Dalton came up to us, and I shifted Charlie in my arms, twisting her around so he could take over comforting her. I knew, as soon as she burrowed in instead of pulling away, that she was at the end of her rope.
We needed to end this. Because Sidney Callo deserved justice for her husband. And because Charlie Belmont deserved to finally have a good life.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hayden
I felt like I’d spent the week walking on eggshells. I knew with the kind of job Micah had, his hours could be erratic, and some cases might weigh heavily on his mind, but as the month ticked by, it felt like he was living in a constant state of stress.
The first red flag had gone up when his phone started going off constantly. If he was with me when it did, he’d either ignore it or take it into another room, always saying it was a work thing. The second happened when I began to ask him what was going on. All he’d tell me was that it had to do with a case, but that he couldn’t tell me any more about it.
My mind had gone back to when he and Dani had both warned me to stay away from Greg Cormack. Micah had gone so far as to tell me the man was dangerous, but no matter how many times I’d asked him to explain, his response was always the same. “I can’t tell you right now, Red. But I swear I will as soon as I can.”
As much as it pained me, I pushed that all to the back of my mind, telling myself it was just residual uncertainty left over from my relationship with Alex, and that I was putting past experiences on Micah when he didn’t deserve it. After all, when we were together, he was still as affectionate and demonstrative as always. There hadn’t been a day that passed where we hadn’t had sex at least once. It was as if he couldn’t get enough of me. And at night, he’d hold me so close it felt like he was trying to become a part of me.
The biggest, most glaringly obvious flag came two nights ago, after he’d left in the middle of the night, claiming another work thing. I’d tried waiting up for him, determined to get answers no matter what, but the more time that passed, the harder it was to keep my eyes open, and eventually I fell into a fitful sleep.
I’d woken when he climbed back into bed over an hour later. When he’d rolled me into him and held me close, I caught a faint smell of perfume on his skin—the sweet, scent I’d never worn before, like chocolate and caramel and vanilla. I leaned toward subtle floral body washes and lotions, and what I was smelling on his skin was more gourmand. Definitely not my style.
He’d fallen asleep quickly, while I’d lain there awake, fighting back tears. I’d spent the next two days trying to rationalize what I’d discovered, desperate to make all the pieces fit together to form a puzzle of my liking, because the truth of it was, I was in love with him, and the fear of finding out the truth made me choke up each and every time I attempted to confront him.
I’d gone as far as calling Dani to ask what she knew, but when she answered I chickened out and pretended I’d called just to shoot the breeze.
When I woke up this morning to him rolling me over onto my back so he could kiss me long and slow before he left for work, my heart cracked, a jagged, ugly tear that stretched right down the center. I realized I had reverted back to my old ways, burying my head in the sand and pretending everything wasn’t slowly circling the drain instead of being the woman Micah had claimed to like so damn much. And I couldn’t let it go on for another day.
I’d planned to confront him when he got off work, but things went a little sideways when he called earlier, sounding more animated than he had in weeks.
“Look, Red, I know I’ve been shit at this whole boyfriend gig lately, and I hate that. Work has been a mess, but I made a reservation for dinner at The Groves tonight. Just you and me. I want to take you out on a proper date, baby.”
That call was a blow to my resolve, but I’d given myself about a million pep-talks since then, reminding myself I was worth more.
When I’d gotten off the phone and asked Sylvia what The Groves was, her eyes had nearly bugged out of her head. Apparently, it was the best steakhouse in the area and far beyond. Super expensive and super swank. She’d practically been giddy as she all but shoved me out of Divine Flora, insisting I take the extra time to really “gussy up” for my special night.
Now Ivy was on her belly in my bed, her chin propped in her hands, her bent legs swinging back and forth as she watched me get ready for my date with Micah.
“So, what do you think?” I asked as I turned in a slow circle so my baby girl could get the full effect. The dress I’d chosen was a black off-the-shoulder minidress with a fun white floral pattern. It hugged my curves and the hem hit right around mid-thigh, exposing a good length of leg. I wore a pair of four-inch peep-toe pumps that had thick ribbons that twisted around each ankle and tied in a bow at the back. My hair was down in its natural wave, and my makeup was done a bit smokier than normal.
“Mommy, you look so pretty,” she breathed out dramatically. “Like a princess!”
“Yoo-hoo.” Sylvia’s voice carried up the stairs.
“Up here,” I called back as Ivy jumped off the bed, her four-year-old attention span already bored with what we were doing.
My great-aunt appeared in the doorway a minute later. “Well look at you, simply beautiful, my darlin’ girl.”
I ran my hands down the front of my dress, brushing out the imaginary wrinkles. “You think so? Is this okay for a restaurant like The Groves?”
She clasped her hands together and brought them up to her chest. “It’s absolutely perfect. You’re gonna stun that boy speechless, dearie.”
I turned back toward the mirror to give myself a last once-over and tried to ignore the sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach every time I thought about Micah.
“You know, you put on a good show, but you haven’t been foolin’ me,” Sylvia stated, moving toward the bed. She sat at the foot, crossing one leg over the other, and stared me down in that shrewd, all-knowing way of hers. “I’m not sure what’s botherin’ you, and now’s not the time to get into the meat of it since your gentleman will be here any minute, but I want you to know one thing: No matter how bad things seem, you can always take comfort in knowing that there’s somethin’ good just around the corner, all you have to do is be patient. And I am always, always here for you. Anything you need, sweets. Any time, any place. You have me always and forever.”
I moved to Sylvia, sitting down beside her and resting my head on her shoulder as she clasped my hand in hers. “How is it you’re always able to make things better, no matter what?”
“It’s just one of the few perks of being a million years old. I’ve already lived through all the nasty dips and dark days life can throw at a person, so you have the luxury of my hindsight whenever you’re struggling.”
“I love you,” I said quietly. “And I’m so happy Ivy and I have you.”
The doorbell rang, and I heard Ivy’s feet pattering down the hall from her room as she squeaked, “It’s him! Mommy, he’s here!” like she hadn’t seen Micah in ages.
I moved to the dresser and grabbed the black clutch I bought to go with my dress while pulling in a fortifying breath. “Well, I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”