Buttons and Grace Page 15

  “No matter how much time has passed, if you ever want to come back, my door will be open.” He pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and handed it to me. “My number is in there if you ever need anything…or if you just want to talk.”

  “Thank you.” I held the phone in my palm and tucked it into my front pocket.

  “You should get going.”

  “Okay…” All I had to do was grab my suitcase and walk away, but I didn’t want to turn my back on him. I didn’t want this to be the last time we saw each other. If he didn’t live so far away, we could still see each other.

  “Go, Bellissima.” He cupped my face and kissed me on the mouth, a soft kiss that was heavy with a painful goodbye.

  I kissed him back, treasuring the feel of his lips against mine. I would never forget this man for as long as I lived. He was an angel in a crowd of demons. He’d lost his temper for a few days, but he found himself once again.

  He pulled away and pressed another kiss to my forehead. “I’ll always love you, Bellissima.” He turned away without looking at me again, making sure he got into his car without turning his face in my direction. The engine was on, and then he was on the road. He left the terminal and got lost in the sea of cars that were leaving the airport.

  It was the first time I was truly alone since I’d been captured. I stood at the airport with my suitcase and more money than I could ever spend. I was a free woman. I could get on a plane to America, or I could get on a plane somewhere else. It didn’t matter.

  I was free.

  Chapter 19

  Pearl

  “Leave him alone.” Crow filled the door with his impressive size so I couldn’t get by. “I know my brother. He just wants to be alone.”

  I pushed him aside, but he didn’t move, much like a mountain. “No one wants to be alone.”

  “Men do.” His hand moved to my arm, but he didn’t grab me. Instead, he gently guided me away from the door. “Give him space.”

  I turned back around. “He needs a friend. He needs someone to talk to.”

  “I’m telling you, he doesn’t want to talk right now.”

  “Well, if it were me, I’d want to talk to someone.” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked up at my giant of a husband. “Now step aside, or I’ll make you.”

  He didn’t move.

  “Why don’t you want me to go? I’ll only be gone for a few hours.”

  “I like it when you’re home.”

  “Well, I’m needed right now.”

  “I guess I’ll come with you, then.”

  “No.” I grabbed my jacket off the coatrack. “He needs to talk to a woman. He’ll say things to me that he won’t say to you.”

  “And I don’t want to hear them. We both know I’m not big on words.”

  “Yes.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m aware.”

  “But I still think you should give him space. He’s probably drunk.”

  “Drunk or not, he needs a friend.” This time, Crow let me get to the door. I opened it then pulled out the keys I’d found on his nightstand. “By the way, you need to take me shopping. I need my own car.”

  “What do you need a car for?”

  “Is that a serious question?” I asked. “I have to drive the kids to school, to soccer—”

  “Lars can do it.”

  I pointed into his chest. “You do realize your enemies are gone, and there’s nothing to be afraid of, right? And you do realize that I can’t stay home all day and be a mother at the same time, right? I’m gonna be one of those soccer moms who’s involved in everything and drives them crazy. So, I need a car, Crow.”

  He only wore a dark expression as a reaction.

  I ignored it. “I’ll be back.”

  “Text me when you get there, and text me when you leave.”

  I wanted to tell him off and say that was never going to happen, but after everything we’d been through, I thought his request was fair. “Alright.”

  He gripped me by the waist and kissed me hard on the mouth. “I love you, Button.”

  And as if we hadn’t bickered back and forth for the past five minutes, I melted for this man. A part of me wanted to stay and curl into his lap for the rest of the night. We would lie in bed, and he would rub his large hand over my stomach, feeling the baby even though there wasn’t much to feel. “I love you too.”

  * * *

  I knocked a few times, but Cane didn’t answer.

  So I rang the doorbell several times.

  A man I didn’t know answered the door. He was in his late fifties, and he had dark hair that was perfectly combed back. He wore a collared shirt and slacks. “Can I help you?” He was rigid like Lars, standing perfectly straight with a welcoming smile on his lips.

  “I’m Pearl Barsetti. I’m here to see Cane. You must be Gerald.”

  He shook my hand. “I’m glad he talks about me.”

  “Could you tell him I want to see him?”

  “He’s been upstairs all day. I haven’t seen him once.”

  “He hasn’t even eaten?” I asked with concern.

  “I left a tray outside his door. Not sure if he was interested.”

  I’d known Cane would take Adelina’s absence hard. The woman he loved wanted to start her life over where she was from. She didn’t see a future where he could be in it too. “I need to see him. I’m very worried about him.”

  “I can let him know you’re here and see what he says.”

  “He’ll tell me to leave.”

  Gerald shrugged. “Then there’s nothing I can do for you.”

  I wasn’t leaving until I got an audience with my brother-in-law. “Gerald, I know you’re new around here, so I’m going to go easy on you. But in situations like this, I get my way. I know Cane needs me even if he won’t admit it. He’s just going to stay locked up in his room drinking until somebody helps him back on his feet. So, are you going to continue standing in my way, or are you going to let me pass?”

