Page 46 of One Last Verse

“I thought you said this was a relationship?” I glared at him, dumbfounded. My heartbeat thrummed in my temples.

“Yes. Itis.” He stressed the present tense. “And I want you back in my life.”

“But that’s not how relationships work.” A shaky exhale left my lungs. “It’s not always about hot sex and midnight drives to Ventura County. It’s about being there for each other when people are at their lowest. And you don’t let me do that for you when you hit bottom. You shut down and you won’t talk to me.”

I didn’t understand how exactly I knew this since I’d never been in a serious relationship before. My knowledge seemed to have been gathered from my own childhood observations of my parents. Everything my father hadn’t been able to give my mother was what I wanted. And I wanted it from Frank. The whole nine yards. I just didn’t know whether he was capable of giving me the things I longed for.

The real Frank Wallace, the one most Hall Affinity fans didn’t know, was a very complicated man. A man with demons who kept crawling out of their hiding places, and the prospect of meeting them terrified me.

“I wasn’t in a good state of mind, doll,” he said quietly. “I had to let you go because I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“But you did hurt me, Frank. I cracked my heart open for you and you didn’t even acknowledge it.”

“And I’m sorry. I truly am.”

“I don’t know if that’s enough anymore,” I confessed. “Is this how it’s going to be every time your head isn’t in the right place? Are you just going to shut me out until you feel better?”

“It won’t happen again.”

Ashton’s excited voice slipped into the car. He and Roman were talking to a salesman. “Don’t you understand what you’re doing?”

Confusion flitted across Frank’s face.

I motioned toward the door that was still wide open. “He doesn’t have a father figure in his life. He looks up toyouand I don’t want you to buy him a car and then disappear from his life. We’ve already been through this with our father. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to keep him straight?”

“I’m not going to disappear. I want this—us—to work.”

“Well, it won’t work unless both parties are trying, and you haven’t been, Frank.”

His hand squeezed mine. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to get help. Real help.” My voice shook. “I know you don’t think you have a problem, but you do. You’re not thinking straight and you’re mixing alcohol with painkillers. That only damages your body more and delays the healing process.”

Frank stared at me for a long moment, recognition lining his features. “Okay.” He nodded, lacing our fingers together.

“You promise?”

“I promise I’ll get help. Just come back.” He inched forward and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. My body reacted instantly. Goosebumps erupted across my skin.

“I have to think about it,” I whispered, completely frozen.

“Can I ask about an ETA?” he crooned.

A muddy laugh escaped my throat. “You’re worse than a toddler.” I pulled my hand out of his heated grasp. “Depends on how upset my mother is when I tell her about this.” I motioned at the door and scrambled out of my seat, needing a little distance. He was too hard to resist.

Be still my heart, be still and don’t let this man ruin the walls you’ve built.

Frank stayed in the Escalade while Roman and I monitored Ashton. It took me a good hour to talk him out of buying a Corvette. My voice was shot from all the arguing and my head started to hurt. I was ready to throw myself on the ground in front of that monstrosity of a car if all else failed. Ashton was like a leprechaun chasing a pot of gold, dead set on the baddest, shiniest ride on the lot. For a moment there, I thought of dragging Frank out of the Escalade to assist me with fixing the loose screws in my brother’s brain, but the idea of having my name and photo in the tabloids didn’t appeal to me.

“How are you going to parallel park this car?” I fumed staring at the bright yellow hood of the Corvette. The color was cheesier than a pizza topping.

“I’ll learn.” My brother grinned from the driver’s seat, stroking the dashboard and the upholstery. He was somewhere between adorable and embarrassing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started to lick the windshield.

“No, buddy. You need to know how to parallel parkbeforeyou buy a car, not after.” I turned to the sales associate. “Can you show us something…smaller and less flashy?”

Eventually, we agreed on a Z4. The look on Ashton’s face when he got behind the wheel of the BMW was priceless. He beamed brighter than the Christmas tree set up in the reception area. Now I simply had to explain this to my mother, and the mere thought of the upcoming conversation gave me chills.

Once all the paperwork had been handled, I returned to the Escalade. Frank was on the phone but hung up the moment I flung the door open to slide into my seat next to him. Undeniable tension riddled the cool air, but he tried to defuse it with a smile.

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