My Always One - Aleatha Romig Page 0,58
to think, the two of you have been friends most of your lives.”
“Best friends.”
“Since five years old,” Marshal adds.
My cheeks rise into a grin, enjoying the familiarity of the man at my side. From his soft blue eyes, chiseled jaw, and broad shoulders to everything hiding under his suit, I know that I’m getting a not only handsome man but a good one. “I think we both know how unusual and special what we have is.”
Kristy shakes her head with a smile as she takes our overcoats. “I just adore good love stories.” She lifts her chin toward the open living room decorated for the holidays and filled with others from McMann Architectural and their companions. “Please, enjoy yourselves. There’s food and drinks” —she leans close— “and I’m hoping it is all eaten, so please...”
The McManns’ home is beautiful and grand; set outside Grand Rapids, it sits on over twenty-five acres placed on a hill over a lake. From the large windows, we can see out to the now-frozen lake as the moon reflects off the shimmering snow.
After talking to Marshal’s boss and with drinks in hand, Marshal smiles at me as we approach a lovely woman. I know without the introduction who she is. She is Melinda Beavo, one of the key members of the team that with Marshal helped to land the big Sirius Hotel deal and even more importantly, someone he considers a friend and mentor.
For some reason, our paths haven’t crossed before now, and after all the great things Marshal has said, I’m more than excited to meet her.
Melinda turns as we come to a stop. “Oh, you’re Sami.”
“I am,” I say. “And Melinda, I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you.”
A confident smile brightens her expression. “I’m surprised. You see, when Marshal’s not working on securing multibillion-dollar deals, your fiancé seems to have only one subject on his mind.”
Sex.
With Marshal I was confident that subject would be sex.
Warmth fills my cheeks. “I hope he doesn’t overshare.”
“Only about how much he loves you.”
“Marshal,” Jason calls from near the temporary bar. “Come over here a minute. We have a debate about...”
Marshal squeezes my hand. “Will you be all right?”
“I promise to take care of her,” Melinda says as I nod.
“He’s a bit overprotective,” I say by way of an excuse.
“So I’ve noticed.”
“I’m capable of slaying my own dragons, but it’s nice to have Marshal in my corner.”
“You are.” Melinda nods. “You slew a big one and I commend you for the choice you made.”
The small hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t want to talk out of school...”
“Is this about me or Marshal?” I ask.
Melinda leads me away from the crowd to a more secluded corner near a decorated tree that must be fifteen feet high. “I hope you don’t mind me mentioning your ex.”
“You know my ex?”
“Unfortunately.”
This makes me laugh. “I guess you do. In all honesty, he’s not my favorite subject.” I nod toward the windows. “Snowstorms are more interesting.”
Melinda grins. “You see, Jackson has done some work for my husband—in the past.” She lowers her tone. “I’m assuming that you’ve heard what happened?”
I shake my head. “Honestly, I haven’t made it a priority to keep up on him.”
One of her hands goes to her chest as her fingers flutter near her necklace. “Well, I’m not one for gossip, but considering that you told him to hit the road and Wilson et al went to extraordinary measures to keep everything under wraps, I wondered if you knew.”
I shift on my tall heels. “Oh, Melinda, I’m intrigued.”
“Jackson Carmichael is no longer with the legal firm of Wilson et al.”
“He’s not?”
“The official word is that he resigned and moved back to the Detroit area to open his own practice near his family.”
My expression undoubtedly gave away my thoughts. The last thing Jackson wanted was a small private practice chasing ambulances. He had visions of greatness, wealth and fame that came with being a part of a big practice. “That doesn’t sound like him.”
Her lips form a straight line as she shakes her head. “My husband, Dwayne, was told in confidence that Jackson was let go.”
“But he was a partner.”
“Revoked.”
My brow furrows. “Are you sure?” I ask.
She nods. “There was an internal incident regarding an intern.”
I suck in a breath and work to keep my facial expression from screaming too much information. “Incident.”
“Dwayne didn’t get all of the gory details, but he seems to believe it involved possible legal repercussions. Wilson et