“What is it?” Cam’s voice asked, coming up behind us, making me turn to find him standing there, red-eyed, but pulled together again.
“Reporters,” I told him. “They want a statement. Neither Lennon’s nor my team do that sort of shit.”
“Do you know someone who does?” he asked, already reaching for his phone to start to look around himself.
“There is a firm in Navesink Bank that does crisis management. They could be here within an hour and a half. I don’t think Miranda will be released before that.”
“I’m on it,” Cam said, nodding.
“You can drop my name. They know me.”
“Got it,” he said, giving me a nod. “She wants to see you,” he added as he headed toward the door.
I was already on my way.
“Hey, baby,” I said, moving in to find her still wiping her eyes. “You two okay?”
“Yeah. I think we both just needed a good cry over it.”
“You know him better than anyone, is he going to be okay?”
“I’ll see to it. He sees one of the best therapists in the city. And I invited him to stay in the guest room for a while. I don’t think it’s good for him to go home to that apartment with Ritchie’s things all around.”
“He’s staying in my room?” I asked, hoping the vulnerability didn’t slip into my words too much. I wasn’t sure I succeeded, though. Because some part of me was terrified that she was going to dismiss me now that the job was done. And after witnessing the darkness take over me back in that studio.
Miranda patted the side of her bed as she shifted her legs out of the way.
And, fuck, did this feel like the set up for a letdown.
But I walked over anyway.
I sat down.
“I don’t want you in the guest room anymore,” she said as I pretended not to tense up. “I want you in my room,” she went on. “With me,” she finished.
“Yeah?” I asked, giving her a tentative smile.
“I mean, I know the job is technically done, and maybe you want to get back to your own life, but if—“
“I would like you to be a part of my life,” I cut her off, watching as her gaze lifted, eyes hopeful.
“I know there are… geographical complications,” she said.
“It’s an hour away, sweetheart, not a world. And I am a known slacker who only takes jobs when he really needs to. I can be in the city as much as I want.”
“Cam cleared my schedule for a week.”
“I heard that.”
“I was thinking that, maybe after a couple of days, we could… spend some time at your house,” she suggested.
“I would fucking love that,” I said, watching her eyes go soft at my immediate agreement. “Besides, it sounds like there is a bit of a media storm going on,” I told her, watching as her eyes widened. “It might be nice to get out of the city for a bit. And, if you are away, Cam and Mitchell can get some much-needed time off as well.”
“I can’t imagine what Cam is going through,” she said, shaking her head. “Realizing you’ve been sleeping next to a monster. What?” she asked, making me realize my eyes must have slid away at the thoughts that were moving through my head.
About being a bit of a monster myself.
About her seeing that part of me.