by pressuring him to get Flowers to drop his petition or else I would advise Nathan’s boss and explain to him why you got the divorce in the first place. Since the CEO is a traditionalist, that information was going to be our ace card, Sierra. Now that has been taken off the table. I have to think of a new strategy before Friday. The meeting will be with you, Nathan and the judge. Attorneys won’t be allowed. The judge is hoping the two of you can work something out that will be in the best interests of Teryn.”

“Nathan has no interest in what’s best for her. You and I both know it, Marvin.”

“Yes, and it will be up to you to convince the judge of that, Sierra.”

Sierra blinked back tears. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t. “Maybe I should call Nathan and—”

“No, Sierra. No matter what you do, do not contact Nathan Flowers. He will deliberately twist your words when you meet with the judge. He’s already claiming that for the past two years he’s been reaching out to you trying to determine the welfare of the child and you refused to tell him anything.”

“That’s a lie! At no time when Nathan called me has he asked about Teryn.”

“It will be your word against his and trust me, Nathan is going to try to paint himself as the victim and you as the bad guy.”

Sierra released a disgusted sigh. “I found my husband in bed with two other people and I’m the bad guy?”

“You had every right to divorce him for adultery and you did. On the other hand, what consenting adults do in the bedroom is not against the law. That’s what we’re dealing with, Sierra. Just because he’s a swinger doesn’t mean he can’t be a good parent.”

After ending the call with Marvin, Sierra looked at her watch. Vaughn was on his way over. They had planned to take advantage of Teryn’s sleepover with a classmate and take in dinner and a movie. Afterward, they would return to her place for a night of lovemaking.

She had been looking forward to it and had thought of it as Monday night delight. But now she was wondering if perhaps Vaughn had done the one thing she had asked him not to. If he had meddled, not only had he gone against her wishes, but he’d made a bigger mess of everything. What if that judge sided with Nathan and allowed him to have Teryn for Christmas? What if—

The ringing of the doorbell indicated that Vaughn had arrived. Moving quickly, she headed down the stairs to open the door.

“HELLO, CHERIE,” VAUGHNsaid when he stepped inside. He paused when he saw her face. “What’s wrong, Sierra,” he asked closing the door behind him.

She took a step back and stared at him with eyes that appeared emotionless. Yet he could tell her entire body was tight and consumed with anger. “Sierra, what’s wrong?”

“I need to know something, Vaughn.” She sounded like she was struggling hard to hold herself together.

“What?”

“Did you have something sent to Nathan’s employer. Information that could get him fired?”

“Yes.”

She gasped and for a minute it appeared she was about to fall to her knees. When he moved toward her, she backed away quickly. “How could you do such a thing?” she asked, her words seething with fury.

Vaughn frowned, clearly not understanding what had her so upset. “I did it because the man needed to get fired.”

Sierra set her hands on her hips. “You had no right to get involved. You told me that you wouldn’t.”

“What I told you was that I would let you handle your business.”

“And what do you call sending Nathan’s boss information to get him fired?”

“Handling my business,” he said calmly.

“And just what business do you have regarding Nathan?” she lashed out.

“You, cherie. You are my business.”

“No, I’m not!” she said, her voice rising.

“Yes, you are. You became my business the day I fell in love with you. So, any threats that bastard made against you, he made against me.”

“And you think any feelings you might have for me give you the right to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong?” she said in a loud angry voice.

“It gives me the right to handle any harm that might come to you. I refuse to let anyone hurt you or Teryn,” Vaughn said through clenched teeth. “I told you I would handle it and I did. You won’t have to worry about Nathan Flowers anymore.”

“What you did, Vaughn, was make matters worse—much, much worse. Nathan’s lifestyle was our ace to get him to back off. We planned to threaten to expose him to his boss unless he dropped his custody petition. Now that he’s been fired, we can’t do that. Now I have to fly to Chicago on Friday to meet with a judge to fight for custody rights. Not only is Nathan filing for joint custody of Teryn—for six months of the year—he’s also trying to get her for the holidays.”

“That won’t be happening,” he snarled.

“Because of you it very well might.”

He ran a hand down his face in frustration. Then he reached for the packet he’d tucked under his arm and said, “You need to get this to your attorney right away, Sierra.” He held out the dark gray packet to her. “He’ll know what to do with it.”

She looked at the packet and shook her head. “No! I refuse to give my attorney anything. I told you to let me handle things and you didn’t. You went behind my back and messed things up, Vaughn. Now I might lose the one person I was supposed to protect with my life.”

She paused, fighting back tears. “I don’t want her with Nathan for the Christmas holidays or ever. She doesn’t know him, and he doesn’t want her. He’s only doing this to hurt me and it’s all your fault, Vaughn.”

He took a step toward her. “Listen to me, cherie. I—”

“No! You lied to me, Vaughn. I trusted that you would let me handle things my way. And now because of you, I might lose Teryn. I failed her. I failed Rhonda. I allowed you to become a part of my and Teryn’s life. Do you know how hard it was for me to do that after dealing with the likes of a man like Nathan? But I did, and the only thing I asked was for you to let me handle my own business. But you couldn’t do that.”

Vaughn tried to fight back his own anger. He knew she was upset, but if she would only give him the chance to explain things then she would see that everything he’d done had been in her and Teryn’s best interest.

“Sierra, just give this to your attorney,” he said, offering the packet again. “Please.”

She met his gaze and the look in her eyes was so cold, he felt chilled to the bone. “You can take that packet and shove it, Vaughn Miller. Now please leave. I don’t want to ever see you again, and you are not welcome to my home or the restaurant.”

“Sierra—”

“Leave now and don’t ever contact me again.”

He stared at her, not wanting to believe what she’d said. “Seriously?” he asked, incredulous.

“Seriously.”

Vaughn knew she meant it. Now he was angrier than hell. Turning, he opened the door and slammed it shut behind him.