I took a deep breath. “But Wally’s right. Being your bodyguard and your…”
“Lover?” she supplied, almost teasingly, but it didn’t sound like her heart was in it.
“Sure. Your lover.” I brushed a strand of her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I can’t be both, Vivian.”
“So what do we do?” Her eyes welled up with tears, a sad smile ghosting across her lips. “You want to end this, don’t you.” A statement, not a question.
“I don’twantto, but it’s best. I can’t protect you properly otherwise. And even if I could…”
“Wally would never accept us being together.”
I nodded solemnly. “If it were anyone else, I’d choose you. I’d choose you a million times over. But Wally’s my son, and I can’t lose him. It’d tear me apart.”
“I understand,” she mumbled, bravely holding back her tears. “I don’t want to come between you two. I’d hate myself for it.”
I wrapped her in my arms and hugged her as tightly as I could, kissing her cheek and stroking her hair. It almost killed me to hear her sob against my chest, her whole body trembling as she tried to keep everything inside.
“I’ll call Theo,” I said softly. “I’ll have you transferred to his care temporarily until I can organize a new safe house and security detail for you. Shouldn’t take me more than a day.”
“Alright,” she replied meekly.
I studied her face, committing every last detail to memory before leaning in to kiss her. It was chaste and slow and heartbreaking. Because this wasn’t a kiss we’d ever shared before. This was our last.
A final goodbye.
When it ended, Vivian held onto me tight, burying her face in the crook of my neck. I wanted to be a selfish man. I wanted to keep her all to myself, screw the consequences. But I wasn’t a selfish man, despite how easy it would have been. I knew her through and through. If I kept her, she’d blame herself for my fallout with Wally. The best thing I could do for her was let her go, no matter how painful it might be.
“In any other life,” I murmured against her ear, “it would have been you, angel.”
Chapter 27
Vivian
The ride out to the suburbs was a tense one. Full of protocol, but more distressingly, an air of uncertainty. We both knew what was coming. After Jesse dropped me off in his friend’s care, there was no telling when I’d see him again.IfI’d ever see him again.
“They’ll take good care of you,” he said as he pulled into the cul-de-sac. It was a lovely area with nice big houses and manicured lawns and picturesque white picket fences. “I would have taken you to stay at my brother’s since he’s closer, but Theo’s actually got the training. Plus, it’ll be easier to hide you the further you are from the city.”
I nodded absentmindedly. “Right.”
“I’ll send a replacement bodyguard to pick you up tomorrow morning. I’m getting the new safehouse ready for you as we speak. Shouldn’t take too long to put together for you.”
We pulled into the driveway of the Phillips’ home. A lovely wrap-around porch had all manner of planters hanging from its railing, each of them hosting colorful flowers in full bloom. It was a lovely slice of normalcy despite all the turmoil boiling just beneath the surface of my skin.
We walked up the front steps of the house together, barely an inch between us yet worlds apart. Jesse wouldn’t let me lift a finger, carrying my heavy duffle bag for me. He rang the doorbell, which chimed inside. It didn’t take very long before we heard the shuffling of feet.
Theo opened the door, Ava standing just behind him with little Cassie in her arms and Cory at her hip.
“You made it,” Theo said pleasantly. “How was the drive?”
“Smooth,” was Jesse’s curt answer.
“Any tails?”
“No. Looped back four times just to be sure. We’re clear.”
Ava waved me inside. “Come on in, Vivian. I can show you to your room first, if you’d like.”
“Oh, thank you very much.” I turned to Jesse, carefully taking my bag from him. He was uncharacteristically stiff, his eyes dark and gloomy. “Thank you,” I mumbled. “For everything.”