Page 47 of Twisted Trails
He leans down slowly and presses a kiss to my temple. “I’m proud of you, Alaina,” he whispers against my skin. “And I just know your mother would be so proud of you too.” When he pulls back, I’m surprised to find his eyes are full of tears. They don’t fall as he stands, clearing his throat. “I’m heading back to DC to give you space to do what you came here to do, but know that I’m watching. I’m going towatch you take that title. And I already gave Dane the money back.”
That makes my eyebrows lift.
“I made sure you both have more than enough to get through the rest of this trip without worrying about a thing. You don’t need to stress about that. Just focus on finishing this.”
He takes a few steps toward the door, then pauses and turns back.
“If there’s anything you need,anything, I want you to call me, Alaina. You hear me? You call, and I will be there. I promise.”
“Why aren’t you telling me to come back home with you?” I ask, almost dazed from the sudden shifts in the conversation. Each time I thought I knew the line he was taking, he swerved. “Or to stop this?”
“Because you’re right,” he says simply. “You’re an adult now. You don’t need someone telling you what to do. What youneedis support, and I know it took me too long, but you have mine. Full stop.” He nods once, like it’s already decided, then turns again. His hand is on the doorframe when he glances back one last time. “I love you, Alaina.”
Then he walks out, and the door closes softly behind him. I sit there, frozen because I don’t know what to do with that.
He’s never said that to me before.
Not once.
And now I don’t know whether to fall apart or hold tighter to the walls I built to survive without hearing it. So I just sit, trying to breathe through a chest that feels like it’s been cracked wide open.
It’s only seconds before I realize I can’t sit alone in this room anymore. My conflicted and confused feelings will swallow me whole. I push the covers off and swing my legsover the edge, biting down on a wince as my hand protests with a sharp sting.
Bathroom. Painkillers. Fresh air.Something.
I stumble through the motions, cold water on my face, toothpaste that tastes too minty, a fresh shirt, and a pair of jeans that tug weirdly over my still-stiff hip. It’s all a little too real, toonormalafter everything he just said.
After theI love youthat landed twenty-four years too late.
What the hell was that?
Was this some kind of pre-death epiphany?
Maybe we should be worried. Maybe he got a diagnosis and only has two weeks to live, and this is his farewell tour. Because, honestly, that would makewaymore sense than whatever just happened here.
I yank open the door and step into the hallway, and immediately, something feels off. It’s way too quiet. No voices, no footsteps, not even the distant clatter of dishes or a sarcastic quip from Luc echoing down the hall. And that man cannotnotbe heard. It’s like he came with a built-in speaker system.
I make my way toward the kitchen, bare feet silent against the floor, and find Élise at the table, reading a magazine, a mug of tea steaming beside her. She looks up as I walk in, her face immediately warming with affection as she smiles at me.
“Hey,chérie,” she says, setting the magazine down. “Would you like some tea?”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Yeah, thank you.”
She stands to pour it for me. “Dane and Piper went for a walk. Your dad left not long ago. Otis and Luc are at the gym.”
I freeze.
Everyone is gone?
Élise must notice, because she comes back to the table and places the tea in front of me. “I asked them to go.”
“You did?” I ask, eyebrows furrowing.
She nods. “Luc would’ve never left your side willingly, but I wanted a chance to talk to you. Alone.”
I blink at her, unsure of what I’m supposed to say, but I nod, becauseokay.
She reaches across the table and squeezes my forearm, carefully avoiding my cast. “How are you feeling?”
