His embrace tightened around my shaky body. “Shh,” he whispered into my ear. “I know. It’s okay.”
I pressed my chin into his chest so I could stare up into his eyes. “What do you mean you know?”
“I’ve spent the last couple of weeks working with a private investigator, digging under ever rock, flipping through every piece of paperwork we could get our hands on because something inside of me told me that I was right. Finally, we found an old storage unit of Jackson’s and inside were all the documents we’d been looking for. Then, with George’s help were able to get in contact with a nurse from the hospital who still lived in Quincey Falls.”
“Savannah,” I mumbled.
He nodded, swiping away some of my tears. “George really does carry all the secrets of Quincey Falls. Sometimes he doesn’t even know it.” He chuckled, and the low rumble brought a sense of calm over my body.
“Does he know too?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I didn’t tell anyone. It wasn’t my story to tell. He gripped me tighter. “Although, I would’ve told Ruby, just to keep my promise. Then I spotted you and her talking in thecrowd tonight, and when you bolted, I knew something wasn’t right.”
I shook my head, tears blurring my vision as I squeezed his arm closer to me, using it as a seat belt. “What about your show?”
“I’ve never wanted a set to be finished more than I did tonight. When it ended, Michael was already waiting for me. He told me he’d let you backstage to use the bathroom but that he was worried about you. That was all I needed to hear.” He squeezed me tighter.
“I don’t even know what to say.” I sighed. “I guess I could start with I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you before—”
“Don’t.” He pulled my chin upward. “Don’t apologize for holding what’s sacred to you close to your heart. At the very least, everyone deserves that.”
“You’re not mad?” I breathed. “About any of it?” At my very core, I knew Stetson would understand, but I never expected him to support my decision not to tell him.
“Mad? At you? No,” he huffed, like the question was completely off base. “Now, was I upset at first? Yeah. Upset that you weren’t able to tell me on your own terms. Upset that I wasn’t there to hold you and make you feel safe when you needed it. Upset that I wasn’t able to protect you from the dark side of all this media bullshit.” He threw his hands in the air.
“But mad, no. I’m not mad. I could never be mad at you, Scarlett. Also, if you hadn’t put Ruby up for adoption, I would’ve gone a whole lot longer without knowing her, and I truly can’t imagine life without her in it. In fact, I don’t think I would’ve had the strength to come out of the darkness without her. So, in a way, I guess you could say you saved me.” A sound resembling a soft laugh left his mouth. “But more than anything, I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” I asked, confused by his apology.
“I’m sorry for how I responded when you told me about the adoption. I’m sorry that it took you coming here for me to have this conversation. But mostly, I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you found out the truth.”
The guilt in his voice was loud. I could hear it clearly, because guilt and I had spent a lot of time together.
“Stetson, I appreciate that more than you know, but now it’s my turn.” I crossed my arms on top of his and squeezed as hard as I could. “I’m sorry for how this all played out. I know you’re trying like hell to start fresh and show the world who you really are. So, I know being connected to someone with a muddy past wasn’t really part of the plan,” I confessed.
“Stop. There was no plan, Scarlett, there rarely is. And if there is, things never go accordingly. Did you forget you’re talking to someone who has had more shitty headlines than almost anybody else? You don’t think I’m used to some low-life reporter looking to stir the pot? Fuck ’em. I don’t care about their story; I want to hearyourstory,” he clarified before shuffling to his feet and pulling me with him. “But just maybe not on the bathroom floor.” A shy smile peeked out from under his mustache. “Scarlett Carson, I’m absolutely fucking crazy about you, even more now than ever.”
He pulled my chin into his thumb and forefinger, dragging me to him slowly before planting the softest kiss onto my lips.
“I couldn’t have been more wrong about you, and I’ll spend the rest of time thanking my lucky stars because I’m fucking crazy about you too.”
We slipped out of the bathroom, giggling like two kids who’d just got caught making out.
I texted Maggie.
Me:
I have A LOT to fill you in on, but I’m with Stetson and you were right, everything is going to be okay. Sorry to leave without telling you, but I’ll call you in the morning.
Maggie:
Don’t worry about us. We’re gonna go out for a bit and then head back to the hotel. We’ll chat tomorrow. I love you, Scarlett.
Me:
I love you too.
Stetson ended up taking me back to his apartment and thankfully so, because I needed to be away from all the people, all thechaos.
