Escalation - Tessa Teevan Page 0,74
that he wasn’t.”
“So, is that why you came on so strong? To right the wrong you did? To keep your promise to my dad?” My voice trembles, and the accusation hangs in the air between us.
“Maybe at first. I don’t know. Fuck, Brie. I meant it that day when I said I was drawn to you from the beginning. It had nothing to do with my promise to your dad. And now? Now, I’m in love with you. An untraditional love story, Brie, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’ve apologized for my deception, but it was my job. I won’t apologize for wanting to protect you. I won’t apologize for loving you. All I can do is promise that I’ll never stop.”
I crawl across the bed and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing the skin just below his ear. “Thank you,” I whisper.
He pulls back and takes hold of my wrists. Confusion swirls in his eyes. “You’re thanking me?”
“All this time, Rafe… I’m finally happy. Truly happy. And I’ve hated not being able to share that happiness with my parents. To tell them about you. I hate that I’m starting a family with you and the people I love the most in the world will never have a chance to meet. And now, I know you have. I don’t know. It just makes me happy knowing that my dad knew you. That he trusted you. That he liked you.”
“Still, I should’ve told you the other day.”
“Trust me, I want to know more. I need to know more. The hows and the whys and what you knew about my dad. But as for you not telling me that day, it’s okay. Honestly,” I insist when it looks like he doesn’t believe me. “I was already on information overload. Any more and my brain may have exploded. Kind of how I feel right now.”
“Speaking of, what do you think this means? The post script?” he asks, picking up the piece of paper. There’s a bunch of numbers there, seemingly in no particular order. “Do these numbers mean anything to you?”
“Nothing. I don’t know what they could be.”
His brow furrows as he studies the sheet. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s probably connected to a post office box. A security deposit box, maybe?”
“But what bank? Or post office? I don’t understand. How am I supposed to figure this out?”
“Do you remember? What painting was in the dining room? The clue must be in that piece, but I don’t think it’s hidden again. It must be the name. Something in the name will tell you where this number leads.”
I rack my brain, but my mind’s blank. “I don’t. I’ll have to think about it, and hopefully, it’ll come to me.”
He lifts my chin and gives me assuring smile. “It’s okay, Brie. It’s Saturday evening. The banks and post office are closed. It’ll have to wait until Monday anyway.”
I frown. “But we leave on Monday.”
“Change of plans, sweetheart. I’ll call and make new flight arrangements. There’s no point in going back to Philadelphia when there are leads here.”
The hope in his eyes gives me a moment of relief before I remember I still have no idea what my dad is trying to tell me. “God, what do you think it could be?”
“Like I said…a post office or security deposit box where he could hide something and you’d only be able to get if you knew the code.” His eyes rise to meet mine. “We have to figure out the painting.”
The blood drains from my face. “Code?” I stammer.
He nods then taps his fingers on his chin. “You’d need a key for a post office box, but a security deposit one? He could have given the bank a secret code and a list of names of approved people. If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on the security deposit box.”
“I just need time. I’ll figure it out,” I tell him, hoping like hell it’s the truth.
He sits forward and kisses my lips. “You’ve had a long day. Why don’t you go relax in the bath while I do some work?”
I frown, wanting to watch, and he chuckles as he reads my mind.
“Trust me, it’s just boring paperwork. You won’t miss anything. I promise.”
“Okay. A bath actually sounds great. Sure you don’t want to join me?” I ask, wiggling my eyebrows at him.
Rafe chuckles but shakes his head. “As good as that sounds, I do need to get