Chapter 56
Brynne
He pulls me on top of him and rests his hands on my ass. “I want to talk to you about something.”
He must sense a shift in my tone because his mood shifts as well, and the playfulness suddenly evaporates. He closes his eyes and lets out a groan.
“Not in here,” he says. “Nothing unpleasant in this room.” He rolls off me and pulls on a pair of shorts.
I do the same; I find a T-shirt and join him in the kitchen. “Milton came by the office yesterday.” He hands me bottled water and waits for me to say more. He’s stoic, and I’m having trouble reading him. “He said something, and it’s gotten me curious.”
“What did he say?” he asks. He watches me as he slowly drinks his water.
“Well, he told me about his cancer diagnosis.” From the lift of his eyebrows, I know my words must surprise him.
“You’re the second person he’s told. He swore me to secrecy. That’s why I didn’t quit the job. He made me promise to run his company while he was fighting for his life. If not, I would have quit that day—”
“I figured as much. I suspected he was sick before he confessed. Did you tell him that I’m quitting?”
“I would never,” he says. “You told me that in confidence, but I did approach him about buying the firm.”
“And?” I ask.
“He said no. He said it’s my inheritance.”
I slide off the stool and walk around the counter. I put my hand on his bare chest.
“Why did you offer to buy it?” I look into his eyes and hold his stare.
He licks his lips, and I can tell he’s weighing his response. I already know the answer. He asked for me despite knowing I want to work for myself. This is his way of trying to right Milton's wrong.
“Well—” he begins, but my phone rings, cutting off the rest of his words. I eye the phone, and it’s the residential management company I hired to manage my property.
“Hold on, babe.” I grab the phone.
“Hello? This is Brynne Barber.” There’s static on the other end, and I pull the phone away from my ear when it gets too loud. “Hello?” I say again after putting the phone on speaker.
The person on the other end talks, and my heart drops at the news. Colin must sense my mood because he stands and puts his hands on my shoulders.
I put my hand on his lap when we get in the car. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to take up most of the day. You didn’t have to come with me.”
“You’re about to be my wife. Where the fuck else would I be?”
He puts his hand on mine and navigates from the police station parking lot. The basement apartment was broken into. The cameras showed a cloaked figure, but his face was covered, and despite the warm weather, the person was in a long, black coat. I know who it was, and I gave the police his name.
“This is getting dangerous,” Colin says, and I agree. “It’s dangerous for Oliver, too, because now he’s pissed me off, but you have to be careful, baby. Don’t argue with me on this, please, but I don’t want you going anywhere alone. That includes time with Amira and Raven. At least until this is handled.”
He squeezes my thigh. This is where I’d argue, but I don’t have it in me. I’m rattled, and I won’t hide it. It also feels good to have someone who looks out for me.
“No arguments here. I agree. I’m nervous.” I stare out the car window. “Do you think that if I gave him—”
“That’s not the answer. He’d take advantage of you for the rest of his life if you did that.”
“I just wanted to have the house back in my family,” I whisper. Now, I’m having second thoughts about that decision.
“It’s not just the house. He’s asked you for money. His mother suggested he live with you. Even if there were no house, you’d still have an Oliver problem.”
“Ugh,” I say. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.” On the drive back home, his hand on my lap is the only thing keeping me from screaming. “In other news, Amira’s birthday is Saturday, and her father is throwing a party for her.”
“Oh? And you need a date?” he teases.
“That’s how this relationship thing works, Kincaid. Do I have to teach you everything?”