Page 106 of The Spare

Stepping back, I shake my head. This entire night has been one for the books. Yet I’m still no closer to getting my wife back. My gaze lands on Shep.

“Sorry, man. I got nothing.”

Balling my fists on my hips I ask, “What are you even doing here then?”

“When a billionaire asks you to come for an intervention party, you arrive thinking there’s going to be billion-dollar drinks and snacks or something.”

“Dad?”

“Yes, Austin?”

“What’s a billion-dollar snack?”

“Beats the hell out of me.”

I huff out a frustrated exhale at these nitwits. “Alexis doesn’t want skywriters or for me to act out a romcom. She thinks I lied to her. That I used her to get a bunch of money.” My chest suddenly feels like a lead weight is sitting on it. None of this touches the core of how badly I hurt her.

“Enough,” Bella’s shrill voice cuts through the room like a knife, instantly silencing everyone. She steps out from behind Cassidy, her eyes fixed on me with a fierce intensity. “Look at all of you.” She shakes her head at the whiteboard covered in ridiculous flowcharts. “A skywriter? Dick emergencies? Are you serious?”

She turns back to me, her expression warm and compassionate. “Sam.” Bella steps closer until this petite ballbuster is standing right in front of me. “Alexis needs to hear you speak from your heart. Tell her how you really feel.” She continues to look up into my eyes. “Be completely honest with her. Let her see the truth. Prove to her that your words are real.”

I swallow hard, looking at the board. Then my gaze lands on this animated cast of characters who showed up in the middle of the night to help me fight for my wife.

Bella is right. I need to find a way to prove to her that my words are real.

“I don’t even know where she is,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotion.

Bas steps forward, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. “I suggest you keep looking until you find her. Do whatever it takes.” His words don’t carry the disappointed scolding he often uses.

“She’ll turn up, Sam. Either at work or at home. Just be patient. She probably needed some time to deal with all of this anyway,” Cassidy encourages.

She’s probably right. But there’s no way I’ll be able to sleep until she’s back home. If only I could convince her I won’t fuck this up again. If she’ll only give me a real chance.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Sebastian pulling his phone from his pocket. He looks down and offers me a small, knowing smile. “And what do you know?”

“What?” Hope is etched all over my face.

“I’ll give you a head start,” my brother adds. “My good friend, Broadie Weston, just messaged to say hi.” He grins.

I scrunch my face at the strange remark. “Okay, what has any of this got to do with⁠—”

“Turns out he was supposed to have dinner with his daughter this weekend, but it was canceled.”

“Okay, Bas. You’ve lost me.”

“She’s at Lilly’s.”

Chapter Forty-Six

Sam

I sit in my car in Sebastian’s driveway, staring at the glowing dashboard. My hands are trembling on the steering wheel. His text with Lilly’s address is sitting open on my phone.

Why am I waiting? I could drive straight there right now. I could bang on her door, demand a minute of her time, then pour my soul out.

But I don’t.

Backed into a corner in her friend’s living room isn’t the way to do this. This conversation is long overdue. It’s about so much more than my mother’s poisonous accusations. If I really want to fix our relationship, I need to go where I can make things right. I shift into gear and drive toward the one place where Alexis has always felt safe.