by Heather Long
“I don’t care,” Frankie told her. “Money can make things easier, but it definitely doesn’t make people happier. If there are some crazy terms to it, I don’t want it.”
“The terms are not…” Eugene paused, then gave me a grim look. I raised my brows, even as Frankie gripped my hand again. “They are not crazy. They do require you complete your education and avoid—”
“Avoid marriage? Children? Standishes?” I was spit-balling.
“Of course not,” Eugene said. “But we would prefer she focus on building a strong life for herself…”
The minute she started to rise, I was on my feet. My napkin hit the table alongside hers. “I don’t care about the money,” Frankie repeated. “And right now, I’m not sure about either of you.”
“Of course not,” Patience said in a sad voice. “We must seem like unfeeling monsters.”
“Maybe not quite that bad, but…I need some time to think. I’m sorry to just leave abruptly, but I really don’t want to be here anymore.”
We were almost to the door when Patience called out to us. “Please…”
I only paused when Frankie did. If she wanted out, we were out. We could discuss this between us somewhere else.
“I know you don’t know us, and maybe you don’t want to,” Patience said, and she seemed far more approachable than she had when we first met her. Though, I had to admit, her eyes were just like Frankie’s. If I’d seen her at all in the last four years, I’d have recognized the connection immediately. “And I’m truly sorry for my part in that,” she admitted. “I must have seemed so cold to you when I was there.”
Frankie didn’t answer her and Eugene didn’t join us, so I waited, giving the women a moment.
“Please don’t disappear from us. We may not have earned it, but we do want to know you. I’ll talk to the lawyers about the trust, the terms can be amended. We want you to have the money, even if you want nothing to do with us. I want to know you’re okay and that you can take care of yourself.”
“She can take care of herself with or without your money,” I said abruptly and focused on her. “What she wants is to understand you and have you understand her. This isn’t about money, Patience. It’s about family.”
And maybe I overstepped, but Frankie shot me a grateful look before she squared her shoulders. “I’m not saying never, I just can’t do it right now. I know you may not know everything that’s happened, but I’m trying to figure out my place in all of this. I didn’t want this whole piece of the past, but it keeps taking swipes at me…” She hesitated, and then said the words I’d known she would say, whether it was now or a week from now. “But I will call you again. Maybe…we can spend some time talking and get to know each other.”
She glanced back to the table where Eugene stared at all of us, but he looked so weary and defeated. They really were afraid of Maddy. And Edward was in bed with a psychopath. Great.
I’d never been more grateful that we’d gotten Frankie away from her.
“All of us,” Frankie said. “But maybe one step at a time?”
“I’d like that,” Patience told her. “Very much.”
It took another ten minutes, but we were finally back outside at the car and alone. We’d retrieved our coats, but Frankie didn’t jump inside. Instead, she stared up at the house. And I couldn’t imagine what she saw. The walls, the architecture, or the strained family relations.
“She threatened to kill me,” was all she said. “I’m not sure what’s worse—that she told her parents that, or that I don’t doubt the fact she actually said it.”
Nor did I.
Leaning back against the car, I watched her. Frankie needed to work this out, and I needed to be patient. Even if Maddy was thousands of miles away, the urge to make sure she couldn’t get anywhere near Frankie again was a driving force in my gut. There were ways to take care of things, I wasn’t blind.
We had the resources.
I’d already taken advantage of it once, and I just had to bide my time until it was done.
“If she’s crazy,” Frankie said slowly and then turned to face me, “what does that make me?”
“Not her,” I told her firmly.
“Are you sure? They seemed to think…”
“They’re old.” My tone was flat, inflexible, just the same way my viewpoint on this subject was. “They see what they want to see. There’s a physical resemblance, but that’s just DNA. The same way I look like Edward. Doesn’t make me a carbon copy.” No matter what Muriel said about me having too much of him in me. “Nor are you. You have a heart a thousand times the size of that house. You care about everyone and not just yourself. You’re standing here trying to decide if you should feel sympathy for her because on some rough level, you already do. You feel for the girl you think she could have been.”
“Don’t make me sound so predictable,” she grumbled, even if she flashed me a small smile. The tears in her eyes pissed me off. We’d just gotten her free of her fucking mother, I wanted to cut those cords entirely. But Frankie, despite it all, loved her. Fuck, what had Jake said? Her big ass heart. It was that big ass heart that let her forgive us.
But we couldn’t afford for her to forgive Maddy.
She couldn’t afford it.
Especially if the woman really had threatened to kill her.
“I know you,” I reminded her and pushed away from the car. Cupping her face in my hands, I ignored the house and the surroundings and the history. All I focused on was her. “I know you, Frankie Curtis. What you said in there about your past was right—this is all the past. This isn’t about you. You want to know so nothing more ambushes you, and I agree with that. But what we’re finding out? That’s not on you. That’s on them. Hell, it’s on Grandpa, Edward, Maddy, the Graysons. It’s not on us.”
She let out a shuddery sigh. “I just…I feel bad for her, and at the same time, I’m so damn angry. Erin would tell me that conflicting emotions are normal and I’m allowed to be angry.”
