Vindicated, p.23
Vindicated, page 23
part #1 of Atlanta's Finest Series
“Dee Dee, I swear to you. I didn’t know until the middle of the night…before the shooting. Tymico and I were planning to talk to you about us the next morning, which was also when I intended to tell you about Homer.” Tears bloomed in his eyes and he batted them away. “I had no idea he would break into the house and…”
Dakota tried not to get emotional, wanting to believe he was telling her the truth about everything. She just didn’t know what to believe.
“How long…how long were you seeing Ty?”
“Almost five months.”
“Why? Why her? Why my best friend…my sister?” Dakota choked out, determined not to cry, but each time she thought about how she would never see Tymico again, a stab of pain pierced her heart.
“It just happened. We ran into each other at the airport. She was working, on a flight that I was on heading to California. When we landed, I invited her to dinner.”
Dakota remembered that. Tymico had called her that night and told her that she’d ran into Wesley and that they’d hung out. Dakota hadn’t thought anything of it. They were family. She remembered joking with Tymico, telling her that she should’ve chosen a more expensive restaurant to get Wesley to take her to. Never thinking that the two of them would eventually be sleeping together.
“We bumped into each other periodically, and we always had a good time whenever we were together.”
“Why didn’t either of you tell me? Why sneak around?”
“She wanted to tell you, but I…I just couldn’t. I didn’t want you to think I was some dirty old man or that I was using her.”
Instead, Dakota thought he was so much worse than that.
“I know you probably won’t believe me, but I loved her, Dee Dee,” he said, his voice full of emotion before tears leaked from his eyes. “I really loved her. I never intended to fall in love with her.”
Dakota wondered if he realized that the two women he claimed to love were dead, partly because of him. She didn’t have the energy to point that out.
“I’m sorry for everything I put you through, both of you,” Wesley said to her and Hamilton. “Please forgive me.”
Dakota glanced at Hamilton who’d been silently watching her from across the room and wondered what he was thinking. When she returned her attention back to her father, he looked more exhausted than she felt. She had never been able to stay angry with him too long, but too much had happened in the last few days.
“I need time,” she said.
He nodded. When he started struggling to keep his eyes open, they left him to sleep.
Dakota was so emotionally spent as they trudged out of the hospital, she could barely see straight. She and Hamilton didn’t speak until they climbed into his truck.
“What are your thoughts regarding all that my father said?” Dakota asked. She rested her head on the headrest, barely able to keep her eyes open. “Do you believe he’s really sorry for what he did to you? Do you think he was telling the truth about Ty?”
Hamilton stared out the front window and took so long to respond, Dakota thought he wouldn’t, but then he said, “I feel like I’ve been vindicated. I didn’t realize how much I needed for him to apologize, to admit he was wrong about me. I doubt we’ll ever be friends, but I’m willing to let him into our lives for your sake.”
Dakota wasn’t there yet. There would always be a special spot in her heart for him because he was her father, but the trust had been shattered. It was going to take a long time for her to welcome him back into her life.
“I believed him when he said he loved Ty. He seemed genuinely distraught, both at losing her and hurting you. I’m not going to make excuses for your father, Dakota, but I will tell you something my mother said to me after I left Atlanta PD. She said you’ll never be able to truly move on with your life without forgiveness.”
As Hamilton pulled out of the parking lot, Dakota thought about the last few months of her life. Her days with Hamilton had been like a dream come true, but then some of the things she’d experienced lately were like living a nightmare.
You’ll never be able to truly move on with your life without forgiveness.
“I have to forgive my father because I don’t want anything to hinder the life you and I are planning to build together.”
Hamilton held her hand and squeezed. “I’ll be right here to support you. I guess right now, though, we should head home since we have a wedding to plan.”
Dakota smiled, feeling so blessed and excited about her future with this wonderful man.
“Have I told you lately how much you mean to me?”
Hamilton brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “I think you might’ve mentioned it a time or two, but I’ll never get tired of hearing it. And I hope you know how much I love you.”
“Yeah, I do.” She grinned. “We’re going to have an amazing life together. I can’t wait!”
Epilogue
Three days later…
Excitement bubbled inside of Dakota as they stood in Judge Wallace’s chambers. He was officiating their wedding; a wedding Dakota thought wouldn’t happen for another few weeks due to poor planning. They hadn’t considered that they’d need an appointment to get married at the courthouse.
But as usual, Hamilton saved the day. He had provided security for the Judge earlier in the year and had called in a favor the day before. Now here they were, with Laz, Kenton, and Dominic as their witnesses.
“Now by the power vested in me by the City of Atlanta, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
“I’ve been waiting all day for this moment.” Hamilton’s strong hands went around her waist and he pulled her close. When their lips touched, pleasure ricocheted through Dakota’s body and a burst of fireworks shot off in her head. Hamilton had kissed her plenty of times, made love to her mouth like no one else, but this…this time was different. This time she was kissing her husband, the man she planned to spend the rest of her life with.
“Ugh, they always do this,” Dominic grumbled, and Dakota broke off the kiss, unable to hold back her laughter. She never knew what was going to come out of his mouth.
