“Just that most people were too drunk to remember much and one girl—Amber Riley—was passed out in the corner,” Kingsley said.
“Coach,” Kingsley said. “He came in at the end, didn’t he? Warned us to get out before the cops came.”
“Yeah. I remember that. I didn’t see Stacia again,” Hunter said.
“Did you get to talk to him?”
“No. He’s still in the hospital, but one of the nurses told me he’s going home. That’s why I’m back. I’m going over to see him tomorrow.”
“Maybe then we can find out what happened. But one thing is for sure,” Kingsley said. “You didn’t kill Stacia, Hunter. Don’t torture yourself with that for a moment longer. We were together and with Coach.”
Hunter nodded. “I wish...”
“We both do.”
He clapped his friend on the back. A few minutes later Hunter went to the guest room that Kingsley kept for him and Kingsley went into Conner’s room. He stood over his son and remembered all the reasons why he was here. Why he had decided to stop running.
It didn’t matter that he had screwed things up more than once. He always—always—made them right. And he knew that he was going to have to figure out how to get Gabi back. He needed her.
* * *
Gabi had contacted Mrs. Tillman to find out when Conner and Kingsley would both be out of the house. And then she and Melissa had gone over to pack up her stuff. Conner, she suspected with Mrs. Tillman’s help, had left her a printout of the photo of the three of them dressed up for their Aladdin adventure. She should have realized then that saying goodbye was going to be hard.
She had warned all the nannies who worked for her not to get too attached, because nannies weren’t part of the family, but she’d forgotten that rule and now she was paying for it.
“That’s the last of the office stuff. I’m going to head back unless you need me for anything else,” Melissa said.
“No, that’s okay. I’ll probably go home from here, so I’ll see you tomorrow,” Gabi said.
Melissa gave her a sympathetic smile before turning to leave. She finished packing up her closet and the bathroom things she’d left behind. She had been so sure that she’d outmaneuver Kingsley and force him to realize that they were meant to be together.
But she should have remembered he was very good at getting his way.
She was zipping her suitcase closed when she heard music coming from down the hall. It was an old Matchbox Twenty song, “If You’re Gone.” She followed the sound of Rob Thomas’s voice to the open patio door, where she found Conner dressed like Aladdin waiting for her.
“Princess,” he said formally. “We have been waiting for you. Come with me.”
“Conner, I don’t think this is a good idea. Your daddy and I—”
“Please, Gammi,” Conner said. “Please.”
She nodded and slipped her hand into his. He led her to the garden area, where a brass lamp waited on a table.
“That’s for you,” Conner said.
She looked around, having expected to see Kingsley here somewhere. “Thank you. I will put it on my desk so I can see it every day.”
“No. You have to rub the lamp,” Conner said.
She looked at him standing there watching her with anticipation, a serious expression on his face.
She knelt down next to him. “Should we both do it?”
“Just you,” Conner said.
She rubbed the lamp and was surprised when smoke started to rise from it. Just a small burst. She looked at Conner, but he was staring over her shoulder. She turned around and saw Kingsley standing there.
He was dressed only in a pair of loose linen trousers and had his hands on his hips. He had two big brass bracelets on each wrist.
“What is your wish, mistress?” he asked.
“Uh, I’m not sure what’s going on,” she admitted.
“You’ve uncovered the magic genie of the lamp,” Conner said. “You get three wishes.”
Her heart was beating so loudly she thought that everyone could hear it. She wasn’t sure what this was all about but had the feeling that Kingsley wasn’t saying goodbye.
“What should I wish for?” she asked Conner.
“I’d ask for you to be in my family,” he said. “We miss you, Gammi.”
“Is that true, Kingsley?” Gabi asked.
“Yes, it is. I’m sorry for everything that happened. I wanted to protect you and thought...well, I thought you’d be better off without me, but my life is dull without you. I want you back.”