He was such a sweet little guy. I’d miss him so much, but he’d be better off in Florida—at least for now.
Not just because he’d be away from all the mess here, but also because I wasn’t in any shape to be the father he deserved.
Not only would I figure the whole Justin Valente thing out, I also made another promise.
I was going to get the help I needed.
I owed that to my son. He deserved the best father out there, and by the time he returned, I’d be well on my way.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I could at least lay a foundation.
I left the nursery and found my mother packing in her bedroom. “Putting things from boxes into a suitcase,” she said. “Unbelievable.”
“Tell me about Aunt Vicky,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“She didn’t get into specifics. Apparently she’s okay, but now Chase is regressing. He stayed strong for her, and now that she’s doing better, he’s letting go.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I’m going for Vicky. She needs me. But honestly, Bryce, I’m not sure it will help Chase to have me there. I’m his son’s murderer’s widow.” She winced.
I nodded. I didn’t have to say anything. I was the devil’s spawn. At least she didn’t have any blood relation to him.
“We’ll see. If it doesn’t work out, Henry and I will come home, but I’m determined to give it at least a week. Vicky deserves that much. I just feel…”
“I know.”
“…so responsible,” she finished. “I had no control over your father, but still…”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” I said. “I get it. I get it more than you know.”
“I know you do, Bryce. If I’d never married him—”
“Then I wouldn’t exist, and neither would Henry. Don’t go there, Mom.”
“I try not to. You and Henry are everything to me. It’s hard sometimes, though.”
“I know.” Boy, did I ever.
“I’ll miss you, honey.”
“I’ll miss you too, Mom. And I’ll miss Henry something fierce.” Truth was, I’d been missing him already.
But this was for the best.
I left my mother to her packing, went back in the nursery to kiss my sleeping son, and then walked out to the deck to enjoy the evening—as much as I could, anyway.
Joe and I hadn’t finished our discussion. How were we going to communicate when we weren’t at work? I had no idea. Maybe the Spider would know a way to do that.
Could I contact him? I pulled my phone out and logged in to the new account Joe had set up. Nothing was in the account, at least not that I could see offhand. On a whim, I checked the trash bin.
And I found a gold mine.
Joe and the Spider had emailed back and forth this evening…and he hadn’t told me. It was in code—a code I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t like Joe to keep things from me. Could I wait until tomorrow at the office to confront him about this?
No. I couldn’t.
I quickly told my mom I was going over to Joe’s for a little while, got into the Mustang—tomorrow I was selling this damned car—and made my way to Joe’s home on the ranch.
His and Melanie’s house was smaller than the sprawling main ranch house, but not by much. I got out of the car quickly, and—
My heart jammed against my sternum.
Marjorie was walking out of the house.
I could get back in my car and drive away before our inevitable encounter. Yeah. That was what I should do.
Instead, though, I got out of the car and walked toward her.
She stopped suddenly when she met my gaze. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same,” I said.
“I had to talk to Melanie.”
“I have to talk to Joe.”
She nodded. “He’s out back on the deck. I’ll get out of your way.”
Let her go, I said to myself. Just let her go.
Instead, “Is everything okay?”
“Sure. Fine.”
Her tone was anything but convincing. She and Jade were best friends, not she and Melanie. If she was speaking to Melanie, it was probably because…
None of my business.
Still, I loved this woman. She meant everything to me. Had she…? Had I…?
“Marjorie, I—”
“Not about you,” she said abruptly, interrupting me. “Not everything is about you, Bryce.”
“I didn’t think—”
“Of course you did, and after my blubbering the other day, I can’t blame you. But I’m over it. In fact, you won’t see me around much longer.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m leaving.”
“Leaving the ranch?”
She nodded. “The ranch. The state. The country.”
My heart dropped to my stomach.
No.