Chapter Twenty Four
Two months later…
“How are you feeling?” Sierra asked Ashleigh as they sat at a small table in the back of the little café they’d started visiting at least once a month for lunch.
“Better,” Ashleigh answered with a smile. “It’s been a rough four months.”
Sierra could only imagine how tough things had been on Ashleigh. She only recently learned that her friend was pregnant, and although she’d been a little hurt that Ashleigh hadn’t trusted her with the news during a time when she knew she could’ve used a friend, Sierra understood.
According to Ashleigh, it had been a rocky first few months, but her doctor had assured her that the pregnancy was progressing nicely, and she was finally able to enjoy a little more time out of bed. Having been restricted to very little activity due to some initial concerns, Sierra hadn’t seen much of her until recently.
“How’s Alex?” Sierra worried that Alex harbored some hard feelings toward Cole for leaving CISS, but she hadn’t been able to get anyone to confirm her fears.
“He’s doing much better these days.” Ashleigh’s smile lit up her face. “Really, Sierra. He’s happy for the three of you. He realizes how much he put on Cole there for a while, and he still feels guilty about it.”
“What about Dylan?” Sierra knew from talking to Ashleigh that Dylan wasn’t doing well.
Based on what she’d overheard from Luke and Cole, Dylan was suffering from depression, and they speculated that it was brought on by the anniversary of his wife’s death as well as both of his children being out of the house. It sounded to Sierra like Dylan was having a hard time dealing with being alone. From what she could tell, he decided the best way to deal with his emotional state was by numbing himself with alcohol.
“He’s actually doing a little better.” Ashleigh glanced away as though she were trying to rein in her emotions.
“What is it?”
Ashleigh paused for a second, and Sierra saw her swallow hard.
“Alex was originally trying to send Nate to Austin. He wanted him and Jake to manage Alluring Indulgence’s security division down there. Ever since Nate informed Alex that he wasn’t looking to go, Dylan seemed to come around.”
“Did Alex come up with this idea before or after Dylan stopped working at CISS?”
“Before. I think that’s part of what triggered his depression. He’s not ready for either of his kids to leave him. I think he feels abandoned.”
Sierra could understand. He had up and moved, selling the ranch where he and Meghan had raised their kids just to be closer to Stacey when she started college. For Nate to possibly move three hundred miles away probably was a little difficult to cope with.
“Is he working again?”
Ashleigh leaned back in her chair, placing a protective hand over her baby bump and smiled. “Depends on what you mean by working?”
The smile told Sierra there must be a story behind it. “Is he back at CISS?”
“He is. For now. He’s trying, I have to give him a little credit. Ever since the fight –”
Sierra put her hand up, interrupting her friend. “What fight?”
Another smile. “Well, let’s just say Alex is a little hot headed when he gets worried. Not that I think it was the best approach, but he and Dylan apparently went rounds.”
“Like physically?”
“Yep.”
“Were they hurt?”
“Nothing that needed stitches or an emergency room, no. You’d think the two of them could settle their differences like grown men, but they went about it like little boys fighting over the only toy on the playground.”
“Oh.” Sierra had no idea what to say to that. From the laughter bubbling out of her friend, it seemed that it wasn’t serious. At least she hoped not.
“Alex was worried about the pregnancy,” Ashleigh explained, her smile disappearing. “First of all, we didn’t plan it, and then when I started having problems, we didn’t tell anyone. We were so worried. I was worried about the baby, I was worried about Dylan. And then of course Alex was getting a little out of control. He didn’t mean any harm, but I don’t think he knew how to deal with what he was feeling.”
“So they duked it out?”
“Yes. When Cole told him he was leaving the company, he was at a loss. He’d piled so much on Cole in an attempt to try and cover for Dylan, hoping he’d come back to work. When it didn’t seem like that was going to work out the way he intended and Cole decided to walk, Alex went to talk to Dylan. Needless to say, Alex gave him a piece of his mind.”
Sierra tried to picture what it would look like for Dylan and Alex to go toe to toe. The image in her head made her smile although she had no idea why.
