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“Lead the way.” Stone made a grand gesture toward the door.
He grabbed his old University of Texas hat off the console table as we passed and pulled it low on his brow. My steps faltered. Stone Jacobs and ball caps were a lethal combination.
“I’ll lock up.” He gently pried the keys from my hand.
I called the elevator. Stone joined me in front of the doors. When they opened, the car wasn’t empty.
I locked eyes with Daniel, who looked like he hadn’t slept, deep-set lines etched into his face. Rarely had I seen him vulnerable. He was now, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it.
Vivian shifted anxiously, and Daniel reached for her hand. My heart twisted as I stepped into the elevator. The doors closed behind Stone, and the tension intensified. I hugged Vivian from the side and kissed her cheek.
“Excited?”
Her returning smile was shy. “Yeah.” She was hesitant, and I knew it had everything in the world to do with the strain between me and Daniel.
“Me too.”
I looked sideways at Stone as a warning to zip it about the fact I had only decided to come minutes ago. He nodded discreetly.
Daniel silently stared at me in the mirrored doors as we rode down to the garage. His burdens were my own, and I realized they always had been, even when I didn’t know what they were. Our past experiences with our fathers provided us an understanding with one another that we didn’t have with other people. I didn’t know how to fix what was broken between us, but I knew I couldn’t stand his pain.
The ride to the basement was all too short. We loaded into the SUV, and Lorde’s version of “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” played through the speakers, though it didn’t disguise how suspiciously quiet we were on the drive. Apparently, Stone had run out of ways to run interference, and Vivian had become mute.
Daniel parkedthe SUV next to the plane on the tarmac. An attendant waiting in a golf cart rushed over. He nodded as Daniel fired off instructions and handed him the car keys.
Wind whipped my hair in my face. I caught Daniel by the arm as he began to round the car. He looked down in surprise.
Stone helped with our luggage while Vivian moved toward the plane with measured steps. She glanced back, an unreadable expression on her face.
“I’m glad you aren’t going to prison.”
Our gazes remained trained on one another as he studied me. Never one to take things at face value, he puzzled out whether my words had a deeper meaning. This time, they didn’t.
He exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry.”
I reached for the car, seeking support. Had he ever said those words to me? To anybody?
“You hurt me.”
“I fucked up.”
“Big time,” I agreed. The ache in my chest intensified at the thought of his betrayal.
“I should have told you what was happening. I handled it poorly, but I won’t make that mistake again.” He shoved his hands in his pockets as if he needed to do something with them.
“I’m happy to hear it.”
“But you can’t forgive me,” he surmised, deflating.
“I’m trying, but I need more time.” Part of me desperately wanted to let it go, to return back to our normal life. But if I was pretending everything was okay, that was a lie. I couldn’t do that. Not with him.
He folded me in his arms. “I love you, Muriella. I need you to know that’s why I do everything I do, boneheaded or not.”
I sniffled against his chest and laughed at once. “You can be very boneheaded.”
He squeezed me. “Thank you for being here. I know it’s for Vivian, but—”
I popped my head up. “It’s for both of you.” I patted his back. “For me too.”
