Half Empty (First Wives #2)

Dearest Fedor,

These letters are coming to you from your half sister. I have no doubt she is reading these before they come to you. I have absolute faith that she has investigated Natasha’s death and has learned who her father is.

I could not prevent her mother’s death any more than I could stop cancer from killing me. I have done everything I could to give Sasha a life and the skills she would need to survive if the day ever came that Ruslan learned she was alive. I used charities to disguise the path of money given for her education and home during her young years, and then hired her to watch over you and Trina from the moment you married.

I hope my deception is met with understanding. Your father’s reach is so vast that had he known she was alive, or worse, that I was her secret benefactor, he would have had her killed.

Now she has the skills to learn of her heritage and stay alive. I pray, out of some loyalty to me, that she honors my wishes and delivers these letters to you.

Family is all you have when you leave this world.

I hope you all find it in your hearts to accept each other.

While your bond is through a monster, that doesn’t make either one of you evil.

I love you, Fedor. And I have grown to love your sister as if she were my own.

My last letter will come after the anniversary of my passing.

The delay is my way of giving your father time to make some kind of mistake that Sasha can use against him. I have left your sister a tidy sum to help in her efforts, and hope that if she needs more you and Trina will provide it for her.

But I doubt that will be needed.

It seems Trina has a very powerful group of friends that, once they learn of these letters, will see to it she is safe.

Be kind to one another.

With all my love,

Mama

The last two letters weren’t opened. They came directly from the law offices of Dwight Crockett.

Dearest Katrina,

I know you care for my son. Although I had hoped it would be deeper than what I know to be true. I can’t, and won’t, ask you to return the estate to him. To do so while Ruslan is still alive simply puts a target on his back. Ruslan can’t get to you. I’ve seen to it with my choices.

I have seen your heart and know you will do the right thing if the day ever came. I have been honored to call you my daughter-in-law, if only for a short time. I’m humbled that my son loved me so much he would take such extreme measures to see me smile in my last days.

Be kind to each other.

All my heart,

Alice

My loving son,

It pains me to say goodbye but know I am no longer suffering, and I am watching over you. If there is a way to reach out and prove I’m there, rest assured I will.

Your aunts will always see to your needs, you know that. Money has never ruled your life, and I’m certain you won’t let it now.

I love you.

Mama

Trina finished reading the letters and waited for Wade to catch up.

It took well over an hour before they could talk about them. Even then, it wasn’t to go over any single piece of information, but to discuss the collective whole.

“So what now?”

Trina sat up on Wade’s balcony, overlooking the vast span of his property. The world worked below while she stretched out on a lounge chair, contemplating life.

“I’ve already tried to give back everything to Diane and Andrea. They refused. Said they wanted family more than the money. They thought, with everything that had happened, I’d find plenty of ways to spend my share of the company that would prove worthwhile. They said if it wasn’t for me, Ruslan would have never come to justice and would always be a threat for them and their own families.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You have a whole lifetime to figure it out.”

“First thing I need to do is sell a few houses.”

“New York?”

“That’s the first to go. Avery wants to fly back next month and continue where she stopped.”

“You’re kidding.”

Trina didn’t like the feeling in her gut about the whole situation. “She’s battling some personal demons. I’m going to go with her.”

“You sure about that?”

“It doesn’t have the hold on me that it once did. But if you wanted to come along . . .”

“Is there a question?”

“Of course there’s a question. I’m not assuming anything. Well, other than spending all my time here at your place. Stella and the Folsoms think I’ve abandoned my place.”

“You should sell.”

She tilted her head to the side. “I’m not selling.”

“Fine, keep it. But we won’t be there very often.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah, if we have a fight, I’ll sleep on the couch like any normal man, not let you leave to your own house three hours away.”

“You and I don’t fight.”

“I’m sure we will. Every couple argues.”

“We’re not like every other couple.”

He leaned back, tilted his hat until it shaded his eyes. “Are we going to fight over not arguing?”

“That’s an oxymoron.”

“You can disagree with yourself. I’m thinkin’ of takin’ a nap. You’re wearing me out all night long with your overactive sex drive,” he said as he smiled under the brim of his hat.

“I’m wearing you out?” She kicked his boots off the railing, and he jumped up and pulled her out of her chair.

“Someone is feeling much better these days.”

“Someone is. Now grab your purse, we need to go shoppin’.”

“Shopping?” She glanced at the bed in the room just beyond the porch, hoping to exercise her sex drive.

“Yup. We need some boots, and a hat. Two hats, one for here and another one all blinged out so I can take you dancin’ tonight.”

“You’re finally gonna dress me for the part?”

He lifted her hands and kissed the backs of both of them. He paused over her ring finger and gave it a hard stare. “Darlin’, when I get done dressing you, there won’t be a soul on this earth that doesn’t know you belong to me.”





Epilogue

Three Months Later

“You know, as First Wives Club meetings go, this one has to be the best.” Avery lifted her glass of champagne for a toast. “To Lori, with her newly engaged badass self.”

Lori beamed while looking at the ring Reed had finally put on her finger a month before. Wedding plans were in the works, which gave the four of them plenty of time together while they hammered out all the details.

Trina sipped the sparkling wine in celebration before scooting out of the way of one of the stagehands.

The four of them sat in the wings of the concert hall, waiting until the very last second to walk down to their front row center seats.

Since she’d met Wade, this was the first concert she’d attended. Everything inside of her buzzed with excitement. The guys in the band had welcomed her into their fold with warm hearts and big hugs. They liked how she made Wade smile, and the music he was working on was a windfall for all of them. At least that’s what the band had told her.

The roadies were finishing changing the set from the warm-up band as Wade and his guys walked through the backstage crowd.

Wade let out a whistling catcall and snagged Trina around the waist. “I’m taking this one, boys,” he teased his guys.

“It’s the hat, isn’t it?” Pure cowgirl and picked out by her own country stylist. Even Wade’s mother liked it, and that woman never approved of anything dealing with Trina.

“You can have her. I personally prefer blondes.” Luke winked at Avery.

Avery waved him off with a turn of her head. “Oh, hell no. I’m out. See ya down there,” she called as she walked away.

“Dude, she just dissed you hard,” Sebastian teased Luke.

“Don’t take it personally, Avery doesn’t like musicians.”

“Except me, she loves me.” Wade patted his own chest.

“Don’t flatter yourself. She tolerates you.”

Wade swept Trina up for a kiss. “What about you?”

“Oh, I love you, but I only tolerate so much.” She slapped his butt.

“Break a leg . . . or whatever one says before a concert,” Shannon said before following Avery’s lead.