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“Why would you? He probably came across awkward, maybe even creepy.”
She nodded, confirming what he’d so astutely surmised.
“In order to spare both his and Ruth’s feelings, they went ahead with the interview process, even though they had no intention of hiring him. Unfortunately, Hank learned the truth of it and in his simple way of thinking, decided to punish you all for your treachery…” Summers trailed off. Knowing where he had been going with it, she finished his sentence.
“But in particular, me.”
“Yes.”
“So had Ruth not been so desperate to protect her son from the world, possibly this all could have been avoided?” Kane had to know, even if the truth was a bitter pill to swallow.
He didn’t get an answer.
Loud sobbing drew their attention to the entrance of the property. Flanked by two officers, Hank was handcuffed and being led out of his home. His eyes were wild with terror and he seemed utterly aghast at the circus his actions had drawn. He struggled against the two cops who had to drag him toward a waiting squad car when a silver Rolls Royce pulled up.
The black-tinted windows hid its passengers from view, but the crowd still gave a collective gasp at its arrival. A hush descended as they waited for whoever it was to appear. The doors were flung open as first Stonewall then his frantic wife emerged. They gave no attention to the now cheering crowd, their eyes seeking only one cherished face.
When they saw her, they hurried over.
Kane released Lexi’s hand, stepping away from her to give the family some respectful space. They embraced her, clinging onto her as if they would never let go.
“My Darling, thank God you are safe!”
Mandy’s shoulders heaved with tears. Even Stonewall couldn’t hide his.
“I’m fine,” Lexi reassured them. “Thanks to Kane and Bud, I’m safe now.”
They remained in their protective huddle until each were able to compose themselves.
Looking across at Hank, still struggling against the police who held him, Stonewall’s eyes narrowed into tiny slits. “I’ll have him thrown in prison. He’ll never see another day free if I have anything to do with it.”
Lexi knew he would make good on the threat. Yet, despite how afraid she had been at the time, all she could see now was Ruth’s distress — a mother’s distress. She looked so frail and broken, her entire world shattering right before her eyes.
She had been through so much already, having lost her husband when her son was so young. She couldn’t make her lose her son too, not when she loved the woman like a second mother.
She laid a hand on her father’s shoulder.
“No. I don’t want that.”
Stonewall looked at her as if she wasn’t thinking straight. His eyes began roaming her head, looking for signs of an injury the medical crew might have missed.
“He kidnapped you and would have done God knows what if he’d not been stopped.”
“But he didn’t mean to hurt me, Dad. He’s not like us. He has… problems. He doesn’t belong in a cell, he needs help. I’m happy to pay for it to make sure he gets the best.”
Stonewall looked like he didn’t know what had hit him. Kane, however, felt only pride and admiration. After everything she had just been through, not only did she not want revenge… she wanted to help him.
It was like he was suddenly seeing the world through new eyes. All of his previous objections, his excuses to why they couldn’t be together, vanished in an instant. She cared about his background, about as much as he cared for hers. He didn’t want her money or fame, and she didn’t care about his past or how he constantly relived it.
He had been so hung up on how different their worlds were when all that was important was how similar they were.
Nothing else was as important as the love he felt for her. Finally coming to this realization, a fire was lit beneath his feet.
He had to tell her… right now.
“We’ll talk about this later—” Stonewall began, clearly not quite as forgiving or magnanimous as his daughter when Kane took Lexi’s hands into his own.
Whatever Stonewall was going to say next died a death on his lips as he stared at the two of them, at his daughter who hadn’t pulled away and was in fact, leaning into him with some astonishment and dare he think it… delight. He heard Mandy inhale a breath, but she seemed to have no other response which unnerved him.
