The Biker in Lace

Chapter 15.

“Judge Jones.” Lacy and her father greets in unison when he takes his seat.

“Bradley said he will meet us here shortly.” Judge Jones starts to speak. “I assume we will be waiting for him.” He shuffles in to a more comfortable position, while Lacy quietly sits and studies the person next to her. She saw Judge Jones a few times before, but never really spoke to the man in person. To be honest she was always a bit afraid of the man with his cold formal demeanour. Never once did she see him relaxed or even just in jeans and a t-shirt, always dressed in his suits and always the professional man. He was always so distant and his reputation meant everything to him. In a way she can understand why, though. He is a judge with high standards after all.

“Lacy, I know you probably don’t want to be here, but I hope that you will give me the opportunity to explain everything once my son gets here.” Judge Jones voice came with a bit more warmth then what Lacy expected. “I know how you feel about my son and I am truly sorry for doing this to you.” His facial expression is genuine and for the first time Lacy can see a glimpse of care in his eyes.

“We will explain everything when Bradley gets here, but in the meantime I think it is important that you know that this was never intended to turn out this way. Please just keep an open mind and try to understand that marrying you and Bradley was the only solution we could come up with.” Mr. Cavanagh tries to reason with Lacy, knowing how stubborn and pig-headed she can be if she wants to be. Another knock sounds at the door and without a second’s hesitation Mr. Cavanagh’s voice again rings through the tense air. “Enter.”

Bradley’s big muscular build steps through the study entrance. His eyes immediately lands on Lacy where she sits next to his father. By just looking at her he can see that this is the last place she wants to be. ‘It’s the last place I want to be too.’ He thinks when he walks up to his father greeting him with his hand and then turning to Mr. Cavanagh to do the same. “Father, Mr. Cavanagh.” Then with a smirk he walks towards Lacy, knowing that she would not like what he will do next. In one swift motion he picks her up from her chair before plopping down in it and pulling her on his lap. Locking his arms around her middle she has no way of escape.

“Bradley Jones, what the hell do you think you are doing?” Lacy protests and hits his arms with her fists to try and get lose from his tight ironclad grip. “Let me go.”

“There aren’t any other seats left so I thought we could share.” He explains with a broad smile, making the two older men laugh.

“Let me go.” She hisses again with an exasperated eye roll, but Bradley still keeps his arms tightly wrapped around her waist.

“Lacy, please.” Her father reprimands her, hiding his smile before he looks at Judge Jones to start the conversation they are gathered here for.

Quieting down Lacy gives in with a sigh and stop fighting against the firm hold Bradley has her in. His body temperature seeping through her thin lace top feels comforting and Lacy cannot stop herself from relaxing into it. Feeling her body relax, Bradley pulls her closer to him dropping his head into the curve of her neck. The sweet smell of her hair is intoxicating and Bradley nestles his head a little more into it. “Why, father?” Bradley asks knowing why they are here, his head still comfortably resting on Lacy’s shoulder. He never likes beating around the bush, but sitting so close to Lacy calms him in some way, making his words seem less eager.

“Because of Joshua, we had no choice.” Judge Jones begins his face still cold and unemotional. “Joshua caused all of this, out of all the stupid stuff he ever did, this might be the most ignorant thing ever.” A small muscle starts to jump in his jaw, the exact same spot where Bradley’s jump when he starts to get angry. For the first time Lacy notice the resemblances between father and son, the same dark hair, the dark brown eyes and the strong jaw line. For a second Lacy feels like she is looking into time, seeing what Bradley would look like when he is older.

“Father, just tell us what he did.” Bradley says a bit annoyed.

“That stupid i***t added in his Will that you should get married to Amy Cole as some type of revenge on Josh’s mother. Whatever motivations my Father had to permit this stupid clause, I cannot fathom. I just know that I will never permit you to get married to a Cole. Ethan is bad news and I will not let you be part of that.” Judge Jones says adamantly. It still baffles his mind why Joshua had to drag his son into it. He himself did a few things he is not proud of or that would be seen as a crime from another’s point of view, but this is just outrages.

“Wait, we might know why he did it.” Lacy speaks quietly with a frown between her eyes, and then looking at her dad she gives a bit more insight for the two older men. “The letter uncle Joshua sent to Amelia so she would sign the papers for rendering all parental claims had Judge Jones Snr’s name in it.”

“Yeah, it said something about grandfather declaring her unfit, or something.” Bradley adds prespectively. “But, it still doesn’t explain why I am suddenly married to Lacy.”

