Kyler nodded. “Yep.”
His father regarded him, his eyes searching Kyler’s. “Do you need my help at all to handle the break of the restraining order?”
That one statement was so his father. Andrew wouldn’t push the matter, and Kyler assumed he knew enough to understand that the fucker had mistreated Ella. But his father also seemed somewhat clueless about the finer details, which meant he hadn’t looked into it, either.
The privacy in one’s life was something Andrew had always taken seriously. Kyler shook his head. “Nah, I’ve got this.”
His father nodded, his gaze turning hard. “I like this Ella, so you’ll see to making this all good for her?”
Ah, so I’m not the only one loving Ella.
That came as no surprise. She’d made quite the impression on his family. At the dinner, his mother had cornered him, informing him that if he screwed things up with her, she would be extremely disappointed. His brothers had all smiled and given nods of approval, which in their way meant they liked Ella, too. “Of course, I’ll make this right for her,” he stated.
His father straightened, moving away from the cubicle’s wall. “Your mother won’t hear of this from me.”
“Thanks. Appreciate that.” While his mother was kind, she’d baby Ella about it all, and he knew Ella didn’t want that. Shit, he actually didn’t know what Ella would be thinking now. He had no idea what he’d return to when he went to her house.
Had he overstepped when he’d approached Rory?
While he could explain it all away, the root of the problem was perhaps he pushed too hard against a woman who’d been completely vocal about not wanting him to. And to his complete annoyance, his gentle pushing hadn’t brought them closer together; it had landed Rory on her doorstep, completely wasted and out of control. He didn’t even want to consider what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been there.
Nothing about any of this felt good.
A firm hand pressed on his shoulder. “You okay, son?”
Kyler blinked out of his thoughts and rose from his chair. “Where is Rory?”
His father frowned at Kyler’s dodge but said, “Sawyer brought him into interview room one. He thought he’d stay with you during your talk.”
So you don’t do something stupid, the message came through clearly.
Tension vibrated through Kyler as he picked up the brown envelope off his desk, then went to brush past his father. His dad gripped his shoulder, forcibly stopping him. “Love isn’t easy, son. It never is. If it was, we wouldn’t fight so hard to keep it. We wouldn’t appreciate it. The fight reminds us to never forget why it’s important.”
Kyler shut his eyes. Yeah, but what if the woman you love is fighting you at every turn. Opening his eyes, he didn’t look back to his father, he strode forward. He understood the fight for love.
Hell, he’d been doing everything he could for Ella, as gently as possible. Giving her the time she needed. Even offering her the space she required. But at the heart of it, he could do only what Ella would allow. Maybe he’d been fighting for something she simply couldn’t give him.
Would she hate him for what he’d done?
He strode down the hallway in the police station and settled in front of the door, with Interview Room 1 written in gold paint. He drew in a long, stabilizing breath, then entered.
Sawyer leaned against the wall with his arms folded. Rory sat at the dark wooden table with a coffee cup. Exhaling the long breath, Kyler shut the door and then placed the envelope down on the table.
Rory stared at it with wide eyes.
No shock to Kyler. Nor had it surprised him that when he went to Rory’s hotel after he’d been taken into custody he had discovered the uncontested divorce papers in Rory’s room. A man fighting a divorce would bring them with him to throw in her face, he assumed. And he’d been right, finding the unsigned document on the desk.
Kyler pointed to the envelope. “Agree to the divorce and sign the document.”
Rory’s gaze lifted and his eyes were bloodshot. He reeked of the coffee that Kyler had asked the cops to serve him throughout the night, as well as booze. “That’s between me and Ella. You can’t force me to sign shit.”
“I don’t have to force you.” Kyler spun the chair in front of him around and dropped down onto it—all the while keeping a careful distance from Rory. It was one thing to hear about his violent behavior, but seeing it firsthand made it all the more real.
Rory would never get within a few feet of Ella, and preferably would stay in another state entirely. But Kyler reminded himself that today wasn’t about him, it was about making Ella safe. “Do you love her?” he asked.
Rory hesitated, then said softly, “I do.”