“Why would that satisfy you?”
“Contrary to what you believe, I think the man is a bastard.”
I grow lightheaded at his confession and fight to keep standing. “But you took his side. Him and Tasha.”
“No, I didn’t. I waited it out, and when the opportunity arose, I took advantage of his guilt.”
“What does that even mean?”
This is too much. My brain races to catch up. As if he senses I need him, my phone dings with a text.
Evin—I will meet you in therapy. Don’t try to be a badass because I’m not there.
“I’m leaving your mother.” My head snaps up at his announcement.
“She stopped being my mother a long time ago.”
“She stopped being your mother around the same time she stopped being my wife.”
“I don’t even know how to respond to that. I’m not sure how deep you dug, but I never regretted my decisions. Until a few days ago, I was living my best life.”
“It fucking kills me I never saw you on the stage.”
“Well, you didn’t and now you’ll never have the chance. Your prized daughter took care of that,” I lash out, the anger coming back full force.
“I’ll never forgive myself for the man I became. You have always been a superstar in my eyes. I thought I had time.” His fist clenches, jaw ticks, and the veins in his neck bulge. “Eight goddamned years I lost with my baby girl. That is not the man I am, not the man I want to be, and not the man my parents raised.” His voice grows louder, barbed with a fury.
Searching my memory, I realize I’ve never seen or heard him this loaded with rage, contempt, and hatred. I also realize he’s stood here pleading his case without an apology for the last ten minutes.
Ten minutes I should have been headed to therapy and proving myself.
Years of self-preservation kick up a notch and I straighten. “Where’s my nurse? You may be dressed the part, but this place is pretty tight. They wouldn’t just let you in here.”
He stares at me blankly, telling me what I need to know. He arranged this. If he looked into everyone I love with his resources, then he knew I’d be alone.
“This was the only way I could—”
“You need to leave,” I cut him off snappily.
“I’m staying in town for a while and would like the chance to talk again.”
“Evin is going to tear this place apart when he finds out you were here. You should get out before he arrives.”
“He is exactly the man I’d want for you. And that’s why I’m staying.” He pulls out a card and walks over to me. “He doesn’t need to tear the place apart, because I’ll be waiting. This is all my personal information.”
He lays the card on the table, then stops his hand before it touches my shoulder. More sadness fills his expression. “Saying I’m sorry seems inadequate, but I am. Truly, honestly, and to the depths of my soul, I am sorry. The rest of my life isn’t long enough to prove that to you.”
With that, he leaves and I exhale loudly, sinking all my weight onto the crutches. There’s no time to process this because it’s time for a new kind of performance. Shove this out of my mind, wow my therapist, and don’t give any clue to Evin there’s something on my mind until we’re out of here.
Preferably never, but that’s not possible.
Chapter 27
Evin
“You don’t have to sneak out. I know where you’re going.” Poppy’s drowsy voice floats across the dark room.
I freeze, mentally cursing myself.
“I wish you wouldn’t go. But even more so, I wish you wouldn’t try to hide it from me.” Her nightstand light switches on.
She balances on her hands, hoisting herself up, and adjusts her braced knee before crossing her arms. Her eyes roam over me before she blows out a frustrated breath.
“Really, Evin? A full suit? Where’d that come from? You didn’t pack it and you haven’t left my side for the two days since we left the hospital. You may be the master of many talents, but creating a custom-made suit out of thin air isn’t possible.”
The stormy stare, defensive position, and full-on sass send a message straight to my dick. I try to fight it, but lose, having to adjust myself. Her eyes drop and grow wide. “Are you kidding me? It’s the crack of dawn.”
“Baby, you look fucking hot. It’s been a week, and the attitude is sharp. Of course my cock reacts.”
“We’ve gone a week before,” she argues and I take this as a good thing, planning to use it to my advantage.
“Not exactly.”
“That first week.”
“That was technically six days, and on day five, I had my hands, lips, and mouth all over your body. That first glimpse of you coming apart, the first taste of you on my tongue, first feel of you sucking my cock? Yeah, unless we’ve been in different states, we haven’t gone this long without touching.”