Nick held his friend’s gaze for a moment before making a conscious effort to clear his face. “Body doubles,” he responded promptly.
The two shared a fleeting smile.
“That’s right, body doubles.”
I had to commend them for an admirable effort to keep the day moving along, but I hadn’t yet been programmed to shake off what I’d just seen. My mind wasn’t in the room; my only thoughts were with Mitchell, out in the hall. I couldn’t help replaying the heartbreaking transformation that had somehow softened him into a parent, and I couldn’t ignore the violent rebuff screaming the silent answer: It’s too late.
As the two men in the room with me began debating the pros and cons of hiring a stuntman to perform Nick’s walk of freedom for him, I mumbled something about finding a restroom and slipped out. All the nurses had abandoned their posts, probably trying to avoid being forced to testify in the trial that was sure to come, but Mitchell was now standing exactly where he landed. Even more shocking, the man was crying, something I didn’t think he was capable of.
I froze in the doorway, staring with wide eyes before I pulled it quickly shut, wanting to spare him the humility of his son or James seeing him so vulnerable.
It was hard to say whether Mitchell even noticed me, because his dark eyes were focused only on the door. It was a stare so intense that part of me was convinced he could see right through them.
“Mr. Hunter?”
Mitchell didn’t take his eyes off the room for a second. He didn’t even blink as he quietly said, “He hates me,” with silent tears still streaming down his face. “And he even has James playing bouncer.”
I stared at the salty rivers on his cheeks, and I was absolutely unable to speak. I wondered if it was the first time he’d ever cried. In fact, part of me feared his skin might sizzle at the touch of his own tears.
Chapter 18
“I don’t blame him,” Mitchell continued softly. “He should hate me. Hell, after everything I’ve done, you both should. James is right. No one wants me here, and I don’t blame any of you for that. I made my bed, and I have to lie in it.”
I lifted my eyes to look into the face of the man who had caused us so much misery and pain. “I don’t hate you.” It was a stunning realization, but it was true, something I didn’t even know myself until I heard my voice speaking the words out loud. “I just...feel sorry for you.”
A humorless laugh slithered out from behind Mitchell’s teeth. “You feel sorry for me?” His eyes flickered up to mine, and unless I was mistaken, I could have sworn he gave me his first genuine smile. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”
A delicate blush blossomed in my cheeks, but for possibly the first time since I’d met Mitchell Hunter, I somehow managed to hold my ground. “Nick doesn’t hate you either,” I said quietly. “He just... He wants to live his own life. He doesn’t understand why you won’t let him do that.”
Mitchell sighed. “It isn’t that simple. Nick’s life is...a reflection of me, so—”
“No, Mr. Hunter. Nick’s life is a reflection of Nick,” I interrupted heatedly. “That’s what you have never understood. He’s not a little kid anymore, playing in your shadow. He’s his own person, an individual capable of doing incredible things. You just have to release your stranglehold long enough to let him try.”
Okay, Abby, cool it...unless you’d like to experience that stranglehold firsthand, I suddenly thought, fearing he might be able to pull a Darth Vader and end me without even touching me. The dark side is strong in this one.
Surprisingly, though, Mitchell didn’t look at all angered by my outburst. On the contrary, he was looking at me as if he was really seeing me for the first time. “You’re right,” he murmured, returning his eyes to the door. “Not since he was about sixteen has he cared at all about what I do. He’s always been his own man.”
I could see that. It would have been natural for Nick to crave his father’s approval, but then again, he wasn’t exactly one to pine. My guess was that he spent two minutes staring longingly at the wrong side of his father’s office door before he gave up on the notion entirely and discovered that he could make his own fun.
“You need to let him go,” I urged softly. “Let him go, and he’ll come back eventually. I promise. The door between you two hasn’t shut forever. Just give it some time.”
There was a lengthy pause, and during that moment, I saw Harold hovering anxiously by the elevator. He was aching to know what was going on but didn’t want to disturb us.
Finally, Mitchell bowed his head to his chest. “You really care about him, don’t you? It’s obvious that he cares just as deeply about you.”
My blush deepened as I nodded. “It’s more than caring. I love him. In fact, we love each other.”
Mitchell considered that for a brief moment, then nodded as well. “In that case, I’ll no longer stand in your way.”
I froze again, not quite sure what that meant for Nick, for me, or for the baby growing somewhat secretly inside me. “So... Let me get that straight. You promise that you won’t send a hitman after him for leaving the Hamptons?” I asked cautiously, only half-joking.
Mitchell raised his eyebrows slowly.
I held up my hands. “That was all me, Mr. Hunter. Nick only left to find me, just like when he jetted off to Peru.”
Mitchell stared at me a second more, then chuckled softly. “Ah, yes, the Peruvian paradise to which the two of you supposedly eloped.” From that, I had to assume he’d seen the same headlines in the gift shop where I’d been browsing earlier. He smiled for a second more before shaking out his coat briskly. “Tell the papers whatever you want, Abby. I won’t force you to live a lie, and I certainly won’t force my son to. I’ve come to learn that forcing him only makes him do the opposite of my wishes anyway,” he said with a wink.
I blinked, unable to believe it. “And, uh...what about the flash drive and the dinner on Friday with the Board?”