I hate his addiction, but I know there are more parts to him than that.
And those parts wouldn’t betray me.
She turns toward the door. “I’ll support you with whatever you decide. I was planning on going to the studio in the morning so I could finish up a portrait for a client, but I’m gonna get it done tonight so I can be free all day tomorrow. Call me the moment he leaves, okay?”
“Okay.”
The second the door closes behind her, the first tear falls.
And they don’t stop falling until I hear Preston walk into our bedroom during the wee hours of the morning.
“I’m gonna head out,” Preston says from the doorway.
I’ve been trying really hard not to blow my cover about my intent to follow him, but it’s hard.
I roll over in bed. “Deuces.”
“Angry girl?”
I scowl. “What?”
I hear footsteps coming toward me before I feel the mattress dip. “What’s going on with you? You’ve been in a bad mood since you woke up.”
“I’m just tired.” I mock cough. “I think I might be coming down with something.”
Like a bad case of the swindling husband.
His fingertips skim the length of my spine and I fight back a shiver. “Is there anything I can pick up for you while I’m out?”
Yeah. Pick me up a husband who doesn’t gamble.
I roll over and face him. “If I asked you to stay with me today, would you?”
Would he choose me over poker or sports bets or whatever the hell it is that he’s wagering on these days?
Because I’d choose him over anything.
Hell, I pretty much did.
My heart thuds when he palms my cheek and his gaze locks with mine. “My mom said she really needs my help today. But I’ll see if I can cut out early, okay?”
He looks so torn right now, like he’s being split in two. I’d almost believe him if I didn’t know better.
“Okay.”
He leans down to kiss me and for the very first time…there are no butterflies.
Because I know he just looked me right in the eyes and lied.
I clutch the steering wheel. “How did Landon take the news?”
“Turn left,” Breslin instructs. “And Landon’s pissed. We’ll all have to sleep in separate bedrooms tonight.”
I cock my head to look at her. A little too much, though because I almost run over a woman walking her dog. “Sorry.” I shoot my gaze out the windshield. “Why? Is Asher mad at you for calling his mom? Because you didn’t do anything wrong, B. He’s the one who lied.”
It seems to be a shared Holden brother trait.
“I know.” She sighs. “But we have this rule where if one of us is mad at the other, we all have to sleep in separate bedrooms. This way no one feels like it’s two against one.”
“But you and Landon are both mad at Asher,” I point out.
“Yes, but it’s still not right for me and Landon to sleep in our bed and kick Asher out of it because we’re angry with him. That will just cause resentment and jealousy. Therefore, we all have to separate.” She looks down at my phone. “Turn right here.”
I veer down yet another residential street. “Are we close?”
“According to this, we are. After you pass this stop sign, make another right.”
I press on my brake when we reach the stop sign. “I told him I was sick to see if he’d stay, but he told me his mom really needed him.”
“Bastard,” Breslin mutters before she expels another sigh. “So, do we have a plan?”
“I think so.”
“Mind clueing me in? After you make a left at the next stop sign.”
I spent most of the night thinking about how I was going to confront Preston.
The best plan I can come up with is putting my heart on the line and hoping he makes the right choice.
“Well, after I catch him in the act, I’m sure he’ll be defensive.”
“Definitely,” she agrees. “Most people are when they’ve been caught doing something wrong.”
“Right. And my response to his defensiveness will be compassion and honesty. I’m going to tell him I care about him and that I’m willing to work it out, but only if he gets help. I’m also gonna remind him that he has people who love him and will support him while he’s going through this.” I eye Breslin. “Right?”
I know she’s not his biggest fan, but I’m hoping she’s willing to stand by him.
He’s going to need all the support he can get.
“If he’s serious about getting help and he does, then yes. I’ll be in his corner. Turn left. This is it.”
I’m confused when we pull up to a local park.
“Are you sure that app is legit? I figured we’d be going to a shady warehouse or a sports bar.”
“Yup. According to the tracker Preston’s GPS coordinates haven’t changed in the last ten minutes so he should be here.”
I wonder where I can park so he won’t spot me before I can confront him.
As if reading my mind, Breslin says, “Park by the oak tree on the far side of the lot. He won’t be able to see you, but you can still see him through your driver’s side window. Also—” She digs around inside her massive purse. “I brought us some binoculars.”
I pull up to the spot and shift my car into park. “You really thought of everything, huh?”
She shrugs. “Strike too fast and he’ll come up with an excuse. You need to catch his ass at just the right time.”
“Yeah—” An important thought occurs to me then. “Breslin, how the hell are we going to catch him doing anything? If he’s meeting a bookie here, he’s just going to slip the guy some cash and bounce.”
At least if he was at a casino, I’d be able to walk up to the poker table he was sitting at.
I can tell this hadn’t occurred to my Louise, either. “I don’t know.” She hands me a pair of binoculars. “At the very least you’ll be able to let him know that you know he’s not with his mom like he said he was.”
True dat.
Lifting the binoculars to my eyes, I look out my driver’s side window.
“There he is,” Breslin says, and sure enough, I spot Preston standing by a bench near the swings.
My heart squeezes, still desperate to believe the best in him. “Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe he’s been lying to me because he needs space, and this is where he comes to take a breather. We both know I have a clinger problem.”
“Clingy is never a problem for the right person, Kit.”
I hate that she’s right.
“He’s glancing at his watch.”
“Bookie’s probably running late,” Breslin chirps.
“This is stupid,” I say after ten minutes go by. “The person he’s meeting obviously isn’t coming.”
I’m about to put my binoculars down, but then I see a little boy run over to him.
I don’t think much of it…until Preston kneels down and hugs him like he’s his entire world.
“What the hell?” Breslin exclaims.