“Can we walk?”
I laugh, not blaming the little one. “We can walk for a bit. Then how about I get you a convertible to ride in? Those don’t have tops. They aren’t scary; they are fun.”
He nods, smiling brightly.
I look to the man watching us, and with one look he’s headed to get a convertible here as fast as possible so I can drive the little boy home before I return to find my own babies.
28
Kai
Six Months Later
* * *
“I’m still not sure what I’m going to do about the Black organization. Do I destroy it? Sell it? Rule it?” I say to Langston.
“That’s why you need to get away from it all for a while. Take the babies and just get away,” Langston responds as he helps me pack the twins’ clothes into a bag.
“Come with me,” I say.
He frowns. “You know I love the twins, but I need a break. I need time to mourn my own losses. I need to figure out what I want.”
I gnaw on my lip, trying to decide if now is the time to tell him or not. We’ve been living in Miami in a hotel room for the last six months. I’ve been running the Black organization from here, while Langston has helped with the twins. We’ve both been so busy we have barely had time to mourn.
But now that everything has settled, it’s time. Time to mourn. Time to make the tough decisions about our future. And I think it’s time Langston knows the truth.
“What aren’t you telling me?” he asks.
“I think you should sit,” I say.
“No, I think I’ll stand.”
I sigh. “Langston, there is something I’ve kept hidden from you.
“At first, we didn’t tell you because you weren’t in a good place. And if something happened to her, we didn’t think you could mourn her twice and survive. But then she survived, and she asked me not to tell you. She wanted space.”
“Who?” he asks, but I can already see his heart breaking.
“Liesel—she’s alive.”
His knees weaken, and he falls, luckily a rocking chair is behind him to break the fall.
He sits in the chair, his eyes glazed over. “Liesel is alive?”
“Yes.”
“And she didn’t want me to know?”
“Yes.”
I watch his face twist, his heart throb in pain. I think knowing Liesel wanted him to think she was dead might be worse than her actually being dead.
Suddenly, he stands up. “I need to go.”
“Wait!” I chase after him as he walks out of the hotel room.
“Kai, I love you. I will find you in a few months once I’ve dealt with this pain and betrayal, but right now I just need time.”