“That was the only thing I could think of when your father came to me with the Will. I knew about Mary’s feelings for you, so when you told her that you did not feel the same I changed her name with Lacy’s on the wedding certificate. I knew that Lacy would not like it, but I could not put Mary through the heart ache of knowing that she is married to a man that would never love her back. Besides I don’t think it was the real deal. I changed the names not because I love her more or thinks that she deserves better, but because I know that you are stronger and will not let this get you down, but she would break.” Mr. Cavanagh drops his head into his hands feeling ashamed of what he did; he cannot look his daughter in the eyes. He has always tried to make her strong and prepare her for the worst, but this is too much even for the strongest person. How can one be married to your worst enemy and accept it when your own father were the cause.

“It is okay, dad. I know you tried to do what is best and I am glad you didn’t put Mary’s name on the certificate, because she loves Josh not Bradley.” Lacy admits. Lacy knows the responsibilities her father gave her as the future leader of ‘Falcon pride M.C.’ was to prepare her for the hardships to follow, but even without all the things she had to endure she would have gladly done this for her sister, if it meant she would have a chance at true love. “Josh went through enough and does not deserve to lose her too.”

Bradley’s arms loosen around Lacy’s waist as he lifts his one hand to put a strand of hair around her ear. “Thank you.” He whispers softly for only her to hear, knowing that she was willing to offer herself so her sister would find happiness even if it meant being married to him. His warm breath tingles on the rim of her ear and sends goose bumps down her spine. Turning her head in his direction she gives him a small smile in return, knowing that life with Bradley might not be as bad as she might have thought originally.

“Uhm.” Judge Jones clears his throat beside them giving an all knowing smile to Mr. Cavanagh behind his hand. Their eyes meeting in conspiracy as they both has the exact same thought enter their minds. ‘This might have not have been that bad of an idea.’ Clearing his throat again he shuffles in his seat, before speaking again. “I want you both to know that we did what we felt were the best. The Will was contested and we tried everything, but we could not stop the proceedings any further. Bradley had to be married by the end of this week or he would have to marry Amy. I do not know Amy, but like I said I do not want you to be married to the daughter of Ethan Cole. There is so many untruths that Joshua spread about Ethan, but to proof that it was just a plot from Joshua would be hard to accomplish. I know this might sound conceded, but a man in my position cannot be linked to the Cole’s in any way. Please try to understand.”

“Thank you for being honest and even though I am a bit pissed that you could think about your reputation again before anything else, I do understand why you did what you did.” Bradley says deciding that it would be better to accept this then to fight an already losing battle. Extending his hand towards his father he shakes his hand to show he accepts his father’s explanation. The moment he retracted his body from Lacy to shake his father’s hand felt like an emptiness wrapping its cold claws around Lacy making her shiver as she takes that moment to stand and escape Bradley’s hold. He gives her a questioning look, but he says nothing as he turns his attention back to his father.

“I am really sorry, but I did not know what else I could do.” Judge Jones says with genuine remorse. For the first time since Lacy knows him she could see real emotion edged on his face. “I hope you both can forgive me for this.” Judge Jones voice is soft and sounds almost as if it is close to breaking.

“Father, I understand why you did it, but what I want to know is what are we going to do about this?” Bradley wishes he could read Lacy’s mind. It would have been so much easier to know how she felt and what she thinks about the situation they are in. Somehow he has to find out what her thoughts are on this, but right now it would be impossible.

“I agree with Bradley, but even if we understand why it is still overwhelming.” Lacy says truthfully. Her facial expression shows that she is still deep in thought. “How long will we have to stay married?” She crosses her arms around her as she leans on the windowsill that is next to her father’s desk.

“Well…” Judge Jones begins, but gets cut off by Mr. Cavanagh. They did not really discuss this yet, and he just assumed that they will get the marriage annulled or even a divorce after they found a way to get past this clause in the Will.

“There is no choice for you, but to stay married, unless Bradley wants to marry Amy or has someone else he is in a relationship with. If he does decide to marry Amy you can get an annulment presuming you did not share a bed or has given anyone the illusion that you consummated your marriage yet and then you should keep in mind that it will ruin everything his father tried to prevent.” Mr. Cavanagh says with a serious look on his face. He counts on Lacy’s sense of loyalty he knows she possesses as he continues: “If you decide to annul this marriage without the intention to marry someone else or Amy the Will’s clause will take effect immediately. Like Judge Jones said there is no other way out of this.” Suddenly Judge Jones could understand exactly why Mr. Cavanagh interrupted him. This is exactly why Mr. Cavanagh is such a good lawyer. He is always one step ahead.

“Yes, kids unfortunately this is true. You can never get divorced unless Amy is married.” Judge Jones adamantly agrees.

