Chapter Thirty-five
Dallas
“You think the hotel will have a problem with Bex?”
Asher shakes his head. “It’s pet friendly. But I’m not sure about the restaurant. Will he be okay if we leave him in the room?”
“I think so.”
“You think so?”
I shrug. “Bex has only been mine for about a week. But he seems like a great dog, so I assume he’ll be fine. I’ll pay for the damage if he causes any.”
“A week, huh? I’m guessing there’s a story there.” He tilts his head, studying me. “I’m guessing there are a lot of stories there.”
“She really didn’t tell you anything?”
“Marti thinks I’m overprotective.”
“And you’re not? Listen, I have a younger sister. It’s not like I raised her like you did Marti, but I’d sure as hell want to know shit if she’d found herself in Marti’s situation.”
“So you get why I asked you to stay.”
“I do.”
“And I gather you must be an honorable guy for accepting my invitation.”
I snort air through my nose. “We’ll see if you still feel that way in an hour.”
He laughs. I kind of like the guy. He’s quite a bit older than I am, pushing forty if I remember correctly, but he seems like someone I might have hung out with back in the day.
Bex gets lots of attention from some kids on our way up the elevator. Teens . Not little kids, for which I’m grateful. Because, Jesus, when I first laid eyes on Charlie, all I could see was DJ.
Just one more reason Marti and I could never work in the real world. An isolated cabin with nobody else around, sure, but not here. Not like this. And to be honest, even if she didn’t have Charlie, I’m not sure it could work. I had my one true love. There just isn’t any room in my life for another.
My subconscious shakes his finger at me, saying something about me being in denial. I promptly shut him the hell up.
As we enter the room, I get a text from Luther. “Damn,” I say. “Marti’s car is totaled.”
“Totaled.” Asher scrubs both hands across his jaw. “Fuck. It’s a good thing you were there. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t been. Poor Charlie would have lost two parents within a week.” Guilt crosses his face. “Ah, shit. I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories.”
“So she told you.”
He nods sadly. “I’m really sorry, man.”
“I’m sorry for your losses as well. Marti’s too.”
“Did she tell you about Alex?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not surprised. My sister isn’t one to keep things bottled up.”
“As she tells it, she has you to thank for that.”
His eyes widen. “Really?”
“My son’s birthday was last week. She made me celebrate it.” I shake my head, still unable to believe how that went down. “She said you’re the one who started that tradition.”
“I guess I was. I hope she wasn’t too pushy.”
“Oh, she was.” We both laugh. “But it was a push I was desperately in need of.”
“So, you think Bex will be okay here?”
I pull a few things from my backpack. Bex’s water and food bowls. A baggie of kibble. A chew toy. “I imagine so.”
“Good. Because I can’t wait to hear how you ended up with a dog during a blizzard.”
~ ~ ~
Two hours later, Asher stares in disbelief, still processing the information I just dumped on him. Marti’s brushes with death. Abe. Losing power. Marti climbing the tower to save me. And though I omitted other… details … I’m sure he can put two and two together.
“Just… holy crap,” he says, downing his third beer to my one. “That’s a lot of fucking shit to unpack.”
“It was a hell of a time.”
“Alright, listen.” He sets down his beer and gives me a stern look. “I’m her big brother, so I gotta ask, what are your intentions here?”
A hundred answers go through my head. But I settle on the one that has another finger wagging in my head. “I just wanted to get her here safely. After all she went through, she didn’t need any more hassles. I figured after that, you could take it from there.”
“I could take it from there? What exactly does that mean?”
“Exactly what you think it does.”
“That you had your fun with my sister and now you’re done with her?”
I hoist a shoulder. “I’m not sure what you want me to say, man. No promises were made. We both knew the score.”
“The score?” He pushes away his half-eaten cheeseburger. “As in you were fuck buddies to pass the time, and now you’re dumping her?”
“I’m not dumping anyone. She was never mine to dump.” I lean back in my chair, my eyes meeting the table. “I don’t expect you to understand. Being with her, with anyone, is not something I’m capable of. And she knows it.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I nod. “Yeah. I am.”
He huffs in irritation, confirming to me that’s where Marti picked up the same habit. “Doesn’t mean she won’t be nursing a broken heart.”
“I’m aware.”
“Are you?”
Thankfully, the waiter brings the check, saving me from having to answer. I take a hundred from my wallet and throw it on the table. “I’d better go check on Bex.”
Asher doesn’t follow me. In fact, I hear him order another drink. It’s a lot to process for a big brother, so I can hardly blame him.
Once off the elevator and approaching the room, I realize my mistake. I don’t have a room key. Turns out I don’t need it, as I hear laughter coming from the other side of the door. A child’s laughter.
I stop and lean against the wall, processing a thousand emotions all bombarding me at the same time.
There are two people behind that door. One represents everything I lost. The other gave me a taste of hope… of a future I thought wasn’t in the cards… of simply living again.
The one hurdle—the one thing I can’t get past—is that the two people behind this door come as a package deal. But I fear that package could never give me what I crave. What I need. What I now know I want.
Inner fucking peace.