Page 26 of Let It Burn (The Barrington Billionaires 4)
For a man who had spent his life making and standing by split-second decisions, he found himself strangled with uncertainty again. This was the damage he’d incurred in Iraq. It didn’t show like a missing limb or a jagged scar. It couldn’t be measured or eased with a painkiller.
He’d lost all faith in himself and his ability to be there for anyone else. Helene might end up being a hell of a lot safer with her father watching over her.
She was the purest, most caring person he’d ever come across. She deserved someone who could describe himself the same way. He didn’t want her to be with him because she saw him as another creature who needed rescuing. He wanted to be the man she deserved.
She walked over to him and placed her hand in his. The simplicity of the gesture knocked the wind out of him. He turned and met her father’s eyes. I’ll do whatever is best for Helene and for her family.
God only knows what the hell that will be.
Chapter Fifteen
Although she didn’t know what had been said, Helene knew her father well enough to know he hadn’t wanted time alone with Andrew to compliment him. Her father’s expression was strained. Andrew looked disappointed. Neither is bleeding. So, that’s good.
The presence of not only her mother, but also Dax, was enough to have the five of them staring at each other awkwardly. Her mother looked at each of them. “Did I miss something?”
Her father gave her a kiss on the cheek. “One panther is happily on his way to his new territory, Andrew shot his first tranquilizer rifle, and it seems that we have an unexpected guest. Isn’t that enough?” He held his hand out to Dax. “The name’s Art.”
“Dax Marshall,” Dax said, giving her father’s hand a firm shake.
Helene was saddened by Andrew’s reaction to his family. He’d told her he only went home when he had to, but seeing their strained relationship up-close broke her heart. She squeezed Andrew’s hand tighter and willed him to say something.
He nodded at Dax. “Sorry I was occupied when you arrived. People who call first tend to get a better reception.”
Dax’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll remember that.”
Her mother said, “Dax flew in just to see Andrew and meet us. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Wonderful,” Andrew said tightly.
“Are you staying somewhere local?” her father asked.
“It wasn’t my intention to,” Dax said.
“So you’re leaving tonight,” Andrew said like he was issuing a command.
“Yes,” Dax answered succinctly. “And you’re coming with me.”
Andrew’s eyes shot up. “I don’t think so.”
“Could you excuse us for a moment?” Dax asked.
Her father put his arm around his wife’s waist and started to guide her away. “Let’s go inside and start dinner. Come on, Lenny.”
Helene had never been one to defy her parents. In fact she couldn’t remember the last time she’d refused them anything, but nothing could have pulled her from Andrew’s side. “I’ll join you in a few.”
“Now,” her father said sternly.
Squaring her shoulders, Helene respectively said, “No, Dad.”
He frowned.
Andrew bent and said, “It’s okay. Go with your father.”
She raised her chin. “I’m where I want to be. You didn’t leave me when you could have, and I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me you don’t want me here.”
“I’ll never say that.” He closed his eyes briefly then tucked her to his side.
Her father went inside with her mother even though he didn’t look happy about it. Helene laid a hand on Andrew’s tense chest. “You’re not alone.”
“No, he’s not,” Dax said in a harsh tone. “He has a whole family who is worried sick about him. A family he can’t be bothered to take a call from or even answer a text message.”
“Go back and tell Kenzi you couldn’t find me. She’ll still love you. You’re all she talks about.”
Dax stepped closer. “You self-absorbed bastard. I don’t know what the hell happened to you, Andrew, but it’s time to get your shit together and think about how your actions are affecting others.”
“Affecting them? I hear they’ve never been happier.”
“Your family may not believe in pushing anyone to do anything, but I was raised differently. I’ll kick your ass all the way to Boston if that’s what it takes.”
“I’m not going back,” Andrew said dismissively, not sounding at all worried by the threat.
Dax growled and between clenched teeth said, “Your sister cries at night because she worries about you. You are slowly breaking her heart, and I won’t sit back and watch you do it. I’m going to help you, if for no other reason than Kenzi loves you. That doesn’t mean, though, that I don’t want to punch you in the face right now. Wake the fuck up.” He glanced at Helene. “Sorry for the language, Helene.”
“No problem,” Helene said automatically. Andrew’s heart was beating double time in his chest, and his muscles were pulsing with tension.
“Tell her I’m fine,” Andrew said.
“Tell her yourself,” Dax volleyed back. He held out his phone. “Call and tell her how fucking fantastic you’re doing.”
“I’m not where I was,” Andrew said angrily, ignoring the phone, and Dax pocketed it.
Dax let out an angry breath. “Thank God for that. Come back with me, Andrew. We’ll get you help.”
Andrew rose to his full height. “I don’t need help.”
Helene said softly, “But you do need your family.”
Andrew glared down at her. “They don’t need me. Not like this. On a good day I was too much for them. Now? I wouldn’t last more than five minutes with them.”
“I totally get it,” Dax said. “Your family is dysfunctional. Completely off its rocker. Nuts beyond what even I thought was possible—”
“But?” Helene prompted him.
“But they love you, Andrew. Don’t go back because you think it’ll make you feel better; your brothers can be real assholes. They’re going to say stupid shit to you because they aren’t living your life. They don’t know what you’ve been through. None of us do. But that doesn’t mean we don’t care. Kenzi needs to know you’re okay. She needs to see you, hug you. Give her that, then you can come back here and hide all you want.”
Andrew was quiet for a long moment.
“I’ll go with you,” Helene said as she cupped one side of his face with a hand.
“I don’t need—”
“If you say you don’t need me I will kick you in the shin so hard you’ll be on your knees, spitting out dirt.”
A hint of smile lifted the corners of Andrew’s mouth. “That sounds hard.”
“Oh, it would be,” she said in a light tone.
Andrew looked across at Dax and shrugged, “She looks sweet on the outside, doesn’t she? It’s all steel under there.”
Dax shook his head, but his anger was dissipating. “Good. I’ll tell my pilot to ready my plane. We can be in Boston in a couple hours.”
Andrew met Helene’s eyes. “You don’t have to come, Helene. My family is just as crazy as he says they are.”
“As long as they don’t shoot at me,” she said without missing a beat, then in response to the shock in both of the men’s eyes, asked, “Too soon to joke about it?”
Andrew kissed the top her head. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Dax said, “She’ll fit in just fine.”
Looking back at the house, Helene bit her lip then said, “Which one of us wants to tell my father?”
Despite the fact that Helene was seated at his side, Andrew found the flight to Boston much less enjoyable than the flight to Florida had been. Dax sat across from them, and he wasn’t the easiest conversationalist, especially when one wasn’t willing to discuss anything Dax wanted to discuss.
He’d asked what Andrew had discovered in Aruba. He’d asked for the reason Andrew felt he
needed to protect Helene. Andrew responded each time with vague answers that weren’t really answers at all. Helene followed his lead. Eventually Dax had stopped asking anything and took out his laptop to work.
