Page 108 of Even if It Hurts

Evans had swung at me before I could finish.

“Unknowingly,”I’d repeated through clenched teeth as I’d forced him back into his chair.

“No one’s looking at you or blaming you, Evans,”Rush had hurried to add, trying to placate Evans.

“He’s your dad,”I’d gone on, trying to sound understanding even though I was the least understanding person when it came to parents.“I wouldn’t blame you for just talking to him about what’s going on in your life—like your job. I wouldn’t blame you for answering questions he might ask about it. But that doesn’t changethis.”I’d pushed the tablet in front of him again.“That doesn’t change what the Wreckers somehow know. He’s using you.”

Evans had furiously shaken his head as if forcing away even the thought.“That’s my—that’s mydad,”he’d ground out.“He’s a—”He’d leveled a dark look at me as he’d shoved out of his chair.“He wouldn’t be involved with this.”

“He’ll be back,” I told Lainey. “When he finds out for himself that it’s true, he’ll realize he was never mad at me.” I roughed a hand through my beard as I took in the handful of people walking through Huntley Square, where we sat, enjoying time alone since Ada was watching Kaia. “I’m worried about how he’ll be once the weight of it settles.”

“What do you mean?” Lainey asked as she slipped a hand into mine.

“With the way he grew up, the views and moral code he’s always lived by because of his family...this is gonna destroy all that.” I met her attentive stare and said, “After this, he won’t be the same guy you met this morning.”

She made a face that showed her worry for Evans. “At least he’ll still have all of you.” She squeezed my hand. “What if he’dbecome a cop and found out then? He would’ve had no one to turn to because he wouldn’t have known who he could trust.”

My head dipped in acknowledgment, but I needed to get my mind off Evans and the hurt he’d directed my way as he’d stormed out of Ada’s, so I asked, “What are you gonna do about your parents?”

“Ah, right...that,” Lainey murmured before releasing a weighted breath. She looked out over the square as she seemed to think over everything that’d happened that afternoon. Her pain and worry apparent, even when she glanced at me with her nose scrunched up adorably, making her look wholly unconvinced when she said, “Hope they come around?”

From everything I’d heard and the short interaction I’d had with her dad, I doubted that would happen. But again...I wasn’t one to have faith in parents.

“You think they’ll give Wren a chance?”

“No,” she said after a moment as if she wished she could give a different answer. “For the sake of the business, they need to. But they’ve never paid attention to her when it comes to the business, so they don’t have any confidence in her.”

Turning even closer into me, she lowered her voice like she was worried the few people wandering around would overhear. “Wren said she was thinking of moving out and getting a different job.” At the lift of my eyebrows, Lainey’s shoulders sagged. “I know. I can’t tell if she’s doing it because I am, because she’s that hurt by my parents—even though she acts like she isn’t—or because she’s hoping my parents will realize they need her once she’s gone.

“But once Wren decides to do something, there’s no stopping her.” Lainey lifted a hand, gesturing aimlessly. “She’ll probably have found an apartment and be moved in before I’m fully moved in with Chloe.”

“What do you wanna do?” I asked because she clearly felt like she needed to help in some way.

“Nothing,” Lainey said after a while. “I tried talking her out of it because I think it’s a bad idea for so many reasons...starting with how reckless she is.” She gave me a smile that was as amused as it was exhausted. “If you got frustrated with me for not having a purse that closed, you would hategoing anywhere with Wren because she’s never met a stranger, and she’s way too trusting. But again, there’s no stopping her.”

It took maybe a second to figure out how to help, but I took nearly a minute to weigh the possibility of pulling it off and if it would upset Lainey before finally suggesting, “I could put someone near her.”

Lainey’s eyebrows drew close in confusion. Before she could ask, I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal and explained, “Evans has been living in an apartment. If Wren moves into one, we can get Evans into the unit next to her. That way someone’s got an eye on her.”

Lainey had started shaking her head long before I finished, but thenosdidn’t start until the end. “You’re not gonna use your team to watch my sister.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s...” She forced out a frustrated breath. “That’s ridiculous. Y’all have actual work you need to do. You don’t need to be wasting time babysitting my sister, or anyone in my family, for that matter. Besides, you have more important things to worry about with Beau right now, like if he’ll even come back to work.”

“He’ll be back,” I said confidently. “And he’ll need something to take his mind off everything when he does. An extra assignment will be good.”

A laugh left Lainey as she swatted at me with the hand that wasn’t wrapped up in mine. “My sister isn’t an assignment, andleave Beau alone.” A teasing glint shone in her eyes when she added, “First me, now my sister. You have to let us go.”

Amusement hummed in my chest as I pulled her even closer. “And what happens when I do?”

Her features shifted into something pure and tender and so beautiful that I would’ve given anything to capture Lainey likethis. Leaning forward, she stole a soft, unhurried kiss. “You’ll finally see that I’m not going anywhere.”

“Magic,” I muttered late that night from where I was watching Lainey put Kaia back to bed.

Her head whipped my way as if I’d surprised her, but a muted laugh just left her as she set the little starfish in the pop-up crib I’d bought yesterday. “Not,” she maintained as she made her way to me, then fell against my chest where I leaned against the doorframe and sighed deeply when my arms automatically curled around her.

“Tired?”

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