He drops onto the couch. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Why?” I bark out a laugh. “He’s happy. I’m happy. You don’t get to dictate who either of us loves.”
He’s quiet. His face falls into his hands.
“What were you saying about someone named Delaney?” Jane steps into my view. “I remember meeting a girl named Delaney when I helped Drake move some boxes out of an apartment years ago. I hated every second of it. It wasn’t what I thought I was getting into when I took the intern position.”
Drake’s head pops up. “It’s fine, babe. This is between my sister and me.”
I shake my head. “What do you remember about her, Jane?”
“She was so sad.” Her hand drifts to her cheek. “She was tall and very thin. I remember she looked like she’d been crying for days. She asked Drake to give Case a message for her. I remember that.”
I twist back around to face my brother. “Did you give him the message?”
Drake darts to his feet. “Why the fuck would I do that? His brother had just died, Em. He couldn’t walk straight. Do you know how many times that girl called Apollo’s phone? I turned it off because it never stopped ringing.”
“You what?” I seethe. “You had Apollo’s phone after he died?”
“I had to handle all of it, including his cremation,” he stresses the last word. “I erased everything from the phone and tossed it.”
Anger barrels through me. “You had no right to do that. You should have given the phone to Case.”
“Case couldn’t think straight. He didn’t need any of that teenage drama in his life,” he spits the words out. “Why the hell are we even talking about this?”
This is Drake’s fault. It’s my brother’s fault that Case has never met his nephew. He’s the reason Delaney and Case haven’t connected to help each other through their shared grief.
“I have to find Case.”
“Call Cabbott in San Francisco.” Drake tosses that out with a flick of his wrist.
“I tried that.”
“Gavin Fuller would know.” Jane clears her throat. “I overheard Drake telling his assistant that Case is close to his cousin. Elias loves to gossip with your brother.”
“Give me Gavin’s number.” I point at my brother. “If you have it, give it to me now.”
His finger slides over the screen of his phone. He steps closer to me until he drops it in my hand. “I have no idea what the fuck is going on here, Emma, but I need you to know I love you and I love Case. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry if I screwed up.”
I take the phone from him and press the call icon next to Gavin’s number. I can only hope that he’ll help me get in touch with the man I love.
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
Case
Five long hourson a flight next to my grandfather is not how I thought today would play out.
I wanted to sit quietly with my thoughts. He wanted to replay his championship run when he pitched for Fordham University decades ago.
By the time I was old enough to throw a ball, I knew how the season had ended.
His team placed second, and he met my grandmother after the final game when she came onto the field.
She was a California girl with blue eyes and golden blonde hair. They married a year after they met, and the rest is a history filled with more laughter than pain. They smiled every day until she passed away.
“You need to slow down, Rush,” he calls from behind me as we make our way through the terminal at LaGuardia. “My old legs take twice as long to get anywhere these days.”
“Hop on my back.” I pat my shoulder. “I’ll give you a ride.”
