CHAPTER 29
“ Well, that was productive. ” Keira locked the door behind Nolan.
“ Yeah, ” Mitchell said. “ We obviously can ’ t do a foursome. It will have to be the three of us. ”
“ Which three would that be, exactly? ” She folded her arms.
“ Right, ” he scoffed. “ The only three that matter. Woods is trying to get his dick in, but that ain ’ t happening. ”
“ I guess we don ’ t have to wonder why your wife is so venomous toward me. ”
“ What? ”
“ Listen to yourself. I ’ m supposed to matter. She ’ s supposed to accept me in the picture. But you get to dismiss him like he ’ s nothing. ”
“ He is nothing. ”
“ Not to her. And, recognizing he and I have the same status, I ’ ll end up as nothing too. ”
“ Never. ” Mitchell pulled her to him because holding Keira was always right. “ You have a place and a part in this. A very important part. ” He rubbed her stomach. “ Two parts. Woods is trying to get on the inside. It ’ s not the same thing. ”
Contrary to soothing her as he thought, she took an offended step back. “ And yet, you want to convince Angela that it ’ s exactly the same thing. That our discrepancies offset. ”
“ You ’ re twisting —”
“ Enough, Mitchell. Enough for the night. This was annoying and I ’ m tired. Here ’ s what we ’ re going to do. I ’ m going to bed. In the morning, I ’ m going home. I want to be in my own house. I want to get my head around this without the drama. ” She went to the door and opened it. “ The three of you can figure out what ’ s what and you can let me know. Good night. ”
Mitchell jerked. It was a blow … and a way out, temporarily. He could handle this one woman at a time. Angela was his wife; she ought to come first. “ I ’ m going to agree only, ” he followed her to the door, “ only , because my baby will never, ever be in the center of an argument between you and I. Never. ” He leaned down and kissed his baby. “ You rest easy. Daddy loves you. ” Then he straightened and caught Keira with a second kiss. “ You rest easy too. Let me know when you get there and I ’ ll call you as soon as I can. Fair? ”
No, it wasn ’ t fair, but it was the best she was going to get. “ Ummhmm. Good night Mitchell. ” She kissed him.
. . .
“ We should go home. ”
“ Home? ” Angela repeated. She didn ’ t know where she lived.
“ Yep. ” Nolan nodded. “ This day has been too long. We ’ re not fixing anything tonight. ”
“ What will it mean if I go home with you? ” She whispered the question. “ Would I be walking out on my marriage? Would it mean I didn ’ t try? ”
He shook his head. “ No, that ’ s not what it means. ”
“ I have to be sure because I ’ m tired and confused, and I really want to go home with you and not do this anymore. ”
She was broken and needy and he wanted to rescue her. He wanted to hold her and love her and make her forget. He would take her home — their home — and make her forget. “ You ’ re going to get your wish. It ’ s what I want, too. ”
She kissed his cheek. That was safe. That was her way of saying she wanted to do more.
Nolan savored it. It wasn ’ t enough. He retrieved his cell and dialed Deidra. It made him frown when his call went straight to her voicemail. “ She must be sleeping. No, ” he said when Angela tried to get up. “ I ’ ll get her. You sit here until I get back. “ We ’ ll be out of here in ten minutes, max. ”
“ What about Mitchell? I have to tell him we ’ re leaving. ”
“ We ’ ll tell them on our way out. Just sit there and rest. ”
She nodded. The world had been too heavy; she didn ’ t have the energy to do any more than that.
“ I ’ ll be right back. ” Nolan brushed his lips across her forehead.
He watched her from where he waited in front of the elevators. There were two and neither one was moving very fast. He jammed the button, willing the cars to arrive quicker. The light over the door on the left lit up first. The one on the right was a moment behind. Nolan stepped into the first car as the second set of doors opened to receive passengers.
Mitchell looked out. There was no one waiting to get in, but Angela was in the alcove, wide-eyed, and alone. He stepped out.
“ Hi, ” he said when he was near enough to speak.
“ Hello. ”
“ I was coming to find you. I thought you ’ d be in my room with Deidra. Lucky I saw you here. ”
“ I guess so. ”
“ Where ’ s your boy? ”
“ Nolan is on his way up to get Deidra. You just missed him. ” She pointed to the elevators.
Mitchell nodded. This was as ideal as this screwed up scenario was going to get. He wasn ’ t going to waste his opportunity. “ Keira ’ s leaving in the morning. ”
Angela had been mentally preparing herself to tell him she was going home with Nolan. His declaration changed her focus. “ What? ”
“ You and I haven ’ t been properly reunited yet. How are we supposed to figure anything out like this? ”
She didn ’ t know.
He knelt in front of her. “ Would you consider having him leave us for a while? So you and I can talk as a husband and wife without interference? ”
Angela respond ed to him, the part of herself she thought dead. She didn ’ t recognize it anymore. “ I can ’ t do that, Mitchell. ”
“ Why not? ” He kept his tone even.
“ I told Nolan I wanted to leave. We ’ re going back to the Enn. ”
No way in hell was she leaving him again. “ We have a room here. You and I. They even supplied you with a wardrobe. You ’ re supposed to stay here with me. ”
“ Do they have rooms and clothes for Nolan and Deidra? I can ’ t ask them to stay here. ”
He wasn ’ t meaning for them to stay. “ Angela, this is our marriage, our life. May I please have ten minutes of your time? Why would you want him to stay? I promise you, you ’ re not going to get lonely. ”
“ I might. Besides, I don ’ t want to spend the night with you and your girlfriend and your boyfriend and their parents and your parents and nobody who gives a damn about me. ” Her eyes glossed over.
He immediately regretted his sarcasm. “ I ’ m sorry. I am. How about this? I ’ ll go with you to this Enn or whatever. They can stay. I ’ ll be the one that ’ s outnumbered. Whatever it takes to get this right. ”
“ Whatever it takes? How is this ever going to be right? ”
“ Don ’ t say that, honey. ”
“ Why not? ”
“ Because it means you ’ ve forgotten how much I love you. If you forget that, I might as well go back to that island. Or better yet, drown. ”
She didn ’ t answer. She didn ’ t want to tell him she had forgotten how much he loved her. Literally.