She moved unhesitatingly towards him.He cupped her cheeks with his palms and stared down at her a tender smile on his face.God,he loved this woman.The way she simply followed his lead made his heart ache wonderfully.She was made for him.
âI love you,âshe whispered to him.
âI love you too,âhis smile got bigger.âSorry I bolted.I had something I really wanted to take care of.â
âItâs okay.We can talk later.â
He nodded and was about to say something when Merlin interrupted.âWhat is this?â
âThat,is a gift.â
âA gift?âMerlin frowned.âWhat kind of gift?â
âThe kind which I never in a million years thought I would ever bestow on a McGrath but after talking to my girl,âhe hugged Liesl tight,âand my mom who once had her heart ripped out of her chest because your father was careless,I couldnât sit by and do nothing.â
âI donât understand.â
âWhen I was a kid,your father destroyed the home of my family and twenty-six other families.My parents were immigrants to the country and while we had been born here,my sister and I,they were not.Times were tough and when they lost their house and their place of employment,they also lost their kids because they were homeless and unemployed.â
âItâs why you hate my father and destroyed our company.âMerlin said quietly.
âYup.He made my mama cry and broke her heart.For two years she had to battle a court system she barely understood with her limited English.âHe felt Lieslâs hand rubbing his low back gently.He wanted to kiss her senseless but first he had to get through this shit.
âWhat does this have to do with this?âhe held up the thumb drive.
âWell,it has everything to do with Sandy,actually.â
âMe?âShe made big eyes.
âYes,see Sandy,the night of the gala,I gave you a warning,didnât I?âWhen she swallowed audibly,he stared her down.âI warned you.If you continued to fuck with Liesl I would ruin,you.I would make your life a living hell.Now,you,âhe shook his head regrettably,âdid not heed my warning.I love Liesl.I love her to the point it kills me when sheâs not with me.She is everything I ever dreamed of in a woman and more.I am convinced she was put on this earth to make my life complete.âHe held her close.
âWhy?âSandy sneered.âSheâs beneath you.â
He clicked his tongue as he felt Liesl bristling beside him.âSandy,youâre so jealous of the soul she has,and the way people automatically fall in love with her sweet nature you donât think clearly.You very stupidly,despite knowing I have a full security team and Jankaâs gallery under surveillance and recorded,went to visit Liesl at work this week.âHe motioned to Merlin,âthat USB among other things,has the video where Sandy and Roddy asked Liesl to cover for them so Sandy can leave the country with your child.She hammed it up for Roddy,but my very unscrupulous team also got copies of her text messages.It seems sheâs fucking Roddyâs boss.The minute you lost your chance at CEO,she went back to one of her other lovers.He offered Roddy a job in London so he could get Sandy there.â
Merlin turned to look at Sandy,âyou were going to leave with my son?â
âItâs why Iâm giving you the details,Merlin.I talked to Liesl,and she was broken hearted.Not because she cares for you or even likes you,but because,she felt it was a line she couldnât cross,to deprive you of your son.Especially when we all know Sandy is unfit to be a parent.In about ten minutes youâll get a call from judge who is a personal friend of my fatherâs.My father also remembers what it was like to lose his kids and said the kind of pain isnât one heâd wish on even his worst enemy.The judge has issued a court order banning Sandy from leaving the country until after the birth and after custody has been sorted.â
Sandy shrieked,âyou canât do this.â
âI can and I have.I warned you Sandy.I warned you if you went after Liesl and didnât fuck off,I was going to ruin you and Iâm going to do it.The medical records I was able to gather cite Sandy has a medical condition which puts the life of her child at risk if she flies.She is thirty-three weeks pregnant,and her placenta is not in the right place.It puts her due date sooner which means sheâs been lying to you about the conception being at the wedding.Iâm betting the bitch poked holes in your condoms.She did supply them,right?â
âSandy?Why?âLorraine asked with wide eyes.âYou would risk the life of the baby to run away to England?â
âI donât even want this fucking kid and now Iâm going to have to birth it!I got pregnant to make sure he told Liesl the truth,but I never thought Iâd get this sick with it.I puked for months and now Iâm not puking the stupid doctor tells me if I have sex I could bleed out.âshe vented furiously.âIt might not even be a risk if I fly.I was willing to take the chance.â
Granny gasped at her,âSandy how could you?â
âI deserve to have the best!Now Merlin is broke,and we donât have the nice house,my kid is going to grow up poor.â
âIâm not fucking broke,âMerlin laughed at her snidely.âJust because I didnât let you see what I got as a severance package when Isaias bought us out,doesnât mean Iâm destitute.I also have a new job starting next week and Iâm back to making six figures.You stupid bitch.â
Isaias laughed at Sandyâs shocked expression.âI also had a sit-down conversation with Roddy and his boss.Let them know you played them both.Roddy truly believed your bullshit about wanting to do right by Liesl.I showed him the texts you sent her.Oh,and the guy you were fooling around with at your office,where you work as a CPA.I told his wife.She has a clip of you with your tongue down his throat.Sheâs a lawyer.Good luck.â
âWhy are you doing this?âSandy was pale staring at him,
âI warned you.You didnât listen.I canât physically harm a woman,especially a pregnant one,but I can make sure from today until the day I die,you never get to con another rich man again in the name of hurting Liesl.You donât come after my family and survive.â
âSheâs not your family!âSandy pouted.âYou barely know her.â
âAnd yet,sheâs going to have my child.âHe boldly put his hand on the flat of Lieslâs stomach.
Merlin spun to look at them.âYouâre pregnant?â
Isaias looked down at Liesl who met his eyes smiling.He looked to Merlin,relishing the sadness in the manâs eyes.He still hated him.He simply didnât hate him enough to let someone kidnap his kid.âyes.Sheâs pregnant.â
Granny gave a hooted laugh,âcongratulations!â
âThanks Granny.âLiesl smiled at her as she rested her head against Isaiasâshoulder.âIt was unexpected but Iâm really happy.â
Isaias hugged her tight.âMe too.Iâm very happy.â
Sandy gave a loud wail as she punched the top of the dining room table.âNo.No.No.â
âYes,yes,yes,âIsaias mocked her.âYou sent Liesl a text message which told her if she didnât keep your secrets you would continue to harass her and not even a restraining order would stop you.What you didnât count on,Sandy is how much I love Liesl and how hard I will fight to protect her.I will make it my personal mission to make sure the world knows what kind of an asshole you are.â
âYouâre mean.â
âI am the meanest person you ever met.âIsaias laughed in her face.
âLiesl,say something.âSandy looked to her pleadingly.âYou canât let him do this to me.â
She shook her head and squeezed Isaiasâs hand,âyou did this to yourself,Sandy.I told you.Sisters donât hurt each other the way you hurt me.I can never forgive you for the shit youâve put me through.If I had my way,I would never speak another word to you again.â
Isaias kissed the top of her head before turning his gaze back to a very sad looking Merlin,âI almost let the bitch leave the country if only to give Liesl peace from her.Donât make me regret my actions.Keep your wife away from mine.â