“This is what married people do,” Hamilton said, staring into Dakota’s eyes. “I’m going to be kissing my wife all day, every day for the rest of my life. So, get used to it, kid.”
Once they finished the paperwork and thanking the judge, their small wedding party filed out of the judge’s chamber. They hadn’t told anyone, except Laz and Kenton their wedding plans, but intended to have a large reception in a couple of months.
Since Dominic still had trouble keeping secrets, they hadn’t told him the wedding plans until they arrived at the courthouse.
“Man, wait until you fall in love. You’re going to be just like your dad,” Laz said, draping his arm around Dominic’s shoulder as they strolled toward the courthouse exit.
“I’m never kissing a girl. I don’t care if she is pretty.”
They all laughed.
“Yeah, you say that now,” Kenton jumped in, walking on the other side of Dominic. “Trust me, in a few years—”
“In about twenty years,” Hamilton corrected.
Kenton grinned and shook his head. “Okay, in twenty years, Dom, you won’t be able to keep the girls off of you.”
Dakota listened as they all went back and forth, telling Dominic what he could expect in the future. Dakota couldn’t ever remember being so happy. She had finally married the man of her dreams and couldn’t wait to start their life together. The only thing that would have made her wedding day perfect was if her best friend would’ve been there. She never imagined getting married without Tymico by her side.
As for Wesley, he was still in the hospital and Dakota made an effort to start her journey to forgiveness by visiting him daily. They actually talked without arguing, which was an improvement. She made arrangement for him to have a live-in nurse until he was fully recovered. Once she returned from her honeymoon, she planned to continue her frequent visits. They had a long way to go in rebuilding their relationship, but she was optimistic that it could happen.
“I’ll go and get the SUV,” Kenton said, slipping on his sunglasses.
“And I see someone I know. I’ll catch up with you guys a little later,” Laz announced and headed down the hallway toward a tall, black woman wearing a gorgeous gray power suit, looking like a total boss.
“Who is that?” Dakota whispered.
Hamilton grinned as he stared after his friend. “That would be Journey Ramsey. An attorney Laz is in love with. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
Dakota nodded slowly, looking forward to learning more details about the woman. Maybe while they were on their honeymoon, she could pry more information out of Hamilton. They planned to spend a couple of days at a hotel in downtown Atlanta, and then on Saturday, they were leaving for a week-long stay in Orlando. Dominic didn’t know it yet, but they were surprising him and his best friend with a trip to Disney World.
“So that was really your wedding?” Dominic asked Dakota, frowning. “That doesn’t look like a wedding dress,” he said of the floral sleeveless dress that she’d chosen that was both sexy, yet modest. “And aren’t you supposed to go to a church? There wasn’t even any music. Why did…”
“And it begins,” Hamilton said under his breath as Dominic followed them outside, asking one question after another, not caring if he got an answer.
Dakota burst out laughing. This was the beginning of her new life and she was happier than she ever thought possible.
“You know you’re stuck with us now, right?” Hamilton said, stealing another kiss.
“I know.” She grinned. “And you two are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t wait to start this new chapter in our lives.”
“Me too, baby. Me too.”
*
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About the Author
Award-winning and bestselling author, Sharon C. Cooper, is a romance-a-holic - loving anything that involves romance with a happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies, or real life. Sharon writes contemporary romance, as well as romantic suspense and enjoys rainy days, carpet picnics, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She’s been nominated for numerous awards and is the recipient of an Emma Award for Romantic Suspense of the Year 2015 (Truth or Consequences), Emma Award - Interracial Romance of the Year 2015 (All You’ll Ever Need), and BRAB (book club) Award -Breakout Author of the Year 2014. When Sharon is not writing or working, she’s hanging out with her amazing husband, doing volunteer work or reading a good book (a romance of course). To read more about Sharon and her novels, visit www.sharoncooper.net
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Other Titles
Atlanta’s Finest Series
Vindicated (book 1)
Indebted (book 2)
Accused (book 3) – coming soon
Jenkins & Sons Construction Series (Contemporary Romance)
Love Under Contract
Proposal for Love
Jenkins Family Series (Contemporary Romance)
Best Woman for the Job (Short Story Prequel)
Still the Best Woman for the Job (book 1)
All You’ll Ever Need (book 2)
Tempting the Artist (book 3)
Negotiating for Love (book 4)
Seducing the Boss Lady (book 5)
Love at Last (Holiday Novella)
When Love Calls (Novella)
Reunited Series (Romantic Suspense)
Blue Roses (book 1)
Secret Rendezvous (Prequel to Rendezvous with Danger)
Rendezvous with Danger (book 2)
Truth or Consequences (book 3)
Operation Midnight (book 4)
Stand Alones
Something New (“Edgy” Sweet Romance)
Legal Seduction (Harlequin Kimani – Contemporary Romance)
Sin City Temptation (Harlequin Kimani – Contemporary Romance)
A Dose of Passion (Harlequin Kimani – Contemporary Romance)
Model Attraction (Harlequin Kimani – Contemporary Romance)
A Passionate Kiss (Bennett Triplets Series)
Sharon C Cooper, Vindicated
