Story of Us: Baxter Family Saga, #3

By Palessa

In Washington, secrets are a commodity best played cold​

Julian Baxter and Emiline Woodbridge were perfection together. Everyone knew it, especially his parents, Congressman Edward and Edith Baxter. But Washington politics has no use for happy endings.

Julian's love for Emiline was meant to last but not to survive. To save the Baxter family legacy from destruction, he's forced to break his own heart. They weren't his secrets. They weren't his lies but his sacrifice would force him to chain himself to a woman he barely knows much less likes.

The worst part is that Emiline would never know why he was doing it. He couldn't take the risk that she would try and stop him from executing his plan or, worse yet, forgive him. The cut had to be clean and cruel enough that he would hate himself more than she ever would. Julian Baxter's world darkened the day he walked away from the only woman he would ever love to the woman who would become his everlasting curse.

**CONTENT WARNING: Contains adult language, f/f, and sexual situations and is intended for adult audiences only. 18+ Only**

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palessa
• Release date: Jan 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524279806

Palessa

Palessa is the author of the Baxter Family Saga series as well as other stories. Her very first published book (aka author's trial by fire) is the interracial romance Unchained Hearts (Baxter Family Saga Book 1) . This crazy soap opera in a book is two love stories in one that opens the door to the life, love, tragedy, and legacy of the Baxters, a powerful, influential South Florida family. Jamaica-born, Miami-raised, Palessa currently lives and writes in the mountains of western Jamaica. In between working on a few other books and marketing projects, she farms, markets, and guffaws at her doggies and chickens and pigs (coming soon). Check out her blog, AuthorPalessa.com to see what she may be up to these days.

Book preview

Prologue

JILLIAN POE TOOK ONE final look at the information she had gathered for her client, Cass Baxter. It had been four, maybe five months since Kyle and Brandon's wedding and it had taken her all that time to dig deep into what she called the Virgilia Situation. Jillian remembered the glint that flickered that day when she told Cass there was some information in Joan's diaries, possibly regarding Virgilia. She didn't mean to give him false hope...that was when she remembered who she was talking about.

Newton Cassius Baxter was that rare combination of a man. He was tough, but not hard or callous. He knew what he wanted and went for it. Hope was in him, yes, but he was not about leaving things to chance and living in it. That was why she made sure no moss on any stone was left unexplored and her research took her all the way back to the beginning. Jillian was impartial because she needed to be, but what she found out had thrown her, and she suspected it would be the same for her client.

Grabbing her bag, she looked at her watch. It was time to get on the road and head to the island for their meeting. She made special note to ask that Grayson be present as this meeting because it impacted him just as much, if not more so than Cass. Just as Jillian grabbed her keys, her cell rang. It was Roxy's ring and she picked up immediately.

Where are you? Jillian had long since given up the regular pleasantries when it came to addressing her second. The two of them were too much on the same wavelength to waste time with his, hellos and how-are-yous.

I figured something out and am on my way to confirm it. You're going to have to meet them without me.

Is it about—

Yeah. I'm going to have to call you back later when I get there.

Fine. It's going to take me a while to give them the details anyway. Call, text, smoke signals, don't care. I just want to get that piece of the story right no matter what it is.

Click. Not even a goodbye; it was implied.

AS JILLIAN DROVE TO the place she dubbed Baxter Island, she went over what she thought were the salient points of the conversation she was about to have and realized that was the whole thing. It was amazing how these dynastic family histories all look the same on the surface until you pick up that magnifying glass. Just like every unhappy family has its own reasons for it, the Baxter family history, the start of their company, was filled with mine fields of information. She had to have Rory and ISYS help her figure it out enough to share it. It was both dense and spotty, but here was enough circumstantial evidence to paint a close approximation of the picture. Whether Cass wanted to see the full portrait was another story.

Jillian positioned her Lexus in the ferry and waited. The ferry swayed with the waves of the bay. It was soothing and relaxing. Looking through her tinted sunroof at the sky, she breathed deeply. Apart from the stream of jet fuel that scratched across her view, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Just light blue, bright and hot. There were two seasons in Florida—,hot and wet, and the humidity didn't discriminate. Despite that, she loved the blistering heat and the humidity, and would be hard pressed to give any of it up for four seasons or nor'easters.

The ferry docked. Jillian slowly made her way up the slight incline to the driveway, hearing the familiar pop and skip of the gravel. She parked to the side under the covering so that her car could stay somewhat cool and she wouldn't regret her leather interior as she had so many times before.

