Page 76 of Quiet Rage
I would tell him to fuck off, but he’s hitting a little too close to the bullseye for me to pretend otherwise. That’s pretty much what my life has been.
He opens the privacy gate, and the sound of voices floats in the air. Her soft laughter carries my way, and a smile spreads across my face.
“Look who I found.” Easton strolls into the yard, jerking a thumb behind him. “I managed to convince him to take a break. Make sure we record this date for posterity.”
Emma and Preston are sitting at a table with their guest, who turns in her chair and smiles at me. The glow from lit torchesand hanging lights makes her hair shine like gold and her eyes sparkle.
“Dragonfly,” I greet her.
“It just hit me we’ve been friends for months, and she never came to visit,” Emma chirps happily.
“Hi.” I grunt, taking in the sight of her. She looks good. Healthy. Her smile is wide and warm when I take a seat next to her and almost shudder from head to toe when the familiar scent of her shampoo hits me like a speeding train. Lavender, she told me. Now it’s real.
And it’s good. The mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat soon fills the air while we drink our beers, and everybody catches me up on what’s been going on since I took on what’s been more than a full-time job. “I’m not gonna lie and say I haven’t let the professors take it easy on me because I’m bereaved,” I admit, polishing off a beer. “But I don’t think that’s going to fly next semester. I need to get shit nailed down with the business now so I can handle both.”
“You really plan on doing that?” Tamson asks in a soft voice. I don’t hear any doubt or skepticism. She cares. That’s all.
And fuck me if that doesn’t sound good. She’s the missing piece. Someone who just cares. A grounding force, a gentle voice. “I’m not going to give up school, and I’m not going to give up the business. I can do both. Most of it can run itself. I just need to set up systems.”
“If anybody can do it, you can,” Preston predicts as he pulls the steaks from the grill along with foil-wrapped potatoes and a pan of vegetables. Easton helps bring everything to the table so wecan gorge ourselves—and we do. For the first time in months, life feels normal.
Better than normal, because I have Tamson next to me. Giving me little smiles, wiping butter from the corner of my mouth with her napkin like it’s the most natural thing. It feels natural, too. That’s the best part.
No, on second thought. The best part is when it’s time to leave and she nods with a smile when I offer to take her home. “Sure, that would be nice. Thank you.” My hopes soar—I should know better, I really should, but this is a good sign. It’s been two months since I’ve sat down with her, so I’m starved for a good sign.
The silence that falls between us as we walk to the car doesn’t feel awkward. It’s comfortable. I feel comfortable with her. The tiny smile she wears tells me she might feel the same way.
It’s that, plus the endless well of need at my core, that make me turn toward her once we’re in the truck. I have to say this, or I’ll regret it like hell otherwise. “Listen, if you really want to go home, I’ll take you. But it’s late, and if you want, you could sleep at my house tonight?” I murmur.
Her cheeks go pink, and she bites her lip. When the worry lines appear over the bridge of her nose, I have to prepare myself for disappointment. I took it too far. She’s not ready yet and might never be.
“I don’t have anything to sleep in,” she murmurs, lifting a shoulder. “But sure. I mean, I would like to spend more time with you. Catch up.”
She can call this whenever she wants to. I’ll even follow her rules if it means the luxury of having her with me, under my roof, breathing the same air.
For the first time in months, she’ll be where she belongs. With me.
Chapter 34
Tamson
So this iswhat blood money can build.
I shouldn’t think that way. Not now. Not anymore. It isn’t fair to Kellen. He didn’t ask to be born to somebody like his dad. Time and reflection showed me he was only doing his best to survive. Months of thinking it over and journaling about it have helped me find peace. I understand a little better now.
Still, the truth of the past lingers in my mind as I take in the house and the grounds around it. More like a mansion on an estate. I knew he had money, but I didn’t know we were talking mansion territory. And there I was, thinking Emma’s house was impressive—and I mean, it is—but this is next level, right down to the dramatic lighting that makes it look like a showplace gleaming in the dark.
I guess freaking out a little over the house is a distraction from what I really should be freaking out over. Being here, being with him. Not that it’s a bad thing at all. I have imagined this so many times. Whenever I miss him the most.
But now it’s real. My brain is buzzing like an overturned beehive, and my body hums with excitement and nerves by the time we come to a stop.
“Here we are,” he announces, even though he doesn’t need to. Is he nervous, too?
“This is…impressive.”
“I’ve been thinking about downsizing, to tell you the truth. It’s a lot for one person.”
So he lives here alone. I mean, I knew that, but getting the confirmation gives me an extra hit of relief. I don’t know why.
