like it was a shield that could hide me from all the worries in the world. “Even though I know I shouldn’t be mad at him for it and even though I know he probably didn’t take me seriously, I am still mad. I just don’t know what to do or how to get over this.”
“You don’t get over it.” She rolled her eyes at me. “You go to Chris, you talk to him about it, and you two get through it as a couple.”
“How, though?” I’d never been very good at the couple stuff in general.
The love, light, forgiveness, and all that? I sucked at it. Then again, I hadn’t had very many chances to practice forgiveness in the past. None of my relationships had ever made it to the point where we really had to forgive each other for something. It was usually over before then.
I sure know how to pick ‘em.
“I think it’s easy enough for you to work through this,” she said. “It’s a really simple question if you think about it. If Adi ever asks you about any of this, would you be proud of Chris for what happened, or would you have been proud of what could have happened?”
“Well, when you put it like that,” I murmured, already feeling some of the anger melting out of me. If Chris had done what I’d asked, what I’d thought I wanted in the heat of that moment, I wouldn’t have been able to look my daughter in the eyes again.
I would never have been able to talk to her about honesty, fairness, or integrity with a clear conscience ever again. Whenever there was a lesson to be learned about any of those things, which would be often, I would have had to lie.
Eventually, I wouldn’t even have been able to keep track of all the lies. They would’ve eaten me up from the inside out and I’d never have been able to be proud of myself or of Chris ever again.
I’d fallen for him because he was different than any other man I’d met before. If he’d done what I’d asked of him, he wouldn’t have been different. He’d have been worse than all of them put together.
What he’d given me by ignoring my request had been a gift, a chance to win this fucking court battle once and for all, and to do it with my head held high and my soul intact.
“You’re right,” I said, pushing the blanket off my knees. “He did save our lives too. You’re also right about me needing to see him. Are you busy today?”
“I have a shoot to get to, but Adi can go with me.” She grinned but then waved her fingers in front of her nose. “You’d better go have a shower before you leave. While you’re at it, go grab some clean clothes out of my closet too. I’m related to you and I wouldn’t take you back if you look and smell like that.”
A shout of laughter left me. I suddenly felt like I’d been carrying around a elephant on my chest and the damn thing had finally moved.
Despite all of that, I couldn’t quite imagine myself showing up to win him back while wearing anything my sister owned. “Thanks, but I think I’ll get dressed at home. If this goes well, you might not want me wearing anything of yours.”
She paled but then burst out laughing too before waving me off. “Welcome back, my little lunatic. It’s good to finally see you laughing again. When you get him back, I think it’s time to introduce him to the family. I have a feeling he’s going to be around for a while.”
Chapter 35
CHRIS
“I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me you’d ordered a sign,” I said as we walked up the stairs to our building. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me the name that’s on it?”
“Nope.” He grinned, fishing the keys out of his pocket before unlocking the front doors. “I ordered it last night and the guy should be here any minute now. The reason I didn’t tell you is because you’d had a rough day and I wanted it to be a surprise. Waiting a few minutes longer to find out the name won’t kill you.”
“It might,” I grumbled as the door swung open.
Hunter walked in first, planting his hands on his hips as he surveyed the space from what was now our reception area.