Jacinta shoves him out of the way as he brings me upright. “Yeah, well, you and five others, lover boy, so settle down. Anyway, I expect you to demand a couple more cabins so we can all come.”
“We’ve all just taken time off to go to Prague. I’m not sure if the others can get away.”
“I’m sure the minute they hear that you and Harlow are sneaking off on a little cruise, and don't deny that you were planning on inviting her, they’ll be all in.” Jaxon scowls at his sister as we get to their rooms.
“Maybe I had wanted it to be a surprise,” he mutters, but she only waves a regal hand at him.
“Don’t be silly. Harlow has her own business to worry about now too. I bet you hadn’t considered that.” His scowl disappears, and he runs a hand through his hair kind of sheepishly.
“In my defense, I had planned on asking you before all of this blew up, so no, I hadn’t even considered it.”
I shove my hands in the pockets of my pants and watch, fascinated, as the twins bicker back and forth. There’s no real malice, and the affection is real. It’s strangely compelling but also warms my heart. I love seeing them this way. It’s sad that the rest of the world doesn’t get to know this family like they really are. Everyone sees the front they put on, and they assume they can’t truly be happy because of their money, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I think Nana and Poppy and Dad have done an amazing job at keeping them grounded. I hate to say it, but it’s even better than the one Chuck and Melinda did with Max. She still likes to put on airs and graces, but at home the Summers have no pretentiousness in the least.
Just as I’m about to interrupt the argument, I remember the key I had swiped from Holden earlier. “Oh, hey, we found this in a safe in the office earlier. We didn't want the police to get their hands on it, so I swiped it.” I hand it over to Jaxon.
“This is for the safe deposit box that was on the list. We should probably check it out.”
Jacinta swipes the dangling key. “I’ll do it tomorrow when I have lunch.” They start to bicker again, so I walk away and leave them to it. I really am too hungry to wait any longer, and I can’t wait to spend some quality time with Kai.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Kai
When I pull back the lid on the hot tub, steam trails into the cool evening air, the coils of hot, warm air visible against the night around me. It’s been a lot longer than the hour I told Harlow, but she seems to have been just as busy as I was because she’s not out here yet either. I push the lid out of the way and grab us a couple of towels from the nearby box. As I climb the steps and sink into the bubbling water, I groan. I settle into the molded seat and lean my head back as the jets pound my tired body.
A jumble of thoughts and questions run through my mind, and I can’t help but think back to the first time I was in a hot tub with Harlow. Back after her first accident with the saddle. I don't know what Luke was thinking; he was so very lucky she wasn't trampled. What was he trying to achieve? Did he want her to fall into his arms, or was he trying to scare her into returning to the East Coast?
I guess we’ll never know his motivation now, and that only opens up a host of other questions, none of which can be answered. Who killed him? Who made it so he couldn't answer any questions? Was it related to this other stalker? Is it the same person who killed the PI and Harlow’s mother, or was it about something completely unrelated? His waterlogged body wasn't able to tell the police anything, so once again, we are at another dead end—literally. I have a gut feeling it’s all related, though.
Someone, probably the one we should’ve been worried about all along, is cleaning up all of their loose ends.
One thing I hate is feeling useless, and there’s no other word to describe the frustrated churning in my mind when I can’t do anything but question, question, question. If I keep turning this over and over, all I’m going to be able to offer Harlow is a bad mood. She needs more than that from me, so I push the unknowns aside and focus on what I do know something about.
My mind switches to business and the email that was waiting for me this evening. The owners of the hockey team I’m interested in definitely want to sell. I’ve forwarded the contracts to Forrest, and he’s having his firm look over them before the meeting we have scheduled with Dad for tomorrow. The contract includes their home hockey arena, and I’d like to fly to Colorado and have a quick look at it before the gala. I was hoping Harlow would come with me, though I guess it will depend on how her meeting with these new contractors goes. I really want to be here for her, I know all of my brothers do, but we’ve neglected our own businesses. My box is starting to overflow with things to do, and my brothers are much the same, I’m sure. Before we know it, Harlow’s life is going to be just as busy as ours. I hope we’re all ready for that, but I have a feeling things will get bumpy for a while as we try to work out how our lives mesh together. On the bright side, after all we’ve been through so far, I have no doubt that we will make it through.
She was so excited when we were touring the house. Her face looked like a kid at Disneyland, but I know she was stressing about what we found in the vault. We should know within twenty-four hours who the body was, and that will take a load off. I hope. I mean, it can only be one of two people realistically. But it’s that not knowing hanging over your head that’s stressful
Thankfully, Dec said the DEA and ATF didn’t care about the rest of the vault. Apparently, they didn't look too closely at all. They saw the guns, drugs, and dead body, then everything else ceased to matter.
Movement at the house has me looking up, finding my girlfriend almost sprinting to the hot tub. She’s wearing nothing but a bikini that makes her body look amazing, highlighting her gorgeous curves.
“Holy shit, it got really cold out here!” She quickly climbs the steps, sliding in and mimicking the groan that left my mouth when I did the same thing. “God, that’s good.” She shuffles over toward me and gives me a kiss before resting her head back against the edge and closing her eyes. “I can practically feel all the tension leaving my body. It’s been a long ass week,” she mutters as she reaches for my hand under the water.
The smile that I feel on my face is nothing short of ecstatic. All I can do is marvel at how small her hand feels compared to mine, how good and right it feels.
“Did you get yourself something to eat?” I ask, worried that she’s not looking after herself. All the stress has been compiling, and she’s looking tired.
“God yes, Nana makes a mean curry. I had two bowls. I’m surprised you couldn't see my little rice baby as I ran across the patio.” My heart lurches at the thought of Harlow's belly having a baby, but that thought is marred with the reminder that a woman may already be carrying my baby. I can’t help the scowl or the way my hand tightens around Harlow’s. She lurches upright. “Oh fuck, Kai. I’m sorry. I was careless with my words.”
She runs a wet thumb across my brow, trying to smooth out the lines. “Have you heard anything about Veronica?” she asks quietly, and I shake my head.
“No, but the amniocentesis is tomorrow, so we should know soon.”
“Have you thought about what you’ll do if it is yours?” she asks, no hint of hostility, and I’m thankful for the calm curiosity. This is a lot of drama that’s potentially going to spill over into her life, but she’s making it easy for me to feel like this is a safe space. Do I know what I’m going to do if the kid is mine? Fuck, even if it were my brother’s, I would feel a sense of responsibility for the baby. But that’s all I have right now, a sense of responsibility and some kind of desire to do the right thing. I don’t know anything else about raising a child, but I guess that’s at least a start.
“You know that we didn't want this, that we did everything to try to avoid something like this. Sleeping with her was a one-time thing before we even knew you.” She gently places a finger on my mouth, shutting down any more attempts to reassure her.
“You don't need to explain anything.”
