Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
“ Y ou look beautiful tonight.”
Lucy blushed and set down her menu. “You told me that already.”
“It’s true.”
Ian leaned forward and took her hand in his. Using his thumb, he stroked the inside of her wrist and marveled at how soft her skin felt. Beneath the dim lighting of the restaurant, she absolutely took his breath away in her knee-length floral dress with stockings and brown ankle-length boots underneath.
All these years later, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever met.
And she still made his heart race whenever she smiled at him.
For the first time in a long time, Ian didn’t feel like he was standing on the edge of a precipice with an entire mountain between them. Since the night he’d held her in his arms and let her cry, Lucy’s entire attitude had changed, and he could feel her softening toward him.
He just needed a little more time to get her to open up.
“Suzie told me about what happened with the PI’s son.” Lucy took a few sips of her wine and eyed him over the rim. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
Ian shrugged. “I’ll figure something else out.”
Lucy squeezed his hand back. “You know you can talk to me about it, right?”
Ian gave her the ghost of a smile. “I know, but let’s talk about something else. The therapist said it’s important to focus on us during these dates, not the outside world.”
“You’re really taking therapy very seriously,” Lucy murmured, pausing to unfold her napkin and drape it over her lap. “Where did you find her anyway?”
“Sophia.”
Lucy nodded. “I see.”
Ian glanced around the full restaurant, where well-dressed people sat across from each other and quiet music played in the background. Then he swung his gaze back to his wife, who was quietly sipping on her soup.
He reached for his own napkin to hide the tremor in his hand. “If you don’t want to continue with therapy, we can find another way to work on our issues.”
Lucy stopped with the spoon halfway to her mouth. “I thought you were invested?”
“I am, but it’s couple’s therapy, so we both have to be, and I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do.”
Lucy gave him a small smile. “Thanks, but I think it’s better if we continue. In the meantime, the assignments are actually interesting, especially the latest one.”
“The five questions boundaries exercise? Yeah, I think it’s interesting too.”
Lucy leaned forward, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “What did you write down?”
Ian reached for his glass of water and took a long sip. “I think that’s considered to be cheating.”
“It’s not cheating. I’m not going to copy your answers. I just want to know what you wrote down.”
“That’s what therapy is for.”
“You never were easy to break.”
“You never back down from a challenge.” Ian kept his eyes on her face as he downed his water and paused to pour himself some more. “We’ve got our next session in a few days, so you’ll find out then.”
“I bet I can get you to tell me before then.”
Ian set down his glass and sat up straighter against his chair. “Okay, what are the terms of the bet?”
“Dishes and laundry for one week.”
Ian chuckled. “You didn’t even hesitate. Had that one ready, did you?”
“Dishes and laundry are never-ending,” Lily told him matter-of-factly. “Trimming the hedges once or twice a week is nothing compared to it.”
Ian smiled. “Deal, but if I win, we have to go to dinner with Marissa and Kyle. She’s been nagging me for a week. I know it makes you uncomfortable to see how touchy-feely they are, but they’re nice people.”
“Fine, but I’m not going to lose.”
Ian took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips for a kiss. “We’ll see about that.”
Lucy was blushing when he set her hand down and looked over her shoulder. He spotted Kelli first, in a knee-length black dress, followed by Dana, who wore the same dress but in blue. Dean stumbled in behind them in a wrinkled, button-down shirt tucked into a pair of dark jeans. The three of them smiled when they spotted Ian and hurried over.
“What are our kids doing here?”
Lucy twisted in her seat, confusion flickering across her face. “I told them we were going out to dinner here in case they needed us for something.”
“Why are you guys having date night without us?” Dana gave them both a quick hug and gestured to the waiter. “I’m actually offended.”
“For the record, I came here to try and stop these two,” Kelli announced, giving them both an apologetic smile. “But they wouldn’t listen to me.”
“Stop trying to cover your tracks. You’re here, so you’re guilty too.” Dean pulled up a chair and sat at the head of the table. Kelli said opposite him, and Dana set her chair down by her mother, the two of them exchanging a quick smile.
Ian glanced around at the table, and the swell of emotion in his chest grew. “I hope you all came prepared to do the dishes because this place is expensive.”
Dean puffed his chest out and snorted. “He’s bluffing. He’s just trying to scare us away so he can have Mom all to himself.”
“It won’t work.” Dana picked up the basket of bread and selected a piece before passing it over to Kelli. “We’re here to stay.”
Kelli took a piece and handed the basket over to Dean. “So, how is date night going anyway?”
“We love that you guys are crashing our date night,” Lucy told them all with a smile. “And don’t worry about dinner; it’s my treat.”
“We’re supposed to present a united front, honey,” Ian teased, pausing to squeeze her hands underneath the table. “What happened to being on the same team?”
