Page 11 of Vail

“Evidence. I need you to see I had nothing to do with Gil going missing.”

“You think I want this?” I dropped them onto the couch. “I don’t want to read or watch what you’ve given me. Your words matter. Looking into your eyes and seeing you aren’t lying to me.”

“I wouldn’t. I won’t.”

“Even if it meant losing me?”

His throat worked as he swallowed. “Even then. I don’t want a relationship with you and Hartley built on lies.”

“He… he hurt me, Jordan. He did things I don’t want to speak of. Hart said he’d tell you, but I can’t say them again. It’s too hard. Lana… I had to tell her so she could help you and I had to talk to the cops.”

Jordan lifted his hand to cup my cheek. “You don’t have to tell me. Anything that hurts you, we don’t need to do. If you want me to know, I’ll be here.”

I nodded, all the while my eyes holding his. “Promise you didn’t have anything to do with this?”

With his free hand, he took mine and placed it over his heart. The rapid beat of it let me know how worried Jordan was that I’d leave. Maybe I would, had I not already been in so deep with him and Hartley, had Jordan lied to me. Leaving would mean parting from both of them. I couldn’t ask Hartley to see me on the side. That wouldn’t be right. It was an all-or-nothing situation, and I was all in.

“With every breath, every beat of my heart, every word I speak to you and Hartley, know that my words are true. I promise I had nothing to do with Gil’s disappearance. If there is something I don’t think you should know because of the nature of it, I would tell you as such. You and Hartley don’t get involved in my business, and I like it that way. That world isn’t yours. You’re both too good, too perfect to be mixed up in it. But I won’t lie. Not to either of you.”

“There’s nothing pure or perfect about us. Perfection doesn’t exist in humans. We’re flawed. Those flaws make us who we are. They make us individuals and give us so much to grow and learn from.”

“They can also take things away.”

“You know this, but we’re not them, nor will we ever be.” Hartley and I wouldn’t betray him like his wife and Malik had.

“Vail…” His bottom lip had the slightest tremor to it. It was my undoing.

Opening my arms, I wasn’t certain if I reached for him, or if he fell into me. Either way, we came together in a crushing embrace.

I needed this. I needed to see and hear him. Jordan was a lot of things, including a man of his word. He didn’t lie to us. Although, that left a whole other problem. Where was Gil, and was he alive? If he was, what was he planning? There was evidence in his home that pointed to Jordan, which meant he wanted me away from Jordan or something really did happen to him, and he hoped it would be Jordan who did it, if only to tear down my world.

Gil wasn’t a good person. Maybe someone else wanted him dead. He could have hurt others after he was with me. Beat them, caused them pain, put fear into them. I could have been one of many victims.

That was a problem for later. Right now, I wanted to climb into bed with Hartley and Jordan and sleep. I was exhausted and so happy to be whole again. But there was one thing I had to say first.

Leaning back, but not taking my hands off him, I looked into Jordan’s hazel eyes again and said, “I love you.”

His lips parted as his breath faltered. “You love me? Even after everything?”

“There’s no even after. You didn’t do a damn thing. Yes, I love you. I loved you before all this shit, and I’ll love you long after.”

“What if we?—”

“No what-ifs. There’s only now.” I glanced past Jordan to where Hartley stood. Jordan was here with us, no longer in prison. I was damn grateful.

I didn’t have good experiences with police stations. Almost every time I needed them to help me, they didn’t. When they did, it wasn’t the norm for me with them. To think of Jordan locked up in a place where Gil should spend a long-ass time for what he did to me, it didn’t sit well.

I knew how fucked up that sounded. Yet, I didn’t give a shit.

Jordan was back where he belonged, with Hartley and me. It was then I realized I’d do whatever I had to, so he stayed out of prison. Jordan wasn’t a model citizen, but he wasn’t all bad either. We got to see this side of him where he would fall to his knees for us and expose his very soul. The world didn’t get that part of him and never would. That was okay. We knew the man he was inside.

“C’mere, Hart,” I said and lifted my arm to welcome him into our embrace. He readily came, slotting with us like he was always meant to be there. “Thank you for being you.” I pressed a kiss to his lips, then faced Jordan. “And thank you for telling me the truth.”

“Vail?” Jordan asked.

“Hmm?” My eyes were heavy, the weight of the day catching up to me for the second time. Earlier, before the cops searched the building, I wanted to crawl into bed with Hartley and soak in his warmth. Now, I wanted to do it but sleep for a while as well.

“I love you too,” Jordan whispered so faintly I almost didn’t hear him.

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