Page 3 of Culmination
And then I spy a single tear spilling out onto her cheek and I lose all sense of mind.
I can take it no more. No longer can I be a shadow in the dark. No longer can I remain at arm’s distance. No longer will I watch this beautiful, fragile being from afar.Mydelicate, vulnerable girl. She’s been the only vision in my sights for so long, and I cannot believe I lost her. I cannot bear the fact that she is no longer mine. I cannot—will not—give up on her. On us. On our love. I must show her, prove to her, I’m still the man she fell in love with. The man who rescued her from loneliness. From grief. The one she is meant to spend the rest of her life loving.
Not him. Never him.
I have to get to her.
Gabriella Latham’s life is about to be turned on its axis.
And she has no idea just how skewed it’s already become.
Only one man can save her…
Me.
I STRETCH MY ARMSout wide and immediately go stock-still at the feel of crisp sheets—the bed is empty next to me. My eyes pop open, and I hastily rise, glancing around, listening for any indication Rafe’s still here.
Nothing.
No sounds of the shower running, the toilet flushing, or teeth brushing.
Instead, echoes of the eerie silence that greets me let me know Rafe’s no longer in our hotel room.
My eyes scan the room until they fall to his side of the bed. A folded sheet of hotel paper sits on the nightstand next to the bed, and I reach across the mattress to grab it. Then I quickly unfold it, scouring the contents of his message.
A smile softly forms on my face as I reread the words once again. He’s the sweetest man I’ve ever known, and I’m aware that, as my pregnancy progresses, he’ll continue to dote on me.
However, it’s infuriating, especially at times like these. Whatever lead he’s chasing down, I want to be a part of it. I’d rather be with him, discovering what my father was into with the Morningstars. Instead, I’m expected to stay here and indulge?
Perfect.
And quite unlikely.
With a heavy sigh, I set the note aside and push the covers off in order to get ready for the day, hoping I won’t be cooped up for too long. I take my time in the bath, and even longer to dry and style my hair. Once I’m all primped and prepped for a day of apparently nothing, I lounge on the bed and commence channel surfing, but after a short while of finding nothing that catches my interest, I find myself getting antsy.
For what feels like hours, I pace the room, anxious and impatient for his return. Rafe doesn’t answer his phone when I break down and call him, and he doesn’t respond to any of my text messages. I wonder what he could be doing. After the fifth unanswered call, I decide I can no longer sit in this hotel room alone.
There’s something I want to do—something Ihaveto do.
This may be my only chance.
I know exactly where I want to go.
After pulling on my boots and my jacket, I scribble out my own note and then leave the hotel room. Trepidation courses through my blood, my heart hammers as I step outside into the hall, but I push my fears away, knowing I have to do this—and I have to do it alone.
Still, I breathe a sigh of relief when I’m closing the taxi door and we pull away from the hotel, off to my destination.
My nerves flutter the closer we get, yet I’m also more confident that I’ve made the right the decision to come here. It’s something I need for my own sanity, my own peace of mind, even if only for a few moments. I’m going to the one place where I know solace. The one place where my grief both cocoons me and eases the pain of my loss.
For the first time since I laid them to rest, I’m visiting my parents. With everything that’s happened, I need to be close to them. To feel their close presence, even if it’s just an illusion.
After I exit the cab, I’m stuck in place as I take in my surroundings. I immediately wonder… What if I’d died? What if Adrian had succeeded? Would Rafe have buried me here, alongside them, the entire Latham family in their final resting places? All four of us?
I shake the morbid thought from my head and make a mental note to bring Rafe here once everything settles. Even though he knew my father, something I still haven’t entirely wrapped my mind around, I want him to know what they meant to me. How he’s the only thing that saved me from being there beside them right now. How, before him, I’d almost entertained the thought of joining them before fate planned.
Not wanting to stall any longer, I force myself forward, passing through the high arch that serves as an entrance. I’m not sure if it’s the venue or the slight chill in the air, but I’m almost instantly shivering. I pull my jacket tighter around me and continue on. The leaves are crinkly and dry, crunching underneath my boots as I walk towards my parents’ graves. It’s the only sound filling the air around me, and the break in the silence is strangely soothing. Each crinkle, each crunch leads me closer to them. Closer to peace.
God, how had I been away from here for so long? On the other hand, why would I want to come?
