The stone-faced giant had ultimately given in and was driving me to the office, only because the other option I’d offered was to drive myself. Apparently, there was no universe that would allow such a thing, making him more frustrated with me.
“Without the doctor’s approval,” Beau muttered through gritted teeth. He kept his gaze fixed stubbornly on the road ahead.
I gave an exaggerated eye roll and dropped my head on the seat’s headrest. “Beau, I did what you said. You were right. There’s a process of healing. You’re a miracle worker. I’m getting myself back more and more every day. Going to the office to sit behind my desk… It takes nothing out of me and does everything to help my perspective.”
“Pfft,” Beau said. The single syllable was loaded with tons of contempt.
“Did you justpfftme?” I asked, irritation bubbling up as we circled back to the argument we’d had all morning. “What’s that even mean? And Ipfftyou right back.”
“Pfft,” Beau said louder, dismissively. “You lied to me.”
“No, I didn’t.” At least he shouldn’t know any of the half-truths I’d told him since we first met. “When did I lie?”
Beau finally looked at me when he turned into my designated parking spot in front of the law firm’s front doors. His expression was one of betrayal and resignation. “Go on to the place that matters the most to you,” he said, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. His other hand tossed out in a silentpfftthis time.
“You know that’s not true, Beau. I haven’t been here in six weeks.”
“I know that you were always overdoin’ your rehab, walkin’ the house with your walker until exhaustion. So much for my miracle healin’ abilities,” Beau said bitterly, turning his head forward, refusing to look at me.
So much for being sly. My heart sank. “I only did what the therapist suggested.”
“Lie,” Beau repeated, his voice final and unwavering.
“Please don’t have me going in there like this. It’s already overwhelming to consider the sheer volume of work waiting for me. It’ll be a challenge to get caught up. This office pays our bills. I need to get a rundown on what’s happened while I was away,” I explained, staring at the etched glass of the entry door. My law firm. I was proud of my accomplishments. The journey wasn’t easy, but he and I did it together.
Physically, I was still a shell of the man I once was. The suit I chose to wear today was one I wore ten years ago when I was much younger and way hotter. At a time when my hair was mostly blond, but I was regaining weight and muscle. My lungs were still struggling, but I knew the signs to watch for. I didn’t plan to overdo it. There was literally no reason to keep me from the office.
“Since we’re suddenly ready to get back to normal,” he started, his tone clipped, “I spoke to our banker. Any account I’m on has minimal funds. Why don’t I know that we don’t have money? And I’m reimbursing Carter because I get that he’s been takin’ care of us. That’s my job, and I’ll borrow from my 401K.”
Wow. How had I not realized how thick Beau’s calves had to be from all the jumping to conclusions he was doing. When I took over our finances, I vowed to take care of our family. How could he think otherwise? Every dollar I made went to the betterment of us.
I didn’t try to justify a thing. Walking a few laps around the interior of our house shouldn’t make anyone angry. I reached for the door handle, pushing it open. My increased heart rate messed with my breathing which wasn’t good. I hopped out and managed a slight slam as I sent the door flying shut behind me.
Beau
I didn’t know how long I planned to sit in front of Dash’s office, but I was three hours in, and my face was fatigued from holding an angry glare. My arms were tired from being crossed, fist tucked under my forearm to help hold the flex.
The sudden ring startled me. My mom’s name appeared on the screen, allowing me to relax the tense hold, and I reached for the accept option.
“Hi, Mom,” I said kindly because I wasn’t the militant monster Dash accused me of being. I was head over heels for my guy. But he wasn’t the only one navigating the healing phase of his random, unexplainable, and nearly deadly illness. It was tough watching him banging on death’s door.
“Hey, babe, I have some news I want to discuss with you before we proceed,” she said.
“Okay, what’s up?” I asked cautiously.
“The land behind your house, extending from the back of the grove of trees to the property behind the Lee’s house is for sale. We’re considering purchasing it to build our primary home. We’d like to be closer to the kids, you know that. What’re your thoughts? If it doesn’t sound like a good idea, tell me.”
“I’m completely fine with it. I’d like to see Kailey more. The kids are crazy about you and Carter. Amelia refuses to slow down and take some time off. Maybe she’ll trust you with the kids. She has this weird belief about how Dash being in the hospital means something dark was surrounding us. I don’t know. I didn’t understand her explanation. She needs downtime to sort through all her feelings. Can you build it now?”
“I had my worries we’d be a little too much for you. It’s funny how we’re back to the same place I started my life. You went off and crafted this fabulous life for us all. I’m excited…”
I glanced back at the office. Five or six of Dash’s employees surrounded him, standing in front of the lobby window. Dash lifted his hand in a patronizing wave, or maybe not. Perspective rapidly evolved for me. He did look better; his playful spark was back. My guy might be tough with everyone else but tried to be kind and present for me.
Dash moved from the group, heading toward the main entrance like a man on a mission. In a flash, he was rushing to the truck.
“Mom, I’ll call you back.” My finger pressed the end call button before I finished the sentence.
He flung open the passenger door, his intense stare locked on mine as he hopped inside. “Get us somewhere private,” he murmured, working quickly to latch the seat belt in place.
