Unravel(45)

“I know that,” I said gently. “But it’s not that simple. If it was, he’d be locked away right now.”

“I promise you he won’t get away with it,” Max said heatedly.

I looked out the window. I didn’t want to start talking about Lana’s dad. The main reason for this drive was to de-stress and not think about anything.

“I’ve been thinking about something,” I said carefully.

“And that is?”

“Getting away from all this… bullshit. Somewhere not too far.” I shrugged underneath his gaze. “Maybe to D.C.?”

Max let off the gas and pulled over on the side of the road. He put the car in park and turned to look at me. I rotated in my seat. My shin brushed his thigh. I didn’t pull away. Even when the moment wasn’t sexually charged, my body still sought him out. He was a comfort for me. I think he would always make me feel that way.

I told him my idea to convince Lana to move to D.C.

It suddenly occurred to me, a few days ago, that I needed to compromise with her. She couldn’t take college, couldn’t take being away from everything she knew. But what if I told her she could move out and still remain close to her hometown? What if she was surrounded by a place she’d known all her life and was safe at the same time?

My plan wasn’t foolproof, but it was taking shape. It was starting to make more sense as time went on.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Max asked.

“It’s the best idea,” I said confidently. “And it’s the only idea that makes sense.”

He nodded and stared at the road. I knew he agreed with my plan, but he was thinking over every option, trying to think of everything that could go wrong. “When is this apartment hunting going to happen?”

“As soon as possible.”

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

“Not very long.” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

He had taken off his sunglasses. His eyes bore straight through me.

“I’ve been bouncing the idea back and forth for a few days,” I said.

He raised both brows. “That’s it?”

“What more do you want me to say?”

“I figured if you’ve been thinking about this you’d have places lined up, a whole plan set in place. Think about this long and carefully so it all sticks in the end.”

“You don’t think I haven’t been thinking about this carefully? That’s all I’ve been doing the last week. Carefully tiptoeing around everyone and everything…” I looked away. “There’s no other option.”

“Hey,” he said gently. He tipped my chin up so I was looking at him. “You know that I, out of all people, want this to happen, right?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

He held my gaze. “Do it and I’ll be right behind you the whole time,” he said, his voice steady and sure.

It gave me a small boost of confidence. I smiled gratefully and kissed him.

“Thank you,” I said.

He pulled back onto the road.

One hurdle had been crossed. The only thing I needed to do now was talk Lana into it.



20—ON THE HUNT

“If you notice, it has a patio that has an amazing view of the city,” the relator said.

It took me a solid week of talking Lana into apartment hunting before she agreed. I had instantly made an appointment to look at a few apartments. Lana canceled that appointment, coming up with a lame excuse as to why she couldn’t make it.

It wasn’t that easy this time around. Max was here. He left work early to apartment hunt with us. He was still dressed in his work clothes: black dress pants, oxford shirt. His tie was loosened and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He scanned everything with a critical eye. His eyebrows were creased. His jaw was set. My heart stuttered and stopped, creating its own new rhythm as I watched him. It wasn’t the way he looked that made me react this way, it was his concern. His determination to make sure that Lana was safe. It was a huge turn on. I had to stop myself from reaching out, grabbing him by his tie and dragging him close to me.

Lana scanned the empty living room. Her eyes took in everything. I could see her picturing how she would decorate this place, if it were hers. And there was no reason why this apartment couldn’t be hers.

It was cozy. With just two bedrooms, a small kitchen with new appliances and an attached island. The living room was a good size. The walls were painted a shade of ivory and the floors were hardwood.

Yet the one thing that was most important to Lana was the location.

Location, location, location. She needed safety and a sense of security. This apartment had just that.

“What do you think?” the realtor asked Max. It didn’t take the realtor long to figure out he would be the one to pass everything through.

Max didn’t answer. He looked at Lana, waiting for her to answer.

She trailed her finger across the wall. “Can I think about it for a moment?”

I frowned and moved away from the wall. What was she doing? I wanted to say something right then but I didn’t.

The realtor smiled politely and said of course before she stepped out of the apartment.

Max looked at Lana, his impatience showing, and followed the realtor. I wanted to come to Lana’s rescue and tell Max that it was already a lot for Lana to come here today. In fact, I was stunned that I even got her to go.