“Damn straight.”
Frankie had asked us to do a group session with her psychologist, that the woman had wanted to meet all of us. I’d been reticent. Not anymore.
“Be angry, babe. Be sad, if you are. Be frustrated… You are entitled to your feelings. I’m right here. We all are. We’re here and we’re going to do this with you. Then when it’s done, it’s done.”
She glanced back at the house, twisting out of my hands, but then she leaned back, and I wrapped my arms around her at the unspoken request. Setting my chin on her shoulder, I cradled her tight.
“Do you know what I see when I look at that house?”
“Too much money? Too much focus on image? Prestige?” Frankie sighed. “No wonder she always said I made her look bad. She couldn’t just sweep me under the rug like every other problem.”
I begged to fucking differ, since that was exactly what that bitch had been doing. We, however, could argue about it another time. “I see loneliness and bad choices, but I don’t see regret.”
“Because their bad choices led to us,” Frankie whispered, and I squeezed her.
“Exactly.”
“You’re not a bad choice, Archie.”
“Right back atcha, babe.”
She sighed again. “What if we find out my father is some epic douche?”
“Well, since I have some experience there, we’ll just put a pin in that and I’ll share Jeremy and Grandpa with you.”
A real laugh slipped out of her, and I smiled. We stood there for a little while, probably long enough to make the Graysons nervous, but they didn’t come out and they didn’t ask. Maybe they were giving her the time she needed.
Good.
Finally, we climbed in the car and she looked so tired, I had to fight the urge to hit something. Back to the hotel and the guys, we’d look after her. My phone buzzed as I started the car, and I pulled it out to check to see if the guys were checking in.
It was Grandpa.
Grandpa
: It’s done. Eddie’s out. The board just informed him. Stay out of sight for a few days, Sprout. He’s out for blood.
I snorted.
Too bad. The old man should have made better choices.
Me: We’re away for the rest of the week, not due back until Sunday.
Grandpa: Take care of your girl, Sprout. Things might be bumpy, but I’ll shield you both.
I stared at the message and then over at Frankie before I turned the phone to show her. “See,” I said. “Not alone.”
Her smile warmed her whole expression. “I love you.”
My heart fisted just like it did every single time she said it. That night in the hotel when she’d told me that on my birthday, it had left me wildly elated. Seriously, I’d always known she cared. She’d shown it with every act, every smile, every daring chance she took. But it wasn’t the same as hearing it.
“Best thing I’ve heard all day,” I answered. “Love you more.”
“Ha,” she said with a real laugh.
“What?” I challenged as I put the car into gear. “Don’t think I love you more?”
“No,” she told me as she tugged the knit cap over her hair. The sun was still out, but I’d put up the roof because it had gotten colder. “I think you love me best. I think you all do.”
Well all right then, I wasn’t going to argue with her on that point.
“Then let’s get back to the hotel where we can do that, shall we?” I gave her a playful leer. “Still sore?”
This time, the laughter rippling out of her held just a little bit of a scandalized note.
“’Cause…” I said, pressing my luck, because why not? “I’m sure there’s something we could do about that, and I would love a little Frankie dessert…”
That earned me more laughter.
“Hmm, that sounds like you’re covering me in chocolate syrup and whip cream.”
Well, that was an idea. “Never say never,” I told her. “I bet your nipples would be great under a little whip cream.”
The flush of pink sweeping up her face and the sharp indrawn breath told me I was on the right track.
“Shall I tell you all the things I could eat off of you before I ate you out?”
Yeah, I didn’t wait for her to answer, I just went there.
I might have been hard as a stone by the time we got back to the hotel, but Frankie wasn’t pale or shaky anymore. At least not from shock or worry.
And how sore was too sore? I bet we could figure that out if we were real, careful like.
Chapter Twenty
We’ll Figure It Out
Ian
After meeting her grandparents, Frankie had been quiet, and while not quite withdrawn, there was no missing how lost in thought she’d been. More than once, she’d retreated to call Rachel and talk. When Archie proposed we divert and drive to Cambridge, I took all of five minutes to agree with him. One thing Archie and I had both been doing more over the last few weeks, we discussed options before either of us made a move.
It helped.
I wanted to look after her and so did he. We didn’t always rely on the same methods. A trip to Harvard wouldn’t even have been on my list of possibilities, but he pulled up directions and a map. It was roughly two hours north of us.
“If I change our flight plans, we can fly out of Boston. And we’ll get her up there and take a good look at it.”
“She’s on the waiting list…” But I had my suspicions.
Especially when he grinned and spread his hands. “It’s me.”
Yeah, it was him.
“You know what, fuck it. Let’s do it.” I wanted to see her smile. Really smile, not the shadowed smile she’d worn for the last forty-eight hours. I wanted the triumph and the light back in her eyes. I wanted the giddiness she’d worn like a sparkly dress when we’d been at the karaoke club after she won her emancipation.
Before I could head back inside from the chilly balcony where we’d taken our coffee to talk, he’d put up a hand. “Have you talked to her about the contract yet?”
