Page 96 of Broken Rules
“We don’t have to go yet. Do you want to wait for Gin?”
She glances at me, then stares out the windshield. “Yes.”
“Okay.” I grab hold of her hand and kiss the back. “There’s no rush.”
Headlights flash behind us, and her grip tightens around mine as a car pulls inside. “I changed my mind. I can’t do this yet. Can we go, please?”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m not in the right headspace to control what comes out of my mouth.”
“Sounds like the perfect time, then. Get it all out, and don’t hold back.”
Her head snaps toward me when Gin knocks on the driver’s side window, and her father is now standing, leaning against the front door. “Shit.”
“Hey, look at me, Peaches.” I move in close, pressing my forehead to hers. “Don’t let fear rule you.”
A slight smile lifts on her lips as she huffs a laugh. “I won’t.”
“Good. Come on.”
Gin is already by the front door, her arms crossed, clearly pissed the fuck off as she’s arguing with Evie’s father. “I’m not leaving until I talk to her.”
“After your outburst today, I don’t want you near my kid. Are you serious, Marco? Say what you want about me, but how could you talk like that to your daughter?”
“Mom…it’s okay,” Evie says as we walk toward her parents with our hands clasped together. “I need to talk to you both.”
“Who is this?” Marco asks, looking at me and then at our hands firmly joined.
“Lennox. Her husband.”
“Husband?” His eyes widen, blinking a few times as he looks at Evie, and Gin doesn’t seem surprised in the slightest. “Sweetheart, when? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Can you blame her for keeping a secret?” Gin says, shaking her head. “We’ve kept them for years. Did you ever think our decisions would come back to bite us in the ass?”
Tears pick his dark brown eyes as he rubs the stubble on his jaw. “How did we get here?”
“Question of the fucking ages.”
The air is heavy with everyone standing here. “Should we take this conversation inside?” I ask, Evie practically flush to my side.
Marco steps away from the door, and Gin hesitates for a second before unlocking it, allowing me and Evie to enter before herself, then Marco walks in last. Her home is small and tidy. Minimal like Evie’s before I moved in. However, her walls are far from bare. There are some paintings, but most of the frames are pictures of Evie.
As if today was the first time in years she stepped foot in here, Evie looks around, taking in every detail, holding back her emotions while reliving each image. She swallows deeply with a vice grip on my hand, and I won’t say a word because her discomfort is likely higher than mine.
“Evie,” Marco says, still standing by the door, and she looks at her father. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I didn’t want to come.”
He dips his head. “I deserve that, but please listen to me for a moment, sweetheart. I’ve had time to reflect, not just from the past couple of hours, even days, but over the years. I came here tonight because I need to apologize to your mother in order to ask for forgiveness from you.” He takes a step toward Gin, and she steps back. “Virginia, my biggest mistake wasn’t leaving Everly here with you. It was giving you a reason to leave San Francisco in the first place.”
“Our daughter has always been my highest priority.” Gin’s voice shakes, and she takes a deep breath when Marco takes a few more steps.
“Yes, but you were mine. You had every right to decide for yourself, just as I was allowed to feel my emotions over losing a child. But you left me because you believed it was what I needed. Even after I repeatedly stated that was farthest from the truth.” Gin rapidly shakes her head when Marco reaches her, touching her cheeks. “I never stopped loving you. You and Evie are my life. To this day, I can’t stop the ache I feel being away from either of you.”
“I can’t,” Gin whispers, tears escaping down her cheeks.
“But you can, Ginny, baby. I’m right here, pouring my heart out to you.” He looks at Evie. “To both of my girls. I’m never leaving you again, and I won’t ever give you a reason to leave.”