“What?” Lacy asks surprised. She thought that this would be just a temporary arrangement, maybe a year at the most.

“Josh will just love this.” Bradley says defeated, rubbing with both hands over his face. “So you are basically saying that we will forever be married on paper and that even if Lacy ever finds the person that will love her unconditionally she will never be able to marry that person?” A pang of hurt shoots through his heart at the thought of Lacy ever falling in love with someone else, but he shakes it off, mentally storing it for later analysis.

“You will not be married only on paper, Bradley. You will be for all intents and purposes married. You will live like a married couple and act like a married couple. If this ever gets out that this is forced or involuntary the marriage will get annulled and all of this would have been for nothing.” Mr. Cavanagh pushes it a little further.

“I cannot expect Lacy to do that. This is our mess that my grandfather put us in. She has nothing to do with this.” Bradley’s voice is assertive as he stands from his chair, dead set on letting Lacy go and for his father to find another option out of this. If he had to marry Amy he would do it if that gives Lacy the chance to be with someone she loves.

“Bradley, can we talk about this?” Lacy asks just as Bradley’s hand falls on the door knob.

“What is there to talk about. I know you would rather marry a cactus then be forced to stay married to me and I refuse to let Joshua ruin yet another person’s life.” Bradley says stubborn as usual.

“So finally you admit that you are not a person?” Lacy asks unsure of why exactly this is so important to her.

“Lacy, this is not the time for your jokes. I know you don’t want this and to be honest…” Bradley rubs his hands over his short hair, trying to find the right words.

“To be honest, what Bradley? Amy would be such a better option then me. Isn’t that the words you are looking for?” With every word the hurt she feels fuels the rage that starts to fire up. Why she feels so hurt of what Bradley actually feels or thinks of her is confusing and the best way to get over her own unsure feelings is to turn them into anger.

“No!” Bradley yells before he opens the door. “Amy has nothing to do with this. I will not do this to you, because you deserve better.” Bradley says slamming the door behind him.

“So, when do I move?” Lacy asks with determination. If Bradley thought he was the only stubborn person in this room, he was wrong. She knows that this is basically her throwing herself at him, but the sense of duty compels her to help him. The only thing she cannot understand is why she feels like it is her duty. She could care less of what his father’s reputation would go under and as for Bradley she has no idea why she feels anything towards him. ‘She hates him, right?’ Maybe it was because her father asked it of her, maybe it’s the loyalty she feels towards her father that makes her stubborn in her decision.

“Lacy, you don’t have to do this.” Judge Jones assures her. He will be the first to admit that this was his problem and that he should never have dragged his friend into this. For once his reputation and pride did not have to come first. This is a lot to ask from someone and especially someone that can barely stand the person they are married to, but for some reason he thinks that their hatred towards each other might not be so much hatred anymore. Something changed and he could almost stretch out his hand and touch it.

“Bradley doesn’t deserve this and it will break Josh if he knew his father did this to his best friend.” Lacy says as she too walks to the door. “If you’ll excuse me I have some packing to do.” She says exiting the room.

“I always knew she was loyal, but I still cannot believe that worked.” Mr. Cavanagh says as if in a daze.

“I have to say, for a moment there I thought it’s over, but thanks to that stubborn streak your daughter has it all played out perfectly. Coo dos to you for the fast thinking by the way.” Judge Jones says still looking at the door where Lacy just left. “We must make sure to thank our good friend Joshua one day.”

“Have you found him yet?” Mr. Cavanagh asks while he pours a shot of whiskey for the both of them.

“No, but I have an idea where he is. I still cannot believe he could do this to his son.” Judge Jones says taking his glass from Mr. Cavanagh.

“I just hope there will be enough trust left between Joshua and Josh when he returns.” Mr. Cavanagh says looking out of his study window. “That kid has been through a lot and Lacy was right he blamed himself when I told him about the marriage clause in the will.”

“I just hope these two pig headed kids of ours will admit their feelings towards each other before we find Joshua. I know that the kids will not blame him, but I can understand why Josh feels the way he does.” Judge Jones adds taking a sip of the rich umber liquid swirling in his glass. He himself feels partly to blame for his own father’s hand in this.

*_*

“Hey sis, can I… What is going on here?” Mary asks as she walks into Lacy’s room. Everything is scattered all over her bedroom floor. Suitcases are lined and open on her bed. Some already packed and placed near the door.

“Oh… I’m moving.” Lacy says as if it is a normal everyday thing.

“What do you mean, you are moving?” Mary say confused with her hands on her hips.

“I’m moving in with Bradley.” Lacy says again nonchalantly.

