My Ex-Boyfriend's Wedding (17 page)

"Your honor, my client is the innocent one in all of this," Dalton's counsel stated. She stood next to him, massaging his shoulder. The attorney was, of course, a beautiful woman with huge breasts in a skin tight skirt and blouse. Dalton's favorite.

She walked in front of the older male judge, hands out in a pleading motion, and continued, "He admits there had been an affair
before
the marriage, but has been nothing but the model husband—or at least tried to be—since the unfortunate mistake on his part. He is the victim of his new wife's abhorrent behavior and that of her father's, as well. She has filed for divorce for no valid reason, and her father has made it impossible for my client to find a decent job within a hundred mile radius. For this reason, Mr. Blackwell is suing Mrs. Blackwell for alimony in the amount of three hundred fifty thousand dollars a year until he is able to find gainful employment in this area, in his line of expertise, and relevant to his education. I do not feel this amount is extravagant or excessive in any way, considering his prior salary with Mr. McCallister's firm. I have supplied you with the documents required to file this motion, along with past pay stubs and bank statements. Please understand that my client has been left with no other choice, due to the actions of his wife and father-in-law. Thank you, your honor." She turned her back to the judge, winked at Dalton, and rejoined him at their table.

Kate's lawyer, a tall, distinguished man of about sixty, stood shaking his head vigorously. "Your honor, I am here to prove that Mrs. Blackwell is the victim here. The victim of the tragedy that is Mr. Blackwell himself. This marriage has been a farce from the moment they said 'I do.' Mr. Blackwell has cheated on my client and flaunted it in her face. The stress of which led to the loss of their unborn child and… \"

Dalton's attorney slapped her palms on the table and stood, bent over at the waist with her hands still firmly in place, undoubtedly affording the judge an excellent view down your silk blouse.
"Your honor, I understand this is an informal hearing, but I must object to such a statement. How can the opposing counsel possibly prove that my client caused Mrs. Blackwell's miscarriage? Though an unfortunate situation, my client is just as distraught over it as Mrs. Blackwell."

Dalton turned toward Kate with tears in his eyes.

Kate shook her head, her eyes wild with anger. "Take your hand out of your pocket and show me some real emotion."

Jemma pressed her free hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

The judge nodded his head in agreement, his gaze fixed onto her cleavage. "Your point is well taken, Ms. Cherry."

You have got to be kidding me. Cherry
?

Jemma couldn't contain it. A loud snort escaped, calling attention to the doors, and to her. She immediately backed away and let them close, clearing her throat in a feeble attempt to cover it up.

She nodded at the crowd milling by. "Allergies." She waited a few moments then resumed her post at the door.

The judge spoke. "This is a hearing for the sole purpose of determining if alimony is warranted on Mr. Blackwell's behalf. Due to the circumstances, the only way I see for Mrs. Blackwell to relinquish this is to prove that their marriage was never consummated and to have it dismissed through an annulment. It does not seem to me there is really any way to prove this, since Mrs. Blackwell was pregnant with Mr. Blackwell's child at the time. Would you have anything to convince me otherwise, Mr. Twibell?"

Dalton took on a cocky, arrogant look as he leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head.

Kate's attorney stood before the judge, nodding his head. "Actually, your honor, I believe that we
can
, in fact, prove this. I would like to call in a witness, if I may."

The judge looked back and forth between counselors and opposing parties with a look of intrigue. "It is highly irregular to call in witnesses at a hearing such as this."

Kate turned and looked toward the doors, and Jemma pushed her arm through to give her the thumbs up, which caught Dalton's attention. He turned and glowered at Jemma, his face contorted in a malicious pucker, his upper lip twitching on one side.

Both Dalton and Kate turned back toward the judge in unison to hear his decision.

"I will allow it."

Dalton whispered something in his attorney's ear. She bounced—parts of her more than others—to her feet. "Your honor, opposing counsel is calling an ex-girlfriend to the stand. What statement could someone, undoubtedly with revenge and bias as motive, possibly provide this court which could be taken seriously? She could not be considered a credible witness."

