Endlessly Beautiful (Beautiful #1.3) (11 page)

“I … didn’t fly in. I’ve been sitting in my car waiting just long enough to make you believe that I was. It was fucking agony, and I’m so tired of … I’m sorry,” Thomas said again, this time to Camille.

“Tommy,” I said, taking a step. “You all right, man?”

Thomas turned to face us, hesitating when he looked to Dad. “I’ve been in town. I came because of the fire, but then I stayed …”

“Because of the fire?” Abby asked, lifting her chin. She studied Thomas the way she did cards in her hand. Her expression smoothed, as if she were relieved by a freeing truth. “Thomas James,” she whispered.

I frowned, irritated that I hadn’t caught on. But Trenton had. He paled. “No.”

“Trenton,” Thomas began.

“No!” Trenton said, louder than we’d been speaking for hours. His breath became labored, and then he struggled for every lungful of air. He looked at our oldest brother, hurt and disappointed. “Tommy! Tell me I’m wrong!”

Abby leaned in to whisper in my ear. “The guy from California Cami was dating … T.J.”

The wrinkles between my brows smoothed as recognition hit. “Oh, fuck.”

Thomas stood in the middle of the room, guilty, ashamed, and more alone than I’d ever seen him. I walked over to him, and then paused, my gaze falling on Trenton. I didn’t know what to do. We’d never experienced this before.

“It’s okay,” Trenton said finally. “It’s okay, Tommy. I get it.”

Thomas was overwhelmed with Trenton’s forgiveness, barely able to say his next words. “But you loved her first.”

“And she was your first love,” Trenton said. He chuckled, an awkward way to discharge his discomfort. “She tried to warn me. I wouldn’t listen.”

“Because I made her lie to you. Don’t make excuses for me, Trent.”

Trenton raised his good arm and let it fall back to the arm of his wheelchair. “What do you want me to say, Tommy? You want me to hate you? Yell at you? Throw a punch? You’re my brother. I love you no matter what. She loves you, too.”

Thomas slowly shook his head. “Not like she loves you.”

A small, appreciative smile touched Trenton’s lips, and he looked at Camille. “I know.”

“We’re, uh …” Abby said, waiting for me. I nodded, and she continued. “It’s late,” Abby said, hooking her arm around mine. “We’re going to go home. We’ll be back in the morning. Need us to do anything before we go?”

Trenton shook his head, and so did Dad.

“You need a ride, Dad?” I asked. He shook his head.

I hugged Thomas, Dad, and then carefully curled my arm around Trenton, waved good-bye, and then led my wife by the hand to the elevator. We didn’t speak until we reached the car. I opened her door, jogged around to mine, and slid behind the wheel. My fingers curled around the top of the steering wheel, I puffed out a breath.

“Whoa,” Abby said. She touched my shoulder. “You okay?”

“That was intense,” I said. I backed out, and headed to the apartment. The clock in the dashboard read 3:47 a.m. Our headlamps were one of the only pairs lighting the backroads of Eakins. When I pulled into the apartment, Abby’s phone buzzed.

She checked it, and then put it away, shifting in her seat.

“Was that Dad?” I asked. “Everything still okay?”

She swallowed, staring out the windshield at the stairs leading to our apartment. “If Trenton wasn’t so forgiving, what we just saw could have ended much differently.”

“True,” I said, nodding.

She interlaced her fingers with mine. “Baby, I need to tell you something.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re in love with Tommy.”

She chuckled, but worry still flickered in her eyes. “Trav … I love you. I love you so much, I do stupid things. That was … that was Parker.”

“Parker?” I seethed, already feeling my temper flare.

“Yes, but,” she closed her eyes. “It was for you. I’m worried about you.”

“What does that have to do with Parker?”

“Just … hear me out,” she said. I clenched my teeth, and nodded. She continued, “Remember the guys from the Red? The one you and Shep beat the shit out of? They were from the college paper. They’re asking questions about you, Travis. The people who go to the Circle, they won’t talk to the cops. But I’m afraid they’ll … what if those wanna-be reporters get someone to admit you were there?”

I waited a full minute to calm down before I spoke. “You,” I began, feeling my heart trying to beat out of my chest. “You come to me about our shit, Abby.” My face twisted. “You don’t go to Parker fucking Hayes. He is the last person you should ….” I sighed, feeling my eye twitch. It had been a long night, and after dealing with my douchebag future boss and then Trenton’s wreck, the last thing I wanted to hear from my wife was that she was talking to Parker.

Her eyes filled with tears. “I know. You’re right. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking. I was desperate, and he was there, and… he agreed to help me if I had coffee with him.”

I closed my eyes. “Abby. Tell me you didn’t.”

Tears streamed down her face. Every muscle in my body tensed as I waited for her answer. She shook her head.

“I said yes,” she said. “I told him I would, but I didn’t go. I couldn’t.”

My neck gave way, and my head fell back. “Thank Christ!”

“I’m sorry,” she cried.

I blinked a few times, realizing this was the first time she’d fucked up. She was the one in trouble for once. I sat up and frowned, trying my best to look stern. “It better not happen again, Pidge. I mean it.”

She shook her head. “It won’t.”

“I can’t believe you did that,” I said, my voice thick with disappointment. Her bottom lip quivered, and she burst into tears. I couldn’t take it anymore. “Baby, it’s okay. I’m not that mad, Pigeon.”

Her entire body shook as she sobbed. “I know you’re disappointed. I’m disappointed in myself.”

I cupped her cheeks in my hand, forcing her to look at me. “Don’t you know?”

She sniffed, shaking her head.

“There is nothing you could ever do to make me think less of you, especially when you’re acting out of desperation because you’re worried about me. You think I don’t know what’s at stake if the Feds find out the truth? We’re not in the clear, yet. How can I blame you for doing whatever it takes to keep me home?”

She turned, kissing my palm. “I was so stupid, Travis.”

“You are many things, Pigeon, but never stupid.” I leaned down to press my lips to hers, and she pulled me closer. I could feel her hot tears smear on my cheeks, her soft tongue caressing mine. For the first time, I realized Parker was a pointless source of contention. He was no more a threat than her ex, Jesse. She felt the same for me as I did her, and that kind of crazy love led to irrational behavior at best.

I was going to ignore that Parker tried to take advantage … for now.

Abby leaned forward toward my seat, and then crawled onto the console. She leaned back, pulling me with her, letting her weight, and then mine help us fall to the backseat. She yanked my shirt over my head, and then did the same with her own.

“Here?” I asked. I hadn’t had sex in the back of a car since high school.

“Here,” she said. “Now.”

*****

We did it!

We completed Season One of Endlessly Beautiful! Thank you so much for sticking with me every week, for VOTING (at the end or top right of episode), and for FOLLOWING me! If you’re not following, be sure to go to my profile and click the Follow button so you’ll know the moment Episode One of Season Two is live!

I’ll be taking some time off for some book signings, a family vacation, and to work on an upcoming book (check out my website at www.jamiemcguire.com/upcoming for a clue!) If you haven’t heard, BEAUTIFUL BURN, the New York Times bestselling final volume of The Maddox Brothers is live! If you haven’t read it, now is a great time! If you have, please take a moment to leave a review (if you haven’t already).

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