AllFreeNovel
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The first week didn’t seem real. Neither did the second week. By the third, there was still that cinching in my stomach whenever I walked down the hallway to our hotel room in Edinburgh, or when I was getting in an elevator, or when I moved my things out of the Beverly Hills location of his hotel and into Brady’s house. In the back of my mind, I could hear David’s opinion, his anger and rage that I was going to be living with Brady.
But that was all it was—thoughts.
The man I’d been fearing all this time, whose words had abused me, whose control had turned me into someone I despised, was no longer alive.
Each day, that resonated a bit more.
And each day brought an endless amount of relief.
Brady and I were still feeling it even a month later, sitting at the same restaurant in Edinburgh where Brady had gotten the call that Diesel was in the hospital. But now, we didn’t need a bodyguard standing behind our table, which had become our norm, and there wasn’t one waiting outside the door of our room at the hotel.
We were free.
We had come back here because the food was so good, but the memory of it all was horrible. Brady wanted a redo. Since the renovation had him working much longer hours than he’d anticipated, oftentimes, we ended up getting food delivered or devouring room service. He was just too tired to go out, and that was why it had taken so long to make our way back.
But tonight, he’d finished up early.
We’d just gotten our first round of drinks, and before we even had time for a toast, he was pulling out his phone and typing something onto the screen.
“I just sent Diesel a text,” he said, smiling over the top of his cell. “I wanted him to know where we are and that we’re toasting him.” He held up his glass and clinked his scotch against my wine.
After we took our sips, he glanced back at his phone. “He’s having a little scotch himself, apparently.”
“Ask him how he’s doing.” I licked the wine off my lips. “And tell him we miss him and we have to do dinner when we get back in LA.”
Brady laughed. “He said he’s only saying yes to dinner because you’re asking.” He set his phone down. “And he said he’s doing awesome.”
My head shook back and forth. “Thank God for that. I mean, it’s not like we haven’t been checking on him nonstop, but still, I’m just so relieved he’s doing okay.”
He reached across the table, his thumb brushing the back of my hand. “You look fucking gorgeous tonight.”
The heat instantly spread across my face.
It didn’t matter how many times he complimented me or how often; it always felt like I’d never heard the words before. “Thank you.”
“Is that dress new?”
I glanced down the front of me, where the spaghetti straps rested on my shoulders and the low-cut satin was hugging my breasts, the dress tightly fitting to the middle of my thighs.
Peach was the color I’d gone with.
Of course, Diesel hadn’t been part of this shopping trip—for reasons I appreciated, but something I missed at the same time.
“I picked it up this morning during my walk. I wasn’t sure about the color, but I tried to choose something far outside my comfort zone?—”
“It looks incredible on you.” His eyes dipped, taking their time to linger as low as the table would allow, slowly rising back to my face. “I’ve yet to see anything on you that I don’t love.”
“Even your clothes.”
He chuckled. “Especially my clothes.”
I twisted the stem of my wineglass. “Can I tell you a secret?”
He nodded.
“You told me once you would do anything in your power to protect me.”
“That’s not a secret. I believe I’ve said that to you more than once.” He swished his drink. “It was true then, it’s true now, and it’ll be true forever.”
