At First Hate (Coastal Chronicles)

Derek had slid the wedding ring on my finger on a sailboat a few weeks earlier. We said I do with only family present. Maddox on one side and Amelia on the other. The ceremony was at sunset. Simple, glowing, and perfect. I wore a dress Amelia had designed for me. The only other person present, other than our officiant, was our photographer. We threw parties afterward so that everyone was happy and accounted for. But I hadn’t wanted anything big like Lila’s wedding, and it was Derek’s second marriage. We’d done what we wanted and ignored everyone else’s wishes.

Now, we were just waiting for the judge to make a decision.

Derek rubbed the knot at my back. “It’s going to work out.”

“I hope so.” I bit my lip, thankful for non-smudge lipstick. “It felt pretty convincing to me.”

He snorted. “Your attorney did what she was supposed to.”

“And their lawyer?”

“I would have been better.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Oh, really?”

“Sure. I don’t lose.”

“You’re insufferable sometimes. You know that, right?”

He laughed softly. “Yeah, well, you married me.”

“Remind me why?”

“I’ll show you later.” His eyes filled with lust, and I remembered all the post-wedding sex we’d been having.

We weren’t going on our honeymoon until the case was closed and done with. He’d booked us three weeks in an overwater bungalow in Bali without blinking. How could I even object?

The only people who’d had any objection were Kasey and my mother. We’d had interactions with both of them since the wedding. Kasey had been a shrieking mess when she found out, but hopefully, it was the last we saw of her. Moving to Atlanta would sure help that. And my mom…

Well, that would end today.

I chanced a glance to her on the other side of the room with Aunt Ruth. They both looked smug, as if they knew it was all going to work out in their favor. I tried to find the sliver of fear that I was feeling, but it wasn’t there. My mom really believed in her case. She couldn’t think of anything else. This was how she lived her entire life.

Finally, the judge returned to his seat to make his pronouncement. Maddox squeezed one hand. Our eyes met, and he nodded once. I nodded back. Then, we waited for the end of this long debacle.

The judge cleared his throat. “After carefully looking at the provided evidence, I move to dismiss the will contest and grant full grounds to Marley and Maddox Nelson.”

“Oh my God,” I gasped. All the air rushed out of Maddox’s lungs. I turned and flung my arms around him. “We did it.”

“We did it.”

I turned to Derek, and he was smiling brightly. “Well done.”

He pulled me tight to him, and I breathed him in.

“Thank you.”

I had no doubt that Derek would have been better at his job than whoever had filled in for him. But either way, justice had been served. My Gran’s final wishes had been honored. Maddox and I had the house now, and we wouldn’t see it sold off for pieces. Gran could rest well, knowing we would take care of her things.

My mom looked ready to spit something vile at me as we all exited the courtroom. But Derek put himself between me and my mother and looked down his nose at her.

“Hannah,” he said coldly.

She stumbled on her words, and then we were through and outside. The December air was cold and breezy, but the sun was shining bright. Tomorrow was Derek’s birthday, and we could actually celebrate now that everything was finally, finally over. We’d won, and life could go on.

I hugged Maddox one more time before he headed off to his Wrangler. I followed Derek to his BMW, and he popped open the passenger door.

“One more thing.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Let’s go see her.”

He kissed me softly. “Anytime you want.”

We drove out of town, and he pulled into the cemetery. We parked up front and walked the paved pathways. I stopped when I found Gramps and brushed away some stray leaves.

Then, I looked to Gran, buried next to her husband of fifty years. Her headstone read:

Meredith May Christianson

Daughter. Mother. Wife.

Derek wrapped an arm around my shoulders as I straightened.

I leaned my head against his chest. “I miss her.”

“I know you do,” he said. “She was an incredible woman. Just like someone else I know.”

“I hope that, one day, I can look back and say that I lived a life worthy of Meredith Christianson.”

He pressed a kiss into my hair. “You already have, and she’d be the first to say it.”

I smiled around my tears, twirling the wedding ring around my finger. He was right. Gran had always been so proud of me. We’d lost her too soon. Much too soon. But she’d known me for who I was. She’d raised me into the person I was.