During the drive, Delaney remained motionless, her gaze focused directly out the windshield, her hands folded in her lap. I shot her glances every few seconds, desperate to know what she was thinking, but she didn’t spare me a single look in return. Not even a damn side-eye.
Parking the Tahoe, I got out and jogged around to open her door, but she was already out before I reached the passenger door. Breathing hard, I gently took her hand, and we walked upstairs to the apartment.
After unlocking the door, I nudged her in ahead of me.
Delaney didn’t hesitate to go inside, but instead of pausing in the living room, she walked into the bedroom. Pulling off her new dress, she went to the closet and changed into a pair of cheap jeans and a tank top.
The sight of her in nothing but her bra and panties had my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth as all the blood in my body surged into my dick. But then she folded the dress, placing it on the floor beside the ballet flats she’d kicked off before grabbing the old backpack she’d had with her when I found her that first night.
Without sparing me another glance, she turned and walked back the way she’d come less than five minutes before.
Realizing she was leaving me, I ran after her.
By the time I caught up with her, she was nearly to the front door. My breaths were coming in hard pants, my hands shaking, my skin feeling like it was too tightly stretched across my muscles. Fearing that if I didn’t get between her and the door, I would lose her forever, I grasped Delaney’s hips a
nd twisted us.
My back hit the door, blocking her exit, but my panic didn’t ease.
“Don’t go,” I pleaded.
But she wasn’t even looking at me. Her head was turned to the side, her eyes focused on the wall, blocking me out completely.
When I continued to cut off her exit, she finally lifted her eyes to look at me. “Please move. I don’t belong here.”
My heart felt like she was physically ripping it out of my chest. “Treasure—”
“I’m “treasure’ now?” she demanded, the hurt shining out of her eyes like a punch to the gut. “Funny how you forgot that when we were in front of your family.”
“No,” I denied. “You are my treasure. Now and always.”
“As long as your mom or sisters aren’t around,” she signed with a nod.
“No!”
“Admit it,” she commanded. “You and I do not belong together. Your family made that obvious tonight, and I finally opened my eyes to that fact.” She paused, then shook her head. “No, that’s a lie. I always knew this wouldn’t work. You’re you, and I’m…me. Your mom, your sisters and cousins, they took one look at me, and they knew what I’ve been denying from the night we met. I was only deluding myself, imagining that we stood a chance just because I fell in love with you.”
My heart stopped, the air seeming to freeze in my lungs. “You love me?” I wheezed out, and thank fuck her eyes were on my mouth because my brain didn’t have enough firepower to speak to her in ASL right then.
Her eyes filled with tears, but she squared her shoulders. “Yes,” she signed, lifting her chin and meeting my gaze. “But it doesn’t matter. Love isn’t enough when there are such drastic differences between us.”
She was right. There were huge differences between the two of us. She was an angel, so innocent and beautiful inside and out. Whereas I could kill a man and not feel an ounce of remorse. I was evil compared to her kind soul.
My treasure thought she was wrong for me because she had lived on the streets. She assumed that because she had no money or material things that she wasn’t good enough for me. She was willing to let me go because she thought my family disapproved of us being together.
And the worst part was, even though I knew that I should let her go, that I was wrong for her in all the worst ways, I couldn’t. I was too selfish. I needed Delaney more than I needed anything or anyone.
I would die before I willingly gave her up.
“What did my sisters do?” I asked, needing to know so I could fix whatever they must have unintentionally done to make her think we were wrong for each other. I frowned, because she’d mentioned my cousins as well. “Which cousins made you think we shouldn’t be together.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she dismissed. “Get out of my way, Max. I never should have even come here with you that first night. You should have just taken me to that shelter.”
“That shelter is for battered women on the run from their abusive boyfriends or husbands,” I told her. Of course, it was for runaways too, but she didn’t need to know that anytime soon. “My aunt Gracie runs it.”
She blanched, taking a step back from me. “Your family runs this entire town, don’t they? The diner, this garage, the sheriff, that bar, even the shelter.” Swallowing hard, she adjusted the strap of the backpack on her shoulder. “What else do they control?”
“It’s not a big deal.”