  He didn’t think twice before he stepped to the side. “Come on in.”

  “Good choice, Gerald.” I made my way upstairs and approached the master bedroom. The door was shut, so I knocked loudly against the wood. “Cane, it’s me.”

  A growl sounded from the other side of the door. “What do you want?”

  “You know what I want. Make yourself presentable because I’m about to open this door and walk in.”

  “Give me a second.” He moved about the room, probably changing his clothes and cleaning up the beer and liquor bottles. A few minutes later, he opened the door himself, wearing a sour look and a thick beard. He turned away from the door and dropped onto the couch that faced the fireplace and enormous TV on his wall. His hair was flat like he hadn’t showered since yesterday, and he looked thinner even though it’d only been a day since he’d last eaten, judging by the full tray sitting outside his door.

  I sat beside him and stared at the sorrow in his eyes. He and Crow possessed some of the same expressions. They had the same smile, similar angry looks, and when they were devastated, they had the same matte look to their eyes.

  “Why are you here?” he asked as he ran his fingers through his hair.

  “You know why, Cane.”

  He rested his arm over the back of the couch and looked at the TV with sleepy eyes, like he’d had too much booze and wasn’t in complete possession of his faculties. “There’s nothing to say, so I’m not sure what we should do now.”

  “Have you talked to her since she left?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Does she have a number to call you?”

  “I gave her everything she needs. I set up an account in her name, too. Wanted to make sure she’d have enough to get settled. I don’t know what her plan is, but I assume she’ll go straight to her parents’ house first. But after that, I want her to be able to buy a house and not stress about money. From what I understand, teachers don’t make much…”

  The gesture was touching, b
ut I shouldn’t be surprised by his generosity. Cane had only loved one woman, and of course, he was going to make sure that one woman had everything she needed. “That was sweet.”

  * * *

  “She almost didn’t take it. But I asked her to.”

  “I think she’ll come back, Cane.”

  “I hope.” He covered his face with his hand then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Leaving her at the airport was a lot harder than I expected. Driving off and not looking back…felt strange. I wanted to call her and check on her after she landed, but I knew I couldn’t. I know I need to leave her alone and let her get on with her life.”

  “It’ll get easier,” I whispered.

  “No, it won’t,” he said as he shook his head. “In time, it’ll be easier for me to lie to myself and say she didn’t mean anything to me, but that’s it. These feelings…this pain…won’t go away. I feel the same way Crow felt when you were gone…unbearable agony.” He dropped his hand then looked at the TV again.

  “Did she say anything at the airport?”

  “She cried. She thanked me for saving her. Said she would miss me.” His eyes glazed over as he remembered her parting words. “I told her I loved her then walked away. That’s it.”

  “Then it was over?”

  “Yeah,” he whispered.

  I hoped she would arrive in America and realize she wanted to come back, but I knew that was unrealistic. Once she tied up her loose ends, she would realize nothing was keeping her there. “She’ll come back, Cane.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “She will. Just give it time.”

  He grabbed the half-full beer sitting on the table and took a drink. “Want anything?”

  “I’m pregnant. I can’t drink.”

  “Oh…that’s right.” He took another drink. “How’s that going?”

  “About the same. I don’t feel any different.”

  “How’s Crow been doing?” he asked. “Since we handed everything over to Constantine?”

  “He’s been good. He’s been going to work and getting around the house. Hasn’t started exercising yet, but he’s almost there.”

  Cane leaned back and stared at the TV. “I feel like I’ve lost everything…”

  I shifted my gaze back to his expression, seeing the powerful forlornness.

  “That business meant everything to me. I don’t blame Adelina, and I don’t blame Crow… I don’t blame anyone. I just feel lost without it. My dad built that thing from the ground up, and with the snap of a finger, it’s gone.” He shrugged. “And now, my woman is gone. Not sure who I am anymore.”

  “Crow talked to me about it the other day.”

  “About the business?” he asked.

  “Yeah. He said he thought you guys were building a new legacy, a new future for the Barsettis. He said he was excited about it. Losing the business didn’t feel like such a personal loss for him since there’s so much more for you to do. He wants you to see it that way—as a new beginning, not an end.”

  Cane considered the words, his mouth heavy in a frown. “I know he’s right. It’s just hard for me to accept. He’s good with change. I’m not.”

  “And Adelina will come back.”

  He stared at the TV. “Just because you did doesn’t mean she will.”

  “I think so. It might take her a few weeks to figure it out, but I know she will.”

  He held the beer on his thigh and rubbed his thumb across the mouth. Back and forth, he moved, fidgeting quietly. “It was nice of you to come all the way down here to talk to me. You didn’t have to do that.”

  “I wanted to.”

  “I’m a lucky guy. So is Crow. He can have you deal with me so he doesn’t have to.” He chuckled quietly, but his heart wasn’t in it.

