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“Has it offered you any insights?”
I shake my head, embarrassed. “I haven’t listened to it yet.”
“What prompted you to download it?”
“Desperation? I had a conversation with Tyson. Turns out he’s polyamorous. His girlfriend has another boyfriend and another girlfriend.”
He leans forward, a quizzical eyebrow lifted. “And what? You think you can talk Tobias into having a part-time wife?”
I laugh. “I’m not stupid.”
Owen smirks. “Well, the book you chose certainly seems to support that you are not.”
“There are arrangements where everyone in the relationship agrees not to bring any more partners into the mix.”
He raises an eyebrow. “You really have been doing your research, haven’t you?”
I blush. “Maybe. You know me. Once I get an idea in my head, I can’t help but learn everything there is to learn.”
“One of the many things I adore about you. Listen, it sounds impossible. I won’t lie about that. But we’ve done impossible things before. Let me be clear on something. I will not be the one to discuss this with Tobias. I’ve talked him out of killing me twice now. My odds of talking him out of it a third time are slim.”
I would laugh if there weren’t an air of possibility to his statement. If provoked, Tobias just might kill him. Or me. That’s the way things are in our world. It’s unlikely either of us could do anything egregious enough for him to resort to murder, but anything is possible.
“I’ll find a way to bring it up. If it feels like there’s even an inkling of a chance, I want to take it. I care for Tobias. Not the same way I love you, but we all meant a lot to each other. Why couldn’t we go back to that?”
He stands and comes around to my side of the desk and puts his hands on my shoulders then bends down and kisses the top of my head. “You always were the idealistic one of the group. And you’re also impossible to say no to. That’s all I’ll say on the matter. Tobias is waiting for us. Are you almost done?”
I close out my spreadsheets and smile. “We can go. Grace should be better equipped to handle things from now on, but I’ll help out for as long as I’m here.”
I long to reach for his hand as we walk out, but I resist.
Tobias is standing outside the SUV when we step into the parking lot. Everyone else has gone home, so Owen sets the alarm while Tobias opens the door to the back seat. I climb in and I’m taken by surprise when he settles on the seat next to mine and drapes an arm around me.
“What did you think?” I ask him as Owen pulls out of the parking lot and heads for the strip.
“I think it’s an impressive thing you’ve built here. You should be proud.”
“Thank you, Tobias. That means a lot coming from you. I hate that I have to leave it behind.”
He squeezes my shoulders as he looks down at me, a roguish smile playing at his lips. “We’ll come and visit. I dropped sixty grand on a year-long membership tonight.”
My mouth drops open. I didn’t see that in the records. His smile widens, and mischief shines in his eyes. “Relax, vixen. I did it on that fancy website five minutes ago while I was waiting for you to come out.”
I offer Tobias a shy smile of gratitude at the olive branch he’s offering. As we reach the interstate, the cloud that has been hanging over me for the last seventy-four days lifts, and hope takes root in my fragile heart.
Chapter fifteen
Chapter 14
Tobias
TheHighCardistruly impressive, and I find myself excited to spend more time in Las Vegas. That’s dangerous. Especially when I still haven’t identified who attacked our wedding. For now, I tell myself it’s a good place to make connections. The faces I saw there tonight are a formidable group in the underworld, befriending any of them would be good for my family.
But it’s not as simple as showing up and watching people have a good time.
And it would be cruel to bring Bellamy back as my wife when she shared so much in that space with Owen. But buying a membership felt like the right thing to do. The High Card is the first time I’ve seen Bellamy truly happy in the past two and a half months, and I want my wife to be happy. That’s important to me.
When we arrive at the Pink Sapphire, we make our way up to the penthouse, and Owen and I once again do a security sweep before letting Bellamy in. She waits patiently in the hallway.
