Page 99 of The Spare

Naively, I thought by running King Dynasty, and following in the footsteps of your grandfather, that our family's success and reputation would protect me from the world's cruelty. And so, when I fell in love with your father, I did so without an ounce of caution. And, consequently, fell into a trap I couldn't see my way out of. Especially within the way we snare our spouses.

To put it simply, I was stuck. Your father became abusive, amonster,all in the name of power. And when he was done breaking me down, he moved to your sister. And I wasn't fast enough to save her. It is my hope that even though your father attempted to thwart King Dynasty's powerful legacy, and shatter the remnants of our family, that the two of you will come together to rebuild this family's legacy into something more powerful than ever before. Always put each other first.

Do not let anyone come between the two of you. Choose your spouseswisely.Make sure you take the time to ensure they are worthy of this place within this family, within your heart, and within your life. Look to each other for love and understanding. This is how we honor your sister, Stephanie.

This is how we avenge her death.

Your mother,

Stephanie King I

Eerie silence cloaks us in an oppressive blanket as Teresa nor Hendrix say anything, and neither does Mason.

"Let's meet at Father's in an hour," Hendrix says simply, not elaborating enough for me to get any clue of what he might be thinking or feeling, hanging up without another word. Mason bites off a curse and shakes his head.

"Wow," Teresa exclaims in a shocked tone.

"I don't think this is the end of the secrets, Teresa," Mason turns his head to the side in a frustrated move. "Melody mentioned our parents’ documents are missing from the archives."

"Well, they're supposedto be sealed, right? Only to be opened upon their deaths."

"Okay, so explain to me whythisletter is not in their archives either. This is William's copy.Where's Father's?"

"Well…"Teresa trails off."I mean…that's not something I can see Dad wanting to keep, Mase."

Mason's brows rise as a shocked look clocks his features. "Teresa, he's not supposed to remove anything from the archive. It's in the code."

"Mason, it's none of our business!You know what happens when we press Father too hard."

"Yeah… but don't you want some answers, Teresa?" Mason questions in a hard voice. "Don't you want to know this business between William and Father? And why keep the fact we had an aunt a secret? Why didn't they tell us, Teresa?"

"I-I don't know, Mason, but I'm sure there's an explanation for it. We need to at least give him a chance to explain himself," Teresa says rapidly. "Calm down. We'll meet up at Father's, and I'm sure he'll be more than willing to answer any questions we have. I'll see you there." She hangs up, and Mason's eyes, hard and full of resolve, slide to meet mine. Which I'm sure is full of trepidation.

"Will you come with me?" he asks.

My lips part on a sharp inhalation of breath. "Of course, I'll come with you, Mase. I'll always be here next to you." Despite my best efforts, my voice shakes. This man has proven to me time and time again that he's here for me no matter what, and I'll be damned if I let him go face Richard's potential wrath alone.

"Do you trust me?"

I blink, tilting my head and regarding him quietly. "Yes," I say.

His chest rises and falls with his breathing and I can tell that the Mason that's being presented to me is one that took him years to evolve into. "Good," he says. "Because between you and me, I feel like we're on the cusp of something that's going to alter this family forever. And I don't know if I want to be a part of it, baby. And when I say it's time to go, we're going."

Goosebumps erupt across my chest and arms at his words.

"Okay," I say quietly, reaching a hand out to squeeze his. "As long as we have each other." I slide to my knees in between his legs and raise my hands to his face, pulling him down to me. I kiss him slowly, thoroughly. Needing that intimacy and wanting to show him that no matter what happens we will have each other. Even through the ugly times.

He makes a sound deep in his chest as his tongue touches mine, and he pulls me into his lap as he sits back against the cushion, forcingme to straddle him while he palms the back of my head and kisses me deeper. "You'll always have me, butterfly. I ain't going nowhere."

A tiny thrill courses through me, because it's the first time I've believed anything without a shadow of a doubt. This man won't leave me, and he won't break me.

Chapter thirty

Who Are We

Exactly an hour later we pull onto the pea gravel circle drive behind Hendrix’s vehicle. It's an ungodly late hour, as we hadn't even gotten home from our honeymoon until ten, and it's now nearing midnight. I put the car into park, my eyes drawn to the rearview mirror where the headlights of our security flash behind us, followed by Teresa's Land Rover and her security tailing her.

Melody places her hand on mine as the muffled sound of doors slamming interrupt the silence, and she squeezes against me, causing me to look at her. As our gazes clash, she gives me that almost mischievous smile that I've come to know so well. She clears herthroat and then leans forward, her perfume enveloping me in a comforting cloud.