Lucy laughed, and the sound was like music to his ears. “If you can’t beat them, join them.”
Ian couldn’t keep his eyes off of her all through dinner.
Conversation rose and fell around him while he sat there nursing his drink and taking small bites of his food. The kids kept up a steady stream of conversation, everything from childhood stories to embarrassing moments they’d walked in on. By the end of dinner, Ian’s mouth hurt from smiling so much. Lucy, on the other hand, had lost some of the color in her face and was struggling to keep her eyes open.
After paying for dinner, Ian draped an arm over Lucy’s shoulders and steered her toward the car. Once he was done waving the kids off, he drove them both home and carried Lucy inside. He helped her change into a nightgown, pulled the covers up to her chin, and left Dean parked on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on his lap.
When Ian got into the car, he had no idea where he was going, only that he needed to clear his head. He ended up pulling up outside the police station and staring at the building bathed in fluorescent lighting. No one was surprised when Ian walked in through the front doors and made a beeline for his desk. Over the next two hours, he combed through every inch of the evidence, hoping to find something different.
Nothing jumped out at him.
Ian stayed until his eyes burned from staring at the screen and until his body grew stiff. Then he stood up, walked out of the station, and got into his car. When he walked into the house, Dean was sprawled on the couch, his mouth half-open and drool forming on the sides of his lips. Carefully, Ian shook him awake and watched as Dean stumbled, half-asleep, into the basement. Moments later, his familiar snores rose up the stairs and filled the air in the living room.
With a slight shake of his head, Ian climbed up the stairs and stood in the doorway to their room. Lucy was flat on her back, wisps of hair framing her cheeks and a serene expression on her face. Soundlessly, he changed into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie and crouched in front of her. His chest tightened when Lucy murmured his name in her sleep. When he pulled back the cover and got into bed, his mind began to race.
The harder he tried to make the pieces fit together, the less everything made sense.
He had no idea how Bryce Rolland was tied to any of it or why he’d suddenly stopped answering Ian’s calls or messages.
Had Eric gotten to him already, taking away Ian’s only real lead?
For a while, Ian tossed and turned in bed, alternating between staring at the wall opposite him and studying the ceiling. Finally, he threw the covers off, stuffed his feet into a pair of slippers, and crept down the stairs.
Outside, a cold breeze blew, and a crescent-shaped moon hung low in the sky. Ian flicked on the back porch lights and waited for his eyes to adjust.
As soon as they did, he rubbed his hands up and down his arms and shivered.
Another gust of wind blew past, and Ian glanced over his shoulders, debating whether or not to go back inside. Then he climbed down the stairs, pausing to retrieve the garden shears from the shed. He was muttering to himself and turning the matter over and over in his head when his pocket vibrated.
With a frown, he pulled it out and saw Marissa’s name flash across the screen. “It’s late. Are you okay?”
“I have a friend who works at the station where Jake is being kept,” Marissa said, the words tumbling out of her in a rush. “She said one of the guards attacked Jake.”
Ian went absolutely still, the garden shears falling from his hands and onto the ground with a low, clattering sound. “What? What happened? Is he okay?”
“He was taken to the hospital, and they’re checking on him now. Apparently, one of the guards on duty had a knife on him.”
Ian raked his fingers through his hair. “How the hell did this happen? It must’ve been Eric. He sent someone after him. Jake tried to tell me he wasn’t safe, but I dismissed him.”
Because he hadn’t taken the henchman seriously.
Why would he?
As far as Ian knew, Jake was still on Eric’s payroll, and he was playing all of them.
“It’s not your fault, and before you ask, I already had my friend try to dig around and see if we could get you there. Everyone is on high alert. They’re not going to let anyone from outside the station in or out for the next few days.”
Ian stared into the horizon and clenched his free hand at his side. “So, what now? I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
“You don’t have a choice. I asked my friend to keep me posted, and I’ll tell you what happens next.”
“Mar, you know that’s not going to be enough—”
“Look, Ian, I know this is a big deal for you. I know how much you want to solve your mother’s case, but if you don’t let this go, it could be your job on the line. And you’re not going to be able to help anyone if you get fired.”
Ian snapped his mouth shut.
“I know this sucks, but try and get some sleep. I’ll call you in the morning when I have news.”
With that, the line went dead, and Ian was left staring at his phone.
In a daze, he put away the garden shears and hurried back inside. He spent the entire night pacing the living room and clenching his keys. Eventually, he ended up on the steps of the back porch, waiting for the sun to rise and for Marissa to call him back.
Don’t do anything stupid, Ian. Marissa is right. There’s too much at stake here.
But waiting wasn’t something Ian was ever good at, and the more time that passed by, the more anxious he became.