Somebody to Hold (Tyler Jamison #2) - April Wilson Page 0,77
head fills with a deafening roar and I can’t make out anything else.
My father leans forward and lays his hands on my shoulders, gripping them firmly. “It’s okay, son. Just breathe.”
My gaze bounces frantically around the room as I try to get myself under control, from my dad to the McIntyres to Tyler and his attorney, to the judge and the deputy on duty, to an audience full of complete strangers.
And then I see him—Brad Turner. He’s here! He’s here in the fucking courtroom watching the proceedings. He’s here to gloat, no doubt.
Brad looks right at me, smiling as he winks at me.
As I shoot to my feet, my father and Sam both stand as well. The armed deputy presiding over the courtroom pivots in my direction, his hand automatically going to his sidearm. I struggle to catch my breath, and I can’t hear anything over the roaring in my head.
Sam grabs my arm and leads me from my seat, down the aisle, and out the door into the corridor.
My father is right behind us. “Sit him down over here,” my dad says as he steers me to a wooden bench.
Shaking, I drop down onto the bench and lean forward, hanging my head between my knees as I try to catch my breath. My head is spinning, my heart pounding. My vision narrows floor beneath me. “Tyler’s going to jail, while that bastard sits in there and gloats.”
Sam kneels in front of me, his hands on my knees. He’s talking, but I can’t make out what he’s saying. My dad sits beside me and puts his arm across my shoulders. Then I notice Ingrid and Cooper and Beth are clustered around me.
I drop my gaze back to the floor. They’re all talking at me, but I can’t make sense of what they’re saying. The only thing I can hear is the rushing pulse of blood in my ears.
Then Sam moves, and I notice a pair of polished black dress shoes right in front of me—shoes I’d recognize anywhere.
I glance up to see Tyler standing before me. He reaches down to grasp my arms and pull me to my feet. And then I’m in his arms, right there in front of everyone, held tight and secure, and the roar in my head begins to dissipate. I breathe in his familiar scent, his cologne, and it centers me.
“I’m sorry,” I say, my words mumbled and barely coherent. “I’m sorry.”
“Shh.” His lips are near my ear, his warm breath on my skin. His hand grips the back of my neck, and he makes me look at him. “Just breathe, baby,” he says, his voice low and rock steady. “Just breathe.”
His steadiness is like a balm to my soul, and I close my eyes and melt into his embrace. As long as I have him, I can face anything.
Chapter 29
Tyler Jamison
Shane puts his hand on my shoulder. “Do you guys need a ride home?”
“Thanks, but no. Troy offered us a ride.”
I’m amazed at how circumstances can bring people together. Since he first came into my sister’s life, Shane and I have mostly been at odds with each other. When he met Beth, he fell hard for her, but I wasn’t ready to relinquish my role in her life. I had always been Beth’s protector. I was her big brother. Hell, I helped my mom raise Beth after our dad died. It wasn’t easy for me to back off and let Shane step in and assume the role of her protector. But he’s more than proven himself worthy of my sister, and gradually he and I have become friends.
More than friends, really. We’re family. I no longer have to shoulder all of the responsibility.
Shane squeezes my shoulder. “Let me know if you need anything tonight. Otherwise, we’ll see you both in the morning.”
Since I don’t have to show up at the county jail for processing and intake until tomorrow morning at ten, I can spend the rest of the day and the night at home with Ian. In the morning, I’ll drop him off at the penthouse on my way to jail.
As everyone heads home from the courthouse, I steer Ian to the main doors, and we wait for Troy to bring his car around. When I spot his black sedan, we exit the building and climb into the backseat.
“You doing okay?” Troy asks as he peers into the rearview mirror.
He’s looking at Ian, not at me. He knows I’ll be fine. It’s Ian we’re