Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Crew
“ I think you’re making a mistake.”
Paintbrush in hand, I did my best not to reach up and pinch the bridge of my nose. I had enough paint in my hair at this point. “I will tell her, but when I see her in person later today. Calling her last night or interrupting her work would just worry her. And we’re finally getting to a place where we can actually relax. I don’t want to stress her out.”
After the police had come to take their photos and do whatever they did for collecting evidence, Noah, Ford, Daisy, and Hugh had shown up, hands on hips, worry on their faces, and had gone through every inch of security I had put in. Considering they had been the team who had installed it in the first place, they were just as pissed as I was that someone had come to destroy my property.
The cameras hadn’t caught who’d broken in since the person had worn all black and a ski mask like they’d watched too many movies. Though considering the damn routine had worked, I couldn’t comment much on that.
The Montgomery crew would be coming back tomorrow to add more security throughout the property. They were hell-bent on helping me figure out exactly who it was, since the cops could only do so much when I pointed out who it had to be.
They had reminded me that my family was well known in some circles. That my father and mother were both assholes. Though they hadn’t used those words. They had been a little kinder but not much. So maybe it had been an enemy of my family. Somebody who wanted access to our bank accounts.
Except they hadn’t taken a damn thing. Instead, they had merely destroyed. Although it didn’t truly feel like the word merely worked like that.
The intruder had taken out their hate, and whatever other rage they might’ve been feeling, on my cars. Thankfully it seemed to be just focused on the tires themselves. After all, those were easier to stab with a knife than the metal body of the vehicles. But it was still a mess. I had appointments to deal with the damage with our friends who owned a body shop. Lex and the rest of the Montgomery Construction crew would help with the damage to the building as well. Once Aria walked into that garage, she would know something was different. Not to mention she would notice the increased security.
“Are you listening to me? She’s going to find out. And I don’t want my cousin to get hurt because some asshole has his sights set on you or her or even just your tires.”
I set the paintbrush down, knowing if I held onto it any longer, I would crack it in my hands. “Nothing is going to happen to Aria. I will kill the son of bitch before that happens.”
Lex met my gaze. “You still think it’s Travis.”
“Who else could it be? While my parents are narcissistic, terrible people, they don’t have violent enemies.”
No, they kept their violence behind closed doors, and only for their son. But it had been a long while since they had laid a hand on me. Even in my father’s misguided anger, hatred, and confusion, he didn’t leave bruises like my mother had.
So no, I didn’t think it was them. Or anything having to do with them.
“You’re right. It feels petty. Targeted. Not something randomly to do with the business that you don’t touch. He’s high most of the time though, so I wouldn’t have figured he’d have the energy to do this. I just can’t believe how far that guy has fallen.”
“And Aria still lets him text because she wants to be there just in case he reaches out. In case he finally sees the light and stops being so selfish. And there’s nothing I can do. Because the angrier I get, the closer I feel I’m becoming my parents or even Travis. So I just have to let it happen.”
Lex snarled. “I want to take her phone and throw it in the lake, but apparently that would be controlling.”
I rolled my eyes at his dry tone. “So I hear. The problem is, I’d tell you the same thing in her shoes. If one of you guys needed me, I’d be there.”
“If one of us tried to hurt someone though, we would have other people holding us back. And at this point I can’t feel much sympathy for a man who tried to kill my cousin.”
I let out a breath, knowing this conversation wasn’t going to get anywhere. The words cut and reminded me that I would truly end Travis if I had to. “We both agree. He’s a danger. The cops are looking for him to question him about the vandalism at least. Maybe this time he won’t be able to weasel out of charges. His parents won’t be able to game the system for him.” His parents ran in the same circles as mine but I knew for a fact my parents would let me rot behind bars before they helped me unless it shined a black light on the McTavish name. “But until then, if I see that man, I’m going to kill him. He doesn’t get to come into my house, hurt Aria, or threaten me. Because that’s all he’s doing right now, threatening me . The one time we’re not in the house he just happens to break in and destroy my shit? No thank you. I’m done with him.”
“You’ve been done with him for a long while,” Lex put in. “You need to tell her, Crew.”
“Stop fucking badgering me. I will. Today. You’re right. If she doesn’t know he’s even more of a danger, it’s just going to put her in the middle of it. And that could lead to her getting hurt. So, I’m not going to let that happen.”
“You know, it is little ironic you’ve kept the secret for as many hours as you have, when you were just pissed at her for keeping the texts secret.”
I flipped him off as I went through my notes for the next phase of my project. “Don’t throw that back in my face. I have my reasons.”
“And so did she.”
“I thought you were on my side here.”
“Of course I am on your side. And hers. I love you both.” Lex held up his hands. “I don’t love you like that. I swear, this family loves to put me into weird situations when it comes to you.”
