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She patted the top of my hand with hers. “Darling, I’m the one who should thank you. You’ve made my Rex happier than I’ve ever seen him before. Oh, how he hated taking over as CEO of Buchanan Energy after Richard stepped down. Rex was miserable, as you well know when you first met him, but then you came along?—”

“Chelsea?” Rex reappeared beside the table, his face white, holding the document I hoped he’d find on the top of his desk. And they had nothing to do with transportation.

“What is it, dear?” Miriam must have noticed the look on his face.

He set the prenuptial agreement down on the table. Before dinner, I’d searched through his desk and found it. Still standing, Rex’s eyes hadn’t left mine yet.

Miriam grabbed the document, sifting through the papers to the last one, the signature page, reading aloud what I’d written on it. “‘If anything in our marriage goes awry and we separate, I get nothing. I leave with only my own assets I came into the marriage with. Signed Chelsea Calhoun.’”

“What the hell? Why would you do this?” Rex seemed nonplussed. Miriam squinted her eyes at me, as if trying to read right through me.

It was time to tell them the full story. I trembled, fearing what would happen after they knew it all. But I had to take the chance we’d be fine despite it.

“Something happened a few days ago. Sit down, please. Let me tell you and show you.” I waited until he did, then I launched into every detail. “Brace yourselves for this news.”

Miriam’s brows furrowed as I spilled everything I learned about India and Janet. Rex’s face reddened by the minute as I revealed details, especially after showing the video I’d taken of India editing and manipulating our words.

When I finished India and Janet’s plan to blackmail the family, he leaned forward, his elbows on the table and fingertips to his forehead. “I can’t believe this.”

“Neither can I,” I said, almost breathless after rushing through it.

“I knew Janet was trouble the moment she got her hooks into Richard. I’m calling my lawyer and going to the authorities with this. We have to stop them from doing anything else that might harm our family.” Miriam stood, aghast at the turn of events.

“What about the prenup?” I asked.

“Chelsea, I wanted to tell you about the prenup, but I didn’t care if you signed it or not. I love you, and you have to believe me. This paper meant nothing to me,” Rex finished and took up my hands.

His mother took the document and ripped it in half and in half again. “What prenup?”

“Mom! You were pressuring me to have Chelsea sign it. Now you tear it up?”

“Did you know your father and I never had one? Neither do Mr. Astor and I. Son, Richard’s situation with Janet scared the livinghellout of me, and because of it, I thought it wise for you to have this protection in place. A mother protecting her children is part of who I am and will aways be.” She leaned over and patted our hands folded together. “But I believe Chelsea has proven she’s one of the good ones.”

My heart warmed, and Rex gave my hands a squeeze. But Miriam stopped halfway to the door and sighed. “I guess one of us should tell Richard about what Janet and India were up to.”

“Actually, I’ve given that some thought, and I don’t think we should say a word to him about this.” They both looked at me funny.

“Sweetness, who knows what they’re plotting to do next? Richard’s life could be in peril.”

“And you can beef up security watching him, I’m sure. You had said once that you wanted everyone you knew to find a love like you did, right?” I searched his eyes for a flicker of memory for that conversation.

“I do. I want all my friends to find a good woman like you to love.”

“Richard’s already so sour about love and so mistrusting of women. Don’t you think this would only deepen that, hurting him more?”

Realization hit Miriam first, nodding. “You’re suggesting keeping him in the dark.”

“Yes. So he’ll have a fighting chance to find love again and close his old wound,” I said. Richard was such a difficult man. I hoped he would find someone to show him a love deeper than he’d ever known.

“Well played, Chelsea. I’mveryimpressed.” Miriam always seemed to like me before, but today I felt as though I’d earned her respect.

Rex got up and walked his mother out to her car. For a few minutes alone, I sat there, stunned that this was my life right now. Sitting in a billionaire’s penthouse apartment, breaking up a blackmail attempt, and marrying into a family that had more money than God?

When Rex returned, he walked up to me, lifting me into his arms. “Damn, you’re an incredible woman. Do you know that?”

“Why don’t you take me to bed and show me how you really feel?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” He made his way down the hall to the bedroom, his eyes never leaving mine.