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I nod, even though I don’t have a clue who Bennett is. “A SEAL is an elite team from the Navy.” My explanation doesn’t do it justice, but considering it’s better than him thinking I like animals, it’ll work for now.
“Oh,” he responds, listless. “My dad’s a police officer.” A cocksucker, too. I’m not surprised Wayne’s a cop. His father and grandfather were too. I’m sure Everly’s dad approves.
“That’s cool,” I say with a hard smile. “I bet he never jumped out of planes and swam with sharks.” I settle back into the swing with a satisfied smirk at the wide-eyed expression. That’s the response I was shooting for.
“No way.” He jumps up, his arms widen. “You did that?” My heart rate rises the more excited he gets. Yeah, your real dad is a bad-ass. He sits back down, sitting on the edge of the swing. “Tell me more. What else did you do?”
My smile reaches my eyes. His buzz makes me feel like I can conquer the world. I’ve never wanted to prove myself to anyone more than I do to him, right now.
I halt my words when I hear Ellie cry, “I’m sorry I ever came here.” The door flies open and she freezes when she sees me and Reed on the swing. Tears pool in her pained stare. I push off the swing, but she shakes her head and runs to the car. What the hell happened? I glance at Everly, the same face, except anger radiates from her. My heart feels like it’s being yanked on. I don’t know which direction to go knowing there will be ramifications no matter what I do. The pain in my heart only worsens as the beat begins to pound harder.
I flash Everly a look of regret and turn back to Reed. “Hey big guy, it was great meeting you. Maybe, someday soon, we’ll be able to hang out again.”
The excitement in his voice from before dulls, but he says, “That’d be cool.” He walks over to his mom’s side, and she wraps her arm around him. As if to tell me, I’m making a choice by leaving. I guess I am, but I love Ellie. I am choosing her over Everly. Reed is my son though, she can’t control that. She will see me again.
When I hop in the car and turn over the engine, Ellie lowers her head into her hands and cries. I don’t know what to say, but I need to get her out of here, so I put the car in drive and leave. The ride is silent except for the low radio noise in the background. She won’t look at me, just stares out the window.
The hotel parking lot is empty except for a couple cars. I anticipate her move to jump out before I can turn off the car, so I grab her arm as she tries to exit. “Ellie, talk to me.” She shakes her head and I watch tears run down her profile. “It's you that owns my heart.”
“Then why are you still lying to me?” she cries. I angle my head not knowing what she’s talking about. “Do you have money, Kase?” My belly knots. She won’t believe me when I tell her I forgot. But I did. I close my eyes briefly and sigh.
“Yes.”
She throws her head back against the seat. “I can’t believe this. Did we tell each other anything that was the truth?”
“I love you. That was never a lie.”
“How much?”
“More than the water in the oceans.”
She gapes at me for a beat and then shakes her head. “No, I mean how much money?”
“Oh.” I shrug. “I don’t know exactly. Let’s just say a lot.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t important. Money’s a necessity to me, not a luxury. I don’t care how many zeroes are in my bank account. It’s never been part of my life. It’s just there.”
“It’s not important to me either, but it’s part of you and we’re supposed to be getting married, Kase. I shouldn’t have found out by it being thrown in my face.” I can’t believe Everly brought it up. She drops her gaze and silence surrounds us again. She lifts her head and asks, “Where did your money come from?”
I bite my lip and stare out the windshield. “My great-grandfather was Jerry Barrow.” I wait for her reaction, but when she doesn’t have one, I roll my head in her direction. She digs in her memory searching for where she knows that name. It shouldn’t take her long.
Her mouth falls open and I’m certain she figured it out. “As in Barrow Oil? Barrow gas stations?” I nod. “Holy. Shit. Kase. This isn’t a small revelation. Do you own Barrow Oil?”
I shake my head. “It’s a publicly traded company. But I do own shares.”
She stares at me. “I can’t do this right now. I’m sorry.”
I reach for her hand to stop her. “None of this matters, Ellie. I love you. Isn’t that enough?”
“It does matter.” She chokes back her tears. “You don’t have the whole story, Kase. It will matter.” She yanks her hand out of my grip, leaving me behind wondering what in the hell I missed. Part of me wants to turn around and drive back to Everly, demanding the whole story. What she could say to justify keeping my kid from me, or why she married Wayne?
Drawing in a ragged breath, I push myself out of the car. I grumble when I see a police cruiser in the parking lot that wasn’t there five minutes ago. I tense immediately. Come at me, asshole. Wayne and another guy sit in the front seats. He brought his friend. I’d like him to meet a few of mine. He wants me to engage. Earlier was a knee-jerk reaction. It won’t happen again. I’ll wait for the perfect opportunity and now isn’t it. I glare at him until I hit the front doors, not giving him the time of day once I pass through the entrance.
I fucking hate small towns.
Chapter Thirty-Four
