Page 25 of Dumping the Puck (Men of Havoc #4)

Smoothing my dress in the mirror with my sweaty palms isn’t helping to calm my nerves about mediation today. Kayce isn’t worried one bit, but he also won’t tell me what it is he has up his sleeve. I don’t know how he’s going to take on Cameron and Cathy and win.

Especially Cathy.

“Ready, darlin’?”

“No.” I stare at him in the mirror.

“It’ll be fine. Have I ever lied to you?” He raises a brow.

“Never,” I admit, turning to face him.

I slide into his arms, resting my head against his chest. “I hate that we have to see them. I hate that I’m self-conscious about being with you in front of them and worried about what they’ll think. I never cheated on him. Settled? Yes. Cheated? No.”

“I know, June. But what they think doesn’t matter. And I can promise you that none of this is even about you or the wedding. It’s about me and they just used you as a pawn in their game to get to me.” He kisses the top of my head before letting go, lacing his hand in mine to the car.

The drive over to Martin’s office is tense. My clammy hand rests under his strong, warm, and dry hand. The building that Martin’s office is in is a high rise glass building that is intimidating before you even get in.

“I never knew Martin was such a big shot.” I stare up at the building.

“Did you think I’d have some small town lawyer who handles divorces?” He laughs and I know he’s joking but I guess I never thought about his need for a lawyer.

We take the elevator up to the twentieth floor. When we step off the elevator Martin’s law firm logo greets us in gold letters taking up most of the height of the wall.

A beautiful brunette in a tight pencil skirt, the epitome of a secretary in every movie, greets us. “Mr. Bicknelle, Ms. Kaydell, I’ll take you to the mediation room. Mr. Baker is waiting for you.”

We follow her along the corridors of glass windows and glass offices. Each conference room is encircled by walls of glass, showcasing the beauty of the Houston skyline in the distance.

“Kayce. Wren.” Martin stands from the large table, kissing me on the cheek and shaking Kayce’s hand.

“Hey Martin. Sorry we’re early. I wanted to have the advantage.” Kayce pulls out a chair for me, facing the door we just came in.

“Of course. We always want the home advantage, right?” Martin winks and takes the seat he was in before we got here, next to me.

I’m in the middle of Kayce and Martin, and it makes me feel safe, but doesn’t stop me from jumping when the buzzer on the phone goes off.

“Mr. Baker, Cameron Bicknelle is here with his lawyer and party.”

“Thank you, please send them back.”

He looks at us. “Are you ready for the show?” His smile is gleeful. I relax a bit at the thought that he is so calm going into this meeting.

The four of them walk down the hall with the secretary and I wasn’t expecting to see Gary with them. He was never around, always out at the bar or the casinos playing poker.

Cameron looks smug as he eyes the three suits that Kayce hung on a shelf on the back wall.

“Nice to see you, brother,” he says like he didn’t just say what he did two nights ago to us.

“Mr. Bicknelle. Please have a seat.” Martin doesn’t rise to greet them, but instead waves his hand at the open seats across the table. Once they’re all seated he finally addresses them. “I just want to start this meeting with some honesty. You know this is going to get thrown out, and the only thing your client is leaving here with today are the suits that accidentally got packed by the movers, correct?”

Cameron scoffs at the suit comment and honestly I would too. We all know that’s bullshit.

“Absolutely not. Your clients owe mine substantial amounts of money for a wedding that they paid for and the defamation of Mr. Bicknelle.”

“I think we need to get this defamation straight right now, Mr. Aiken, my client can and will countersue for a public humiliation suit based on your client’s behavior and misconduct.”

Cameron’s lawyer scrunches his nose up in disgust. “Public humiliation? The only public humiliation was done to my client when Ms. Kaydell decided to put those photos on a video in front of his business colleagues.”

Martin opens a folder and pulls out photo after photo after photo of Cameron with different women, all dated during our time together. “Considering that my client was required to host dinner parties for all these women who knew of Mr. Bicknelle’s misgivings I’d say that’s public humiliation.”

The other lawyer leans over to whisper to Cameron and when they turn back to the table, Cameron’s eyes narrow at me.

“Fine. We can settle there to remove the defamation, but there is the matter of the cost of the wedding. That was a substantial amount along with the time that Mr. Bicknelle took to plan.”

This time I scoff. He didn’t plan shit.

“Right. About that. I do have some interesting discoveries.” Martin presses a button on the speaker. “Abby, can you please bring me the file that was delivered this morning for Mr. Bicknelle’s case?”

“Yes, sir.”

