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Gennessey blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected her parents and brothers to still want to have brunch. She also didn’t know how to feel about spending another night at the hotel with BB. Their night of passion seemed to have happened months ago instead of a mere couple of nights ago. They needed to talk through what happens when they return to their real lives, but she wasn’t ready for the talk. Not when she still hadn’t sorted out her feelings.
“Go, Gen.” BB reached out and squeezed her hand. “Cohen needs you now. The rest will wait.”
She nodded and started to cross the hall before pausing. With another look at BB, she said, “Thank you. For everything. Coming this weekend, being by my side when I faced my family, helping me find and rescue Autumn, helping me keep Cohen alive. All of it. I won’t ever be able to repay you.”
“It’s not necessary. Go. Your family needs you.”
This time, she did walk away without looking back. She stepped into Cohen’s room and closed the door softly behind her. He kept his face averted, but she could see the glistening in the corner of his eye.
“Hey,” she said softly. “You okay?”
He turned his head, and the sadness in his eyes broke her heart. “Too soon to tell. But I was hoping you’d come in. I wanted to say thank you for bringing Autumn back safe and sound. You and BB risked your lives for her. I know this is what you do, but the fact you would do that for someone you don’t know well is admirable. As if I needed another reason to be proud of you.”
“No thanks are necessary. I wish things could have been different. I liked Autumn. She’s good for you.”
His lip trembled, and he took a moment to collect himself. “You already guessed we decided to break up. I’d like to think it’s not forever, but it’s hard to imagine going back to the way things were between us.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way, Cohen. You love each other. You deserve to be happy together.”
“I wanted to go with her. I had my mind made up as soon as she told me about going into witness protection. But the more we talked, the more I realized it wasn’t right. I do love her, and she loves me. Right now, though, it’s not enough. Too much has happened. It’s for the best. I have to believe.”
She settled on the edge of his bed and squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry.”
He stared up at the ceiling for several minutes. Then he seemed to pull his emotions under control by the time his eyes met hers again.
“At least tell me something good came out of all of this.”
She shrugged. “Well, the guy who caused all of this will go to jail for a long time. The cops questioned him, and he gave us the sniper who shot you as well as the one who rigged the bomb at the hotel. The feds brought them in a half hour ago.”
“I don’t mean the case, though I’m glad to hear it. I meant with you and BB. Tell me you’re going to put the guy out of his misery and give this thing between you a chance.”
Gennessey raised a brow. “You just broke it off with your fiancé, and you decide you want to talk about my love life.”
“Come on. I saw his face when he watched you sing for the first time. He’s got it bad for you.”
She sighed. “I saw him. That night changed a lot for us. I started to believe we could make this work. But now, I don’t know. I mean, look at you and Autumn. We always said we weren’t the marrying kind.”
“Stop. You don’t believe that. You’re just scared, but you and BB are not like anyone else. He respects you and likes you for exactly the way you are. It’s what you’ve always wanted but didn’t think existed.”
“We work together. It’s bound to get complicated.”
Cohen started to shrug and winced. “I thought Autumn and I wouldn’t work at first. We were too different, but that’s what made it great. And if I had to go back and do it again, knowing it was going to end, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I have no regrets. BB is a good guy. Stop using excuses to keep yourself from being happy. Even if it doesn’t work out, it’ll be worth all the good. Trust me.”
She sighed. “I want to. I like him. A lot.”
“And you’re scared. I get it. We made ourselves believe falling in love was evil and would lead to our downfall, but what we really believed was it made us turn into our parents.”
Gennessey rolled her eyes. “What kind of painkillers are you on? They’ve made you overdramatic.”
Cohen’s mouth thinned into a straight line. “Am I wrong?” The question was obviously rhetorical, so Gennessey didn’t bother answering. “Look. I’m tired, and the painkillers are pretty strong. I just want to sleep, and you need it too. Go and rest. Think about what I said. Then give BB a chance. It’ll be worth it, Gennessey. I know it will.”
She squeezed his hand again. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing. Changing the subject to focus on me so we won’t talk about you. We don’t have to talk. We can just sit here, but I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“It’s what I want. It’s been a hellava weekend and a hellava day. What I need is to be alone. Please.”
She hesitated and then nodded. “Okay. I’ll go. If you’re sure.”
He held her gaze, and she waited for him to tell her he changed his mind.
