hopped on a plane to Vegas and got married that day. We spent exactly two days as a married couple before he had to leave.”
She met Hudson’s gaze and as if she could read his mind, she answered, “Leo didn’t want to rush our first time together, or link it to his leaving somehow in my mind. And he really didn’t want me to think that he’d married me just so he could ‘close the deal’ with me before he went off to fight for our country. So we didn’t. We spent our first and only two nights as husband and wife just sitting and dreaming up plans for our future together.” A faint wash of tears appeared before she blinked it away. “We were naïve, idealistic. We planned to have our perfect first time together the night he got home from the war, the night we could really start our future together.”
Pain abraded her voice as she finished, “He and four other men were the only ones unaccounted for when their chopper went down a few months later.”
“How long was he MIA before they found him?” asked Hudson gently, knowing far too well over the years what kinds of thoughts tortured the imagination when it came to reports of MIA soldiers.
“Leo’s remains were never recovered.”
He frowned. “But they found evidence—” There wasn’t really a kind way to say it…
“That he was presumed dead? No. None.” Lia closed her eyes and said softly, “His mother had him legally declared dead last year not long after the seven-year common law mark. And she did it behind my back.”
Hudson hissed in a breath—appalled for her, angered for her husband.
“Leo’s brother Drew and I found out after she got the death certificate. And while Drew actually had quite a bit of information that could have been used to overturn the ruling—existence of evidence to indicate the possibility of survival, Drew didn’t exactly obtain the information…legally.” She glanced around as if the trees might have ears. “Drew’s a hacker. And while he was willing to suffer the consequences the confession would have brought, I wasn’t willing to let him throw his future away.”
“I don’t get it,” Hudson pressed further. “Even without the evidence, couldn’t you get it overturned somehow as his wife?” Instantly, he wished he could call the question back when he saw frustration and anguish mar Lia’s expression.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry—”
“No, it’s okay. Leo’s mother’s lawyer informed me that if I fought the death certificate, they would fight back. Basically, they were prepared to drag in the fact that my marriage was never consummated, and since we’d never cohabitated or shown any other signs of a married couple to any witnesses, they were going to introduce the speculation that perhaps Leo had been persuaded under duress by me to make this rash decision just a few days pre-deployment. I’d only had a few months being married to him and they were prepared to tarnish every day of that short period completely. When Drew found out, he told the lawyers to stop. He vowed then and there he’d find another way. Then he told his mother to never speak to him again.”
Hudson was at a complete loss for words. His parents had never been in the running for any parental awards as far as he was concerned but Leo’s mom made them look like lifetime achievement winners in comparison. “Honey, that’s horrible. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I can’t even imagine why a mother would want to do something like that.”
“That’s the thing. She said she was doing it for Drew. Because he’d been so obsessed all these years with finding his brother that she couldn’t watch him continue to do this to himself. Horrifically misguided as her actions were, I had honestly believed her intentions were honorable, that she was trying to be a mother to him for once. Getting back at me, though probably satisfying, probably wasn’t a factor.”
“What do you mean?”
Lia sighed. “She
She met Hudson’s gaze and as if she could read his mind, she answered, “Leo didn’t want to rush our first time together, or link it to his leaving somehow in my mind. And he really didn’t want me to think that he’d married me just so he could ‘close the deal’ with me before he went off to fight for our country. So we didn’t. We spent our first and only two nights as husband and wife just sitting and dreaming up plans for our future together.” A faint wash of tears appeared before she blinked it away. “We were naïve, idealistic. We planned to have our perfect first time together the night he got home from the war, the night we could really start our future together.”
Pain abraded her voice as she finished, “He and four other men were the only ones unaccounted for when their chopper went down a few months later.”
“How long was he MIA before they found him?” asked Hudson gently, knowing far too well over the years what kinds of thoughts tortured the imagination when it came to reports of MIA soldiers.
“Leo’s remains were never recovered.”
He frowned. “But they found evidence—” There wasn’t really a kind way to say it…
“That he was presumed dead? No. None.” Lia closed her eyes and said softly, “His mother had him legally declared dead last year not long after the seven-year common law mark. And she did it behind my back.”
Hudson hissed in a breath—appalled for her, angered for her husband.
“Leo’s brother Drew and I found out after she got the death certificate. And while Drew actually had quite a bit of information that could have been used to overturn the ruling—existence of evidence to indicate the possibility of survival, Drew didn’t exactly obtain the information…legally.” She glanced around as if the trees might have ears. “Drew’s a hacker. And while he was willing to suffer the consequences the confession would have brought, I wasn’t willing to let him throw his future away.”
“I don’t get it,” Hudson pressed further. “Even without the evidence, couldn’t you get it overturned somehow as his wife?” Instantly, he wished he could call the question back when he saw frustration and anguish mar Lia’s expression.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry—”
“No, it’s okay. Leo’s mother’s lawyer informed me that if I fought the death certificate, they would fight back. Basically, they were prepared to drag in the fact that my marriage was never consummated, and since we’d never cohabitated or shown any other signs of a married couple to any witnesses, they were going to introduce the speculation that perhaps Leo had been persuaded under duress by me to make this rash decision just a few days pre-deployment. I’d only had a few months being married to him and they were prepared to tarnish every day of that short period completely. When Drew found out, he told the lawyers to stop. He vowed then and there he’d find another way. Then he told his mother to never speak to him again.”
Hudson was at a complete loss for words. His parents had never been in the running for any parental awards as far as he was concerned but Leo’s mom made them look like lifetime achievement winners in comparison. “Honey, that’s horrible. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I can’t even imagine why a mother would want to do something like that.”
“That’s the thing. She said she was doing it for Drew. Because he’d been so obsessed all these years with finding his brother that she couldn’t watch him continue to do this to himself. Horrifically misguided as her actions were, I had honestly believed her intentions were honorable, that she was trying to be a mother to him for once. Getting back at me, though probably satisfying, probably wasn’t a factor.”
“What do you mean?”
Lia sighed. “She
Similar Books