Maven, the Sage, as she secretly called her, greeted her. She had no idea where Cass had found her, but she always seemed to know more about what was going on with that house and the people in it than she let on.

Jillian, good to see you.

Jillian stepped in and a whoosh of cool air conditioned, well humidified air just encircled her. By all design rights, this house should have been cold and uninviting, but, as Cass confided in her once, his Lila wasn't going to have any of her designs come off as clinical. He said it with such pride that she could just feel how much he loved his wife even after all the years and trials they endured.

Maven, how goes it?

She smiled warmly. I'm just getting breakfast out and lunch in. I think you like lobster, right?

Jillian nodded.

How Maven remembered that she would never know, but then again, this being Cass' private home, there weren't many visitors here. Stepping to the side of the front door, Maven opened the small fridge and handed Jillian a bottle of cool water. She pointed down the hall. They're waiting in his office.

Okay. Jillian sighed. It wasn't that she was scared or nervous. She was the head of the private investigation firm that dealt with more than a few high profile, wealthy clientele on a regular basis. What she did was not cheap or common and that was why they wanted her. No. It was that this client was one of her favorites. She was fond of Cass Baxter and she knew that what she was about to tell him and Grayson may just knock them over. She just didn't want to do it, but it was her job.

The door was open just a sliver and she could hear both men laughing. She knocked, then entered, and two sets of eyes were trained on her. Grayson was the first to walk up to greet her cordially.

Good to see you, Jillian. Dr. Grayson Baxter was a well-known psychotherapist and criminal profiler. He helped many government agencies, including his wife's bureau, crack some of the more serious cases. He and his wife, Special Agent Carla Genny were a well-known team, and it was no wonder their daughter, Faith, followed in their footsteps and went into law enforcement herself.

Like Jillian, Grayson had black hair, but his was a full mane that was accentuated with silver strands that made him look even more distinguished and handsome. Then there were those distinct lapis eyes, poignant and mysterious. The question marks of his life disturbed him, but he would never let on, especially to his patients.

Getting up to meet her was Cass. Even though he was a sound professional, she could tell he had a roguish side to him. She sometimes saw hints of it in those unguarded moments of conversation. Unlike Grayson, he had shorter brown hair, bright green eyes and an unmistakable smile when he chose to share it. He was the one who looked like Julian Baxter, who died nearly a decade ago. Both men were crush-worthy as her niece would term it and she was more than aware of that fact, but today was different. Today, she was their sentinel.

I see you got the first bottle from the new fridge. Cass pointed to the water bottle she held. Maven made the request and I have to say, some of my executives could learn from her presentation skills. Costs, benefits, energy analysis, the works. I had no choice but to say yes. He chuckled and Grayson joined in.

Jillian smiled, but Cass could tell it didn't quite reach her eyes. It can't be that bad, Jillian. There it was, she saw it in his eyes. That hope.

She walked over to the table and put down her bag. Cass and Grayson followed. The truth is, gentlemen, for the first time in my career, I'm feeling some trepidation about what I'm going to be sharing with you.

To hear Jillian use that word, trepidation, gave Cass pause. Grayson, ever the therapist, just listened. Jillian was one of the bluntest women he'd ever met and for her to be reluctant about anything...Cass mentally braced himself. They situated themselves at the round table. Jillian dug through her bag and pulled out three folders, one at a time. The last one was much thicker than the other two combined. The brothers looked at each other.

Cass, when I told you I found Joan's old diaries, I really had no idea just what I'd found.

You told me over the phone that you were putting the pieces together.

Yeah, but I had no idea it would take me back to your grandparents.

Cass leaned over to her, his brows furrowed. Well, she was married to Julian, so it stands to reason that they would. Joan would know them, right?

Jillian nodded. But not to such an extent before she married Julian, who was engaged to someone else.

Cass sat back in his chair, looking at the wall.

Jillian then turned to Grayson. Joan also knew who your father was.

Grayson caught his breath. Even though he had consciously decided to just live his life and accept Julian as his father, there was always a part of him that wondered about his origins. It was perfectly natural to want to know where you came from, he would tell some of his patients. The truth was it was a story he didn't really know how to answer for his own life, which made each situation a bit ironic.

Not surprising that Joan was lying when she said she didn't know who my father was, but I had no idea that Edith and Edward were a part of the deal as well.

