AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I pressed my hands to his chest, feeling the reality of him in the flesh. “I’m glad you did.” I was so relieved to have him here in front of me.
“I wasn’t sure you would be. I didn’t know how you’d react since we left things the way we did. But I couldn’t stay away.”
“Are we okay, Tyler?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” His shoulders rose and fell at the contradiction of his words. “The other night, when you . . . what you did when you said—”
“I promise I’ll never do anything like that. Never again, I swear.”
“Marisa, what you did . . . it's not okay. I’ve learned the hard way what pushing someone away can do to a relationship.”
“I know.”
“I'm serious. You can’t sidestep this one.”
“I messed up. I know I did. I overstepped. I don’t know why I acted the way I did. Other than the fact that I was scared history was repeating itself. I shouldn't have let you go. I didn’t know how to deal with failing everyone again.”
“How can you call what happened failing?”
“Because López got away.Again. And I still don’t know what happened to Lupe.”
“I understand what you’re dealing with and what you’re feeling. But you can’t treat me like the enemy.”
“I won’t. I know you’re not.” I leaned against the counter for support. “We got Leo Vargas. You know, the guy from the hospital, the one in the coma. He woke up. And we convinced him to work with us and help us get to López.”
“That’s good news.”
“Yeah, but I still don’t have any word about Lupe. And it’s eating me up inside. I feel like this is JJ happening all over again. I can’t get his face out of my mind.”
“I know what you saw, and that it seemed so real,” he said, referring to the story I’d told him about seeing JJ when I’d been shot.
“It was. I know I was hallucinating and that he wasn’t really there. But it just shook me.”
“I know it did. He’s always with you, though, no matter what.”
“He is,” I said. As much as losing JJ hurt, I knew that somehow my partner was with me, protecting and guiding me. I chalked everything up from that night to the fact that in the moment I needed him most, JJ had come back to me—to make sure I would hold on and fight through the pain so that one day I’d be able to take Alonso López andLosTiburónesdown for good.
His sigh mirrored my feelings. “You might never get the answers you want.”
I could only nod my agreement. If we talked about Lupe and the “what ifs,” I might break down. I knew the chances we all took when I accepted this assignment. “I know I have to accept that. I think, with your support, I can come to terms with it. Or at least try.”
“If we’re going to be together, that means we work . . . to-ge-ther. That means you don’t turn away from me. You don’t turn me away. You lean on me.”
I pressed my lips together, then said, “I can promise all those things . . . if you can promise me that when I make you mad, you won’t go an entire day without talking to me. Let alone three.” My last sentence was an attempt at humor.
I could see him fight to refrain from smiling. “I can do that.”
“Good. ’Cause it really sucked.” I dropped my head to his chest. “I hate when you're mad at me.”
“You told me you needed some time. I was trying to be respectful.”
I leaned back and met his eyes, struggling with how to respond. “Tyler, I need you to understand, I’ve worked a long time to create the life I have.”
“Okay.” He drew the word out as he cocked his head to the side. “I wasn’t trying to disrupt anything.”
“I know.” My voice was trembling, but there was no way I could fight the onslaught of feelings whirling inside.
He took a step out of my reach, but his eyes never left mine. He nodded and said, “I’m not trying to upset you. I thought maybe we could try and figure things out. I thought you wanted that too. Especially since you called the other day. I didn’t mean to disrupt your life and turn it upside down, Marisa.”
