Escaping Shadows, page 24
“It’s a hell no.” Georgie stepped around Borden as handcuffs were put on her family. She snapped her fingers as if she remembered something, turned and yanked the whale dagger from Borden’s thigh. Borden screeched again and blood began to run freely down his leg as he fainted. “This is mine and I am never leaving the house without it.”
“Medic!” Paxton yelled even as he frowned. “It’s really not that bad of a wound. I don’t know why he fainted.”
“Georgina!” her brother began to yell as if she were going to help him.
Kord put his arm around Georgie. She didn’t need to ever see them again, but she turned out of his arm to face her brother and father. “I loved you both. But not anymore. I’ve seen real family. I’ve experienced real love. I’m just sorry you let your mania for wealth and power rule your life. Because today you’ve lost more than your money. You’ve lost any chance at love and family you had.”
Georgie turned to the door. Even as her mother called out for her, Georgie took Kord’s hand and walked out with her head held high. Heloise took Georgie’s other hand and the three of them left her family behind for good. They had their own family to start, along with her grandfather and all of Shadows Landing.
31
Kord’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking. It wasn’t too obvious to anyone else in the room, but it was to him as he practiced the steps of the dance Miss Tibbie had taught him. He’d wanted to move fast and immediately ask Georgie to marry him the second she’d walked from that Charleston restaurant two months ago, but she’d been through too much. He wanted her to be able to move on from the past and that meant giving her time to grieve the family she’d lost.
Georgie had wanted to protect them and keep them from going to jail until she found out their level of deceit. Now, a judge, a clerk, a doctor, Borden, and her family were in jail. Some were in for only a couple of months, some were looking at a couple of years, and others were going away for much longer. They’d huffed and puffed about wanting a trial, but the evidence was overwhelming. In the end, they all took plea deals. That was a month ago.
Since that day, Kord and Georgie had been talking about their future. They’d talked about marriage. They’d talked about their wedding and when the time would be right. She told him of her fears, not about getting married, but about the wedding itself. She thought she would feel alone after her family turned on her and had begged him more than once to get married at the courthouse with no one but them in attendance.
They’d talked about it all as they cleaned up the house she’d bought and was turning into her headquarters. Greyson Holdings had a new boss and everyone was happy. The investors stopped acting as if it were a competition and embraced Georgie. The press was in love with her. Somehow the video of her wrestling Mean Abe had gone viral, picked up by national news organizations and run with a headline: Beauty, Brains, and the new Badass Leader of Greyson Holdings. Her grandfather had moved into the Charleston house and played cards with the Cummings’ family and friends. Tonight, Georgie was out with Gator, Turtle, and Skeeter so that Kord could plan his surprise with help from Dell and Maggie. Well, really, the whole town’s help.
“I know this will make her happy, but I’m still worried it’s too much,” Kord said to Maggie and Dell when they walked into Harper’s Bar to tell him everything was set.
“You know her better than anyone and even I know Georgie will love this. She’s been doing nothing but talking about you and marriage for the past month. The only thing holding her back is overthinking. All she imagines is a church with everyone sitting on your side and only her grandfather and me on her side. Now, I know she will love this. It’s nothing like her fears.”
Kord looked at his grandmother’s ring as he held it in his hand. He knew with every beat of his heart that Georgie was the love of his life and he equally knew he was hers. “Is everything in place?” Kord asked before he glanced at his phone. Gator was bringing her back in the next few minutes.
“It is. Now, go get yourself a wife.” Maggie kissed his cheek and headed upstairs to the now-empty apartment above the bar. Georgie had moved in with him after their first night together and simply never left. Not that he ever wanted her to.
“Dell?” Kord asked on a worried breath when Dell stood with a frown on his wrinkled face.
Dell shook his head as if clearing a bad thought. “I blame myself for all of this. Seeing all this love and how families should be to each other.” Dell grabbed Kord’s shoulder and gave a little squeeze. “You and Georgie broke the cycle. You are bringing love back into my life and into the family. Giving you my blessing to marry my sweet granddaughter was the easiest decision I’ve ever made. After this, I’ll tell you the second easiest decision I ever made.” Dell gave him a teary smile and headed upstairs to join Maggie.