  “He’s worried about you, but he thought you wouldn’t want to talk right now.”

  “He’s right. I don’t want to talk right now.” He turned his gaze back to me. “But it doesn’t feel so bad when I talk to you. Kinda reminds me of the way I used to talk to Vanessa. You know, she was the one member of our family who could humanize me. I wanted to be a better person because she looked up to me. I felt that way toward Adelina too…wanted to be a better man for her.”

  My hand reached for his.

  He squeezed my fingers back. “Crow would be so jealous if he saw us right now.”

  * * *

  “Crow is always jealous, so it doesn’t matter.”

  “He should be jealous. I have the best sister in the world. That’s something he doesn’t have.” He gave me a slight smile, the best he could do with the pain he was in.

  I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder. “And I have the best brother in the world.”

  Chapter 20

  Adelina

  My parents couldn’t believe their eyes when I arrived on their doorstep.

  They were in shock.

  They were in tears.

  And they could barely stand.

  I was welcomed back into their home, and like I was a child all over again, my mother slept in my bed with me because she didn’t want to be apart from me. Like I might slip away again, she hung on to me tightly.

  The next day, the news media was there to interview my parents. Apparently, my story had gotten a lot of coverage since my parents hired so many private investigators to track me down. Lizzie’s parents did the same, making us some of the most recognizable people in the United States.

  I had no idea.

  Giving the horrible news to Lizzie’s parents was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. I felt guilty for surviving when she had a terrible death. I couldn’t even tell them where her body was so they could have a funeral. They cried—and I cried too. They said they were happy to see me, but I knew any parent would be devastated that I came back when their daughter never did.

  Time seemed to move in slow motion, but everything was going so fast. The police interviewed me a few times and asked me the details of what happened. I told them the truth, but I kept Crow’s and Cane’s identities a secret. I told them Tristan and his men were dead, so there was no need to continue the investigation.

  I got a lot of requests for interviews on daytime talk shows, but I declined all of them. The world was curious to know the things I had suffered, but I wasn’t interested in sharing. The details weren’t appropriate for television anyway. I didn’t want my parents to have to listen to those tales.

  I spent the first week at my parents’ house. My old bedroom was exactly how I left it. They didn’t change a single thing or throw anything out. When I was going to college, I still lived with them because it saved money. The college was down the road so I didn’t need to commute far, but it was jarring living with them again.

  I used to live with a gorgeous man in a mansion that I had all to myself most of the time.

  My parents breathed down my neck, constantly asking I needed anything or if there was something that would make me more comfortable.

  I knew they meant well, so I didn’t get irritated about it.

  I was having dinner with them when my mother asked about Cane. “That man who brought you here a few months ago…”

  My dad stared at his food, blocking out the conversation.

  “Yeah?” I said.

  “He was the one who set you free?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” I picked at my corn and mashed potatoes. “He is the one who killed Tristan and his men. He got me out of there, took care of me, and put me back together. He wanted me to stay with him, but I told him I had to get home.”

  “So, he’s a criminal, but he still saved you?”

  “Yeah,” I answered. “Pretty much.”

  “Why would he do that for you?” she asked. “Why would that man go to such lengths to get you your freedom?” Mom was thinner than she used to be, having lost at least twenty pounds. It was most obvious in her face. She set her fork down and stared at me. “I wanted to ask before, but I didn’t want to bombard you with q
uestions.”

  There was no better way to explain it than by telling the truth. “He said he was in love with me…”

  My dad looked up from his food.

  “Oh,” Mom said. “I see…”

  “How do you feel about him?” Dad asked.

  Dad had never asked me about something like that before. We never talked about boys. All topics related to sex were for my mother to handle. “I really care about him. He became a really good friend to me. I miss him…”

  “Do you love him?” Mom pressed.

  “I…I don’t know.” I looked down at my food again. “Everything that happened was so intense and fast. I’m not sure how I feel about it. I think he’s a wonderful man, and I’ll never be able to repay him for what he’s done for me. But I don’t understand how I feel about him beyond that. At the end of the day, he’s still not exactly what I imagined in a boyfriend…or husband.”

  “You never answered the question,” Mom said. “But I think that led you to your answer.”

  My heart stilled in my chest, stunned by her observation.

  “I would love to speak with him, if you’d let me,” Mom said.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “I need to thank him for bringing you back to us,” she whispered. “I know the world is full of dark and dangerous men. He could have been like all the rest and left you to your fate. Even if his own motivations were sinister, he sacrificed a lot for you. He did the right thing when it came down to it. He deserves my gratitude.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears.

  Dad nodded in agreement.

  “I guess I could call him tomorrow,” I said. “It’s really early in the morning there.”

  Mom glanced at the clock. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

  “Uh…” I fought the urge to call him because I didn’t want to play with his emotions. I didn’t want to give him hope that I would come back if I wasn’t sure I would. “Okay.” I pulled out my phone and found his name in the phone book. It was the only name listed. I hit send.