Opening her folder, she started. Edward was congressman-at-large for Florida back in the late forties, after World War II.

Cass nodded. Julian used to tell us Edward had a hefty hand in a lot of pro-business legislation during Truman and was on different committees, including some relating to foreign relations, finance, and business. His position allowed him to be flexible and active.

All true and accurate. Records confirmed it. But he may have also been an unwitting participant in some of the shadier aspects of the politics of the day.

Cass sat up straight. Wait a minute, Jillian. According to Julian, Edward was like an arrow. The man never took a dime under the table even when his colleagues were getting fat and rich off of the war efforts. He invested and built himself a good life for his family.

Jillian took a deep breath. She knew this was going to be hard for them to hear and Cass was not one to let what she said get past him without notice. Knowing the tack she was going to take even before she stepped foot outside her office was a part of her job, and came in handy especially now.

I get that, Jillian said, her voice even and authoritative. But it's likely that Julian was privy to only a certain amount of information and it's possible that Edward may not have even realized the hand he was holding, Cass. It was politics. It was a more open playground back in those days. A lot of the stringent rules that are supposedly governing it now were put in place because of what happened then. Look, I'm not saying Edward was a crook. What I am saying is that there's more to the story of your family than Julian knew or probably let on to you guys.

Christ! Cass knew Jillian. She was thorough. He found himself wondering just what kind of a can she had opened up.

Jillian looked at Cass and kept Grayson in the corner of her eye, who looked at them both, his arms folded. Her military training made it necessary for her to see all she could of her surroundings. During many meetings and business situations it became like a sixth sense.

She took out a black and white picture of Edward and Edith, standing in front of an old model Ford with the dome of the capitol building behind them and gently pushed it toward them. Edith looked pretty and smiling. She was dressed smartly in a fitted light colored suit, her hands in front of her, her shoulders adorned with a fur stole. Edward, dressed in the traditional suit of the day, that seemed to match the shade of his wife's suit, was to the left of her, leaning against the car. His hat was on the round hood, partially obscured by Edith, his other hand held back his jacket and rested comfortable in the pocket of his pleated pants. His left foot balanced on the toe of his loafers. An uncharacteristically relaxed pose for a Washington politician and that was why Cass loved that photo.

But with Jillian's trepidation in the back of his mind, he was forced to look closer at it now. For the first time he realized just how far apart Edward stood from Edith and wondered if the distance was more than just his imagination.

Rubbing his hand over his face and pursing his lips, Cass opened his own folder and saw old motel receipts and other copies of handwritten documents.

Looking over at Grayson, who was already perusing the contents, Cass nodded. Let's hear this story.

Hungry Heart

WASHINGTON DC 194—

With her raven hair rolled up in a stately chignon in the back and a bouffant in the front, Sadie MacManus looked up at the government office building. It was a pristine chalky white facade that had its own glow. Washington was where the magic happened, she thought. In her mind, it was nothing more than a stepping stone to Paris and Milan where she planned to make a name for herself as a top fashion designer. As she ascended the stairs, she smiled to herself. When some of her neighbors found out that she was going to be the new assistant to Congressman-at-Large Edward Baxter, they practically dropped their jaws. On each of their informal lists, he was in the top ten of dreamboats. She didn't have time for that trifle and saw this as nothing more than an opportunity to earn enough money to get more fabric reams. She survived during the day to live her dreams at night until she could live them all day long.

Sadie found her way to the office of the head administrator, Mrs. Bunker, and was escorted to the congressman's private offices. She walked in and noted the warmth of the glossy wood paneling. There was a desk close to the bigger office, from which she could hear a hearty voice having a heated conversation about protecting business in the country and England's economic woes. Sadie knew that was the congressman. The adjacent office was smaller and from it came a man, slightly taller than she was. His hair was thinning and he looked at them both over glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose.

Mr. Bumiller, Mrs. Bunker started, this is Sadie MacManus. She's the girl who came highly recommended from the agency.

Carlton Sonny Bumiller looked Sadie up and down, as was the custom of the day. But unlike some of the others, his gaze was more judgmental than lusty and Sadie found herself grateful for the distinction. She was an orphan, tossed away and not worth much in the eyes of many. She could handle judgment because she's been facing it her whole life.

When Sonny reached her face, he found a pair of icy violet eyes staring at him. She was a live one, he thought. She may just last in this job after all. He slowly stuck out his hand to her and she took it. Her