Buttons and Grace (Buttons 6)

He didn’t think twice before he stepped to the side. “Come on in.”

“Good choice, Gerald.” I made my way upstairs and approached the master bedroom. The door was shut, so I knocked loudly against the wood. “Cane, it’s me.”

A growl sounded from the other side of the door. “What do you want?”

“You know what I want. Make yourself presentable because I’m about to open this door and walk in.”

“Give me a second.” He moved about the room, probably changing his clothes and cleaning up the beer and liquor bottles. A few minutes later, he opened the door himself, wearing a sour look and a thick beard. He turned away from the door and dropped onto the couch that faced the fireplace and enormous TV on his wall. His hair was flat like he hadn’t showered since yesterday, and he looked thinner even though it’d only been a day since he’d last eaten, judging by the full tray sitting outside his door.

I sat beside him and stared at the sorrow in his eyes. He and Crow possessed some of the same expressions. They had the same smile, similar angry looks, and when they were devastated, they had the same matte look to their eyes.

“Why are you here?” he asked as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“You know why, Cane.”

He rested his arm over the back of the couch and looked at the TV with sleepy eyes, like he’d had too much booze and wasn’t in complete possession of his faculties. “There’s nothing to say, so I’m not sure what we should do now.”

“Have you talked to her since she left?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Does she have a number to call you?”

“I gave her everything she needs. I set up an account in her name, too. Wanted to make sure she’d have enough to get settled. I don’t know what her plan is, but I assume she’ll go straight to her parents’ house first. But after that, I want her to be able to buy a house and not stress about money. From what I understand, teachers don’t make much…”

The gesture was touching, but I shouldn’t be surprised by his generosity. Cane had only loved one woman, and of course, he was going to make sure that one woman had everything she needed. “That was sweet.”

* * *

“She almost didn’t take it. But I asked her to.”

“I think she’ll come back, Cane.”

“I hope.” He covered his face with his hand then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Leaving her at the airport was a lot harder than I expected. Driving off and not looking back…felt strange. I wanted to call her and check on her after she landed, but I knew I couldn’t. I know I need to leave her alone and let her get on with her life.”

“It’ll get easier,” I whispered.

“No, it won’t,” he said as he shook his head. “In time, it’ll be easier for me to lie to myself and say she didn’t mean anything to me, but that’s it. These feelings…this pain…won’t go away. I feel the same way Crow felt when you were gone…unbearable agony.” He dropped his hand then looked at the TV again.

“Did she say anything at the airport?”

“She cried. She thanked me for saving her. Said she would miss me.” His eyes glazed over as he remembered her parting words. “I told her I loved her then walked away. That’s it.”

“Then it was over?”

“Yeah,” he whispered.

I hoped she would arrive in America and realize she wanted to come back, but I knew that was unrealistic. Once she tied up her loose ends, she would realize nothing was keeping her there. “She’ll come back, Cane.”

“I don’t think so.”

“She will. Just give it time.”

He grabbed the half-full beer sitting on the table and took a drink. “Want anything?”

“I’m pregnant. I can’t drink.”

“Oh…that’s right.” He took another drink. “How’s that going?”

“About the same. I don’t feel any different.”

“How’s Crow been doing?” he asked. “Since we handed everything over to Constantine?”

“He’s been good. He’s been going to work and getting around the house. Hasn’t started exercising yet, but he’s almost there.”

Cane leaned back and stared at the TV. “I feel like I’ve lost everything…”

I shifted my gaze back to his expression, seeing the powerful forlornness.

“That business meant everything to me. I don’t blame Adelina, and I don’t blame Crow… I don’t blame anyone. I just feel lost without it. My dad built that thing from the ground up, and with the snap of a finger, it’s gone.” He shrugged. “And now, my woman is gone. Not sure who I am anymore.”

“Crow talked to me about it the other day.”

“About the business?” he asked.

“Yeah. He said he thought you guys were building a new legacy, a new future for the Barsettis. He said he was excited about it. Losing the business didn’t feel like such a personal loss for him since there’s so much more for you to do. He wants you to see it that way—as a new beginning, not an end.”