Page 68 of Shattered Hearts

“Stella and I went to Black Enterprises today. I think it was her way of telling me if she can do it, I can, too. She’s not very subtle when she wants to get a point across.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. It’s been closed for a long time. Nothing can hurt me there anymore.”

“I’ll stay and do paperwork,” Linc says, throwing a piece of ketchup-smeared waxed paper into a trash bin near his chair.

“You wanna go right now?” Gage asks.

“Yeah. I don’t want to lose my nerve.” I force myself to smile.

Baby jumps to her feet, begging to go too, and she’s happy to get out of the office. She watches with rapt attention as the buildings streak by, and we need more than half an hour to reach the road Quiet Meadows was built on. It’s another five minutes until we see the building in the horizon, the only thing marring the snowy landscape.

My heart starts to race, an uneven pitter-patter, and I rub my chest. I thought I could do this, but now I’m not so sure. I don’t have the grace Stella does. To focus on something else, I say, “Stella and Zane are finally getting married.”

Gage looks at me out of the corners of his eyes. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to be what’s holding them back. They’re staying at the Crowne for a couple of days instead of going on a honeymoon. I hope it’s okay I said I could stay in the city with you, but if you’re busy, Lucille and I will be fine at the house.”

He lifts my hand and kisses my knuckles. “Of course it is. What brought that on?”

I shrug and try to pretend I don’t know he turned into the parking lot of the facility. “We were talking at Black Enterprises. I feel like I’m the reason why they haven’t done it yet, and I called Peggy, Zane’s secretary, and asked her to set it up. They love each other. They don’t have to wait because of me.”

“I bet Zane appreciated that.”

He doesn’t park in the front, instead he drives around to the back.

“Do you have permission for us to be here?”

“Besides the fact that Rourke is my stepfather and your brother is the richest man in the country who’s not behind bars? No.”

“Oh. How do you plan to get in?”

“I’m a private investigator. I’ll find a way.”

I quirk my lips in doubt, but he only laughs. “Zane was over the moon. He wanted it, but I think he didn’t want to hurt my feelings by trying to move forward.”

“They both have your best interests at heart.”

“Yeah, they do, but if they stop living because I’m in limbo, Ash wins, and Ash has hurt my brother and Stella enough. I want them to be happy. I don’t want to hold them back.”

Gage parks near huge loading bays where food and other supplies were delivered and turns the truck off. There’s not a sound in the cab except for the clicking of the cooling engine. “Loving and supporting you isn’t holding them back.”

I stare out the window. “I’ll hold you back.”

He cups my cheek in his warm palm and says, “If I’m stuck here for the rest of my life, I couldn’t be happier.”

Annoyed, I lean away. “That’s not what I want for you.”

“I’m not letting you dump me so you can avoid going in there.” He jerks his head toward the building.

“That’s not—”

“Sure it is. I’m on to you.” He taps my nose, and I stick my tongue out at him.

“Fine.”

“Come on.”

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