“And now?”
“Dylan is back at work. He’s made some stipulations, and they are looking for another person – or two – to come in and pick up some of the extra work. Jake and Nate won’t be going to Austin, but I overheard Alex on the phone with Gage Matthews. You may know him as Chance Reed.”
“The undercover cop?”
“That would be the one. I don’t know what they plan to do at the moment, but he’s supposed to be meeting with Alex in the next couple of weeks.
“Alex and Dylan decided to promote Jake, and he’ll be handling a lot more responsibilities as well. Dylan insists that Nate finish college, so he doesn’t want him too involved and taking away from his school work.”
Sierra thought about everything Ashleigh had just told her, and she realized how far out of the loop she had been. They hadn’t talked much since Hannah was born, and Sierra wondered which of them was more to blame for that. They’d become so close that it sort of surprised her that she put such distance between the two of them. Enough that she didn’t even know her best friend was pregnant.
“Enough about them. I want to know how things are with you. How’s the new house?” Ashleigh asked, sipping her water.
“It’s amazing. Cole and Luke let me decorate it before we moved in. I didn’t do any of the work, but they let me pick out anything and everything I wanted. I think I managed to incorporate all three of our styles. Oh, my gosh! I want you to see it.”
“Alex and I are hoping to come out there in a couple of weeks. I’m trying to take it easy, and if he knew I was out and about today, he’d probably have a coronary.”
“He doesn’t know you’re out?”
“Oh, he knows I have been. He just doesn’t like it, so I don’t usually tell him until after the fact.”
Sierra knew that feeling all too well, although she felt as though Cole’s and Luke’s overprotective nature during her pregnancy hadn’t had substantial reasons behind it.
“Well, as soon as you’re up to it, I want you to come to the house. If you’re not, then Hannah and I will stop by and keep you company.”
The waitress chose that moment to bring their food and Sierra was glad for the reprieve. She could see the concern still written on Ashleigh’s face, and she was worried for her friend.
Half an hour later, after the two of them had stuffed themselves on chicken fingers, French fries and cream gravy - Sierra’s one true weakness - the conversation had somehow turned back toward Dylan.
“Is Dylan still seeing Sarah?”
Ashleigh looked down at the table before she spoke. “No. Last I heard, he broke things off with her. If you heard her tell it, they weren’t serious, but I’ve talked to her twice since then and I can tell you that she cares about him.”
“Have you talked to him about it?”
“No,” Ashleigh said, shaking her head back and forth. “I would never get myself involved in my brother’s love life. If you ask me, he’s a fool for letting her go.”
“Do you think they’ll work things out?”
“Not if Dylan has anything to say about it. From the brief conversation I had with him, he feels guilty for moving on. We’ve all told him that’s what Meghan would want, but I don’t think he can come to terms with it. The surprising thing is Sarah is just as familiar with loss as Dylan is, but for some reason, he sees his situation as entirely different.”
Sierra wanted to ask for details, but she didn’t want to seem like she was digging for dirt. She didn’t know Sarah that well, having met her only once or twice at a couple of parties. From what she saw, she and Dylan appeared to get along rather well, but it never did seem like an intimate relationship from the outside looking in.
“Sarah’s husband died,” Ashleigh blurted.
Sierra didn’t ask, but she gave her friend her full attention.
“Oddly enough, her husband took his own life.”
Sierra’s heart stopped beating for a brief second. Despite not knowing the man, she was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness.
“I think Sarah’s scared too,” Ashleigh continued. “I don’t blame her. It had to be hard to lose him. And then to have to go through with Dylan the same sort of thing she went through with her husband…” Ashleigh let the words trail off.
Sierra sipped her tea, trying to swallow the lump that suddenly obstructed her throat. She didn’t want to cry, but for some reason, thinking about what could happen to Dylan if he didn’t get help was more overwhelming than she expected.
She only hoped and prayed that whatever was going on with him, he’d find the strength he needed to move forward. Before it was too late.