Page 131 of They Break Beauty

“Thank you.”

She cocked an eyebrow, now looking almost as surprised as me.

“No problem,” she managed, a few beats later. “You know the first step is trying to share the load, right? With Levi.”

It occurred to me that it was several levels beyond strange that I was actually allowing her advice to be conveyed to me. I didn’t do that. I didn’t share the pressures of anything with anyone. Not even Colt or Lev. I kept it to myself as I’d been trained to do by my father. Sometimes I needed to let it out and that was how the physical part of my relationship with Colt had been born.

But this, here, with her, it was another unprecedented thing about her.

I was seeing one of the reasons that Levi was so enamored with her. Beyond the foundation of their connection that had been established six years ago.

She was caring and empathetic. She could read people exceptionally well.

More than that, she had a gift for seeing their pain.

Even when they concealed it so well—like I always had.

And then she had the ability to put you at ease and offer advice without coming across as condescending or as the unwanted interference from an interloper.

I scrubbed my hand over my face. “I’ll talk with Lev with you there.”

She smiled. “Sounds good.”

I took another bite of my pancakes, then rose to my feet. “Make yourself at home. I need a little time with Colt.”

“You trust me to be left around the house unsupervised?” she asked with a humorous glint in her eye.

“We called a truce. To maintain that requires trust. On both sides, right?”

“Right,” she said, her smile widening.

I liked that.

I fucking liked that from her a whole lot.

So much so that on my way out, I stopped by her chair and leaned in. “Thanks, dark angel,” I said, before planting a kiss on the top of her head.

I turned and made my way to the door right after, not seeing her reaction.

But I could’ve sworn I felt her eyes on me the entire way out, before I rounded the corner onto the corridor out of sight.

I smiled to myself.

One step back in the right direction.

I clutched the papers I’d retrieved from the safe in my bedroom as I knocked at Colt’s door.

Again.

It had been three times now with no answer from inside.

I knew he was in there. I’d checked everywhere else. He was no longer outside songwriting on his acoustic guitar and he wasn’t with Brianna. I also knew he hadn’t left the property.

No, he was simply ignoring me.

Well, there was nothing simple about us being at odds and barely talking.

I fucking hated it.

---