Shani
I was stunned when West called later that night, asking to see me. I buzzed him in, trying to prepare myself for the inevitable argument. I knew he was hurt and angry. He had every right to be. I’d let things go too far. I’d let one night stretch into two, breakfasts became lunch, then dinner, and before I knew it, I was agreeing to spend another night with him.
Before he could knock, I opened the door, sucking in a deep breath. “Listen West, I know you’re angry, but—”
“This isn’t about us,” he said, pushing past me. “I don’t want to talk about that now.”
“Oh.” What else was there to talk about?
“Your sister came to see me today.”
I closed the door, slowly turning to face him. Oh no. This couldn’t be good. “I hope you didn’t give her any money. She’d only use it to buy more drugs.”
“I didn’t. I took her to rehab.”
My jaw dropped. “You what?”
This couldn’t be happening. I’d been begging Katie to go to rehab for years. She’d finally agreed? And asked my ex to take her? Why him? Who not me? Not that I wasn’t grateful he’d been there for her. I was. So grateful.
“You heard me. I took her to rehab.” He was staring at me as though he expected me to say something, but I was speechless.
I walked to the sofa, feeling numb.
“Are you okay?” he asked, frowning.
“I can’t believe this is finally happening. What made her decide?” I’d spent years trying to convince her—begging, pleading, bribing. Nothing worked. She had been adamant she wasn’t going and didn’t need help.
He sat down on the chair, a safe distance away from me. Damn, that hurt.
“Her boyfriend overdosed today,” he said, looking at his laced hands. “She woke up next to his body. Guess that was her rock bottom.”
“Oh my God. No.” I clutched my midsection, bent over and tried to imagine how I would have felt if that had been Katie. I felt a wave of sympathy for a family I didn’t know who would be getting the same news we had, that a loved one had lost their life to drugs.
“Hey,” West said softly, moving to the sofa beside me. “It’s okay. She’ll be all right, Shani. The facility I took her to is top-notch. They’ll take good care of her.”
As a cop, I thought I’d seen it all. But when tragedy struck so close to home, with a bitter reminder of the most painful day of my life, I wasn’t immune. I covered my face with my hands, rocking back and forth, anguish seeping from every pore. West curled his arm around me, kissing the top of my head.
That was when I realized I wasn’t just crying. I was sobbing uncontrollably. He’d never seen me cry. No one had, except the few people in attendance at my mother’s funeral.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t be sorry, baby. Let it out. It’s okay, I’m here for you.”
That only made me cry harder as I sank against his chest. “I’m so sorry, West. I don’t deserve you. I never did.”
“Sssh, that’s not true. But this isn’t about us, this is about you. And your sister getting well. That’s all that matters now.”
“Thank you for being there for her.” I sniffled, wiping away the tears. “I don’t know why she didn’t come to me, but obviously I’ll pay for her treatment.”
“You really think I give a shit about the money?”
I hadn’t meant to offend him, but as I sat back and looked him in the eye, I realized I had. “No, but she’s my sister. It’s my responsibility to pay for her treatment.”
He growled, dropping his head into his hands and tugging on his hair. “Why can’t you just let someone who cares about you help you?”
I considered his question but didn’t have an answer. Was he right? Was I so messed up that I couldn’t accept anyone’s help? “I was going to let you help with my business.”
“Yeah, then you chased me away before I could.”
“It wasn’t intentional.” Was it? I reached for a tissue, trying to pull myself together. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about us.”
“You’re right, I don’t.” He jumped up, making my heart race.
My hand instinctively darted out to stop him. “Don’t go.”
His eyes met mine, and his rigid stance immediately softened. He knew how hard it was for me to reach out and admit I needed anyone.
“Please. I don’t want to be alone right now.”
He sat down next to me, pulling me into his arms.
“Was she okay?” I asked, almost afraid of the answer as I settled into his arms, taking comfort in the steady beat of his heart.
“Okay? I guess that’s relative, isn’t it? She was still breathing. Still walking and talking. I had a feeling she hadn’t eaten in a while, so I grabbed her a burger and fries on the way to the rehab center. She devoured it.”
“Oh God.” It killed me to think of her alone and hungry, but it wouldn’t be the first time. “Was she living on the streets?”
“No, she said something about a motel.”
“That’s good.” Although I was certain it was a dive, that was better than a park bench or alley. I fisted his shirt. “How did this happen? How did she let things spiral out of control?”
“You know the way addiction is. You’ve seen it firsthand too many times. It destroys lives.”
I closed my eyes, letting his strength and comfort soothe me.
***