“I’m not worried about my love life. I’ll get it figured out. I’m more worried about you. You need to forgive Dylan for whatever you think he did.” Gabby closes the laptop lid and raises her eyebrows, as if she’s the more mature one at the table.
“You shouldn’t be worrying about that.” My voice is barely a whisper.
“Get it together, Sissy. Give the man a break.”
My cell rings with Dylan’s name on the display. I gulp, my mouth dry and my chest tight. My heart slams furiously against my breastbone.
“Hello.”
“Good morning, Gorgeous Girl.” He sounds cheerful, like it’s a regular day and nothing different has happened between us.
“Morning.” I laid awake for hours thinking about the way he came to find me. He was fearless. For me.
“Can we have breakfast?”
I glance at the coffee and cereal I finished a couple of minutes ago. “Yes. I’d like that.”
“Jordy needs to say something to you first and then we can talk. Can you come here?”
“Oh. Okay. I can do that. I’ll be there in a few. Bye.” I press END and slowly place my phone on the table.
Gabby places her hand on top of mine. “Don’t be scared.”
“I’m not,” I lie. “Okay. I’m terrified, but he’s worth it.”
“You deserve it. Go on. Tell him how much he means to you and that you deserve the best and he better live up to that.”
I flip my hand up, lace my fingers through hers and squeeze. “Thanks.”
Sunday morning traffic is non-existent and I make it across town in minutes. Dylan opens the door, looking fresh and relaxed. I hope I don’t look like a bundle of nerves.
I sit on the sofa and wait. I’m guessing that Jordy wants to apologize to me and I’m uncertain why I should be the one nervous about it.
“Jordy,” Dylan yells up the stairs. “She’s here.” He strolls over and casually sits beside me on the sofa.
Jordy enters the room and sits in a chair. He’s holding an envelope. “I should’ve told you everything.”
“Yes.”
He takes off his Cardinals cap and rubs the top of his head. “I turned your father in because it was the right thing to do. I don’t always do the right thing. I’m not ashamed that I did it, but I am sorry that I didn’t tell you from the start how I knew about you. How I’m connected to what happened to your father. I sincerely apologize for that.”
I think about my next words. “I was really hurt at first. But I guess I can see how you thought I’d hate you. Honestly, if you’d met me and confessed it...I’d have been done with you.”
He nods. “There’s more.”
“Okay.”
“I’m the benefactor of the scholarship that pays your tuition,” he says.
“Oh.” My shoulders slump. My entire life over the past few years has been an illusion. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“You earn it. It’s not charity. Your grades determine renewal,” he says. “I have lots of projects that help students.”
“Glad you told me.” I fold my arms across my chest.
“About working for us here...” Jordy looks at Dylan. “You have a lot of talent and could probably do anything. We should find another housekeeper, so you can do something you love.” He hands me a business card.
I frown at the card. “What’s this?”
“I created a dance game called Booty Bounce and we need dancers to hook up to the sensors so we can map the moves. When gamers dance, they’ll see your body doing the moves they complete. I’d like for you to work at the lab.”
I turn the card over in my hand and Dylan reaches toward me. He grabs my free hand in a loose hold.
Jordy lifts his gaze from our hands to my face. “So, that would be a great job paying as much as you make here or more. Now here’s the last thing I need to tell you. I’ve written your dad in prison a few times this year.”
“Why?” I shake my head incredulously. I’m feeling a little weepy again and want to kick myself for being so emotional.
“To let him know how his daughters are doing.” He pauses and holds up a letter. “He finally wrote me back. It was delivered in yesterday’s mail.”
“That’s great,” I say. I’m unable to look at Jordy for fear he’ll read all my emotions. I’m jealous and ashamed and curious.
“He wants you to write him.”
“Then why did he refuse to see me?”
“He knows what Rafa wanted. He was afraid Rafa would kill you after getting Eavesdropper.”
“My dad made some bad decisions. But I’m glad he didn’t give the code to me.”
“Actually...you do have it. It’s on a laptop he gave you for your high school graduation. Do you still have the computer?”
I give a slow blink. “Wow.” I’m mesmerized by Dylan’s thumb stroking the top of my hand. “I’ve had it all along?”
Jordy grins. “Yeah. So, you’d better remove all your porn from the computer because we need to hand it over to the cyber unit of the FBI.”
“I do not have porn.” I kick Jordy’s foot lightly.
“No nudes of Dylan?” He waggles his eyebrows.
Dylan laughs. “Not yet.”
Jordy stands and hands me the letter. “I don’t mind if you read it. Emerson, I’m so sorry and I hope you can learn to forgive me.”
I stare at him for several seconds. “I’m tired of holding grudges and not trusting people. I’ve already forgiven you.”
“Whoop!” He leans down and gives me a strangling hug.
“Can. Not. Breathe.” I can’t stop my smile.
“Hands off my girl.” Dylan taps Jordy on the shoulder. “Get lost dude. I need time alone with her.”
Jordy rolls his eyes. “Take it upstairs. Don’t want to think about makeup sex while I’m sitting on this sofa.”
“We are not—”
Dylan leans over and places a finger on my lips. He gets to his feet and pulls me into his arms. “My turn.” He rocks his hips against mine.
“Mmm…” My face heats when I realize Jordy’s watching.
Jordy laughs at me. “I’m leaving. Give me a minute to clear the room.” He takes off to jog up the stairs.
“No,” I say to Dylan. “I have some things to say first.”
“Keep it short,” he says and rubs his hands down my back. A thrill shoots straight through me, buzzing all the way to my toes.
“I trust you. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it until it was too late.”
“It’s not too late,” he says and traces a finger down my cheek.
“I thought I could always rely on my dad and he let me down. It’s like I was sure if I put my heart in your hands, you’d let me down too. But you know what? You haven’t. And I know there’s no guarantee. You might do something that hurts me sometime. Life is full of disappointments and people don’t mean for them to happen. I know my dad loves me, but he made bad choices. He thought he needed to make a fortune to be happy, but that wasn’t true. I want you to let me into every part of your life—work, play, all of it. No secrets.”