“She’s coming,” Harper whispered as she poked her head into the bar from the kitchen. She flipped a light and the lights went out leaving only the fairy lights Kord had hung around the top of big bar and wound through the bottles of bourbon and rum. Then, with another flip of a switch, the fairy lights hung across the rest of the bar lit up.
The warm yellow lights gave off plenty of light but also cast the bar in a romantic glow. The door opened and he heard Gator call out, “We’ll meet ya in there!”
Kord’s heart pounded as he saw a smiling and still laughing Georgie enter the bar. He saw the moment she took in the fairy lights and then found him standing by the bar.
“Hey, Kord. What’s all this?” Georgie walked toward him, taking in the lights and smiled. “Did you do this for me?”
Words. Kord needed to find words. He cleared his throat, his hands trembled and he worried he’d drop the ring. “I did. I thought tonight could be a special night for us.”
“This is so romantic, Kord. You’re wearing that great suit. You know I find it so sexy I just want to rip it off.”
Georgie ran her hands over his chest and smiled at him, and all his nerves vanished. This was the woman he loved. He took her hands in his and held them against his heart.
“My heart beats for you, Georgie.” Kord could tell she wanted to reply, so he cut her off with a kiss. It was quick, but it left her dazed long enough for him to continue. “You’re kind, caring, loving, and so wicked smart.”
Georgie giggled at him using a Boston saying she used to use regularly before Gator educated her on Southernisms.
“There would be no greater honor,” Kord said as he dropped to one knee and held out his grandmother’s ring, “than if you agreed to be my wife, my best friend, and the love of my life. Georgie, will you marry me?”
Kord saw the tears start to roll down Georgie’s cheeks as she nodded her head. “Yes! Oh, Kord, yes!”
Kord slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. “This was my grandmother’s. I know it’s not a modern style.”
Tears flowed faster and she yanked her hand away from him. “It’s perfect! Don’t you dare think about taking it back.”
Kord chuckled and held on to her, kissing her forehead as she smiled down on her ring. “This means so much to me, Kord.” He felt her body shudder and watched her smile falter. “But the wedding.”
“I know,” Kord said, gently rubbing his hand down her back. “You want to elope because you don’t want an empty church.”
She nodded. “I want to marry you so badly! We could go to Vegas tonight!”
“I know, sweetheart. Do me a favor. I put something in your room upstairs. Will you get it?”
“Now?”
“Yes, now. It’s really important. Miss Tibbie taught me a very special dance and I want you in a fancy dress while I show off my skills.”
Georgie wiped her tear-stained face and laughed. “I love that you took dance lessons for me. I’ll be right back.”
The second Georgie was up the stairs, Kord ran to the kitchen. “Are you ready?”
* * *
Georgie felt as if she floated up the stairs. She was engaged. As soon as she could get Kord to marry her at the courthouse or elope to Vegas, the better. She couldn’t wait to be Georgina King. Mrs. Kordell King. She opened the door to her old apartment and jumped when she saw Maggie and her grandfather standing there, their smiles beaming at her.
“Let’s see it!” Maggie cried out as she rushed forward. Georgie laughed and held out her hand to show off the ring. “Oh, G. It’s stunning and you’re glowing.”
Her grandfather had tears in his eyes as he hugged her, which only made her tears threaten to appear. “Oh, sweetie. I’m so very happy for you and Kord. You’re going to be so happy together.”
Georgie gave her grandfather a little squeeze and felt a twinge of sadness. He’d want to be at her wedding, but he’d be the only one on her side of the church and that would only make her remember how alone she was.
“I’m so happy you’re both here,” Georgie said, stepping back to look at her best friend and her grandfather. “But, why are you here?”
“Kord asked us to be. He thought you might need help with this special dance he has planned. I got the dress and makeup all ready.” Maggie grabbed her hand and dragged her into the bathroom. A beautiful stormy blue dress the same color as her eyes was hanging up. “He picked it out himself.”
