Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Ford didn’t say anything, but I thought I saw him flinch.
Griffen’s hand slapped my back. “Let’s go.”
Griffen lifted his chin at the deputy by the door, who made a signal, and the lock clicked, the door swinging open. The guard in the corner moved to stand beside Ford, and the other guard led us out of the room and down the long halls to freedom. We were greeted by a bright blue sky and crisp fall air.
Griffen was silent as we drove down the winding country roads that led to the highway. I was lost in thought, wondering if we’d gotten anything useful out of Ford. I wasn’t sure. His version of a non-apology had sucked, but what had I expected? For him to beg me for forgiveness? I should be glad he sort of admitted they might have handled things differently. Regrettable. That was the word he’d used. Regrettable. Yeah, fuck that, and fuck him.
“I never should have left,” Griffen said into the silence.
“You didn’t leave voluntarily,” I reminded him.
“No,” he agreed. “Not at twenty-two, but later. I could have called or written. I wasn’t without resources. Even if Prentice wanted to make it difficult. I was angry, and I blamed everyone. I—”
“I know,” I interrupted, feeling a moment of pure connection with my oldest brother. “Sometimes I look at Sterling, at Parker, and think about everything they went through. I should have been here.”
“I’m sorry, Finn,” Griffen said. I knew he meant it. Griffen never would have left me to die. Seeing the way he exploded at Ford and how angry he had been since he learned what had happened, I knew he wasn’t Ford or our father. I’d watched him with Hope, with Sterling. Giving Parker a job she loved, encouraging Royal and Tenn with the improvements they wanted at the Inn. The way he watched out for Savannah and Nicky. For everyone.
“You don’t owe me an apology,” I said. “Or maybe we both owe everyone an apology. I could have come back. I could have called. But I was like you. So pissed at everyone that I never bothered to consider that they might not have all been on Dad’s side. I figured they all knew, and nobody came after me, so they could all fuck off.”
“You were nineteen,” Griffen reminded me.
Echoing Griffen’s words, I said, “Yeah, but later, I could have come back.” I leaned my head back against the headrest. “And, you know, it’s not the way I would have wanted it to happen, but it worked out for me in the end. I think better than if I’d stayed.”
Griffen nodded. “For me too.”
I was weirdly at peace. Ford had looked like shit. He wasn’t some supervillain, rubbing his goatee and smirking over how he’d beaten us. He was skinny and pale, stuck inside those concrete blocks, time stretching into a future of the same cold monotony.
I was out here in the sunshine with my brother. I was going to make an amazing dinner in my own private kingdom in Heartstone’s kitchens. My kitchens. When the day was done, I’d sneak across the grass into the bed of a spectacular woman. All in all, it stacked up pretty well against what Ford had. After that visit, I pitied him more than anything else.
I thought about what he’d said to Griffen. The digs about Hope. We all knew about Hope’s childish crush on Griffen when they were kids. Everyone had known, but Griffen had been cool about it, and they’d been friends in a brother/sister kind of way—appropriate considering the age difference. Over time, something shifted. She’d been a mainstay in his life since he was a kid, and now she was his wife. A wife he seemed to love deeply.
“Nothing’s going to happen to Hope,” I said. He shot me a questioning look. “You’re a little overprotective. The day Savannah moved into the cottage, you barely let her get up out of the chair.”
Griffen shot me a guilty look. “I know, I know. I’m going insane.” He drew in a slow breath and let it out. “Women have been having children for the span of human existence. I know Hope is healthy and strong and she knows her own limits. I know I’m driving her crazy hovering over her. And I know she’s a little worried that once the baby gets here, I’m going to turn into a complete nightmare.”
“You’re very self-aware for a crazy man,” I commented.
Griffen choked out a laugh. “Yeah, well, my old boss insisted on a visit to therapy when we had jobs that were—” He paused. “Tough.”
I had to wonder what tough meant in that context. How tough was the job if afterward your boss thought you needed therapy? They were Army Rangers. Not much was tough for a Ranger.