Page 101 of Silent Partner (Pine Falls 3)

Ouch. He had a way with words. Words that pricked my very soul. And hurt, if I was being honest. I decided to take a peek down the roads I had to choose from. One had me and Oscar there by ourselves, with me clinging to him for dear life. It was a road filled with the wreckage left from every single romantic relationship I’d ever had. There had been so many accidents. Some that I felt like I had walked away from with myself barely intact. It was an easy choice to walk away from that road, because the road ahead looked like smooth sailing and accident-free, although it was desolate. The other road was just as littered with wrecks, the last and most hair raising one being with Brant. In fact, it was a rollover accident. Except on that road, someone was calling after me, wanting to look after my injuries, his voice filled with remorse for losing control of the car. When I looked ahead on that road, it was winding and curvy, even with some steep drop-offs, but oh, was it beautiful. Ocean and mountain views with vivid colors. There were even other travelers to help us on our journey. I lowered my head as tears streamed down my cheeks and met Brock’s kind eyes, just like his brother’s, the brother who called after me. “How do you forgive?” I begged to know.

He squeezed my hand. “Like love, it’s a choice. You have to choose it.”

I was afraid of that. But deep in my soul, I knew I had to make the hard choice. And that it was going to cost me. Heaven, help me.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Dressed in one of the smart black dresses Sheridan had purchased for me, I pulled into Giselle and Carter’s lawyer’s office in Carrington Cove. Brant was already there, waiting for me outside his car even though it was freezing. I took a moment to stare at him, dressed finely in a dark suit with a long wool coat for warmth. He was simply breathtaking. More than that, he was the man who kept saving me from endlessly rolling. Last night, his voice had once more awakened me from my nightmare before I dropped over the cliff. And here he was again, saving me from certain financial doom.

I hadn’t slept much last night. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what Brock had said. Forgiveness was a choice. I would admit to wishing it was just something I could be given. That there was a pill I could take that would magically make the hurt go away. But I knew that wasn’t how it worked. And I knew, like my mom used to say, that I couldn’t make Brant or Dani earn it. If we made people earn forgiveness, how would you even know when it was enough? That doesn’t mean we should let people trample us, but I refused to become some overlord making them beg me until I thought they had paid enough. That sounded terrible. Plus, they were both already paying. The truth of the matter is it wasn’t making any of our hurt disappear. I knew that would only come through time and work. Deep down, I knew they would put in the work; I had to decide if I was willing to work just as hard. Maybe even harder.

The answer was, I wanted to. I didn’t want to end up on the desolate road. I wanted the wreckage to be worth something. And I couldn’t imagine a world without Dani and Brant in it.

With that said, I parked next to Brant’s fancy loaner. My car looked so out of place, but it represented who I was. A scrapper.

Brant was to me and opening my door before I could even turn off my car. He looked determined. Like a man ready to hit the curving and winding road together. I suppose we were taking the first step, by officially becoming business partners today. Assuming Giselle and Carter finally signed on the dotted line. If they did, it would be a big payday for them. Brant had the wire transfer ready to go—all he had to do was make the call.

Brant held out his hand to me. With a bit of hesitation, I took it and let him help me out of the car. Of course, he didn’t want to let go when I was up and out. He pulled me to him. “Good morning, gorgeous.”

“Good morning.” My eyes darted around. “Do you think we’re part of a photo shoot?” Brock had expressed last night that he too was worried about what the Copelands might do. It made me more paranoid.

Brant leaned in. “Let’s give them their money’s worth.”

I pushed against his chest. “Hold on, tiger. We need to take things slow.”

---