Page 132 of Between Never and Forever

“I need to press charges.” I wouldn’t stand aside anymore. I would fight the label and Ezekiel and do whatever I needed to do.

“There’s no need.” Dex stared at me with an intense gaze, so intense I knew he wasn’t joking.

“How can there not be a need, Dex?” I whispered. “Ezekiel will keep doing what he’s done to me to others.”

“He won’t. I’ve taken care of it.” There was that jaw flex again. “And it’s best you don’t ask the details.”

“That wouldn’t be the way to start off a marriage,” I said quietly and then looked up at the ceiling again. “Unless we’re not getting married now. Which is probably for the best. I can only imagine the media storm that’s already—”

“It’s all being taken care of,” Dex repeated. “And we’re still getting married. Don’t underestimate the power of the family you’re marrying into. We’ve held off the news, Ezekiel’s name will be buried, and no one will ever ask of him again.”

I stared at him, trying to read between the lines as he got up to pace in nothing but black boxers. Back and forth, back and forth in front of the king size bed.

He’d worked everything out for me again. And together, I knew we would keep working things out. A sense of calm washed over me as I watched him. I didn’t need to know details right then. I just needed to know that we’d always keep helping each other.

We’d be a family. One I’d always wanted. I knew it with my whole heart. “You saved me. And I know you’ll keep saving mewhenwe’re married.”

His eyes snapped up and I saw their vulnerability for just a second. “No. If I’m being honest, I didn’t protect you. I moved too slow when I should have jumped over every law to move fast. He should have never been able to get near you.”

“Dex, that’s not—”

“I should have put it together sooner.” He paced away, then turned to me with fury still in his eyes.

There was my Dex. Always coming to a final conclusion about something.

I stared at him. “That Ezekiel was crazy? How could we have known he was more than a simple creep?” I tsked. “Don’t cement something so ridiculous into your brain. No one could have figured it out.”

He hurried over to me as I started to get out of bed. “No. Stay in bed.”

“Only if you stay with me,” I told him. I didn’t ask him more questions. That was all for later. Suddenly, I knew all he needed then was us together.

“I’ve got a few calls—”

“Work later, Dex. Rest now. With me.” That’s all we needed to do now. Everything else could wait. Life sometimes needed a pause and we needed to give in and pause it when necessary.

He gave in. We showered together and then he lay with me for hours. He also fielded calls from Olive and his family and our friends. We held off putting anything out to the press because he said he wanted to talk to me when I was feeling more up to it.

Olive and his PR team must have handled it all.

We were off the radar for another day and then I woke to Dex not in bed with me. I heard him in the living room working, so I got up. It was the only time I was alone without him, and I took that time to walk over to my wedding dress.

We’d been so close to me walking down the aisle just days ago and now it hung in the hotel closet where Dex had left it. The lace of it was beaded with beautiful crystals and the lilac color actually shimmered in the sunlight.

I ran a hand over it, but I stopped at the base where there were just four tiny dots that weren’t the color of lilacs. They were tiny dots of red. Dark red. Splatters of blood. Just four. No more.

But I knew what had happened. He’d never admit it. None of them would. Yet, when Mitchell called hours later, I also knew exactly what he’d say.

“Ezekiel fell down a flight of stairs.” He sounded frantic. “Did you know? He had a heart attack not much later is what they’re saying. It’s not… Something isn’t right. I know it’s them, Keelani. Did those Hardy guys…? What did you do?”

“What did I do?” I waited for the answer. There was silence, and it’s how I knew the power had shifted. Gone was my fear of him, and in its place was strength. “Why would I have done a thing to that man, Mitchell? Is there something you’d like to share?”

“No. No. Ezekiel was fond of you though. He said he might want to…”

“He might what, Mitchell?” It was clear that in the past, Ezekiel must have gone to Mitchell for information about me.

He growled into the phone and then his tone turned vicious. “How do you expect me to cover something like this up? How do you expect to right this? We need a new deal, and we need to work on this together to—”

“I won’t sign a new deal with youever,” I said without another thought. “You should think long and hard about what you’re insinuating and your role within that record label. How many women have you disclosed information about, Mitchell?”