The Redemption(29)
His head jolts and he’s facing me. “Where?”
“I’m not sure. Just somewhere else.”
Setting his burger down, he appears to have lost his appetite. He pushes his plastic basket away from him and looks out at the nearby street. “LA?”
“There are a lot of memories tied up in LA, but I feel it might be time for a change of scenery.”
When he turns back to me, there’s an earnestness found in his unwavering confession. “I don’t want you to leave.”
His honesty strikes me, causing me to take him seriously. “I have the boys, Dex.”
Leaning forward, his whispered words don’t hide his irritation, “You keep reminding me like I don’t realize you’re a package deal.”
“I remind you so you can get out before it’s too late.”
“It’s already too late.”
His words take my breath, a silent gasp held hostage while I stare into the sincerity of his comforting eyes. Two beats of my pulse and I’m revived, and reply, “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
Under the table, he finds my hand and holds it. “My feelings for you are real. But for you, I’ll be your Peter Pan and you can pretend to be Wendy and we’ll stay in Neverland until you’re ready to see that Neverland doesn’t have to live only in our imaginations.”
“Dex?” I say, looking down. It’s all too much and I push my burger away, feeling a lump forming in my throat. “You say these things in broad daylight—”
“I say what I feel and I feel so much for you.”
I sigh. “Please—”
“Please what?”
Sitting up, our fingers falling away from each other, I say, “Please leave the future out there in the distance for just a little longer. I have things that I need to sort through first, right here in the present.”
“I’ll wait.”
Getting up, I set my napkin on the table and walk around the booth to his side. Sliding in next to him, I take his face between my hands and ask, “Did Wendy and Peter ever kiss?”
With a smug smile in place, he says, “All the f*cking time.”
My smile is unstoppable as I lift up to kiss him on the lips. His strong hands cover my sides, holding me to him, but he pulls back. “We shouldn’t do this here.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“Good. Because I’m really not.”
He leans forward this time and kisses my forehead. “Let’s go. I need to get you back to the Valley before the kids are out of school.” Hearing him say that makes me think that maybe he does realize what comes along with dating me.
In the car, I want to ask him about his mother, but I’m not sure how to broach the subject. I decide direct is best. “Your Mother said to tell you thank you.”
Silence.
“Dex?”
“I haven’t seen my brother, Gage, in almost a year. He’s married and lives in Thousand Oaks. LA’s big, but it’s not that big.”
“Why haven’t you seen him?”
“He’s a lawyer, a partner at a firm with a steady job and all that, former pride of my family, but he took money from me and I found out three years ago.”
“He stole from you?”
Dex’s fingers tighten around the wheel, his knuckles going white. “He set up this account and had me sign a contract that I thought was for IRS reporting. It blew up in his face when the IRS contacted my accountant wanting their money. Like I wouldn’t find out.”
I shift my back against the door, so I can see him better. “Why didn’t I know about this?”
With a glance, he says, “You were kind of busy three years ago.”
The plane crash. The funeral. My darkest year.
“I’m sorry.” I say it because my heart aches for him and his betrayal.
With a reassuring smile, he says, “Why are you sorry? You have no reason to be.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.”
“There was nothing anybody could do. I dealt with my shitty brother. Per her usual MO, my Mother didn’t take my side—”
“She took his?”
“No, she tried to play Switzerland, but I know deep down if the roles had been reversed, she would have sided with him. He was always her favorite. It was easy to see it. Each summer, I was shipped off to my grandfather’s. She took him to the South of France.”
“Doesn’t sound like it was all bad if you ask me. I mean, how much sun and beautiful azure-colored water can you really stare at all day?”
His laugh is heard over the wind that whistles through the car. “True.” When his hand finds mine, he says, “You have a really unique way of looking at situations, Wendy.”
“It’s a gift, I guess. I just learned that you see a situation how you want to see it, whether it’s the truth or not.”
“Your beauty shines through.”
“Well I’m also learning that you’re not just a pretty face and kickass drummer.”
Chuckling, he says, “Nope, I also have other talents.” He waggles his tongue, and at the sight of that, I clench my legs together. If he wasn’t so damn sexy, I might be offended.