When You're Back (Rosemary Beach #12)(42)

I didn’t need to say more. Dean had said it all. Perfectly. He’d lived in a world where my father had loved a woman and been happy. He knew things I didn’t. Seeing Kiro through Dean’s eyes was enlightening.

“She’d want me to be strong. She’d expect it,” Kiro said, staring at the floor in front of him.

Neither of us said a thing. We let him take it all in. Dean had stood up from his spot on the sofa, and we looked at each other over Kiro’s bent head. We both wanted our message to get through to him.

“I want there to be a heaven. I want it for her. She should be dancing and laughing. She has the best laugh. I want there to be a place where she can have all that. Tell me that when this life ends, it’s not over, that she has a new life ahead of her, full of all she was robbed of in this one.”

I swallowed through the emotion constricting my throat. God, I never wanted to go through this. Kiro had been an * most of my life, but no one deserved to deal with pain this intense.

Dean walked over and threw his arm over Kiro’s shoulder. “There’s a heaven, man. There has to be a heaven for angels. And Emily was an angel. She was yours. It ain’t over after this life.”

Kiro closed his eyes and nodded. “You’re right. My angel will be OK. She’ll dance again.”

Dean glanced over at me and nodded. Kiro was going to make it. He had a hard road still ahead, but he was now focused on making Emily proud of him. That was the only thing that could shake him out of this. He never wanted to let her down.

Reese

I was tucked into bed and holding my phone in my hand, waiting for Mase to call, when it finally rang and the image of his cowboy boots showed up on my screen.

“Hey,” I said, sitting up, excited to hear his voice. When he got home, I was going to tell him about my picnic with Henry and Captain; it would be too hard to explain over the phone.

“Hey, baby. I’m heading home in the morning. I spent the day with Kiro. We had a breakthrough this afternoon once he finally got out of bed, but he’s so volatile. I decided to stay and make sure he was good. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. I’m glad things are better with him. Was it hard?” I wished more than once today that I could be there with him.

“It wasn’t easy, but I think I understand him better now. He’ll never be my dad. I have one of those. But I felt something today I’ve never felt for the man before. Compassion.”

Mase was a compassionate man. I couldn’t imagine how awful his father had to have been to not get any compassion from his own son. I knew he hadn’t spent much time around him growing up, but still. “Then the trip helped you, too,” I said.

“Yeah, I think it did,” he agreed. “But I want to be home with you.”

“I want that, too.”

“Are things OK there? The job still good?”

“Yes. The job is great, and I’ve been fine here. I ate dinner with your parents tonight.”

“Good. I love you, and before you say you love me more, that’s not possible.”

Smiling, I tucked the covers under my chin. “I don’t think so.”

He chuckled. “I’ll be on a plane first thing in the morning. Expect a lunch guest.”

A sick knot settled in my stomach, reminding me of my other lunch guest who always popped up. I would have to tell Mase about all that when he got home. I wanted to keep my job, but I also didn’t want Mase in the dark about anything.

“I’ll look forward to it,” I told him. “Love you.”

Once we hung up, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, wondering if Mase would react badly to Captain showing up at my office regularly with lunch. He hadn’t done anything wrong, really, but would I be OK with a woman bringing Mase lunch and eating with him? No. The answer was no way. I’d be jealous.

I had to tell Mase. There was no question.

By ten in the morning, I was getting anxious. I was ready to see Mase. It had only been a few days, but every time the office door opened, my heart sped up. Then Piper would be there, and I’d smile and pretend I wasn’t completely disappointed. He had said he’d be back by lunch.

Two more hours until lunch.

Just as I picked up the phone to return some calls, the door opened. Before I could get excited, Captain’s face appeared, and my face fell. Not who I was hoping to see.

“Don’t look so heartbroken. I’m not that ugly,” he said with a smirk.

I didn’t respond to that. Instead, I used my most professional tone. “What can I help you with?”

Captain cocked an eyebrow as he sat in the leather chair across from me. Not where I wanted him to sit. I wanted him to tell me what he needed and leave. Fast.

“Do you get to leave for lunch today?” he asked, leaning back and crossing his right ankle over his left knee like he was getting comfortable.

“No,” was my clipped response.

He looked amused. “I thought we called a truce. We were going to be friends. You aren’t acting very friendly.”

I had never said I was going to be his friend. “I agreed to work with you. I didn’t say I’d go out to eat with you.”

“You liked the picnic yesterday,” he reminded me.

“I liked Henry,” I corrected him.

He nodded as if he already knew that. “I knew you would. He’s a great kid.”