Page 45 of Late Nights & Love Lines
I press the heels of my palms into my eye sockets, trying to arrange my wild thoughts. “I want my children to be happy. I want them to feel safe. I want to be a great dad and protect them from any more pain.”
“That’s what you want for your kids, and I commend that,” Beck says patiently. “But what doyouwant?”
“That’s the thing. My children will always come first, and what they need may not align with what I want.”
“Why?” Beck asks. He’s calmer than I expected he’d be at a commandeered business meeting.
“Because my children need security and stability, and what I want, who I want, lives her life in temporary situations. Rowan is always searching for an end date.”
“So, give her one.” Alexei rubs his jaw with his thumb, and I can almost envision the dumb fucking idea taking root in his mind.
He looks at Elijah, who shrugs and turns to Beck.
Beck shrugs. “It might work.”
“What might work?” They’re making me dizzy.
“Give her an end date that keeps extending.” Elijah is obviously proud of this plan, but I’m even more confused.
“What makes you think that she, the woman who moves across the country yearly, and never takes permanent positions anywhere, is going to accept an extension?”
“We don’t,” they say in unison.
“But if she accepts the first one, she might be more likely to accept the next one. And, if we get the town involved, she’ll be rooted here before she even realizes what’s happened.” Beck actually smiles. “It happened with my wife. Trust me, this town has a way of wrapping their limbs around even the most stubborn people.”
“This all sounds a little…I don’t know, high-handed and disaster-ish?”
“Do you have a better plan?” Alexei asks.
When I don’t answer, he changes tactics. “Is seeing where things can go with Rowan worth it?”
The word “yes” flies from my mouth with absolutely no thought, filter, or planning.
“Then it’s worth a try, right?” Elijah asks.
I lean back in my chair and scan each of their faces.
“This is, without a doubt, the most ridiculous business meeting I’ve ever had. I came to discuss floorplans and buildingstrategy, and instead, I got Prince Charming’s band of merry fucking meddlers.”
Elijah and Alexei high-five each other while Beck drops his head against his chair to stare at the ceiling.
“There are worse things we could be called.” Elijah laughs. “Now that we’ve got a plan, let’s bust out these floorplans so Prince Charming can head back to his castle on the beach.”
My groan vibrates through my veins. I might not survive this shit show.
I wouldn’t sayRowan’s been avoiding me for the last few days, but it does feel as though she’s actively running from me. Which I admit is highly impressive, considering we live in the same house. That’s put to a stop when we’re both called to Leo’s office to meet his new camp director, Maria DeLuca.
“Pappy’s doing arts and crafts with the kids at the pavilion,” she says without looking at me. She’s standing against the wall of the office giving offdon’t fuck with mevibes.
“Good afternoon, Rowan. How are you, Rowan? It’s good to see you, Rowan.” Jesus. I’ve reverted to a teenaged asshole, except I wasn’t even this prickly when I was fifteen.
“Good afternoon, Sebastian,” she hisses. “I’m fine, how are you? It’s good to see you as well.” I think she’ll end it there, but I should know to expect the unexpected with her. That fire that sizzles inside of her won’t allow her to back down. “Although I also saw you this morning, and twice yesterday, so it’s not as if it’s been years since we’ve spoken.”
I’m smiling so broadly my lips are dry. My tongue runs along the corner of my mouth, and her gaze follows the motion. I swear her reaction causes my stomach to tighten and desire to swirlthrough my veins. Leaning in so only she can hear me, I whisper, “This time, Peach. It hasn’t been years, this time.”
She scrunches up her nose and purses her lips into an angry scowl, then uses two fingers to push me back a step.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Pappy, and I can tell you that I’ve never seen him so at peace. He loves being with you every day, Peach.”
