Page 78 of Broken Halo

He leans in to kiss me one more time. “I brought you a present.”

I pull away from his lips even though it’s the last thing on earth I want to do and peek in the bag. My eyes shift back to his. “Condoms?”

He pushes away from my chair and parks his ass next to me on the edge of my desk. “Tell me there’s a bed in your house that you haven’t had burned or else I’m going to have to go shopping again and I have a busy afternoon.”

I ignore everything he just said. “So, we’re just doing this? Picking up where we left off like nothing happened?”

“No,” he answers resolutely and traces my bare knee where I’m still folded in my chair. “There’s no picking up from that, baby. Kipp isn’t going to be thrilled with my being back and I’m not too keen on sharing a dinner table with him anytime soon either. It isn’t just the two of us anymore—you have a son. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around that because it’s not his fault his dad was a selfish-whackjob murderer. Griffin comes first, as he should. You need to do everything you can to cushion him from everything. If I’m going to be with you, I will, too. We’ve got your court date tomorrow and I’m late for a meeting with Pettit. He called me when I was condom shopping and has some dirt on your in-laws.”

Wow. I don’t even know where to begin with all that but my insides stir with everything he said about Griffin.

He keeps talking. “You think, with all that shit going on, I’d expect us to just pick back up?”

I pull my lip between my teeth and give him a little shrug, motioning to his extra-large box of condoms. “I mean, a gift of condoms says a lot of things and it usually all points to being together.”

“Come here.” He pulls me from my chair to stand between his legs where he wraps his arms around me. “Baby. I had forty-two hours with you in the hospital. Kills me I left you for even a second when your father wouldn’t let me back in.” He lowers his voice. “I’m not sure how anyone works through what happened to us, let alone being torn apart like we were. I know we have a lot of shit to resolve but I have no doubt we’ll do it. I know how I feel and I know how you react to me, so sorry if I’m being presumptuous, but the condoms will help while we’re ironing the rest of our shit out.”

I close my eyes and fall into his chest because he’s right.

When his arms circle me, I’m reminded of everything I wanted most—needed most—when my father forced me to turn on him.

He tangles a hand in my hair and puts his lips to my temple. “I mean, if you want to forego the condoms, I’m good with that, too. Just tell me if I have to go shopping for a bed. My back is stiff.”

I smile against the skin on his neck before pulling away to look up. “I have a guest room with a queen in it.”

He gives me a curt nod. “Then that’s where we’ll be after Griffin goes to sleep. What do you want me to bring you for dinner?”

This is strange but I go with it. “I can make dinner.”

“Baby.” He gives me a squeeze. “I eat meat.”

“So does Griffin,” I argue.

He looks skeptical but doesn’t argue and changes the subject. “You good?”

My eyes drop to his tie and I run my hand down it, smoothing the already flat silk, running my hand down to his abs where I stop and don’t move.

“Ellie?”

I look up. “Thank you.”

His arms constrict around me. “I haven’t done anything yet.”

“You have.” I pull my hand up to trace the underside of his jaw with my thumb and add, “You will. I know you’ll take care of everything.”

And with the gifted box of condoms sitting next to us that holds promises of reconciliation and therapy and many, many hours of distraction from the reality of life, I lift up on my toes to kiss him. I have no idea if I’ll regret my choice someday, but I cannot deny his type of rehabilitation any longer.

* * *

Trig

“Good news—he hasn’t crossed paths with Ellie since he’s been back.” Pettit puts his finger to the map tracing my father’s whereabouts for the last few days. “But he has been circling this neighborhood.”

I look at the map from the tracker Pettit put on my dad’s truck. He’s all over the place and it makes me wonder if he’s started his job yet. He’s supposed to start working on a road crew soon.

I cross my arms and exhale … pissed, but not surprised. “That’s my mom’s house.”

“They were divorced, right? He have anything to do with that property?” Eli asks.

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