揧ou抮e a Nevermore fan, huh??
He glares at me. 揑抦 a Burns fan. And you don抰 have many of 抏m who aren抰 interested in your bank account, so it might benefit you to tune in and listen for once, you stubborn cock.?
揟hose drugs make you nicer than usual,?I grumble sarcastically.
揥ithout them, I抎 be dead because I抦 dealing with you. Now tell me what happened with Raven.?
I cross the room and drop down on the window seat next to him.
揑 won抰 deny I miss her. Walking away from her was hard as hell, but it抯 for the best. Trust me.?I shrug quickly. 揑t was going to hurt far worse later, if I抎 let her linger.?
揢h桰抦 the guy on drugs. What kind of hurt you mean??
揟he kind you know,?I say, trying to be gentle and failing. My gaze hardens. 揧ou loved Olivia more than life, way back. She came to the hospital one time while you were sick, and only then because I threatened her with everything I could think of if she didn抰 bring Micha. You loved her so much and she just fucking abandoned you. How can anybody believe in love after that??
揝he saw me three times.?
He抯 confused. I shake my head sharply.
揝he came once, Wyatt.?
揘ah, she came again the next day, before they had to catch a flight. She apologized for everything. For such a brilliant man, you can be one dense motherfucker.?
揘ot possible. I barely left the hospital. They came once.?
揧ou must have just missed each other then. I抦 the guy who was laid up with nothing better to do than listen to people talk,?he says, tossing his body back against the pillows.
揑 don抰 believe she apologized. She fought with me like crazy in the hall.?
Somehow, he laughs.
揧ou just have a hard time concealing your venom, and Olivia was never one to take shit.?
I don抰 answer.
Arguing with him won抰 do either of us any good.
揝eeing me so busted must have stroked whatever mouse-sized soul she has left,?he says. 揝he apologized for everything and said as soon as I抦 well, she抣l make sure I see Micha again. We抣l never be best friends or whatever, but I can respect that.?
I stand slowly, pulling at my shirt.
揜espect? After everything she抯 done to you, you抮e going to forgive her? She was crying over a man in a coma. Who knows if she抣l follow through梩hough I hope she will.?
Wyatt looks up at the ceiling and laughs, falling into a brief coughing fit.
揅areful,?I whisper. 揧ou know, it抯 not important棓
揃urns. How have you survived on the planet this long? You really are clueless. Forgiveness is earned. I don抰 want a second chance with Olivia. But for my family抯 sake? Yeah, that apology is the start of something better for everyone.?He pauses, stroking his beard. 揘ow that you抳e burned up my energy, I need to sleep.?
He rolls over and turns his back to me.
Goddamn, this is frustrating, but he抯 also right.
Wyatt isn抰 furious at Olivia anymore. I am.
What if she抯 not his personal Satan?
Maybe I am a certified fool.
What if I抎 tried harder to work through my crap, my constant doubts about love? Would I still have Dakota Poe warming my bed?
I hate that I抣l never know.
I might never stop regretting what I did to her, either.
A Regis roll stares up at me from Mom抯 best china like it抯 a radioactive tumor on a plate.
I don抰 go to Sweeter Grind anymore.
Since I抳e finally got Wyatt expanding his palate beyond pure sugar and it reminds me of Dakota like a knife to the face, there抯 no need.
Thank God.
Ma, on the other hand, still damn near worships the things. She bites her roll in half with an excited smile, chewing as she looks at me.
揂re you okay, Lincoln??she asks after she swallows.
揑抦 peachy.?I抦 just not here.
I抦 still beside a campfire with Dakota in a homeless camp.
I抦 still watching her eyes glisten in the rain.
I抦 still on a moonlit overlook, trying to kiss her, but some jackass who can抰 buy a muffler steals my thunder.
I抦 still driving into her, a gentle hand on her throat, waiting until she looks at me before I unload inside her so hard I see stars.
I抦？
Pulling my head out of the gutter, apparently. Because I抦 having coffee with my mom and pretending to stuff a mess of sugar into my mouth.
揧ou抳e barely touched your cinnamon roll or your coffee. No appetite today??
揑抦 fine, Ma. Just not hungry.?
揑抦 worried about you, Lincoln. You should be learning to unwind without a company to manage. This past month is probably the only time in your life where you haven抰 been workaholicking.?
I look up. 揧ou can抰 make workaholic a verb, Ma.?
揑 just did,?she says, putting her fork down with a decisive clatter.
I shake my head, muttering under my breath.
揙kay. Whatever. It抯 not like this is a vacation. It may be the rest of my life,?I tell her. 揚lus, Wyatt still needs a lot of care.?
Mom nods. 揧ou抮e a good man, Lincoln, which is why I don抰 understand how you could be so horrible to that poor girl.?
Oh, yeah. Here the fuck we go.
揑 told you, I did the best I could. I left her a better job than the one she had. I would have made her a frigging exec if it were up to me, but she doesn抰 have a lot of experience at that level, so I couldn抰 force it.?
揟he job makes her miserable, son. She didn抰 even show a flicker of excitement about the profit share I gave her.?
That grabs my attention.
揥hat? She told you that??
揝he didn抰 have to. She was pale, Lincoln, minus the dark lines under her eyes…？
I rattle a fist under the table, wishing I had one of those stress balls right now.
揗a, just because you think something doesn抰 mean it抯 true. You thought the fake wedding was a good idea.?
揑n another universe, it might have been. One where Miss Poe didn抰 have a stalker and you didn抰 have such a sorry past that turned you into a short-fused grizzly bear.?
Damn. I roll my eyes.
Everyone抯 calling me names today.
揑 did the best I could for Dakota, all right? I even had you pitch her that fee out of my stake in the company, didn抰 I??I take a loud slurp of coffee to shut my yap.
揝he doesn抰 want money. The young woman wants an apology梐nd if you have it in that brain of yours, a makeup kiss or two wouldn抰 hurt.?
揘ot happening. Love梕specially the office kind條eads nowhere good. I did us both a favor and saved us a flaming tragedy.?
It抯 Ma抯 turn to roll her eyes.
揑 swear you get that stubborn streak from your father because you抳e got my brains.?
揥hat??
揕incoln Burns, you抮e no martyr. You抮e acting like a fool who walked away from a wonderful young creature who adored you.?Her face tightens before she continues. 揑抎 give anything梐nything梖or one more hour with your father, and watching you give up on a woman you obviously care about, who loves you棓 She throws up her hands. 揑f you weren抰 almost three times bigger, I抎 spank you right now.?
Brutal.
And of course she抯 desperate for another hour with Dad. That抯 because she抯 heartbroken and too blind to see it梩o see what I抦 saving us from.
She holds my gaze and says, 揟he biggest lesson I learned after your father passed was how bitterly short life can be. You can抰 waste it living in fear棓
揑抦 not afraid, Ma.?
She laughs and takes a hurried bite of her cinnamon roll. 揔eep telling yourself that.?
揥hat does that mean??
揧ou were afraid of losing Dakota棓