The Finished Masterpiece Boxed Set - Pepper Winters Page 0,258

on. Go see her.”

Giving him a slight smile, I headed down the corridor and knocked on Olive’s door. “Olive, it’s me? Can I come in?”

Her tears were my answer.

I turned the handle and entered. Moving swiftly to her bed, I sat beside her as she cried with her face buried into a pillow. My hand rested between her tiny shoulder blades, rubbing soft circles. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”

She didn’t look up, just cried harder. “How? Daddy’s in prison. You’re going away. And Justin works all the time, and I don’t like the babysitter.” Her cheeks glowed red as she looked up, anger and agony in her grey gaze. “I don’t want this. I want to go home with Dad. I want him to come home with me. I miss him.” Her tears became sobs as I pulled her into my arms. “I miss him sooooo much. How much longer do we have to live apart?”

I rocked her, kissing the top of her head. “Not long. Once this is over, you’ll both be free to live the rest of your life together if you want.”

Olive sniffed. “But five years is forever.”

It is.

It’s so, so long.

“It will go by fast if you stay busy.” I said that for her benefit but also reminded myself too. “You’re going back to school. You’ll make new friends and learn more skills. And when he’s out, you can paint together all the time. A true family business.”

“But it’s so long.” Her shoulders drooped, more tears splashing. “I don’t think I can do it.”

“You can. You will.” I kissed her head again. “It’s a long time, but Justin is here. He’ll take care of you and you can still see your dad. You can go visit him.”

“Wait...I can?” Her eyes lit up instantly. “Can we go now?”

I didn’t know what prison protocol was but I guessed they’d need him to settle into his new home before visitation. I stroked her glossy hair with a gentle smile. “I’ll find out when you can.”

“Can you come too?” She threw her arms around me, squeezing me tighter than I expected. “Please?”

Justin appeared in the door frame, his lips twisted into a half-smile, his body reclining against the wall.

I held his gaze as I squeezed Olive back. “Of course, I’ll come for however long I’m in town.”

My promise to leave tasted like ash in my mouth.

Could I leave?

Where would I go?

Why would I go when this poor little girl needed care?

She has Justin.

Gil set you free.

You have to leave.

If I stood any chance of finding who I truly was, I had to open my wings.

But...

What if I don’t want to fly away? What if what I want is right here?

“I don’t want you to go. All the people I love leave me.” Olive pulled away, her face deadly serious and determined even as crystal tears rained. “Move in with us. Don’t go away. Please, please don’t go.”

I froze.

Justin stiffened.

Olive arched her chin, defiant and ready to fight. “I like Justin. He’s way nicer than Uncle Jeffrey, but...I don’t want to be alone without my dad. I liked staying at your place. If you won’t move in here, can I come live with you instead?”

Oh, no.

I tried to apologise silently to Justin over Olive’s head. I didn’t mean to destabilise her new home with him. I didn’t want to ruin their fragile bond.

But Justin shrugged, saying quietly, “There’s plenty of room if you want to join us, O.”

My heart crashed blindly. “But I have an apartment.”

“An apartment where your lease is almost up and you weren’t going to renew it.”

Damn for confiding in him.

“You know I’m planning on travelling.”

“You need time to save and decide where to go. You could save more by moving in here.”

“I wouldn’t live here for free, Justin. I’d pay rent, same as any other place.”

He nodded, appeasing me. “That’s fine. But you have to admit, it makes logical sense.”

I tried to think up another excuse why moving in with Gil’s only friend and his lonely daughter was a bad idea. The truth was, it was a terrible idea because it kept me in Gil’s stratosphere.

Justin seemed to sense my thoughts. “He let you go that night...didn’t he?”

I jerked. “How do you know about that?”

“I didn’t until now.” He sighed. “When I saw him the next morning, he seemed different. Sad, definitely, but relieved too. Relieved that he’d set you free and wouldn’t mess up your life any more than he already had.”

“Isn’t it