“But whatever I write,” I added, “it’s going to be grounded in the truth as it actually is, not as someone else wants it to look. If you want to protect your sons, you’re going to have to trust me with more than carefully curated access.”
Byron regarded me for a long moment.
“Levi trusts you,” he said at last.
Levi’s grip tightened again.
“He does,” I said.
“Then,” Byron said, “so, do I. For now.”
And the house felt different again.
Not just a story.
Not just a fortress.
A place where the man I loved had just had his world cracked open, and where neither of us—even bruised, shaken, and standing in the rubble—was willing to walk away from the other.
16
LEVI
"Can we have some privacy?" I asked.
My voice sounded like gravel in a blender, but I got the words out.
Byron nodded immediately. "Of course. The yacht is yours, if you want it. It's quiet. Private. No one will bother you."
Of course, there was a yacht.
I should've been annoyed. Should've bristled at the casual display of wealth, the assumption that a fucking yacht was the solution to having your entire world blown apart.
But I was too tired to care.
"Fine," I said.
My father gestured toward the back of the house. "Through the veranda. Down the lawn. You'll see it at the dock."
Charlie pushed off the wall. "I can show you?—"
"No," I cut him off. "We'll find it."
He nodded once, jaw tight, and stepped back.
Amelia's hand tightened in mine. "Let's go."
We walked out through the back of the mansion, past more sitting rooms and the kitchen, through the veranda doors that opened onto manicured grass stretching down toward the water.
The night was still humid, the air thick with salt and something floral I couldn't name. The moon hung low over the harbor, painting the water silver.
The yacht loomed at the end of the dock—sleek, black, massive. It looked like something out of a spy movie, all sharp lines and tinted glass.
A crewmember waited at the gangway, nodded politely as we approached. "Mr. Dane. Ms. Emerson. The main stateroom is ready for you."
"Thanks," I muttered.
We boarded. The deck was polished teak, the railings gleaming chrome. Inside, the main cabin was all dark wood and leather, soft lighting casting everything in warm amber tones.
