Buttons and Grace (Buttons 6)

“What does that mean?” I flipped through the pages until I found the deposit information. “Cane…” He’d put hundreds of thousands of dollars into my account. “Why? You didn’t need to do that…”

“I want you to have what you need. You can go back to school without worrying about money. You can buy yourself a house. It’s one less thing to stress about.”

Tears started to burn my eyes. “You don’t owe me anything, Cane.”

“I know,” he said quietly. “I just…I want you to be taken care of.”

I took a shaky breath and felt the tears stream down my face. “I can’t accept this.”

“Yes, you can. This money is nothing to me. I would much rather you have it than hold on to it. It’ll make transitioning so much easier.”

“But I don’t want you for your money, Cane. That’s not why—”

He grabbed the papers and put them back together for me in an envelope. “I know.” He placed the debit card in my hand. “But you’re going to need to buy lunch. You know you need to eat every hour.”

No joke in the world could make me laugh right now.

“I’m not taking it back, so you may as well keep it.” He got out of the driver’s seat and opened the trunk. He pulled out my luggage on wheels and placed it on the sidewalk, the handle pulled up.

It took me a second to get out of the car and to wipe away the tears that had fallen down my cheeks. I fixed my makeup and realized we were at the airport where I saw Cane for the very first time. Now it might be the last time I ever saw him.

I got out of the car and met him on the sidewalk.

His features were exactly the same. He didn’t shed a single tear or show any emotion. It didn’t seem like we were saying goodbye. It didn’t seem like he loved me, as if he’d never told me those words in the past.

I was the one who wanted to leave, but I was the one crying.

He cupped my face with both hands and wiped the new tears away with his thumbs.

“I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. If it weren’t for you, I would still be there…or I would be dead.”

He stepped into me and kissed me on the forehead. “I would do it again if I had to, Bellissima.”

I would miss that name. Bellissima. I rested my face against his chest and hugged him, knowing I would miss the way he felt in my arms. His cologne washed over me, making me think of long nights when we didn’t get any sleep. Those memories would comfort and hurt me in the years to come.

Cane pulled away and looked down into my face. “I want to say something.”

“Okay.”

“Home might not be what you remember. You’ve changed so much that it might not feel the same. People will treat you differently. What used to be simple and beautiful might now be completely different. You aren’t the same person, and neither are they. You’ll try to have a normal life. You’ll try to be around people again, date guys again…but it won’t be what you expect. I think you’ll come to realize that I’m the only one who truly understands you. I’m the only one who won’t think less of you for what you’ve endured. I’m the only one who will admire you for what you’ve suffered.”

I felt the truth of his words and feared he was right. Home might not be what I remembered. People might see me as the woman who was sold into sex trafficking the second she graduated college. I would be recognized everywhere. I wouldn’t have a clean start.

“No matter how much time has passed, if you ever want to come back, my door will be open.” He pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and handed it to me. “My number is in there if you ever need anything…or if you just want to talk.”

“Thank you.” I held the phone in my palm and tucked it into my front pocket.

“You should get going.”

“Okay…” All I had to do was grab my suitcase and walk away, but I didn’t want to turn my back on him. I didn’t want this to be the last time we saw each other. If he didn’t live so far away, we could still see each other.

“Go, Bellissima.” He cupped my face and kissed me on the mouth, a soft kiss that was heavy with a painful goodbye.

I kissed him back, treasuring the feel of his lips against mine. I would never forget this man for as long as I lived. He was an angel in a crowd of demons. He’d lost his temper for a few days, but he found himself once again.