While we had discussed it briefly, Archie had been letting me sort it out with Wittaker and the entertainment attorney he’d hooked me up with. It was a slow-moving process, but I’d rather take my time and understand the nuances before I pulled Frankie into it.
“No,” I admitted. “I wanted to have all the answers before I got her hopes up, and after the last few weeks…”
He nodded slowly. “Agreed, but don’t take too long. She hates when we make decisions without her, and while she’s reeling at the moment, she’s relying on us to keep her steady.”
Something we’d definitely been doing, but he was right. “I’ll talk to her this week.”
“It might perk her up,” Archie suggested, smiling faintly. “And if you and Wittaker don’t trust these guys, we send your demos elsewhere. Hell, I’ll provide the finance, and we’ll find someone to produce it for you. Go indie and keep all the control.”
The thing about Archie, that grandiose plan might sound like he was just making it up right now, but I was on to him. He’d done his research, and he wouldn’t make the offer if he didn’t have faith in us.
As if reading my mind, he locked his gaze on mine. “I’ve listened to you both. You’re really good, and you bring out something spectacular in her.”
It wasn’t hard. Frankie had a gorgeous voice, it held every bit of her heart when she sang. “Thanks, man, I really want to make this happen. Maybe the hard way first.”
“You think I’m not the hard way?” But the laughter in his voice told me he got it.
“No, I think you’re every bit as invested in her happiness as I am.” While Coop and Jake had found a near perfect balance with us on their own, it had taken Archie and me a little more work and finessing. The fact I punched him the day after he first had sex with her probably hadn’t helped.
“Good,” he said, one corner of his mouth kicking a little higher. “Best investment ever, in my opinion.”
I chuckled. “You think more about her birthday?”
“Yep.”
“And?” I raised my eyebrows. We’d gone back and forth on this for four weeks. Negotiation, discussion, limits—everything. He’d seemed even more interested after the visit to the demo, but I’d put money that was more based on Frankie’s reaction than anything else.
He lifted his coffee. “Count me in.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Archie said. “Why the hell not?”
“Why the hell not…”
Laughter carried through the glass doors from inside, and we both turned almost at the same time. Frankie was squealing where Jake had her pinned on the sofa, tickling her, but he couldn’t see Coop coming behind him.
“Oh that’s not going to end well,” Archie said.
“No,” I agreed, just as Jake jumped to the side and Coop dumped the water he’d been holding. It missed Jake by a mile and doused her.
His eyes went comically wide, and Frankie was off the sofa like a slingshot and after him. Jake threw his head back and laughed before trailing behind the pair where they vanished into the bedroom. Archie glanced at his watch.
“We have time for more coffee and probably time to talk contracts if you want.”
I chuckled. We definitely weren’t going to be leaving anytime soon. “Yeah, let’s do that. Maybe downstairs,” I suggested as he opened the door and her sudden groan echoed from down the little hall toward the oversized bedroom the honeymoon suite boasted.
“Yeah, I’d rather not spend the whole drive to Cambridge with a hard-on.”
We set the mugs aside and grabbed room keys and wallets before we were out the door. The last time Jake and Coop disappeared with Frankie it had been easily an hour. “Ninety minutes?” I suggested.
“More than fucking fair,” he agreed as he hit the elevator button, and I grinned. He shot me a look, then shook his head. “Don’t tell me.”
“Didn’t plan on it.” But I had to ad
mit, I was looking forward to her birthday more and more.
We’d turned in the second rental car and just took the oversized SUV to make the drive to Cambridge. It had two rows of seats in the back, and Frankie ended up curled up against me and sleeping. Not that I minded. She’d been flushed and brighter eyed by the time we made it upstairs and in a very cuddly mood. In fact, convincing her to head to Harvard had taken no effort whatsoever.
Pliant Frankie was sweet, but always made me a tad wary. Jake gave me shit about overthinking things, but I never wanted to take advantage of that heart of hers.
Ever.
I woke her as we got close, and she gave me a sleepy smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pass out on you.”
Pulling a strand of her hair away from the corner of her mouth, I grinned. “I didn’t mind. Feel better?”
Archie shifted in his seat to glance back at us. Coop was still conked out in the far back. Him, we left sleeping. Jake could probably have used a nap too, but he’d been in an insufferably good mood by the time they were done, so Archie threw the keys at him.
“We’re almost there, Baby Girl,” Jake said over his shoulder. Frankie smothered a yawn and stretched before she tucked her head back against my shoulder.
“Cool, are you sure we’re going to be able to do a tour?”
It irked me that she hadn’t gotten to come up here over the summer like she’d planned. Like so many other things, we were going to find a way to make up for it.
“Of course, I’m sure,” Archie said with a sly grin, then held up his phone. “Did you know you can download an app from the school to do a self-guided tour? We may not get to meet with professors or counselors, though I bet we could find a way to make that happen. But we can see the school and learn about the programs.”
Which allowed us not only the freedom to wander the campus, but also to take our time and linger where we wanted. Her whole face lit up. Yes, this had been an excellent plan.
“I did the virtual tour online and I did, like, three of their information sessions over the summer.”