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He avoids answering the question and it pisses me off. Why? Why would Lane do this? My happiness is with Lane, not this nightmare where I’m sitting in a car with a man I don’t want to look at and have no wish to be in his presence.
“I am really sorry about Lane.”
Little Lane’s head pops up at the mention of his father. “Mommy says Daddy is in heaven. Right, Mommy?”
The back of my eyes sting with tears that don’t seem to want to ever stop but I keep them at bay.
I give Lane a watery smile. “Yes, baby. He is in heaven watching over you.”
“He is watching you, too. Daddy told me to take care of you when he is gone. He said he loves you sooo much that he wanted to always make sure someone looked over you.”
“I do too, baby. I will always love both of you very much.” I say in a shaky breath.
My head turns and I look out the window trying to compose myself and not let Lane Jr. see me cry so much. He understands that his father is no longer with us but Lane expressed his love for us when he was home and made sure our son always knew that he loved us both. When he reminds me, the loss of not having Lane with me is so great, sometimes I don’t think I’m going to be able to survive it.
“I’m sorry, Aura,” Kalum says quietly.
I can feel his gaze on the side of my face but I won’t look at him. I can’t. He reminds me of old memories that I buried a long time ago. We are both two different people now and I’m mourning the loss of my husband. The man that took care of me when no one was there. He took me in and showed me love and gave me a home. A family.
Little Lane keeps making noises, digging the car toy in the leather.
“Lane, honey, please don’t do that to the seat with the car.”
He looks up with a worried expression and then looks at Kalum, realizing this is not our car, then he looks back down, discovering he is making a dent in the soft leather. His lip begins to tremble.
“It’s okay, Aura. He can do whatever he wants.”
“He could ruin your car.”
“I’ll have it replaced if something happens. It is no issue. I want him to feel comfortable when he is with me. I want you to feel comfortable with me.”
“I don’t want to be with you or around you,” I quip.
“I’m sorry, but there is no choice. It is for you and your son’s safety. This isn’t a choice. This is the only option right now. It is done.”
I know Lane informed me in the letter I have in my lap about men escorting me somewhere safe once the news is out that I’m finally meeting lawyers but I never thought it would be Kalum of all people. The safe is in an armed vehicle traveling behind us and I wonder where he is taking us. He said his penthouse but then what? I have to think about Lane and his safety until everything dies down. The media have been in a frenzy since Lane’s death but all I can think about is how to move forward without him. How can I be strong enough for Lane Jr.? How could this have happened? The man I love is dead. He was everything. He was my savior, my protector, my love, and the father to the most precious gift in the world, our perfect son, Lane.
Chapter 2
Aura
We arrive in front of an elegant building and I notice the doorman is waiting by the entrance for us to exit the car. Kalum does not let the driver open the door for us and opens the side closest to the entrance to the building. We are shown up to the top floor, and the elevator opens directly inside what I assume is Kalum’s penthouse.
Lane and I both exit the elevator with Kalum right behind us, but being in an unfamiliar place, Lane and I both pause and survey the apartment.
Scanning the opulent apartment, I notice the white marble floors and gray carpet with chrome and glass furniture. A sense of coldness instantly envelops me. Lane must sense the same because he looks up at me and then his forehead furrows just like his father does when they feel uncomfortable with their surroundings. The apartment feels impersonal, cold, and nothing like we are used to. Our home has life and a coziness to it that screams love and a family that spends countless nights together watching movies, having dinner, and spending time with one another. This place screams emptiness and lack of feeling.
Kalum drops his keys and turns around in his impeccable suit when he notices that we are frozen in place and have no interest in walking farther into his space.
“Is there something wrong?” Kalum asks.
My gaze lands on Lane when he grabs his cars in his fingers harder than necessary and I know he is nervous and then my head lifts and my eyes meet Kalum’s worried frown.
Taking a deep sigh, I say, “everything.” My eyes scan the living room and open kitchen. “Is it possible you can take us back to the hotel?”
Kalum walks toward us, his size is intimidating, and instinctively Lane tenses, and we take a step back. I don’t know why but I feel the same way Lane does. Kalum looks nothing like the eighteen-year-old man I remember back in Spencer. The man before me looks ruthless and cutthroat. His arm stretches every possible inch of his suit that looks intimidating. His expression is hard and lacks warmth and the way he moves around the room is robotic. Like he has been molded this way with an edge of coldness to his demeanor. There is no denying that he is attractive. Kalum, the man, looks like a Greek god with a body straight from Sparta, like the men in the movie300.
Memories come back and remind me that Kalum was not nice to me most of the time when I stayed in his family’s home and the times he was, he was passionate, but it was all a lie. He never cared about me and I expected he would have married a girl like Sarah or found someone to share his similar interests and social status by now.