Not more than thirty seconds later Abby enters the room holding a file. She places it in Martin’s hand and silently walks back out. Cameron doesn’t even have the decency to keep his eyes to himself in a mediation with lawyers. I roll my eyes so hard I swear I see my brain.

Martin pulls out the first piece of paper and slides it across the table. “This is a bet that Gary made on Kayce Bicknelle and the Houston Havoc. If you’ll notice the amount he bet, and the fact that he lost.” He slides another across the table. “And this shows the total amount that your client’s mother owes in order to keep her home due to this bet and other gambling. If you’ll note it’s eerily similar to the amount of the wedding costs that your client is seeking.”

Kayce places his hand on my thigh under the table, giving me a little squeeze.

“Are you insinuating that my client is lying in order to get enough money from your client to keep his mother’s home?” The lawyer’s eyes narrow at Martin, while Cathy’s eyes widen in shock.

“Oh, I’m not insinuating it. I’m declaring it. I know for a fact this is what’s happening as my client bailed them out a few years ago when the gambling debt got to be too much. So my client has a proposal for you.”

Martin winks at Kayce and slides one last paper across the table.

Cameron and his lawyer each lean over the proposal, staring at what is being offered. But me, I’m reeling that this isn’t the first time Kayce has dealt with this and that they’ve been in financial trouble before. I knew he liked the casinos, but to lose this much money?

I try to read what the proposal says from across the table, but it’s in tiny lawyer contract print so it’s not happening.

Martin notices me trying to read it and slides a copy over to me. As I begin reading, my mouth drops open.

Kayce is offering a massive amount of money to buy the farm from his mother. More than they’re asking for in the lawsuit and probably more than market value. He’s also asking them for a no contact provision.

Martin speaks suddenly, interrupting my thoughts about the contract. “As you can see, this is more than a fair offer. Your clients can be out of debt and still have enough money to buy a modest home here in Houston. And all your clients have to agree to, in addition, is a no contact provision. Including Wren Kaydell.”

“I will need to speak to my client about this, privately, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. We’ll step into the hall. Give a little knock on the window when you’re ready.” Martin smiles, gesturing for us to follow past him out into the hallway.

I follow robotically. How is this real? How is all of this mess that I helped to create just going to go away like that? And Kayce gets the farm back? My brain can’t keep up fast enough to wrap around the idea and all the information I just learned about Cameron and Cathy.

“Are you okay, June?” Kayce asks.

“I…he…they… No.” I shake my head in disbelief.

“I know it’s a lot, but it’s not the first time Mom has needed money from me to cover their expenses. Cameron never helps. Since the last time they had to sign a paper stating that they understood this was the last time I was helping with money, they needed a new way to get to me. When the wedding went down, it was perfect timing. His last bet was on the first in-season Havoc game and since I was suspended they blame me for his loss and you by association. They knew if they sued you, I’d fight.” He explains in hushed tones in the hallway.

“It’ll work. Look at your mother.” Martin nods discreetly in the direction of Cathy.

She looks like she just won the lottery and Cameron is shaking his head, but Cameron won’t say no to her and risk not being the golden child in her eyes. She funded a lot of his lifestyle and I’d assume that this deal is putting an end to that. I watch Cameron take a deep breath and then his lawyer turns to knock on the window.

“Show time.” Martin smirks and opens the door for us.

We take the same seats we were in prior.

“Do you have any questions about the deal?” Martin asks.

“No. My clients are ready to sign.”

“Great!” Martin slides three pens across the table. “Once everything is signed we will get the paper drawn up for the sale of the farm.”

“How long until we get the money?” Cathy asks, happily signing and returning the paper and pen to Martin.

“I already have the contracts drawn up. We can stop by my real estate lawyer’s office and I’d say as fast as the wire takes to send.”

She is giddy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cathy smile so big. Cameron, on the other hand, looks like a kid who dropped his ice cream on the ground. His pout is threatening to break the professional demeanor he’s been attempting since he realized he wasn’t going to win this war.

Kayce and I sign the copy of the contract, and then Abby reappears, taking all the paperwork and returning with copies for everyone in nice neat folders emboldened with Martin’s logo.

Martin and the other lawyer shake hands before they all leave the room. It’s just Kayce, Martin and I left around the gigantic table.

“What just happened?” I whisper.

“Everything, June. Everything just happened. Me and you, we’re going to get our happily ever after. Together.” He stands from the chair pulling me up and swinging me around. "And I get Daddy's farm back."

Together is the only word that sounds in my head and really the only one that matters .