Chapter 34
Chapter thirty-four
Candace
The pop of the champagne cork echoed through the apartment. Afternoon light slanted through the windows, catching the bubbles as they fizzed up the neck of the bottle. I grabbed a couple of wine glasses from the cabinet.
Not flutes, but they would work.
My phone vibrated on the counter, then again, and again.
A knock rang through the heavy wooden door.
"Come in!" I called from the kitchen.
Emma came bouncing through. "We did it!"
"I know!" Her joy mirrored mine. "You should have seen Rosie on the phone when he told her. She screamed. Cried. Switched to Italian halfway through."
I walked toward her, glasses and champagne in hand.
"Oh, I know," she said, taking them and pouring each of us a glass. "She did the same thing when she called Damien to tell him. He almost hit the floor. He was so relieved."
She handed me a glass, the bubbles hissing softly between us as we clinked.
"Are you still going to visit now that he's home?" she asked, taking a sip.
A blush spread across my cheeks.
"Yeah," I confirmed, sinking into the couch, careful not to spill the wine on the still-new cushions. "He said he might need help."
"Damien set up a home nurse to come help, so you don't have to—"
"Not with physical things," I stopped her. "He told me about his addiction issues."
"Oh."
"Yeah." The frayed blanket flickered in my memory. "He was scared, Em. Really scared. Not the charming deflection thing he does—actual fear."
Emma tucked her legs beneath her, lips turning down into a frown. "Damien's worried about that too. He has a history of relapse."
I dropped my gaze from hers, watching the bubbles pop in my glass. "I hope he doesn't. He's a good man, Emma."
"Mmhmm." Emma's lips curved knowingly.
"Don't give me that look."
"What look? I'm not giving you any look."
"You're giving me a look."
"I'm simply drinking my champagne and listening to my best friend talk about a good man." She took a pointed sip. "No look whatsoever."
I rolled my eyes, but the blush crept back. "He's nice, okay? And it's been a good distraction. From… everything."
My phone lit up on the counter again. A cascade of buzzes.
Emma's gaze drifted toward the sound, her expression shifting. "That's him, isn't it?"
I took a too long sip, the champagne bright on my tongue.
"Candace," she said, voice firm. "It's been months. He's still doing this?"
"Every day." I drained the rest of my glass, setting it on the coffee table. "Sometimes every hour. But I haven't talked to him since we had dinner, so—"
The words were out before I could stop them.
Emma stared at me. "You had dinner with him?"
Shit.
"It was a while ago," I said quickly. "He called and I just—I needed closure, Em. I spent five years of my life with him. I thought if I saw him in person—"
"I understand," she cut in, tone softening.
Understand?
Garrett?
I opened my mouth, closed it.
"You understand?" I forced the words out.
She leaned forward, setting her glass down on the table beside mine. "I almost had a meltdown over Damien and we'd only been messaging for a couple of months by that point. I couldn't imagine how it would feel now after everything. Let alone five years from now."
I stared at her. "That's honestly impressive."
She shrugged, the movement stiff. "Sometimes I can be understanding."
She dropped her gaze, picking at her fingernails. "You aren't thinking of going—"
"No," I cut in, a laugh punching from my chest. "God no."
She blew out a breath. "Oh thank god. So the dinner helped then? With the closure and all?"
"Kind of." I shrugged. "It helped me a little bit, but I think it only gave him hope."
Her lips flattened into a line. "Do you think he would have stopped texting by now if you hadn't met?"
There's the judgement.
I rolled my eyes, as the phone on the counter lit up with another incoming call. "Probably not."
Emma's expression softened. "Yeah… probably not."
My phone vibrated again.
I feigned a cough, forcing lightness into my tone. "So… this is supposed to be a celebration. A sister catch-up. Enough about me." I wiggled my eyebrows, bouncing in my seat with performed enthusiasm. "How are things with you and Damien?"
Her face brightened at the mention of his name, and acid burned the back of my tongue.
Is this how Emma had felt all those years?
But still I smiled, tried to be the perfect friend, as her gaze went glassy with memories.
"They're amazing," she chuckled, giddy as a schoolgirl with her first crush. "We finally told Jennifer about us."
My mouth fell open.
"No way. What did she say?"
Emma huffed a dry laugh. "She was pissed."
"I can imagine. You've been lying to her for months."
She dropped her gaze, shoulders curving in.
I winced.
Too harsh.
"Anyway," I said, recalibrating, "what did she say?"
"She helped us come up with a plan." Emma smiled softly, looking up. "A plan to help us go public with our relationship."
"What? So soon?"
"It was bound to happen at some point." She shrugged. "So why wait?"
Another buzz from the counter.
"Damn," I said. "So what's the plan?"
"We've been flirting more at the office," she admitted, cheeks tinged pink.
"Flirting? At the office?" I chuckled. "That's got to be awkward."
"I mean, it is a bit," she conceded, covering her stomach with a pillow as she leaned back. "It's hard to pretend we aren't as close as we are. It's like walking a tightrope."
"Mhm."
My phone vibrated again, the screen lighting up with another call.
"Christ, that's like five calls in ten minutes." She looked between the counter and me. "Does that not freak you out?"
"No," I lied, waving her off. "You know how he can be."
But she didn't.
She opened her mouth to argue, but a loud knock cut her off, followed by an angry, familiar voice.
"Candace, open the fucking door," Garrett yelled.
Panic blazed across Emma's face, mirrored in my own veins.
"I'll go tell him to leave," I said, forcing my voice light.
I stood. She rose to block me.
"Do not open that door, Candace."
"Come on, Emma," I said, pushing past. "A couple of quick words and he'll be gone."
"I'm not letting you," she hissed, reaching for my arm. "He's dangerous—remember what happened last time."
I jerked away, taking a step back from her.
"Damien's upstairs in my apartment. I'm calling him," she said, phone already in hand.
She pressed it to her ear. "Damien, we need you. Garrett's here."
Another knock. "Open the fucking door."
Emma's clipped voice came from behind me. "He's on his way. He's already in the elev—"
My fingers wrapped around the door handle, the wood shaking with each pound of his fist.
"Candace what are you—"
I opened the door wide, Garrett's form filled the doorway.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" He glared down at me with black eyes.
"I—"
The word caught, memories crashing in on themselves.
Footsteps thundered down the hall.
Garrett started toward me.
He didn't make it.
Damien's fist came crashing into his jaw, knocking him back a step.
"What the fuck, man?" Garrett cried.
"Why the fuck are you here, man?" Damien growled back.
Garrett glared at me. "You called this motherfucker—"
I shook my head, the words falling from my lips. "I didn't—"
Garrett's glare turned on Emma. "You."
One word. Simple. Lethal.
He took a step forward.
My pulse spiked and I stumbled back.
Damien lunged, elbow pulled back for another blow.
"Stop!" Emma's voice cracked through the room.
The room froze. Damien's arms trembled with restraint, but it fell to his side.
Garrett grinned. Venomous and arrogant. "Pussy."
"I'm calling the cops," Damien said, voice low. "Now please close the door."
Emma moved, slamming it shut, the lock clicking into place.
I saw red.
"I told you I could handle it!" I screamed. "I could have—"
The words collapsed in my throat.
Panic etched in Emma's features.
"I could have handled it, everything would have been—"
"You can't stop him. He's—"
A slam echoed on the other side of the wall, a grunting following close behind.
Emma's eyes filled with tears, her bottom lip trembling.
"You never believe me," I screamed at her. "You all think I'm so—fragile."
My voice failed.
A tear hit the hardwood by my foot and spread into a dark, perfect circle.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
I fell along with them.