Buttons and Grace (Buttons 6)

Cane stayed still with his arms crossed, as if these words meant nothing to him. Even though he wore a stoic expression, I was sure he was thinking behind those shades. Thoughts had to be swirling.

“Cane,” I pressed. “There’s still time to fix this. You’re better than this.”

“You are,” Crow said. “Give her a chance to come back to you. That’s how you’ll know it’s true.”

“She doesn’t love me,” Cane finally said. “She won’t come back.”

“If that’s what happens, that’s what happens,” I whispered. “But keeping her a prisoner against her will won’t get you what you want. The sex won’t be the same. The conversation won’t be the same. She told me she misses the way you used to be, the way you used to feel connected.”

His jaw clenched slightly, and he shifted his gaze to the ground.

“Whether she loves you or not, the woman does care about you. She does think of you as a hero. You mean something to her. Don’t destroy her opinion of you by turning into the monster she just got away from.”

Like I’d said something particularly offensive, he snapped. “I would never hit her. I’m not barbaric.”

“And holding her against her will isn’t barbaric?” Crow countered.

Cane turned his gaze on his brother, holding a long pause full of rage. “You’re one to talk.”

“I didn’t love Pearl at the time,” Crow argued. “So it’s not the same.”

“Go home and make this right, Cane,” I said. “Before it’s too late and you can’t fix it.”

He stepped back and sighed, his large hand moving through his hair. “Maybe you’re right…”

I was relieved we got through to him. I knew Cane was better than this. Reverting back to the criminal man he used to be wasn’t the answer. It might make him feel better because he didn’t feel anything at all, but that wasn’t going to solve his problem. Once the anger passed, he would just feel guilty for what he’d done to the one woman he cared about. And by then, he would be lost to her forever.

Cane turned away from us and walked back to the car, his shoulders hunched and his back not as rigid as before. He didn’t say goodbye before he got into the car.

The two of us were left in the roundabout, watching the dirt fly up from Cane’s tires. He hit the road and drove away, his powerful engine loud enough for us to hear him even when he was miles away.

When I looked at Crow, he was already looking at me. And it seemed like he’d been staring at me for a while.

“I don’t blame him for reacting that way. He was frustrated and didn’t know how to handle it.”

“Don’t justify his behavior.”

“I’m not. I’m just saying I understand. Cane and I come from a background where we take what we want. The only successful relationship he’s ever seen is the two of us. I kept you for so long that you eventually started to love me, for all the good and the bad. Maybe he thought if he kept her longer, she would change her mind.”

“That would be wrong.”

Crow gazed off into the distance, looking tall with his broad shoulders and muscular stature. He watched until his brother was a simple dot in the distance. He turned back to me. “I’ve known Cane my whole life. He struggles with emotions more than I do, not because he doesn’t feel them, but because he feels them a million times stronger. I kept my composure when Vanessa died in my arms. I didn’t shed a tear for my parents. I’ve never really felt anything until you. He cares more than he wants to admit, and because of that, he hurts a lot more. To love someone the way he loves her and to not feel that love back…is more than he can stand. I’m not excusing his behavior. I’m just explaining it. If one day you decided to walk out on me…I’m not sure what I would do. Probably lock you up too.”

I smiled because he would never have to worry about that. “You can lock me up whenever you want.”

He didn’t give me a smile back, but he gave me a scorching expression instead. It was intense and dangerous, one of my favorite looks. “Be careful, Button.”

“You know I’m never careful when it comes to you.”

* * *

I dried my hair with a towel wrapped around my body. Once my strands were completely dry, I stepped into the bedroom and searched my drawer for a pair of underwear. I found a lacy black thong, so I dropped my towel and pulled it on. Sometimes I thought my stomach looked different, and today, it seemed a little rounder than usual.

But that could just be my imagination.

A searing gaze penetrated my skin and burned the surface. I could feel the stare, just like a vulnerable animal separated from the herd felt the presence of a predator. My eyes turned to the doorway, and I saw Crow standing there, looking at me with a pair of eyes so dark they were terrifying.