Read Online Broken Vows (Domestic Discipline Romance) by Mariella Starr - Free Book Online

encouraged them to forgive their past faults and move forward with a renewed commitment to making their marriage work. It was exactly what Josh and Jenny had already agreed to do, so they readily embraced the pastor's ideas. Pastor Daily also suggested Josh try working off his anger and frustration with exercise. Since Josh's anger was more of a direct result of interactions with his mother-in-law rather than his wife, he was not getting much exercise.
    A dramatic and welcome side effect of cutting off Denise's access to their credit lines was she was around them a lot less. When she did come to the house, she continued being condescending and critical. Twice now, Josh had felt compelled to ask her to leave. He did not have a problem evicting Denise from their home, but such actions upset Jenny.
    * * *
    When the front doorbell rang, Josh gave Emmie a piggyback ride to the door.
    "Mr. Grayson?" a man asked as he stood on the threshold.
    Josh braced himself. He was expecting a subpoena from his old company demanding he turn over the Richfield Towers plans until the courts could decide their ownership. He set Emmie down on her feet and answered warily, "Yes."
    "My name is Thomas Mitchim and I am an attorney. I represent…."
    "Mr. Mitchim, stop right there, you need to speak to my attorney, Tyrell Grayson. Anything to do with the litigation must go through him."
    "I am sure it does, but I am not here about your litigation with Pugh and Barkley," Mr. Mitchim said.
    "Oh, I apologize," said Josh. "Their attorneys have been trying to contact me directly rather than through my lawyer."
    "Tyrell Grayson's reputation precedes him. I would probably want to avoid him, too," Mr. Mitchim said with a hint of a smile. "However, what I need to discuss with you, Mr. Grayson, is something I assume will be good news. I am, in fact, here to represent you."
    Josh frowned, "In what way?"
    "I don't mean to be forward or rude, but could we take this inside?" Mr. Mitchim asked as he took a deep breath and pointed down to his foot encased in a cast.
    "I'm sorry, of course," said Josh politely stepping back out of the way. Mr. Mitchim moved past him, limping and leaning heavily on a cane. He went straight to the closest chair where he immediately sat down. Belatedly, Josh realized it might have been a ploy to gain entry. "This better not be a trick to serve me with papers or something."
    "I can assure you it is not, and I do apologize for any misunderstanding," Mr. Mitchim said. "I probably should have called ahead, but this accident has already delayed me quite a bit."
    Josh glanced at the man's cast, again.
    Mr. Mitchim grimaced, "It is not life threatening or limb threatening, but I will not be skiing this season. I stepped out my back door and tripped over a paving block. There are three broken bones in my foot and two broken toes. I can honestly tell you I will be a lot more sympathetic the next time I see someone in a cast.
    "For the record, are you Joshua Nathaniel Taylor Grayson?"
    "I am, except I dropped the Taylor name years ago. I took the Grayson name when I was sixteen," Josh agreed. He pulled out his wallet to show his driver's license.
    "That is not necessary. If I were not already one-hundred percent sure of your identity, I would not have knocked on your door. You are the grandson of Harold Nathaniel Bentley?"
    "I wouldn't have any idea." Josh shook his head. "The only thing I know about my birth family is my mother's name, Charlotte Taylor. My birth certificate says father 'unknown.' My mother abandoned me when I was six years old. I barely have any memory of her, and I have not heard from her since then. If this is some sort of plea to reunite with her, you can forget it. I am not interested."
    "Mr. Grayson, your mother, died in 1993," Mr. Mitchim stated. "At the time, she was married to a man named Frank Bridges who was her fourth husband. They had been married six years before they were both killed in a motorcycle accident. No