“I haven’t told her everything.” Leigh shook her head back and forth. “We’ll do that together.”
“What about my father?” I tilted my head inquisitively. “Were they able to arrest him?”
“Yes.” She took my hand. “They will be bringing him in the station any minute now. We can wait—if you want to see it with your own eyes.”
“No.” I squeezed her hand. “I know where he’s going—that’s good enough.”
Seeing him in handcuffs won’t bring closure, and I’ve made peace with that. Some doors need to stay open in order to remember how dark it will be if you close them.
Leigh and I walked out of the police station hand-in-hand. There was no reason to hide our relationship anymore. It was nice to see the sunlight again, even if it hurt my eyes. There were a few reporters gathered on the steps, and they immediately ran up to ask for a statement. My arrest didn’t make the news because my father had the story buried—he didn’t have the luxury with his. I didn’t have a statement, and I didn’t have any answers to the questions they started firing at me. The only thing I knew for sure about my future was that I wasn’t letting go of Leigh’s hand—and I didn’t want to spend another night without her in my arms. I pushed through the reporters and saw Jenny standing by a black sedan.
“Damien!” She ran towards me, and we embraced, which forced me to let go of Leigh’s hand.
“It’s over.” I squeezed her so tight I actually lifted her off the ground. “It’s finally over.”
“Are you okay?” She broke our embrace and looked up at me. “I had no idea he was capable of something like that…”
“I’m going to be alright.” I nodded and reached for Leigh’s hand again. “We have something to talk with you about.”
“Are you…” Jenny blinked a couple of times.
“Yes.” Leigh nodded. “I met Damien before we knew about our parents.”
“You were helping him from the beginning!” Jenny’s jaw dropped. “That’s why you were always snooping around!”
“Yes.” Leigh looked down and laughed. “I was also supposed to be keeping an eye on you—that didn’t work out so well.”
“Alright everyone.” Addison walked up. “The reporters have snapped enough pictures—let’s go.”
“Wait.” I looked towards Leigh. “Do you want to stay until they’re done talking to your mother?”
“Um…” I could see conflict in Leigh’s eyes. “No, I don’t think I’m ready to talk to her yet.”
It was time to go home. Jenny suggested that we have a party to celebrate the fact that we were both free—I thought that was a terrible idea after the last one she threw. I really wasn’t in the mood to entertain anyone, but I agreed to let her invite a few friends over. I also needed to talk to Jon. I didn’t know if I still had a job at Alcott Inc. after my abrupt disappearance, but I owed him an explanation. I felt a sense of peace after we arrived at my house—I never thought I would be that happy to simply walk through my front door and pour a stiff drink. There were a lot of pieces to unravel after everything that happened. Most of it could wait. The main thing I was looking forward to was my night with Leigh. It had been far too long since my lips had explored every square inch of her body.
“I’m going to do so many things to you when I finally get you alone.” I pulled Leigh close and pressed my lips to her ear.
“I don’t think we’re going have any alone time here…” She exhaled sharply.
“That’s why we’re spending the night at the villa after I have an opportunity to thank everyone that helped you put an end to this.” I moved my hand to her lower back. “I’m sure they will understand.”
“I think they will.” She leaned against me and nodded. “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too.” I sighed.
More than you’ll ever know…
Chapter Twenty-Three
Leigh
Damien and I were eager to retire to the villa for the evening, but we had to spend some time at his house first. Anna, Bolt, and Taylor accepted Jenny’s invitation. Taylor brought her husband, Bryant, and I was surprised to find out that Damien knew him. Bryant was the owner of Alcott Inc., but he wasn’t directly involved in the day-to-day operations. They spent some time talking while I mingled with Jenny and her friends. I ended up talking with Taylor more than anyone else—we seemed to have a few common interests, and Jenny’s friends were talking about high school stuff, which wasn’t much interest to me. Eventually, the conversations did begin to meld together, but I was barely paying attention—I just wanted to be alone with Damien.
“I think it’s time for us to go.” Bryant walked up and put his hand on Taylor’s shoulder.
“Yeah, I didn’t get much sleep last night.” Taylor nodded and put her hand on his. “Thank you for inviting us.”
“I’m the one that owes you a debt of gratitude I can never repay.” Jenny stood up and hugged Taylor as soon as she made it to her feet.