Kate's attorney tossed a knowing look at Ms. Cherry. "She could provide a picture that was taken at the wedding reception of Mr. Blackwell and his
other
ex-girlfriend, kissing in the hallway. I think that you will find this photo of the utmost quality and clarity. Your honor, I call Jemma Keith, wedding photographer, to the stand."

Jemma pulled both doors open in grand fashion and pranced down the aisle with her prized, enlarged photo under her arm. She sashayed past Tony and Mike, who'd been sitting behind Kate for support, and tossed them a confident wink. Sweet revenge coursed through her veins as she saw the deer-in-the-headlights look on Dalton's face.

She walked to the witness stand, and the portly bailiff sauntered over to swear her in. She placed one hand on the Bible and held the other palm out, toward the people.

"Jemma Keith, do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Yes, I do."

"You may be seated," the judge announced. "Counsel, you may address your witness."

Mr. Twibell approached Jemma. She sat carefully in the old fold-up chair that doubled as a witness stand. The butterflies returned with friends.

"Ms. Keith, I understand you took a photograph of the plaintiff and another woman in the hallway outside of his own wedding reception."

Jemma nodded and answered, "Yes, sir."

"Would that happen to be it on your lap?

She nodded again. "Yes."

"Could you please show it to the judge?"

Dalton's attorney did her palm-slap-slash-breast-flash again. "Your honor, this is an outrage. I don't know how a photograph can prove anything. Even if it were time and date stamped, those devices can be tampered with."

"Ms. Cherry, I said I would allow this witness. Please sit down." The judge turned his attention to Jemma and reached out a fleshy hand. "May I see the photograph, please?"

Jemma looked at Kate's attorney. He nodded his head toward the judge. "Of course, sir. I mean, your honor…sir." She pulled the paper bag away from the framed picture and handed it to the judge.

"Well, you went all out on this piece of evidence. I don't know that I've ever had one framed before." The judge chuckled and held the picture in front of him, staring intently.

Jemma turned her attention to Dalton and his attorney, who whispered in his ear. He appeared to have quit breathing, frozen in his seat, awaiting the judge's next words.

"Mr. Blackwell, would this be the same tuxedo you were married in?" The judge's firm voice boomed through the courtroom.

Dalton's eyes shifted from his attorney and back to the judge several times before he stood. Ms. Cherry tugged at his jacket sleeve in an attempt to bring him back to his seat.

Finally, Dalton's silence broke in outrage. "Your honor, the woman who gave you the picture wants nothing more than to ruin me. She tried to stop the wedding by cornering me several times."

Ms. Cherry broke in. "Mr. Blackwell, please sit down."

"The woman on the stand cornered me in the hall outside of my reception and kissed me. She's the reason that my wife lost her baby the night of our wedding."

Ms. Cherry dropped her face into her hands and groaned.

Jemma's blood began a slow boil, and she fought the urge to stand up and tell Dalton to go straight to hell. She grasped the wooden banister in a death grip, ready to jump to her feet and beat him with the picture. She glanced at the judge, who appeared completely taken aback by Dalton's outburst. Inhaling a deep, cleansing breath, she sat back and waited to see what he made of Dalton's supposed confession.

The judge huffed. "Let me get this straight. By your own admission, you kissed another woman in the hall
after
your wedding. You also admit that your wife of, what? An hour? Knew about it, thus causing her to miscarry." He shook his head and banged his gavel. "Well, that leaves me no other choice than to grant Kate
McCallister
an annulment and cancel your request for alimony. I will have the corresponding paperwork sent to your offices, counsel. That is all." The corpulent judge rose from his seat.

Dalton stormed toward him in a rage. "You don't understand! That woman ruined my life! She's taking everything away from me and enjoying every second!"

"Sir, if you don't close your mouth and leave this instant, I will have you arrested for contempt. Is this understood? We are through here."

Dalton's jaw clamped shut, and his lips pursed tightly against his teeth. His face burned bright pink, veins bulging at both temples, as he clenched his fists at his side. He belligerently shoved Ms. Cherry out of his way and stomped out of the courtroom, slamming both doors open against the outside walls.

