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Especially since there is a language barrier between us and the cops. While at first some of the hotel staff helped out, we had to wait for some kind of endorsed translator to arrive before the police could start taking anything down.
“That’s enough for today,” Dad finally says when the detective who’s been in with me asks me to start from the top again. “We’ve been over this enough times. We’ll be here for another week, so you’ll know where to find us. In the meantime, I can also bring them to the station tomorrow, as I said before, but we’re done here.”
Although the detective’s English is rudimentary, a lot better than my Spanish, he seems to understand Dad perfectly. His lips mash into a hard line, but as he emerges from the brief stare-off with my dad, he nods curtly. “Very well. We see you tomorrow.”
He lets us go then, and as we step out into the hall from the conference room in the business center we were using, my mom, Camille, Maxim, and Emma stand up from the seats they’ve been waiting on.
“I’ll be back in a few,” Dad murmurs, hugging my shoulders before disappearing into the conference room next door to get Vincent.
As he walks away, Mom comes over and pulls me into her arms. “Are you okay? That took much longer than I thought it would. Jonathan and Anderson have been in with Vince, so he’ll be fine.”
She whispers it all into my ear, and I relax more as I let myself be comforted by her presence and words.How is it that moms always know exactly what to say in a time of crisis?
“Thank you,” I reply quietly, holding on for another beat before she passes me over to Camille. She hugs me just as tight but breaks away when we hear the slight creak of the door being opened.
Vincent walks out first, followed by Jonathan, Anderson, and Dad bringing up the rear. My boyfriend opens his arms, making a beeline for me, and though I hear groans echoing from the dads and see the moms swoon from the corner of my eye, I walk straight into him. He envelops me in the biggest, tightest hug I’ve ever gotten, and it’s the best feeling in the world.
Breathing in his masculine, deliciously comforting scent, I hang on to him until I hear my dad say, “I’m going to close my eyes for a minute, but when I open them again, we need to talk.”
The words are barely out of his mouth before Vincent pulls his head slightly away from me, and he smiles before he brings his lips to mine, kissing me fast but hard. “You’re okay?” he breathes as the kiss slows to a stop just before my dad clears his throat.
I nod, but before I can ask him the same thing, our fathers are in front of us.
Jonathan speaks first, his gaze hooked on Vincent’s. “Your bungalow is a crime scene, which means you can’t go back there. I assume you want to stay with Olivia inste—”
“Yes, please,” he says immediately before glancing down at me. “If it’s okay?”
I frown. “Of course it’s okay. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
My dad lets out yet another groan. “Neither of you is allowed to set foot in that room right now, so I’ll have housekeeping deliver the basic toiletries, toothbrushes and shit, to Olivia’s bungalow.”
“You can borrow some clothes from me in the meantime,” Maxim says to his brother. “We’re about the same size.”
“No, I’ll go—” He cuts himself off, breathing out slowly before he nods. “Thank you. If it takes too long before I can get to my stuff, I’ll ask the concierge to bring me something from town.”
I frown, but before I can ask, Jonathan does. “Wait just a second here. You’ve got an excuse to get out of the resort and Justin’s been caught, but you’re agreeing to use Maxim’s clothes instead?”
Vincent nods, blinking as though he can’t really believe what he’s doing now that his dad has put it that way. “Yeah, I am. If it’s too much trouble or if the concierge here doesn’t offer the service, Maxim and I can go into town tomorrow afternoon. Unless the police will have let me in to get some of my things by then.”
There’s a beat of stunned silence, but then Camille smiles and softly claps her hands together once. “Well, that settles it. We’ll all go have a late lunch—or early dinner, as the case may be—and then we’ll let you go get some rest.”
“Actually,” I say, sliding an arm around Vincent’s waist and leaning into him. I don’t give a damn what anyone thinks about it right now. All I want is to feel him next to me. To know he really is okay and to soak in his warmth and beating heart. “I’m exhausted. Could we have breakfast together tomorrow morning instead? I think I just want to order in tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches and stay in bed for the rest of the day.”
My mom nods, a slight grin on her face as she links arms with my dad who looks like he’s about to have a heart attack. “That’s fine, darling. We understand completely. We’ll see you tomorrow morning, but we’ll talk before we go to the dining room to arrange a time. If you want to sleep in, then we’ll see you for brunch or lunch.”
Before anyone can argue, she comes to give me another hug and then drags my dad out of the business center with her. Vincent’s family seems a little hesitant to leave us alone as well, but after walking us back to my room, his mom and dad—who check the room with Maxim first—eventually say their goodbyes.
When it’s only Maxim and Emma left, we get more hugs before Emma looks at Vincent. “I’ll bring over some basics for you in a bit, but I’m taking my fiancé back to our bungalow now. If I don’t, he’s going to sleep right here on these steps tonight. He’ll never leave if I don’t make him.”
Maxim rolls his eyes, but there’s still no color on his cheeks, and his gaze is bouncing around like he can’t stop checking our surroundings. “I wouldn’t sleep on the steps. I was planning on asking if they minded if we ate soup and grilled cheese with them. Now that Livvy has mentioned it, it’s all I want.”
“We’ll get some of our own,” Emma says soothingly, twining her fingers with his and giving us another smile. “Get some rest, you two. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Hey, uh, where’s everyone else?” I ask, curious since I expected them all to be waiting outside the business center.
“Mom sent them away,” Maxim says distractedly, still looking around like he’s expecting to see Justin leopard-crawling toward us. “She said you wouldn’t want to be mobbed after everything you’ve been through today, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they come by anyway. Once word gets around that the police have let you go.”
“Thanks for the warning,” Vincent says. “If you happen to see anyone on your way to your room, do you mind asking them to just give us the day? Tell them we’re okay, but we just need some time alone.”