“You’re the one who started it.” I raised a brow. “Other than wanting to talk about what happened, is there a reason you’re here? Not that I don’t love you. As my best friend. But shouldn’t you be working?”
Lex ran his hand through his hair, looking far more lost than I had ever seen him. I had been so focused on my own life, things moving with Aria, my parents, that I was messing up when it came to my best friend.
“I’m just tired. And we finished our major project last week. I’ve been dealing with permits and contracts all day, so I took the afternoon off.”
I blinked. “You don’t take time off. You are worse than your uncle Wes like that.”
“Uncle Wes takes time off because Aunt Jillian makes him. But you’re right, I don’t take time off. Maybe I should go on vacation. See the sights. Put down the hammer. Do something for myself.”
“Now you’re starting to worry me.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s something.”
“Gia is getting married.”
It took me a moment to realize who Gia was, and I blinked. “Your ex? That didn’t take long.”
“Tell me about it. She found the love of her life, and apparently breaking up with me to do so was the perfect catalyst.”
“You don’t still love her, do you?” I asked carefully.
“I don’t. Which is probably an issue all on its own. I just had a bad morning, and might’ve yelled at somebody, so I’m taking the afternoon off.”
“Do you want to get out to do something?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m here because I want to make sure that you’re okay. That my cousin is safe. Whatever is going on with Travis scares the hell out of me.”
“You’re not alone there.” I paused. “You matter, you know. And we both know I hate talking about my feelings. So stop making me talk about my feelings.”
His lips twitched. “You are so enlightened it’s hard for me to even breathe. However, since we are talking about feelings, do you want to talk about what the hell is going on with my cousin? As in, what are your intentions? Because I’m in the mood to be nosy.”
I gave him a look, barely resisting the growl escaping my lips. “Not sure how that’s your business.”
“Again, I’m a Montgomery. I don’t know why you’re so surprised about this fact. But stop being an idiot and talk to me. Or maybe, this is going to be a surprise, maybe you should talk to her about, oh I don’t know, your feelings for fuck’s sake. ”
I blinked at the raised tone and shook my head. “Why are you suddenly worried that I’m not?”
“Because you’ve been in love with her for years and you never did a thing about it. You watched her circle the drain while trying to help Travis, and you were always there to pick up the pieces. I was wrong. I thought that she loved him. But that wasn’t the case. She wasn’t in love with Travis. She wanted to help him because apparently, she has a savior complex. Much like we all do in this damn family. But every single time she fell right along with Travis, picking him up, you were there too. Picking up her pieces. So, for the love of the gods, just tell her you love her and stop worrying that she’s going to run away. She loves you. We can all see it.”
“You thought she loved Travis. So why the hell do you think she loves me?” I snapped. I hadn’t even realized the words were there until they were already out of my lips. But it was the truth.
I had thought she had loved Travis in some way this whole time, and I had been wrong. So who was to say that she loved me? Maybe this was all in my damn head.
“It’s different. And don’t tell me how I know, I just do. But I hate the two of you dancing around each other for so long. And I know you, Crew. You’re going to put her first, and in doing so, you might let her walk away to protect you both.”
“What the hell are you talking about? We’ve barely started even dating.”
“You’re not telling her about this. I can see the way your mind works. You’re thinking that if you worked with her, maybe Travis will stay away. Maybe she won’t feel so insecure about you. But if you push her away to protect her, she’s never going to forgive you. We both know that.”
“You have no idea what you’re saying.”
Although, I knew that was a lie. I hadn’t even realized that’s where my thoughts had been going until he put it out there.
I rubbed my hand over my chest and set down my notes. “How did you know I loved her?”
“It’s written all over your face, man. I’m surprised she hasn’t figured it out. Or frankly, I’m surprised you haven’t.”
“We both know I figured it out a long time ago,” I muttered, looking at the canvas, wondering if I was ever going to finish this.
It wasn’t that it was a bad piece. I was just holding back. Each stroke felt as if I were ripping it from my soul, and the shades weren’t aligning, the focus not quite there. Because if I put what I wanted to on the canvas, she was going to see everything.
And what if she didn’t want that ?
What if I was the person she hadn’t been expecting, and yet was the one who held her back?
“Just talk to her. About everything. There’s so much going on that if you don’t, it’s going to be thrown back in your face. Don’t miss out on what could be because you’re scared about what happened before.”
“When did you get so introspective?” I asked, deflecting his words.
“Maybe when I realized everybody was growing up and I was still figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.”
I studied Lex’s face, wondering why he couldn’t see the great man he was. No amount of me telling him though, would change the way he saw himself. Though I didn’t have much to say on that. Pot and kettle and all that. “Lex. You are the most stable person I know.”
