Page 17 of Love Over Time

Chapter Seven

A Truce and a Deal

Nikki

I glared at the scrape on James Cavalier’s elbow. No matter how hard I tried, the memories of that day remained locked away. Henry’s eleven-year-old face was all I saw whenever I closed my eyes and thought of the night his dad was killed. Dom had called it gruesome. Gruesome didn’t begin to cover the hatred on these images. I picked up a marker, circled James’s arm, and pinned the picture to the wall.

Stepping back, I focused on the scene—Lisa’s entire case file was laid out on my wall, like an official murder board. It was hard to look at, but I needed the reminder of what everyone involved had gone through, what Lisa was still going through. So much had been taken from her. She’d spent the best years of her life in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. I stifled a cry and wiped my cheeks. I’d promised Lisa no more tears.

A knock on the door broke the silence in the room. My heartbeat spiked. Henry. Who else could it be? I backed away from him.Not today, Henry. I can’t deal with you today.

Another knock. “I know you’re in there, Nikki. You haven’t left your room in four days.” His voice rumbled in the hallway, and a raw energy rushed through me.

I stomped to the door, opened it just enough for me to squeeze through, and closed it behind me. “What do you want? I don’t have time for you right now. I’m with a client.”

Henry glanced away before he met my gaze. “For four days?”

Who was full of tells now? I shrugged. “What can I say? He has stamina.”

He pinned me with one of his dark stares. I swallowed and leaned against the door. He smelled of soap and aftershave mixed in with his own personal brand of manly scent. My hand itched to touch his clean-shaven cheek, maybe run my finger along his jawline.

He braced a large hand next to my head. His lips parted, and I closed my eyes. How many nights had I dreamed of this moment? How many nights had I waited for Henry to come through the door, kiss me, and tell me he was sorry for letting me go? His warm breath brushed my ear, and my legs wobbled a little. Dammit. Why couldn’t Henry Cavalier have grown up to be…less hot? A lot less hot.

“Maybe he can share?” His words touched my lips and pulled at something deep in my chest.

My eyes snapped open. “What?”

Too late. He’d already turned the doorknob. I stumbled backward, and he barged into the room. The bed lay empty, sheets in disarray. A box of pizza on the desk under the window completed the pathetic scene. Henry’s gaze darted from one corner of the room to the other. I placed myself between him and the closet door to keep his attention on me, but he sidestepped me and pushed the door open.

When he found the closet and bathroom also empty, he turned to me, suppressing a smile. “Did he fly out the window, or were you just lying as usual?”

“What do you want? I don’t have time for this.” I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling naked in my thin cotton tank top and pajama pants.

His gaze fell on the rumpled covers. “I need your help.”

“No.” I pushed him toward the exit, but it was like trying to move a tree. “You need to leave now.”

“Could you just hear me out?” He held me in his arms. “Yesterday…” He froze.

“Please don’t look, Henry.”

“What the fuck is this?” He walked to the wall smeared with every little detail of his father’s murder. Tears pooled in his eyes as he stared. “What the fuck is this?” He glared at me.

“Lisa’s case file. I told you I’m here to prove she’s innocent. And the answer is on that murder board. I just need to find it.” I stepped toward him, but he shuffled back.

“This is a Chapter in my life that’s been closed for fifteen years. Why are you doing this to me?” He grimaced, his breathing ragged.

“I’m not doing this to you. I’m doing this for my sister. Now get out. You saw there’s no guy in here. Just leave.”

He sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders slumped. “Can we call a truce? I’m so tired of fighting you. That’s the last thing I want to do.” He shoved both hands in his hair.

We were both broken. When James Cavalier died, our childhood had died with him. We’d been forced to grow up and face our new reality, as harsh as it was. Worst part was, we’d been forced to deal with it alone.

I sat next to him. The mattress dipped and drew me closer to him, while his dad’s murder board loomed over us. A pressure gripped my chest. I focused on his breathing, the warmth of his body against my side, and this familiar sense of being safe I felt every time Henry was near me. What was the point of all this fighting when we had bigger problems out there? We needed to let go of the hurt we’d carried with us since we left Paradise Creek.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“We were too young when it happened. I never knew the specifics.” Wincing, he turned to face me, his eyes red and wet.

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