No. He wasn’t. Not right now.
“Rhys might need one of your legendary relationship chats,” Wes managed, choking on laughter.
Yeah, Wes was a dead man.
Whatever he saw on Rhys’s face made him laugh harder. Or maybe that was Vivian’s silence. When she zipped her lips, Rhys had a problem. The quiet lingered, making his problem grow to epic proportions.
“Why do you think that?” Vivian finally managed.
“Yeah, Rhys,” Wes said. “Why might I think that?”
He’d wipe that shit-eating grin off his buddy’s face when their boss wasn’t listening. “No reason.”
“Dum dum da-dum,” Wes hummed a wedding ditty, somehow still laughing, still smiling, still unaware that Rhys was seconds away from forcing his mouth shut.
“I can’t deal with you two,” Vivian snapped. “Rhys, you and I will chat later.”
A headache pulsed behind his eyes. “Got it.”
“In the meantime, both of you, stick with Jules Lowry like you’re a scar that can’t fade. Do you understand me?”
They muttered an affirmative, and Rhys pocketed his phone. “One day, when you least expect it, there will be a woman you can’t walk away from.”
“Right. Like that would ever happen. I don’t do relationships.” Wes opened the door. Bright fluorescent light flooded into the small viewing room. “But you do. Let’s get your girl, see what she needs, then grab a beer.”
Rhys grumbled. Those three things were exactly what he needed to do. Not that he’d give Wes an iota of agreement.
“Come on, big guy. Don’t fight it. You know this whole thing is funny.”
“A stalker and the fire? Not funny. You know what is? Absolutely jack shit.”
“Nope. I’ve been predicting you and Jules would get together for years.” Wes preened. “Years.”
Wes wasn’t wrong, but Rhys ignored him.
They followed the hallway until they found Jules with Sloane in a private conference room with their heads bent together. When Jules tipped her head back, her eyes were red-rimmed and glassy. She’d been crying. Tear streaks stained her cheeks.
She fell into Rhys’s arms. He gathered her close and let her bury her face in his chest. Jules wasn’t performing, wasn’t managing emotions. She just fell apart against him like he was the only place that made sense.
“It’s okay.” Rhys stroked the back of her head. “Everything will be okay.” But he eyed Sloane, mouthing, “What happened?”
“She held it together until now,” Sloane whispered.
He held her close. “Where do you want to go, baby?”
“My parents’.”
“Wes and I will take you there.”
“I’ll meet you over there,” Sloane said. “Abigail needs backup. Tabitha is in full drama mode. Your mom can’t handle much more.”
Jules inched out of his arms. “They think it’s Mason. That he’s behind all this.”
Rhys would keep his opinions to himself until someone convinced him otherwise. He had a mental catalog of every interaction with Mason and with Tabitha. Mason couldn’t get enough attention and never wanted Jules for the right reasons. Tabitha had a diabolical streak. Then again, her cunning had always been lacking. Her behavior was obvious when she thought she was sly. Her neediness aggravated everyone. The Lowrys put up with her because of the family connection.
Well, hell. Now, Rhys was talking himself out of Tabitha’s involvement as well as Mason’s.
Chapter Thirty-Four
