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“You’re okay going to the police but not an attorney?”
“I have my reasons.”
Lucas nodded. “One thing’s for certain, we need to get our hands on the diary and the thumb drive.”
“I don’t want to involve Mia,” Birdie asserted. “Or Angus. He’s still recovering.”
“Then Grant’s going home to Wayward to find the diary and the thumb drive.”
The threesome made a pact. Flynn was to continue assuming the role as the feckless brother, resignedly under Ariana’s thumb while discreetly searching the house for more evidence. Birdie was to play the humiliated stepmother turned supplicant wife to Errol. While Lucas worked with Grant and Tati to retrieve the diary and thumb drive.
Flynn was the first to leave the pool house, peering out the door before exiting like a super spy in a James Bond movie. Likely his fingers on his pink Taser in his pocket.
Lucas moved the linen curtains slightly to the side, watching until Flynn was no longer in sight and the staff was busy performing their household duties.
When he turned to Birdie, he dove into his pocket and pulled out a fistful of papers and handed them to her. “Mia asked me to give these to you.”
Waterworks once again poured from her eyes.
“Hey, it’s okay, Bird,” he said softly. “She misses you, and she just wants to talk.”
Birdie shook her head. “I don’t think I can.”
“She wants to apologize for the way she reacted to the news. She’s open to hearing your side. It’s time.”
“That’s not what I mean. I don’t think I can be the person I need to be, do what I need to do, and be the kind of mom Mia deserves.”
This seemed rather cryptic.
“What are you saying? That you came to Boston to wreak havoc on Errol and Ariana without regard to the consequences?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. But if I read this note, I’m inextricably tied to her. And my desire to go back to being her mother, the kind of mother she deserves, will override my ability to ensure that she’s safe from harm. Safe from Errol and Ariana.”
“Do you honestly believe that turning rogue and becoming a lawless vigilante is the way to go here?”
Anger flared. “Don’t mock me, Lucas. Angus and Mia could have died. Errol took Pearl...” She stopped, her breath catching. “I have to put a stop to their unholy desire to destroy me and everyone I love.”
Lucas held his hand at the back of her neck, forcing her to look at him. “In the meantime, destroying everything you have with the people you love?”
She nodded. “Yes. It’s better that way.”
“Being someone who has personally suffered from your ill-conceived notions of martyrdom, I disagree and speak on behalf of everyone who loves you and wants to help.
“Let me help you, Birdie. Together, let’s break the cycle and be a team for once, helping one another. Maybe the secret to our family surviving is working together, without the expectation of being the only one to carry the load. Carrying the load didn’t save Marshall.”
He stared down at her, trying to translate her expressions and body language.
“I know you’ve always been alone. Other than me for a short while, you really never had a best friend or confidant who had your back until Marshall and Angus came around.”
Birdie sniffed. “And look how that turned out. Angus and Mia in a life-threatening accident and Marshall a deep grave.”
Lucas knew that even though both men had her back, she still felt alone to a degree. Mia, at one time, being the only person in her life who loved her unconditionally, still wasn’t the same as having someone who she could exhale into after a long day, share her woes, and help cobble solutions to life’s problems. He so wanted to be that for her.
Lucas leaned his forehead onto hers and said, “I think the thought of having a true partner in life has always felt as incomprehensible to you as having doting parents. You knew they were out there, but rarely thought about ever having them for yourself. What was the point?”
She nodded, not saying a word.
He so wanted her to imagine him as that person. What it would it be like if she took the risk and let it happen?
“I’m asking you, Birdie, point-blank. Can we try doing this together, for once?”
She hesitated. Likely weighing the pros and cons. Finally, she gave a short nod. “Okay.” She looked up at him as if she wished she could stuff the words back into her mouth or vomit in a nearby trash can, while at the same time, hopeful.
“Okay, then.” His grin was like a thousand suns blinding both of them from the possibilities and the potential consequences.
