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Mylee was safe, guarded, and there of her own volition. Busting in and demanding answers at four o’clock in the morning wasn’t going to win us any points with her. But I hated this feeling of not knowing.
“Let’s wait until Linc gets back,” I agreed, starting the car again.
But as we drove away, I couldn’t help but look in the rearview and silently will Mylee to appear in the window, summoning us back.
Unfortunately, it never happened.
* * *
Lincoln showed up at two the following afternoon. Neither Kai nor I had slept a wink as we again tried to reach out independently to Mylee. Today, she answered her phone, but her tone was clipped and professional.
“I really think it’s better if we live apart, Paxton,” she said quietly. “I can still do my job.”
“Fuck your job!” I growled, slamming my fist on the table. “What is this all about?”
“It’s for the best. I really have to get back to it.”
She disconnected the call as I stared at the phone in dismay.
“It obviously didn’t mean as much to her as it did to us,” Kai mumbled bitterly, but I didn’t believe that for a second.
Something else was going on with Mylee, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
“We can’t corner her at the office,” Lincoln said sensibly, reminding me why we’d waited for him in the first place. “And she clearly isn’t going to talk to us on the phone. The only option is to go to her apartment and force her to have a discussion.”
“Even if she doesn’t want to?” Kai groaned.
He didn’t want the confrontation, but that was too bad. If he wanted our woman back, he was going to have to step out of his comfort zone.
“Even if she doesn’t want to,” I snapped. “She owes us an explanation. She can’t just walk out without saying a word.”
“I agree,” Lincoln said firmly. “But you have to keep your cool, Pax.”
“Me?” I was offended by being singled out.
“Yeah, you,” Kai conceded. “You’ve got a temper.”
I flushed furiously. “Are you suggesting she left because of me?”
“No, of course not,” Lincoln replied firmly. “You’re also really sensitive. The idea is to make her feel as if she can tell us what’s going on, not make her feel shamed for leaving. If she wants to live over the bookstore, fine.”
“No, it’s not fine!” I barked. “She belongs with us! She promised that we’d be together!”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about,” Lincoln scolded me. “It is fine. She’s a grown-ass woman. If she wants to live on her own, let her live by herself. We’re not going to stand in the way of her decisions, no matter how painful they might be to us. We gave her the ability to make her own choices because we care about her. She doesn’t belong to us.”
He looked at me meaningfully, and I hung my head, my heart pounding. I hated it when Lincoln was right.
“But I don’t think that’s what’s going on here,” he continued, forcing me to cast him a sidelong look. “I don’t think she left because she wanted to go. I think something caused her to leave.”
“I don’t want her to go,” Kai rasped. “I wish she’d just told us what’s going on.”
“It’s not that easy with Mylee,” Lincoln reminded us. “We have to be patient—and calm.”
Again, he gave me a meaningful look, and I swallowed my protests.
“All right,” I agreed. “I just want her back, too.”
* * *
