Page 195 of Forever Never
Remi and her mother shared a meaningful look as she rose.
Brick followed her out of the room.
“I can’t tell if she’s giving us busy work so she can make Camille feel more comfortable or if she knows it was fucking torture for me just to listen to some of the things he’s done,” Remi complained.
He couldn’t hold himself back anymore and pounced. Grabbing her mid-stride, Brick hauled her into his arms and carried her past the kitchen where the rest of their house guests were pouring coffee and eating pancakes.
He stepped into the living room but couldn’t put her down yet.
“I want him dead, Brick. And I know that’s uncharitable and bad karma and all of that. But he’s a fucking monster, and I want his life over. He’ll never stop otherwise,” she whispered.
He held on tighter, unable to speak.
“Some protection order isn’t going to keep her safe. If anything, it’s just going to make it worse. I get it now. It was safer to stay. Even though it was going to always end with him trying to kill her. She’s actually safer living in that fiend’s house.”
Brick felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Remi,” he finally managed to rasp.
She pulled back and looked up at him. Her expression softened. “Hey, it’s okay, big guy. I’m not going anywhere. Certainly not to prison for murder. I’ll make it look like an accident.”
“Remi,” he said again. “He’s going to come here. He’s going to follow the trail and find you and Camille here.”
She cupped her hands to his face, rubbing her palms over his beard. “And you’re going to stop him. You aren’t going to let him anywhere near Camille, and you’re only going to let me close enough so I can relocate his balls to his throat.”
“I can’t—” He paused and cleared his throat. “I can’t lose you.”
She tried to squirm out of his arms, but he only held on tighter until she went still in his arms.
“Look at me,” she ordered, her voice steady. “Look at me. I’m not going to do anything that puts me or Camille or anyone else in danger. Okay?”
“I can’t handle the thought of him anywhere near you.” His voice shook. She was so fucking precious to him. He wouldn’t survive it if something happened to her. Wouldn’t be responsible for his actions if someone tried to take her from him.
She gave him a hard hug, pressing her face to his chest. He cupped the back of her head and held her there.
“Come watch me paint.”
He released her, frowning. “You’re going to let me watch you?”
“They’re going to be in there a while. Camille has a lot of incidents to report. I’ll give you a behind-the-scenes peek at the creative process.”
He let her lead him into the studio and suppressed a smile when she locked the door and drew the blind. Even when she hadn’t been speaking to him, the door had remained unlocked, the blind open.
“Come on,” she coaxed, tugging him down the ramp into her chaos.
He hesitated, feeling the pressure of the preparations he needed to make. But he’d always wanted this. He’d always wanted to see how the magic came to be.
“I’ll even let you pick the song,” she said, positioning him on a paint-splattered stool off to the side of the easel. She handed over her phone and pointed him in the direction of her music app.
He watched her as she pushed the canvas she’d been working on out of the way, replacing it with a fresh canvas.
The drop cloth on the floor wrinkled under her bare feet as she worked her hair into a high knot.
“Did you pick a song yet?” she asked.
He shook his head. “You choose.”
“Gentleman’s choice,” she insisted. “What song makes you think of summers here?”
Inspiration struck. He typed it in with a quirk of his lips and hit play.
