Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
A FRIDAY IN FEbrUARY
Levi
I went to visit Cole today. He gave me a letter he wanted me to give to you.
I’ll put it on your desk during your lunch break.
It’s been a month, Lowe. Should I assume you’ve made up your mind?
I love you, Lowe. Please come back to me.
“Idon’t know,” I mumble as I glance at the different menu items the venue had provided. “Honestly, not thrilled with any of these options.”
“So, where does that leave us?” Kirstin tosses the stack of papers on her desk and leans back in her chair.
I shrug. “Let me look at it when I’m hungry. Maybe that’ll help something jump out at me.”
“We can find a different caterer, too.”
Flipping open my laptop, I go into my email to search for all emails we’ve received from catering companies in the last couple of months. I forward a few that look promising to her, but before we can dive into it, my phone starts to ring.
“You go ahead and answer that,” Kirstin tells me. “I’ll start looking through these.”
I give her a subtle nod as I stand, striding out of her office and heading toward one of the conference rooms for some privacy. Once the door is closed behind me, I slide to answer the call.
“This is Marlowe Reyes.”
“Good afternoon, Marlowe. It’s Officer Greene, Jerry. Do you have a second?”
“Of course.”
I pull out one of the leather rolling chairs around the small table and sit down, putting my phone on speaker so I can fold my hands together. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear before my hands begin to fidget in my lap.
“I have an update in the investigation, and I thought it was important that you be one of the first to know, given the circumstances.” He pauses, and I bite my lip in anticipation.
“After reviewing the recovered footage from the street cameras and the dash cam in the third car, and examining the vehicles, it is clear Cole did not cause the crash. It appears there was a break issue with the other vehicle involved. It truly was an accident.”
The air whooshes out of my lungs and I place a hand on my chest, tears instantly springing to my eyes. That familiar grief is only a fraction compared to the relief I feel. I take a deep breath as I glance up at the ceiling before nodding to myself.
“Thank you for letting me know.” I run a hand through my hair. “I appreciate everything that you’ve put into this.”
“Of course, Marlowe. I know it won’t bring them back, but I hope this is some small consolation.”
A small smile tugs at my lips. “It is.”
After we say our goodbyes, I sit there for a moment longer, staring out the window. I can’t slow my breathing, the realization that I can finally put this behind me almost too much for me to handle. Abruptly pushing the chair back, I exit the room and head to Kirstin’s office.
“I need to get some fresh air,” I tell her as I stick my head into her office. “I’ll be back.”
I don’t wait for her response as I take off through the office, heading toward the elevator.
Taking it up to the top floor, I wave at the receptionist for the company on this level and make my way toward the stairs to head up to the roof.
Pushing open the metal door, I burst onto the rooftop, the cold air nipping at my skin through the long sleeves of my red button-up blouse.
The second the door closes behind me, I tilt my head up to the sky, taking in a deep breath through my nose that I release out through my mouth.
It’s over. That’s the only thought that keeps running through my head.
All the confusion and heartache I’ve felt over their deaths is over.
The pain and suffering from my relationship with Travis is over.
I wanted a fresh start, and it appears as if I might finally have it.
Opening my eyes, I let them trail to the skyline when I notice a figure leaning against the railing. A smile tugs at my lips, but it falters as I notice the hunched shoulders and the bowed head.
“What’s got you all sad?”
My words don’t seem to startle him the way I had anticipated. “Oh, you know, just pondering the great mystery that is life itself.”
Levi spins around, the corner of his mouth tilting up ever so slightly. I watch as he walks over to the sitting area, sitting down in the anti-gravity chair and leaning back before his attention returns to me.
“You’re making me anxious.” I raise a brow. “You can still admire me from a sitting position.”
I laugh loudly at that, the memory from all those years ago hitting me like a ton of bricks.
Striding over, I sit in the chair opposite him, crossing my arms in front of me to try to warm up a little.
Levi sits up and slips out of his suit coat, leaning forward to drape it around my shoulders.
I grip the front and tug it closed, giving him a grateful smile.
“I’m sorry,” he says before I can utter a word.
My brows furrow and a frown pulls my lips downward.
“I won’t apologize for protecting a friend, but I will apologize for doing so in a way that affected others because of my lack of due diligence.
I never imagined that you’d get caught in the crosshairs. ”
I loosen my grip on the jacket and lean forward, grabbing his hands between mine.
“I appreciate the apology, but you don’t owe me one.
Like I said that night, I don’t blame you, and I’m not mad at you.
While I might not agree with your method, I understand wanting to do everything in your power to protect those you love. ”
“I still shouldn’t have done it.” He sighs, bowing his head. “I should’ve found another way to help him.”