Georgie was speechless. It was an A-line, off-the-shoulder, illusion-lace tulle gown with flower appliqués over the bodice, down her hips, and then melting into tiny hints of flowers across the bottom of the dress.
Maggie got her changed, whipped her hair up into an effortless yet elegant bun, and had makeup on in less than ten minutes. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Georgie would spend an entire day getting ready for an event. However, she felt more beautiful now than she ever did back then.
“Oh, Georgina, you’re breathtaking,” her grandfather said when she emerged from the bathroom. Georgie saw him reach into his suit coat and pull out a necklace box. “Kord showed me the ring when he asked my permission to marry you. Well, more like he told me he was going to ask. That young man wasn’t going to take no for an answer, even though I happily gave my blessing. He told me it belonged to his grandmother, so I thought I should give you this.”
Georgie opened the box and looked down at a beautiful pearl necklace with a large aquamarine in the same princess cut as her ring in the center of the strands. It matched her dress perfectly. “Grandpa, it’s so beautiful. Thank you.”
“It was your great-grandmother’s,” he told her as he fastened the necklace.
“Oh!” Maggie said, reaching into her hair and pulling out a pretty pearl comb. “Here, borrow this. It matches perfectly.”
Maggie placed it in Georgie’s hair and then smiled as if she knew something. “I’ll go downstairs and tell Kord you’re ready. Don’t dilly-dally.”
Maggie opened the door and music floated up to her. It sounded as if Gator, Turtle, and Skeeter were playing together. This must be for this special dance Kord had planned.
Her grandfather held out his arm for her. “Escort an old man downstairs, will you?”
Georgie slipped her hand through his arm as they walked to the door.
“I love you so much, Georgie. And Kord is such a special young man. I’m so very happy for you both,” he told her as they made their way down the stairs. The music was soft and sweet as they stepped off the last stair and Georgie finally looked out at the bar.
“Oh my gosh.” The bar was packed, but there was an aisle made between two lines of people leading from the stairs around to the front of the bar. Suddenly Lindsey and Leah appeared in matching sky-blue dresses and pigtails. They carried little baskets full of rose petals. The music continued and the girls began to walk ahead, throwing petals on the ground. “What is going on?”
“I’m taking you to your groom-to-be where he’s waiting for his dance,” her grandfather said with the happiest smile she’d ever seen.
“But they’re like little flower girls.” Her grandfather moved ahead and tugged her along. “Now I know something is going on. Gator, Turtle, and Skeeter are wearing bow ties.” It was strange to see Gator in overalls and a bow tie.
“You have to have music to dance to, sweetie,” her grandfather said, leading her through a line of her friends from the town.
She turned the corner of the bar and stopped. Kord was standing there looking so handsome. Slightly behind him was Granger. Maggie stood across from him. Georgie glanced around, but didn’t see the judge or Reverend Winston. “Okay,” she said to the large group of her friends filling the bar. “What is going on?”
“We’re here to see this special dance,” Harper said from where she stood across from her bar in a group of Faulkners. “Let’s go.”
She snapped Georgie out of her thoughts and Georgie laughed as she shook her head. Ha, she’d been thinking this was a wedding. Her grandfather led her to Kord. He shook his hand, kissed Georgie’s cheek and then stepped back to stand between Miss Ruby and Miss Winnie. Georgie looked around. The room was full. The aisle had disappeared and all she saw was a big group of her friends smiling at her.
Kord took her hands in his and everyone disappeared. “Georgie, I love you with all I am. I pledge you my heart, my soul, my friendship, forever and always.”
Georgie melted into his eyes and into his words. “Oh, Kord. I love you too. You’re my best friend and the love of my life. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my days with you by my side.”
“Do you, Kordell King, take Georgina Greyson to be your wedded wife?” Georgie almost jumped out of her skin as Reverend Winston appeared out of nowhere behind the bar.
“I do,” Kord said with his whole being.
