“How did you guys do this?” I ask, peeking in.
“We did it after we got home from working out, Mom,” he says so matter-of-factly.
“You guys were just busy as bees today,” I say, and he nods.
“Okay, buddy,” Justin says. “Time to go finish dinner so we can eat.”
Dylan nods at him and walks out of the room.
I watch him with awe. “You …” I say, shaking my head. “You really are.”
“I really am,” he says and grabs my hand, pulling me back into his room and through to the bathroom. I stop dead in my tracks.
“Mother of God,” I say, looking at his bathroom. I don’t know what I was expecting—obviously, it had to be amazing—but I wasn’t expecting it to be so big. Double vanity sinks with marble counters and deep gray drawers under it. But the best is the floor-to-ceiling window with a deep white tub facing it. Right in front of a huge walk-in shower.
“Just take your time,” he says, bending to kiss my cheek. “And we’ll be ready whenever you get out.”
“But …” I start to say.
“I’ll give him a snack,” he says, and I laugh when he walks out of the room. I sit down on the edge of the tub and rub my face. The beginning of the day, I thought I was done, that there was no light at the end of my tunnel. Yet I’m sitting in a room that is all light and no darkness. I don’t know what else is going to come, but I’m suddenly not afraid of the dark.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Justin
Closing the door to the bathroom, I go into the kitchen and see that Dylan is sitting on one of the stools waiting. “You can go play a bit,” I say. “Mom is going to take a shower.” Before he moans that he’s starving, I tell him, “Get a cheese stick.”
He walks over to the fridge and grabs two and then runs back to the room. I grab my phone and dial Matthew.
“This has to be a record,” he says, answering the phone with a laugh, and I hear people talking all around him.
“Yeah,” I whisper and then look to make sure I’m alone. “I need your help.”
“Shit,” he hisses, and all of a sudden, the background gets quiet, and I hear a door close. “What happened?”
“I have a …” I say, pinching my nose. “Let’s say Karrie was living in an apartment.”
“Negative,” he says right away, and I groan. “Okay, okay, fine. Let’s play pretend.”
“She lives in this apartment, and it gets vandalized,” I say the word, and I could swear Matthew stops breathing altogether. “When she wasn’t there.”
“Justin.” He says my name. “I have to say I’m done playing pretend. What the fuck have you gotten yourself into?” I close my eyes. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“What, would you just leave Karrie?” I ask him.
“I love her,” Matthew says, then stops. “Wait.”
“Yeah, whatever,” I say, not addressing the question.
“Dude, you have to just move her shit into your house,” he says. “Just don’t even tell her.”
“What?” I whisper, looking back again.
“Just don’t tell her and move all her things in,” he says, and I look at the phone. “Or I mean, this worked once …” he says. “Just handcuff her to the bed and don’t let her out until she agrees.”
“How are you even married?” I ask, and he laughs.
“She never stood a chance,” he says. “But seriously, Justin, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m assuming if you are this in, then you are all in?”
“Yeah,” I say softly. “I’m all in.”
“I’ll see you next week,” he says. “Things just got pushed up.”
“There is a lot I haven’t told you,” I start to say. “Dylan’s dad”—I sigh—“um, he’s not really involved, and when he is, let’s just say it’s not good.” I wonder if by telling him this, I’m breaking her trust.
“What?” he whispers.
“I swear, Matthew, the kid is the best,” I say. “He is hands down the best kid I’ve ever met.”
“Then that’s all I need to know,” he says. “Get your woman ready for us.”
“There is not enough time in the year to get anyone ready for my family,” I say with a smile.
“We aren’t that bad,” he says, laughing. “See you next week.”
“Can’t wait,” I say, and I hang up the phone. After setting it on the counter, I sit down on one of the stools. I put my head in my hands, and I hear her voice in my head. My heart is in my throat when I think about the fact that she could have been there alone with Dylan.
“Hey.” I hear her soft voice next to me, and I look up at her. She’s wearing what she was wearing last night. She looks so beautiful I just want to hold her and protect her. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” I say and move to get up.
“If I have to be honest, then you have to be honest,” she says, and I turn around.
“Fine,” I say, putting my hands on my hips. “I was thinking about the fact that I could have lost you and Dylan.” The way my chest rises and falls, I have to put my hand to it and press down. “That just like that, you could have been hurt, and there was nothing that I could have done.”
“But I’m not,” she says, coming to me. “I’m fine.”
“He brought that danger to your front door, and he doesn’t even care,” I say, my voice getting louder. “He left his child to face those guys,” I say, running my hands through my hair. “Like who the fuck does that?”
“He’s a coward,” she says, looking down again, then looking up. “He’s always been a coward and inattentive.”
“You could have been so hurt. Dylan, fuck Dylan, who has this heart of fucking gold, he could have been …” My voice trembles.
“Justin,” she says, stepping closer to me.
My hands go to her face, and I kiss her with everything that I have. I kiss her, knowing it could have been the last time. I kiss her, promising her everything that I have to give. I kiss her as a vow to protect and treat her like she should be treated.
“Oh, God,” Dylan says, “you guys are always kissing. I’m starving.”
And just like that, we both laugh, but I don’t let her go. “I’m starting the pasta now.”
“Good,” he says, coming into the kitchen and climbing on the stool. “Mom, we made the sauce.”
“Did you?” Caroline says, and I let her go as I go into the kitchen and turn the water on.
“Yeah, but Justin had to call his mom, and she laughed at him.”
“Dylan, bro code,” I say, smiling, and he just looks at me.
“So what else did you do today?” she asks, sitting down on the stool next to him.
“Justin has a special place where he goes to work out,” Dylan tells her. “It’s down the hall.”