THE KNOCK ON my office door had me letting out a low growl. I needed to get this work taken care of and every interruption put me farther behind.
“Go away.”
The knock grew louder.
“Go. Away.”
The handle turned and Morgan walked in, a scowl on her face. I rolled my eyes and went back to what I was doing.
“I’m still pissed off at you.”
“Yeah, well, are you pissed off at your best friend for lying to you?”
Morgan sat in the seat. I could feel the heat of her stare. “I’m a bit disappointed, but in the end, it doesn’t change anything. She told me the truth the day of the wedding.”
I scoffed. A sickness rolled deep inside my gut. She had tried to tell me as well, but I wouldn’t let her.
“How could you run a background check on her and not think she would be pissed?”
“I cancelled the damn thing, Morgan. It didn’t matter to me anymore. Blake never told his brother to call it off. I wasn’t even going to read what was in the fucking thing.”
She folded her arms across her chest, tilted her head, and narrowed one eye. She had perfected the stare our mother gave to us when we had done something wrong.
“Do you love her?”
“Yes.”
Her mouth fell open. “Wait. What?”
“Don’t act so surprised.”
“I am surprised.”
I sighed. “What do you want from me, Morgan? What would be the right answer you want to hear? I fell in love with Kaelynn the day I drove her to Houston. Hell, probably the moment I ran into her in the hallway of Sedotto. I knew then she was hiding something from me. I wish I had just listened to Tucker and talked to her, but I didn’t. Now she’s gone.”
“I haven’t called her yet.”
This time it was me who frowned. “Why not?”
She shrugged. “This is between the two of you, and I don’t want to be involved. I did text her, though, to make sure she was all right. She said she was, and I told her what I just told you—this was between y’all. I did call her sister Millie, though, last night. She told me Kaelynn was home in Utah.”
“I already know she’s home.”
Her brow lifted. “The private investigator Dustin hired found her name on an airline manifest the day she left on a direct flight in first-class back to Utah.”
“So now you’re having her followed?”
“No. I searched fucking everywhere for her that day when she disappeared on me. I needed to know where she was; he found out for me.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m leaving this afternoon at two to fly up to Salt Lake City.”
A smile appeared on her face. “Shut up! You’re flying up there to go get her?”
“I’m flying up there to explain everything to her. Why I started the stupid background check. Then I’m coming home.”
The smile faded as quickly as it came. “You’re not asking her to come back to Austin with you?”