Whatever I Need to Do
Chapter 42
Phillip’s POV
Relief shot through me. I didn’t want Addison to know anything about this, but the whole
family was in on it. They supported her marrying me, and her aunt knew her preferences. She
also knew Addison’s ring size. I have bought her earrings and bracelets over the years. But I
purposefully avoided rings. I knew the one I wanted to give her would be the wedding set of
her dreams. I only wanted the best for Addison.
I had Kate and Alexandra on a mission after I spoke to her grandfather and her uncle Nash
about proposing. It was at Corbin’s birthday party in February. They were all happy that I was
finally moving forward. They understood the reason that I had gone so slowly. Addison had
been hurt. She is still hurt by the jerk who didn’t realize what a mistake he made. I knew
exactly what a treasure Addison was from the moment I met her.
It was Addison’s choice if she wanted to marry me, so I wasn’t asking for their permission to
marry her. I was showing respect to them both, as they were the most important father figures
in her life. I also didn’t want to mess up their relationship with my family. To me, this wasn’t
about business, but in our world, it always boiled down to business.
Alexandra and Kate told me her preferences. If Kate weren’t already slammed, I would have
had her create it as I knew it would mean even more to Addison. But we finally found the perfect ring just three weeks ago. Addison had been hard to nail down about what she liked.
She didn’t want to even think about marriage and nothing they came up with as far as ideas
worked. Not until her aunt said something about wanting a new ring. She had told Addison
that her old set was a bit old–fashioned for her now, and she wanted to get another one.
That ended up working perfectly. Addison was always willing to help her family and loved
ones, which is how I managed to snag a date with her in the first place. She was such a loyal
person, which is one of the reasons I fell in love with her. I was happy when Bryson had straightened up the lie he told her to get her to go out with me.
I was happy that her eyes betrayed her as they returned numerous times to a
three–and–a–half–carat princess–cut wedding set. It was gorgeous, and I only got married once.
It was usually twenty–six thousand dollars. I got it on sale for eighteen thousand and managed
to have the engagement band tweaked to be set into another piece. So, instead of just having
one wedding band. There would be two connected wedding bands, now cradling the
engagement ring. I wanted her hand to attract attention, no matter what she was doing, so I
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added the second wedding band.
It was already a gorgeous ring, but once I explained my vision. Kate was immediately on board and explained to them what I needed them to do. The final product was stunning when I picked it up. I thought so but wanted a woman’s opinion, so I took it to show her aunt and Kate the final result. They both agreed that it was perfect when I showed them the ring. It was going to be eye–catching in any light. That is what I wanted. For everyone to know that she is off the market. I couldn’t wait to give it to her. I placed the wedding band in a second box so she wouldn’t see the surprise until the wedding day.
I wanted my parents, sister, and Kate to be there for me to propose. The problem was, if they came, Addison would figure out something was going on. She just wanted a quiet BBQ for this
birthday. I also didn’t want my parents to be there if she turned me down. I was taking a risk
here, which could have gone either way. Alexandra recorded it for me. That way, I could show
them the video. Kate had made previous plans that day. But I knew my mother and sister would be ecstatic when they discovered that Addison had agreed to marry me.
Corbin getting down on one knee next to me had not been planned. I was surprised that he did
that. He was just supposed to give the ring to her. I got down as she started to unwrap it. He
almost made me cry, showing his support of becoming my son like he did. I love him as if he
were my child. The fact that he was happy for me to be his stepfather moved my heart. If I can
swing it, I plan to adopt him and give him my last name. I don’t know if Garrett is going to
agree with me doing that, or not. Even if he doesn’t. Corbin is still my son. I love him and want
to take care of him. The fact that he is not my blood changes nothing as far as I am
concerned.
I was not going to let Addison go back home alone. I know the whole story now, and I can’t
allow her to be at risk. I have already spoken to Colton and my team, and we are getting a plan in place. I will spend the night there at least four days a week, but I needed her Corbin to be
kept safe. Colton, a former special forces member, also has a friend who needs a job. He will take the night shift to ensure that nothing happens to her when I am not there overnight.