“You got to be kidding me.” Mary says kneeling down to pick up some of the cd’s laying near the door. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yeah, why?” Lacy asked not in the least bothered about what she is about to do, her stubbornness blocking her from thinking straight.

“You know you just admitted to him earlier that you do not exactly hate him right?” Mary reminds her about the events earlier that day.

“I know, Mary, but it is either you or me and I will not let you lose your chance with Josh.” Lacy says turning to Mary and taking her by her shoulders. “I cannot let Uncle Joshua ruin Josh’s life even more, sis.” Lacy’s eyes are serious and Mary can see how important this is for her. “You are the only silver lining he can hold on to now.”

“Okay, so where do I start?” Mary asks pulling her sister in for a hug.

*_*

“What are you doing here?” Bradley demands when he opens his apartment door early the next morning.

“Moving in.” Lacy states when she walks past a shirtless Bradley. After they packed last night she and Mary was exhausted and fell asleep between the last two suitcases still open on the bed. This morning Mary helped her to pack her six fully packed suitcases in the family SUV and waved her off with questions of doubt still lingering in her mind, but Lacy knew she had to do this.

“No, you are not.” Bradley disagrees while he folds his arms over his muscled chest, momentarily distracting Lacy as she stares at his broad muscled chest. “You are not sacrificing yourself for something that my grandfather caused.” He adds adamantly.

“Y… uh… Yes I am. Uhm.” Lacy stutters then clears her throat to bring her thoughts back to the present. “Do… Do you mind… uhm… putting on a shirt… maybe… if you want to I mean.” She absolutely hates the fact that he can distract her by just having his muscles on display.

Catching on to Lacy’s uneasiness, a big bright smile forms around Bradley’s lips as he takes a step closer to Lacy. “Why?” He asks mockingly, pretending that he did not notice her uneasiness.

“Uhm… uh… You see it’s… it’s a bit… uhm… chilly… uhm… yeah… and we don’t want you to get a cold… now would we?” Lacy stammers again until, her mind catches up to her words and she ramble the last two sentences off.

“Chilly?” Bradley ask, feeling like he is about to burst from laughter, he feels the strains his last bit of self-control to add his last sentence nonchalantly. “It’s the middle of summer.”

“Yeah… but… uhm… there is a draft you see… and… uhm…” Before Lacy could get any further Bradley starts to burst into a full hearty laugh. “Yeah, sure, it’s so hilarious.” Lacy says in a board and unamused tone, while rolling her eyes at him. “So where is my room?” Lacy asks without waiting for Bradley to calm down from his laughing fit.

“Wait, what?” Bradley asks instantly sobered up. “You don’t have a room here.” He says still standing his ground. He will definitely not let her do this.

“Bradley, look at me.” Lacy demands. “We… Have… No… Choice...” With every word she pokes Bradley’s shoulder to emphasize the words. Swinging around on the balls of her feet she continues: “I will not let you ruin Mary and Josh’s chance for love and I will not let you hurt your father’s reputation.”

“What about your chance of love? Did you ever think about that, Lacy?” Bradley asks as he watches her walk to the large floor to ceiling window of his apartment. “You heard your father we can never get separated or divorced.”

“I know, but what about you?” Lacy counters his question. “Are you willing to marry a stranger for someone else’s stupidity?” Turning away, from the beautiful view of the park across the street, Lacy looks at Bradley before she asks the next question. “Do you really want to marry Amy that bad that you are willing to ruin your and your father’s reputations and your future as a Judge? Because if you are just say so and I will leave. If you want Amy… ”

Giving an exhausting sigh, Bradley drops his head from the Lacy’s investigative stare. Unfolding his arms from across his chest, he hooks his thumbs in the belt loops of his dark blue jeans, giving Lacy an extraordinary view of his ripped torso. “Lacy, I don’t want to marry Amy.” His interrupts her last sentence as his eyes find her inquisitive ones again. “I… I just can’t ruin your life anymore.”

“This is not on you, Bradley. This is on Uncle Joshua.” Lacy says reasonable. “The both of us are innocent in this and I cannot let him do this to anyone else either. Josh suffered enough.”

“I am beginning to see why Josh likes you so much.” Bradley says while bending his head down again and lifting his right hand to rub his fore head. “Okay… If you are sure about this, then we stayed married until we can find a way out.” Bradley sighs again, before lifting his head to look at Lacy again. Never did he think he would give in to her stubbornness or accept the fact that she is the only one that can help him with this situation.

“Thank you for letting me help you.” Lacy softly murmurs without making the promise to him, how can she promise him something she just started to realise herself. ‘I might never want out of this.’ Then turning back to the view across the street she adds in a more demanding and confident voice: “Now would you please put on your shirt?”