“We forgive those we love, Richard. And she loves you despite the fact that you’ve been a total bastard.”
“I miss her, Becca.”
“Then work hard. Earn her forgiveness.”
“I’m trying.” I barked out a dry laugh. “Given my past, I have no idea why I have so many good people in my life willing to help.”
She shook her head. “You don’t get it, do you, Richard? It’s because of your past. You changed and became a good man. By doing so, you brought the good people into your life.” She scowled. “Now, stop screwing it up and acting like an asshole.”
Reid Matthews sauntered in, his laptop tucked under his arm. I swore that thing was attached to him twenty-four seven.
“Hey, Dickhead.”
I rolled my eyes at his nickname, which he, no doubt, picked up from Aiden, but I held my tongue. I deserved to be called much worse.
He stood behind Becca, laying his hand on her shoulder.
“You got your head out of your ass? Eye on the prize, so to speak?”
His voice was mild, although I saw the anger in his eyes. Katy had only met him a couple of times, but her maternal streak ran deep, and she had treated him like a mother would a son—something he had lacked for so long. And he, in turn, treated her with the same protectiveness. My behavior would infuriate him.
“Yep.”
“You going to push?”
“Aiden is torturing me well, yes.” I paused. “And being without my family is punishment enough. Even though I brought it on myself, I am suffering, Reid. I’ll do whatever I need to in order to get them back.”
He studied me, then sat down beside Becca. “Good. You’re gonna love the changes I made to Aiden’s online program where he tracks your progress. It’ll give him more ways of seeing your weaknesses and making you work harder.”
There was no disguising the delight in his eyes at the thought of me suffering more.
“Excellent,” I stated dryly.
“You’ll get your family back,” Becca said quietly. “They all love you too much for that not to happen.”
I met her gaze. “That’s what I’m doing this for. To be the man they need.”
She stretched over the desk, covering my hands. “You are, Richard. No matter what. You need to believe that in order for this to work.” She paused. “They need you.”
She was right. They were all right.
I glanced at the picture on my wall. My favorite one of Katy and the girls.
My family.
That was my reason.
I needed them too.I hated to see Bentley leave. I knew he needed to be in Toronto, and with Aiden and Maddox here, his trip was a quick one. I didn’t see the girls, aside from Becca. They were there for Katy, and I was glad she had the support. Reid hung around at times, making sure to tweak his program, living up to his promise of me working even harder and not letting his delight in that fact stay hidden. Still, I was going to miss him. He saw my girls and took videos of them, sharing them with me when I finished my torture sessions. Gracie playing. Heather sleeping. Katy reading to them. They helped get me through the days. Reid forgave me enough, and he downloaded them to my phone so I could watch them whenever I wanted. They were the last thing I saw before I closed my eyes at night.
When he was leaving, Bentley shook my hand and told me to keep going. He met my gaze, his expression serious.
“I know you can do this, Richard.”
“Thanks.” I indicated his partners with a jerk of my head. “Thanks for the loan.”
“I expect to be repaid—with interest. You had better start dreaming up campaigns to knock my socks off.”
“Will do.”
He offered me one last piece of advice about Katy.
“Think about what she loves, and give it to her. Let her know you’re thinking about her. Make her your number one priority. Never let her doubt that.”
I took his words to heart.
Katy loved the spa. She sent pictures of them all enjoying the treatments, sipping champagne, even funny ones of Heather getting a baby massage and Gracie having her toes done with the girls, holding up a glass of apple juice. They made me smile, even as my heart ached.
I sent flowers to the hotel for Katy. I added a box of her preferred chocolates.
When she went back to Laura and Graham’s, I sent a chef to make her favorite meal. A basket of bath products to indulge her love of soaking in the tub. I sent it with a stuffed bear, fluffy and cute with a card attached, reading:
Snuggle this until you’re home.
I’ll take his place when you’re ready.
All my love—Your Richard.
One night, lying in our bed alone, I turned on some music. I shut my eyes and listened as the soothing voice of Neil Diamond played in the darkness. A song came on, and for some reason, the lyrics hit me as they never had before. “The Story of My Life” spoke of the depth of his love for the woman in his life and how much she meant to him. The fact that he felt he didn’t exist before she came into his life and would cease to do so after she left. The song sang the words I held in my heart for Katy.