I have another concern, but I haven’t voiced it yet. I heard that Garrett had been seriously
injured early this morning. I had a suspicion several months ago and hired someone to look
into it. It seemed that Tammy had not just gone away like Addison initially thought she had. Tammy’s family was living in Tennessee, but she wasn’t. She had done everything right the six
months she was out of prison and then dropped off the face of the earth.
From the moment I knew the whole story about what happened to Addison. I had been concerned for her. I was not going to leave anything to chance regarding her safety. My gut told me that something was wrong, so I had him look into everyone involved in the case. Odd
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things started happening right after Tammy disappeared. Both of her public defenders had
been attacked in the six months following her disappearance.
The first attack was on her first public defender, Daniel Murphy, about ten months after Tammy was released. He managed to escape with just scrapes and cuts, as he saw two men in masks coming after him. He couldn’t give any description, so the trail went cold.
Tammy’s second public defender, Stephanie Simpson, had not been quite as lucky. She ended up being hospitalized for a week and a half. She had left the courthouse after a case at the end of November last year. Thankfully, they were stopped during the attack, or she might have
been killed. With both of her public defenders being attacked, it wasn’t a stretch to figure out
who was behind it. But with no proof and not being able to find Tammy to question her, both
cases soon went cold.
My investigator was positive that it was all connected with Tammy. He had gone to speak with two more people involved: Tripp and Alden. They had been surprised by his questions but had mentioned that they had gone to a club just last month and got jumped in the parking lot. They both said that they thought they had seen Tammy there. But when they went to look for her, she was gone. They had been a little more help than what we got from the first two. The two masked men had tried to jump them simultaneously, and had not been successful.
Tripp managed to draw blood on one of them by punching him in the face. He had been close to his attacker and saw that the man he hit had blue eyes. Blood was on his fist and his shirt from defending himself that night. Alden managed to rip one of the gloves off of the other attacker. They both told the police that their attackers were white males. They had filed a police report concerning the attack, as it happened in their college town. I told the investigator to ensure the police connected the dots and put out a BOLO for Tammy. It seemed like she
was settling scores, which meant Addison was in danger.
I was not going to leave Addison’s safety to chance. She was my fiancé. Mine to love, and mine to protect. I was not going to wait for Tammy to decide to come for Addison. I wanted
her caught as soon as possible. I wasn’t going to sit around wringing my hands. I was a
strong fighter. I had been in self–defense classes for over ten years. I was also the one who got Evan into self–defense. Addison might balk if I suggested it to her, so I had Colton and Evan do it. I was glad I had, as I was happy when she could defend herself and Corbin in the restroom
from Dina.
So, I will do what I need to do to keep Addison safe. She had no idea, just yet, that Tammy was
actively coming after the people connected with her case. It was common sense that she
would be coming for Addison. So, even though this is not the perfect time for her to want to go.
and redo her old house, maybe it is. She had Tandy and Russell next door. I will be there, and !
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will make sure that I hire another guy to ensure Addison is protected. It might pull Tammy out
of hiding so we can deal with her once and for all.
It doesn’t matter how much I spend to keep her safe. Addison and Corbin are my responsibility
now. I take their safety very seriously. I won’t let some crazy woman harm her just because
she is jealous of her. I had already told her aunt and uncle. Corbin will be safely staying here,
in their home. Nash hired security for their home after I spoke to him last week. The Nanny is
already trained, and Alexandra plans to work from home for the month after Addison leaves.
Most people don’t know about Corbin, which helps keep him safe.
We managed to keep everything out of the tabloids after the incident with Dina three years
ago. I am glad that Addison said yes. I was honestly getting worried. I know that she let her
feelings for Garrett die down. That is the second reason I will be there with her. I know how
hard it will be for her to return home and remember everything that went down. I will be there to take care of her, to be there for her in whatever capacity she needs me in.
Fiancé, lover, or protector, whatever Addison needs me to be, is what I will be. I made a mental note to ask Addison’s grandfather and Nash to help me push the police to test both the blood and the glove from the latest attack. That way, we can try to identify the men who attacked Tripp and Alden in the bar parking lot. It was not a coincidence. That way, when we catch them, and make no mistake, we will catch them. Both men and Tammy can go to prison for the attacks. I won’t let her get close to Addison. I know her end goal, and I will never allow Tammy to succeed with her plan.