Jemma cleared the three stairs from the witness stand in one leap, crossed the short span between her and the defense table in seconds, and scooped Kate in a giant hug. "You're finally free of that pompous ass!"

Kate pushed Jemma back to arm's length. "No,
we
are free of him now. It's time for us all to get on with our lives and loves." She turned her head and beamed at Tony and Mike.

The girls separated and slipped into the awaiting arms of their men.

Tony whispered, "I thought for sure you were going to get yourself kicked out of court. You had that look in your eyes; the look of a woman on a mission."

"Yeah, I was about to tell him where to go and exactly how to get there, while simultaneously bashing him over the head with the picture and the judges gavel."

Tony dropped his forehead to hers. "I think he's in his own little hell now. No need for directions. Would you like to go somewhere and celebrate?"

Without being invited, Mike chimed in, "We'd love to go!"

Tony raised an eyebrow and stared into Jemma's eyes, which she immediately rolled into the back of her head. "He undoubtedly thought of food when you mentioned a celebration." She turned to her brother. "Okay, how about we all meet at the coffeehouse?"

"Sounds like a plan," Mike answered. "We all drove separately though, didn't we?"

"That's okay," Kate interjected. "There shouldn't be a problem with parking this time of day. We can just meet there."

"Where did you park?" Tony asked Jemma as they walked out of the courtroom doors. Kate and Mike continued walking on down the hall and out the main front doors.

"I'm over in the garage. I saw that you got a spot right out front. How'd you pull that one off?"

"The right place at the right time. A guy was leaving as I got here." He leaned in and kissed Jemma softly on the lips. "Drive carefully, and I'll meet you there."

Backing away from him, she waved. "I will." She turned around and trotted toward the four-story parking garage, her dress shoes clacking
on the pavement. When she got out of the elevator on the nearly empty third floor, gas and oil fumes accosted her lungs, making her cough. Her car was only a few spaces away, so she rushed toward it, hoping to get away before the smells overpowered her.

She slipped her fingers under the door handle, and her ears perked at a slight groaning sound coming from the floor below. A familiar man's voice followed. "I told you not to fight me, didn't I?"

Dalton?
Jemma dropped her purse, kicked off her shoes, and flew down the flight of stairs, taking them two and three at a time.

Just as she barreled out of the stairwell, Dalton pushed a gagged and bound Kate into his backseat. Her pleading gaze locked with Jemma's for a brief second before he slammed the car door closed.

"What are you doing?" Shock seized her body. She stared at him, unable to completely process the whole scene.

"Oh great." Dalton tossed his hands up, threading his fingers through his hair, and shook his head. "It didn't have to be like this. I told you to erase the picture, that it wouldn't solve anything. Now, it's hurt Kate. If you'd deleted it, I'd have my alimony money and would've left everyone alone. You, more than anyone, know that I have nothing left and nowhere else to turn. You just had to have your way, didn't you?"

"Let Kate go, Dalton. Let her out of the backseat and leave. I won't tell anyone this happened." Jemma inched closer to the car, her hand out in front of her, pleading. Stacy sat in the front seat, looking anywhere but at her.

"Oh, sure, like you didn't tell anyone I came to your house the night of my wedding? Like you didn't have a restraining order placed against me? Yeah, I'll trust you not to say anything." Anger and hatred mingled with the sarcastic, sadistic ramblings.

"I never told anyone about it. It was for my peace of mind. Just go back to your mom's in Kansas City and mull this over. Things will be clearer when you let go of this rage and step back from the whole mess." She wasn't exactly clear why she was edging closer to him; she just knew she couldn't allow him and Stacy to leave with Kate. There'd be no telling what they would do to her. She placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "Please, Dalton?"

He shoved her hand away. "How dare you ask me for anything, you scheming bitch!" He grabbed her by the shoulders, his fingers pressing through to the bone. "This is
all
your fault. Whatever happens to you is what you deserve for causing all of it. Do you understand?" Dalton punctuated every syllable with a brisk shake, turning Jemma into a rag doll.

"Stop it; you're hurting me!"

"You haven't seen anything yet." Dalton hurled her onto the hard concrete floor.