“Just ignore him.”
My brows shot up. Daniel was not a man who “just ignored” anything.
“That’s your solution?”
“You’re upset. Once you’ve calmed, you’ll see I’m right.” His tone was even. I wanted him to sympathize. To be angry along with me.
“I don’t—”
“Have a meal with them. Play cards or go for a walk.” He was casual, yet firm.
“Since when are you a therapist?” I hated his solution. It did nothing to solve the problem.
Donnie would still be out there, ready to blindside Lexie at any moment. She needed security, but I didn’t trust anyone else to do it. I’d have to watch over them myself.
“You’ll thank me later.”
He hung up. Disappointment flooded me. That was not how the conversation was supposed to go. I thought Daniel would be supportive of my quest to take Donnie Logan down for good.
I rubbed the side of my neck.
There was another option.
Was I that desperate again?
Last time I’d asked for my father’s help, I wasn’t certain he’d actually done anything other than bank something I’d owe him later.
This went deeper.
This I’d pay for likely until one of us died. If he did first, I’d probably keep paying.
Daniel was right.
I wanted Lexie and Eric’s father behind bars tonight, but if I could think more rationally, I’d find another way besides my father.
I was no less calm when I entered the apartment than I was when I’d left.
“Lincoln?” Lexie padded toward me, phone in hand. “It’s for you.”
I accepted. Who would contact me on her phone?
“Yes.”
“You’re under investigation. Think before you speak on your phone or in your apartment.” Daniel’s gruff voice fired down the line before it went dead.
At least I hadn’t misjudged my friend. He’d been looking out for me. In my rage, I hadn’t considered the authorities would have my phone and home tapped.
The rational and carefully controlled reactions I prided myself on were nowhere to be found since Lexie had entered my life. I felt reckless. And it was uncomfortable.
But I was alive.
“Is something wrong with your phone?” Lexie pointed to the device in my hand.
“No.” I offered hers back. “How is he?”
“Thank goodness for Millie and Muffy. They’ve brought him back.” The lines of worry that seemed to be carved into her face had deepened in the past few hours.
“And you?” I touched her cheek.
“Furious. Spooked.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m speaking like you now. One word answers.”
“To the point.” I pulled her close, needing to feel her. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“Can—” she looked up at me with those troubled green eyes. “Can we stay here for a while? I can’t risk—”
“As long as you want.”
The thought of them back at their apartment, regardless of the reason why, brought on another new sensation. It was what I guessed felt like a revolt inside of me.
I didn’t want them to go.
What a turnaround. Not so long ago, I hadn’t wanted them here. They had invaded my space, made it more of a home than it had ever been.
“Thank you.” She kissed my cheek.
Thank you? She didn’t need to thank me for anything. If anyone owed gratitude, it was me to them.
“I think I can drive tomorrow,” she said before I could respond. “My headache isn’t so bad now.”
“The hell you’re getting behind the wheel until you’ve been cleared by a physician.” I wouldn’t put her at unnecessary risk.
“I am not a fan of being told what to do.” Her voice had lost its calm undertone.
“It’s not my order. Or do you not take instruction from medical professionals either?” I clamped my mouth shut. It was the wrong thing to say. Because once again, I couldn’t think clearly when it came to her.
Her hand flew to her hip. “I’ve yet to see or hear the medical opinion that I can’t do anything for a week.”
I pulled out a business card. “Here’s Dr. Sullivan’s number. Call him.”
She stepped away from me. “You have the doctor’s card with you?”
It sounded as if she’d have been less surprised if I’d pulled a snake out of my pocket.
“Of course.” Why wouldn’t I have his contact information readily available? I couldn’t risk her health. And judging by the look on her face, it wasn’t a good idea to mention all of his numbers were stored in my phone too.
She took another step back. It was too much distance.
“You can’t dictate our lives,” she said, lethally quiet.
“You certainly dictate mine.” I hadn’t meant to admit that.
Hurt flashed across her face. “I would never.”
“I can’t think. Can’t control my actions. Speak without thought.”
“How is that my fault?” she cried.
“I don’t make a single move in a day without thinking of you first.”
She deflated. “You can’t say stuff like that.”
“What about I don’t want you to go? Can I say that?” I yanked on my hair. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to hold on to this apartment. It won’t be long before my cash depletes. My assets are frozen. I can’t participate in the business I love. But if I end up on the streets with nothing left, it will be okay as long as you’re with me.”
Her lips parted. She searched my face. The old Lincoln Hollingsworth would’ve never admitted any of those things out loud. I hadn’t thought it through. I’d acted on impulse. Wasn’t there a lot more at stake if I didn’t?
What kind of an offer was that to a woman who deserved the best in this life? She needed stability, something I could’ve given her a few months ago. But then, my heart wasn’t available. Now, it was the most I could guarantee.
“You—you can’t say stuff like that.” This time it was a plea for mercy.
I opened my arms wide. “This is it. This is all I have to give you and Eric. And whether you want it or not, it’s yours.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Lexie
Boom.
I was frozen.
Lincoln had left what felt like a lifetime ago when I’d been too stunned to respond.
You’re an idiot and an ass, Lexie.
He’d bared his soul in a way only he could, and I’d just stood there . . . in complete and total shock. It was the worst reaction in the history of reactions. But if I had a do-over, I had no idea what I’d do differently.
It was too much to take in.
He didn’t want us to go?
He was mine whether I wanted him or not?
Ours. He wanted both me and Eric.
His financial situation—frozen assets and all—meant nothing to me other than he’d worked hard to achieve such success. How difficult it must be facing the possibility of going from this—I glanced around the opulent foyer—to an apartment like ours?