And suddenly I realize this is what love feels like. Leo was right. To be loved is to be known.
“You’ll never have to shoulder this alone again. I got you from now on, forever. Your family will be my family. I’ll sacrifice anything and everything for you to see that. I’m in love with you. I’ve got you.”
The tears flow more freely now as he soothes me, holding me in his arms closely, whispering words of reassurance. Eventually, we fall asleep like that.
And this time I know that when the morning comes, I won’t be running.
Chapter 34 – Cain
Four Months Later… ?
???
“Boobies,” Eden says.
I raise a brow at my girlfriend’s sister who’s grinning at me from across our newly refurbished dining room table.
The chips have been sanded smooth thanks to Gabriel’s handiwork and Eden’s relentless eye for detail, but the table still wobbles if you lean both elbows on it, creaking whenever a cold draft sneaks through the windows. The mismatched green and brown velvet chairs surrounding it add a kind of imperfect charm to the dining room.
It’s nothing like my old penthouse in Manhattan: all sleek lines, stainless steel, and silence. It’s better.
This place has warmth, noise, and the faint smell of Rhiannon’s casserole clinging to the air. The chill outside seeps in just enough to make the whole house feel lived-in. The way that a home should.
“Is ‘boobies’even a word, or is that slang?”
“Slang counts in Scrabble,” Rosie interjects.
“Who let the lawyer join us this round?”
My sister smiles, stretching her legs out before leaning back in her chair. “I’m only here for another hour, then I need to get back across the lake to work on my home. There’s so much to do to make that place livable.”
“I thought it was only supposed to be a weekend place?”
She waves a hand dismissively, but ever since Rosie bought her place in Brookhaven, she’s been spending more time here than in the city and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it.
She seems more relaxed during her weekends spent in Brookhaven. And she’s bonded with Rhiannon, Eden and Natasha too, which I know she’s been craving for years. It’s given her friendship I’m not sure she even realized she needed.
It’s not easy to make, let alone keep, real friends in our line of work. And with Dad riding her harder since I started cutting back on cases to spend more time with Rhiannon, I know the pressure’s been on her to make partner.
But out here, I can see the difference in her, the way her shoulders finally drop, her laugh comes easier, she dresses less formally, even her smile doesn’t look so rehearsed away from the city lights.
“Gabriel said he can help you with any renovations,” Eden adds with a smile, tucking a lock of auburn hair behind her ear. “I’ll also need a project next semester for one of my design classes—if you have something simple that you think I can handle. My boyfriend Dexter’s an architect so he can help too.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Rosie says eagerly. “Let me see what room would make the most sense. I’d rather not bother Gabriel; I know he’s swamped.”
Lately, Gabriel’s been putting in longer hours with his construction crew in the city, chasing a promotion he’s been after for months. I know that Rhiannon worries about the commute and the toll that the work takes on his body, but he seems to be managing fine.
The downside is that the more time he spends on-site, the less he has for the family’s thrift store, which means Rhiannon, Eden, and Natasha have been putting in extra hours keeping the place afloat.
And though I know I could easily step in, offer up some equity to get them ahead, Rhiannon’s been adamant that this is something they want to handle on their own and their parents wouldn’t want any outside help.
Rosie lays down the wordcrabson her turn.
“Crabs? Is this my girlfriend’s sex education version of Scrabble?”
“I think every game she owns is tied into sex somehow,” Eden adds with a laugh.
I shake my head and smile, staring at the useless tiles propped up in front of me. Nothing good. I already know one of them is going to win.
