He nodded. “He has.”
“I’m sorry to impose. I promise this will be temporary. Just until I can find a more permanent place to go.”
“Stay here as long as you need,” Damian said. “We have more space than we know what to do with. When was the last time anyone used that guest room, anyway?”
“Maybe a year and a half ago?” I wagered.
“See? It needs someone to be an actual guest,” Damian said. I squeezed his shoulder, emotion making my chest tight. He always went out of his way to help and to make people feel like his help wasn’t a burden. He was a miracle worker on the downlow.
“Speaking of, let’s go see it.” I jerked my head toward the hallway leading into my wing. “I promise you'll love it."
She followed me, the air thick with unspoken words. When I pushed open the door to the guest bedroom, she let out a dreamy sigh. The room was opulent, excessively comfortable. A king-size sleigh bed was the focal point, with slate gray pedestals on either side of it. Roughly one million unnecessary throw pillows were heaped on the bedspread—a touch my interior designer had insisted on.
“I love it,” she gushed.
“It’s just a guest room.”
“No. I mean everything.” She turned to me, her green eyes electric. “Everything you have, everything you’ve done. I’m just so incredibly proud of you.”
I blinked. “Well…thanks.”
“I’m so happy you and your brothers have gotten exactly where you wanted to be. Honestly.” She touched her chest, looking around the room again. “That is all that matters to me.”
I appreciated the statement, however odd that it was possibly inspired by the excessive throw pillows on the bed. “Thanks, Cora. I’m glad you’re rooting for us.”
“I always have been.” Her gaze cut back over to me. “Ever since I met you.”
I gnawed on the inside of my lip, feeling like I needed to give her some space. Or was it me who needed the space? Truth was, my head was spinning. It had been since she set foot in the penthouse, and I needed to get my bearings.
“Do you need anything?” She’d come with the embarrassingly small bag of things she’d had with her at the hotel. “I can send for someone to get whatever you need from your condo.”
“No.” She waved away my offer. “I don’t need anything. If I’ve learned anything over the past eight years, it’s that I don’t need any of it.”
I nodded, recognizing the intensity behind her words but unsure where to store it. We’d have to circle back to that later. “I’m going to coordinate with my brothers on dinner. You relax, okay?” I pointed at her as I backed toward the door. “And let me know if you do need anything.”
I shut her door gently behind me, rubbing the back of my neck as I hurried back to the main portion of the penthouse. When I got to the kitchen, I found Trace and Zero had joined Damian.
“There’s my buddy.” I knelt and held my arms out as Zero bounded toward me, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. He showered me with doggy kisses. “Did Uncle Trace take good care of you this afternoon? I’m sorry I couldn’t come get you myself from doggy daycare. Sometimes Daddy has to go places you can’t come along.”
Trace smirked, fiddling with his wristwatch. “So I take it we have a new guest?”
“She’s all settled into her room.” I petted Zero’s head and stared intently at his dark, glossy coat. Then I stood and faced my brothers at the kitchen island. I drew a deep breath, looking between their concerned faces. “This isn’t a horrible idea, right?”
Trace and Damian shared a look.
“Not horrible,” Trace started.
“Just…unconventional,” Damian finished.
“I couldn’t let her stay where she was,” I said firmly. “That guy was unhinged. He said the most offensive shit. Not just to me, but to her too.” I shook my head. “I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if I hadn’t gotten there when I did.”
“From the sounds of it, Eli is an alcoholic, or worse.” Trace rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. “She definitely needs to find someplace safe. But you need to be careful, too.”
“I will,” I said, though I wasn’t entirely sure of it.
“I would do the same as you,” Damian said. “But sheisstill married. And we can’t forget who her father is.”
My brothers were right. I clenched and unclenched my jaw, staring at the marble swirl of the kitchen island.