Page 62 of When Forever Stays

“I can’t believe he’d do it. But he did.” The tone of her voice has my stomach sinking.

Then I go into defense mode. “Does he need an attorney?”

“No, he just needs you.”

I can’t help but feel confused. “Me?”

“Yes. He told the cops it was his dad’s apartment, and they didn’t believe him because they knew it belonged to RJ Hemlock and he didn’t have proof that he’s your son.”

“Wait, slow down. Tell me exactly what happened.”

She blows out a frustrated breath, then tells me Oscar snuck over to my apartment in Chicago and completely destroyed it. When he got caught, he insisted that the owner—me—was his father. No one believed him, and he was arrested for destruction of private property. I kept my apartment so I’d have a place to stay in Oscar’s hometown if he ever decided to forgive me and reconnect.

She breathes out a resigned sigh and says, “We need you.”

“I told you I will always be there for you, Ashley. No matter what.”

“So you’ll come here and set all this straight?”

“Of course. I promise I’ll be there in the late morning, early afternoon at the latest. Don’t stress. I’ll make sure everything is fixed.”

I hear a door slam and feet pounding against my bungalow’s floorboards toward the front door.

“Please do. I’m helpless right now.”

“I know. We’ll get through this,” I say gently. “But I gotta go. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I hang up and run outside, watching as Dana jumps into her car. I sprint and grab the door as her fingers grip it to close it.

She looks up at me, and I shatter at the look of betrayal in her eyes.

Trying to deescalate the situation, I say, “I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”

“Well, I thought I’d surprise you. But apparently, you found a way to surprise me instead.”

My stomach clenches. “You heard the tail end of a phone conversation.”

“It was enough.”

“No, it wasn’t.” I lean down and take hold of her hands, pulling her gently from the car. I stare down into her eyes, caging her between my arms against her door. “Oscar is in trouble.”

Her expression softens, and I’m reminded of her tender heart. Let’s just hope she’ll also be understanding once she lets me explain. “Is he okay?”

“Yes…no. I don’t know.” I release her, take a step back, and run my hands through my hair. “Everything is a mess, and it’s all my fault.”

“Tell me what’s going on.” She shuts her door and takes my hand, and I bask in the comfort of her touch.

She follows me inside, and to try and calm myself by focusing on something else for a moment, I offer her some iced tea. We sit on my couch as she sips her tea, and I tell her everything Ashley shared with me on the phone. Dana listens intently with a sad smile on her lips.

“You need to go. I get that. I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.” She rests her tea on the table, then stands and paces my living room as if needing to move to gather her thoughts. “I was just afraid you were going to sneak off and leave me again.” When she looks at me, there are tears in her eyes.

I shake my head and stand. “No. Not even close.” I step closer until we’re toe to toe. “I will never walk away from you again.I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but walking away from you is the one I regret the most.” I slide my arms around her and pull her so close she has to tip her head back to meet my eyes. My voice drops several octaves, a new feeling of possessiveness coming over me. “You’re mine now.” She releases a shaky breath. Slowly, my hand slides up her arm and I cup the side of her gorgeous face. My thumb traces her lower lip. “And I’m all yours.” I lower my face, her lips just out of reach until I whisper, “forever,” and she bridges the space between us, crashing her mouth on mine.

TWENTY SIX

RHETT

The last thing I wanted to do was leave Dana behind. But this isn’t an ideal situation to make introductions between Dana, my son, and my son’s mom.

“RJ Hemlock?” Officer Bishop asks with a scoff after I give him my name.

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