Georgie looked to Reverend Winston, then to Granger standing behind Kord, then to Maggie standing behind her, then to the entire bar. “I’m getting married.”
“That’s the plan, sweetheart,” Kord said with such a mischievous smile Georgie laughed.
“There are no sides,” she whispered to him.
“Why would there be sides when everyone here is family to us both?” Kord asked.
Georgie’s heart pounded with so much happiness she thought it might burst. “I do!” she blurted out as everyone laughed.
“Let’s make it official then,” Reverend Winston said. “Do you, Georgina Greyson, take Kordell King to be your wedded husband?”
Georgie held her breath until it was her turn to speak. “I do.”
“Then I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Georgie flung her arms around Kord, knowing he’d always be there to catch her. The kiss made the floor move. Only it was then she realized the music had changed to her favorite song, and Kord was kissing her as they danced. “A special dance, huh?” she laughed.
“I think our first dance as husband and wife is very special.”
“Thank you,” Georgie said with such honesty she felt stripped bare. “I think I could do a big wedding, but you knew how to make it perfect.”
All their friends clapped and cheered when he dipped her and kissed her. The night couldn’t be any better. After well wishes and tears shed by Gator, Turtle, and Skeeter, they turned on the music and everyone danced, drank, and celebrated as one big happy family.
“Georgie, Kord,” her grandfather said, calling them over to a quiet spot. “I told Kord that giving him my blessing was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. This is the second easiest thing I’ve ever done.” He handed them an envelope.
“What’s this?” Georgie asked as she opened it.
“Your wedding present.”
“Change of Name and Ownership,” Kord read. “Greyson Family Enterprises Trust will now be known as Greyson King Family Enterprises Trust. Wendell “Dell” Greyson, Georgina Greyson King, and Kordell King are the co-trustees of the trust. Greyson Holdings LLC will now be known as Greyson King Holdings LLC. Owner of the said Greyson King Holdings LLC is the Greyson King Family Enterprises Trust. The membership interest in Greyson King Holdings LLC is as follows: Seventy-five percent Georgina Greyson King. Twenty-five percent Kordell King. Mrs. Georgina Greyson King is hereby named president of Greyson King Holdings LLC and all businesses listed in attached Exhibit A owned by Greyson King Holdings LLC with the power to buy and sell the assets for the benefit of the trust.” Kord paused as Georgie’s head shot up to look at her grandfather. “What does this mean?” Kord asked.
“It’s a bunch of legalese to say that Grandpa gave you a percentage of the family businesses owned by the trust and the family trust,” Georgie said a moment before hugging her grandfather tightly.
“I’m not family,” Kord said slowly as if trying to understand what happened.
“But you are,” her grandfather said, reaching out and clasping his shoulder. “You’re my grandson and now it’s official.”
Kord blinked back tears as Georgie slipped her hand into his. “Come on, husband. Let’s show those Townsends how to really dance.”
Georgie rose up and kissed her grandfather’s cheek. “I love you.”
She stepped back to head to the dance floor, but Kord didn’t follow her. When she looked back, she saw him hugging her grandfather. “Thank you, Grandpa Dell. I’ll take good care of our family.”
Kord slipped his arm around Georgie’s waist and they stepped into their future together. Happy. With their family all around them because Georgie had learned she had been surrounded by the family of her heart for years.
Damon Townsend snaked an arm out and grabbed his brother Stone’s arm as the wedding reception raged on. “What the hell, Stone?” Damon said between gritted teeth.
“What?” Stone asked with confusion.
Damon shook his head. It was hard being the oldest of the Townsend family. Olivia had married Granger, and as he watched them kissing and dancing way too close on the dance floor, he sighed. At this rate they’d make him an uncle before the end of next year. At least, he now had Granger watching out for Olivia. That only left Stone, the second eldest, Hunter, Kane, Wilder, Forrest, Rowan, and the youngest, Penelope, left to watch over. Penelope was still celebrating her youth, which you could only do in your early twenties and being the spoiled-rotten youngest.