“Well, you can be there to give him a ride home when he gets released.” Levi’s gaze lifts, his brows furrowing as he studies the smile that appears on my face. “Cole didn’t cause the accident.”
His eyes widen. “What? How do you know?”
“The officer in charge of the investigation called me.”
Levi pulls his hands out of mine and rubs them over his face. He tilts his head back and looks up at the sky, and when he returns his eyes to mine, I notice the glassy look in them. I stand and switch chairs, sitting beside him and resting my hand on his knee.
“You know, I was beating myself up for a while for not being more mad at you,” I admit.
“I thought I was letting my dad and sister down by not holding a grudge against someone that kept me from finding out the truth. But someone I love once told me that everything happens for a reason, and then we are in control of how we react to it and what we do with it. And I told Travis that I want to teach Claire how to forgive and let go. So, that’s what I’m doing. ”
“You forgive me?” I nod. “How? Why? I just… I don’t know. I guess I can’t believe it.”
Giving his knee a squeeze, I take a deep breath.
“Blue made a comment about us being even, and it hit a nerve. But I think it’s because she was right, in a way.
You protected Cole, and I never called the cops on Travis.
We both got hurt, albeit mine was emotional while yours was physical, because we acted with our hearts and not our heads. ”
Levi sighs, tilting his head so it can rest against mine. I smile softly, rubbing my thumb along the side of his knee as we sit in a comfortable silence. His posture is rigid, however, tense in a way that makes it clear his mind isn’t at ease.
“I’m sorry that I took so long to come back to you,” I whisper, lifting my head so I can look him in the eye.
“It had less to do with you and more to do with me. I was dealing with the guilt of what happened with Travis, and the unknown of how Claire was going to handle it all. But do you want to know what she told me when I finally talked to her about what happened with her father?”
Levi nods. “She told me she missed him. And when I told her that I’d always be there for her, she said she wasn’t talking about her father. She was talking about you.”
His eyes fall shut, and I see a lone tear slip down his cheek. I reach a hand out and cup his face, using my thumb to brush it away. He releases a shaky breath, his lip quivering slightly before he looks at me again.
“I never believed in fate or destiny. I’ve always hated the idea that I had no control over what happens to me.
If raising a kid taught me anything, it was that I always felt this need to be in control.
That it was up to me to give her the best I possibly could, and it killed me to think that there were all these predetermined events that would happen throughout her lifetime that I couldn’t protect her from. ”
Levi reaches out, slipping his hand into mine and resting them on his thigh.
“When Margot died, it just solidified that feeling within me. Because how is it possible that her fate was to die in a car crash that young? How can Travis’s destiny be to become a drug addict?
And who decided that mine was to be in an abusive relationship, become a single mother, and then later lose my father and sister?
It just seemed like some twisted joke, you know? ”
He rubs his thumb along the back of my hand when I take a deep breath before turning so my entire body is facing him.
“But then I went to see Travis, and he apologized for everything. And as I sat there listening to him talk, something changed. I realized that if Travis hadn’t started using, we would’ve been happy.
And if we had been happy when Margot died, I wouldn’t have come to this rooftop.
And if that hadn’t happened, I would’ve never met you.
“And if I had asked for your name that night, I would’ve looked you up.
If I had done that, sure, maybe I would’ve left Travis sooner, and maybe we would’ve had those five years together.
” He’s looking at me so intently, a slight furrow in his brow and his eyes still misty, so I lay my free hand on his forearm.
“Or maybe we wouldn’t have made it. Maybe you would’ve been so caught up in turning your business around, and I wouldn’t have been strong enough to know what I want and deserve, and resentment would’ve grown between us. ”
I sigh, glancing down at our hands for a brief moment.
“This is my long winded way of saying that, yeah, I wish some things would’ve gone differently in my life, but if they had, I don’t think I’d be here with you, in this moment.
I think everything happened just the way it was supposed to so we could find each other.
And if I had been able to see what my life would become—where I would be today—all those years ago when I hated the idea of fate…
I would have endured it all, because I would’ve been looking forward to what was to come.
I would go through it, all of it, again if it meant it would lead me to you. ”
Levi dips his head, capturing my lips in his and my heart skips a beat. He brings his free hand up to cup my face, sliding it into my hair with a gentle caress. Pulling away, he rests his forehead against mine, silent tears cascading down his cheeks.
“I love you, Lowe.”
“I love you, too.”
He presses another soft kiss to my lips before he says, “So, does that mean—”
“That I was right?” I smile up at him, and he chuckles. “I guess so. I think we’ve found out that fate is real.”