“And isn’t that a sad statement about the state of today’s affairs? And on that note, I’m going to head out. I know you have to leave the studio soon and head back to see Aria. Where I don’t know, but maybe you can have a conversation. That might be good for the both of you.” My best friend leaned forward, cuffed the back of my head, and kissed my forehead. “Don’t be an idiot.”
And with that, he walked out, leaving me confused, tired, and yet, in the right direction.
Because I needed to talk with Aria. About so many things. She was going to be upset about the break-in, then maybe I should actually talk about what I was feeling rather than pretending it didn’t matter. And didn’t that sound like pulling teeth?
Frowning, I went back to work, adding a few more colors and realizing maybe I could figure out where this was going.
At least I hoped so.
I stayed an extra hour before heading back to my place.
Aria:
The hike with Dad went amazing. I am on my way to your house. See you soon?
Me:
That’s good to hear.
Me:
See you soon.
Me:
Miss you, babe.
Aria:
I miss you too.
I nearly texted that I loved her. And I wanted to yell at Lex for that. Just because I loved her, didn’t mean she had to know .
Yes, I knew how stupid that sounded. But it wasn’t time yet. What if she wasn’t ready?
What if she was?
I shook my head. It took me a bit to get through traffic and I knew Aria had probably beaten me home. I pulled into my garage, grateful that they hadn’t gotten to this particular car. It had been parked on the other side of the house, so it had been spared. But I was going to have to tell Aria everything.
I walked inside, the scent of garlic hitting me first, and I couldn’t help but smile as Aria danced in my kitchen once again. She looked like she fit there. As if maybe she had always been there.
I didn’t know if I was projecting, or if this was just what I wanted, but damn it, I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted her to stay here. To be mine. And for there not to be any more questions.
Maybe Lex was right. Maybe I just should just shout the damn words.
Aria turned then, a smile on her face. “I am making linner. I hope you’re hungry.”
I blinked. “Lunch and dinner?” I leaned forward and brushed my lips against hers. She set down her mixing bowl, slid her fingers into my belt loops, and pulled me closer. So I put my hand around the back of her head, tangled my fingers in her hair, and deepened the kiss. She moaned, walking into me, and my dick pressed against my zipper.
“If you’re not careful, I’m going to eat you in this kitchen. Not whatever you’re making.”
“You’re welcome to eat me later. But first, I need actual sustenance.” She winked, looking far lighter and happier than I had seen her in ages. Then again, this had been a gradual thing. She was digging more into her arts, spending more time with her family. Hell, spending more time with me.
No Travis.
No doubters at galleries telling her she wasn’t good enough.
This was the Aria that I loved.
And I needed to tell her.
I opened my mouth to just say the words. Whether it was about what happened in the garage, or what I felt, I didn’t know, but my phone rang. I frowned, knowing it was usually on silent, but that was the ring of the memory care center. Just in case of emergencies.
“Crap.” I met Aria’s worried gaze as I answered the phone. “This is Crew.”
“Hello, Mr. McTavish. We had an incident at the center, and we really need you to come down here. We cannot get a hold of your mother.”
I cursed under my breath. Of course they couldn’t get a hold of my mother. She was only there to throw shit then moaned and tried to forget that any of this was happening. Though, part of me wanted to do the same, the little kid inside couldn’t.
And I really hated that.
“I’ll be there soon.” I paused. “Is he okay?” I bit out, hating myself for even asking. It wasn’t like the man had ever loved me. He didn’t even remember me now.
“Yes. He will be. But I think he could use a friendly face.”
I hung up, snorting since I knew I wasn’t the friendly face that he would want to see. But the old man didn’t have anyone else.
How messed up was that?
“How can I help?” Aria asked. She’d turned off the burners and shoved everything into the fridge. She had done it so quickly and quietly that I hadn’t even noticed until I looked up. I was grateful she seemed to be on top of things because I clearly wasn’t.
“I don’t know. The memory care center needs me down there. Something with Dad. I have no idea. I’m sorry.”
She gave me a soft smile. “Don’t be sorry. I know you have a complicated relationship with your parents. Believe me. I understand complicated. Can I come with you? ”
I opened my mouth to say no, but she put her fingers across my lips.
“You know what. No. I’m going with you. You get to deal with me. You’ve spent so much time dealing with my problems, I’m not going to let you do this alone.”
My shoulders fell, and I leaned down to press my forehead against hers. “It might be bad.”
“All the more reason for me to be there. You don’t have to do this alone. I think I remember a very sexy, bearded man telling me that once.”
My lips twitched. “I hear he has a huge dick as well.”
“I will have to do more research on that tonight. I’ll let you know.”
I smiled, not even realizing I could in that moment, before brushing my lips against hers. “It’s not going to be pretty.”
“I don’t mind. I promise.”
I let out a breath and took her hand, hoping to hell this didn’t ruin everything.