Page 102 of Loving Taylor

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Slater washome when I got back. He was sitting quietly, drinking a beer on the sofa.

"How did it go?" he asked as I sat dropped into the seat beside him.

I looked at him with the heavy heart.

"It looks like you need one of these." He handed me the beer he had been holding.

I took a gulp but it wasn't going to help the burning feeling inside. I had no idea how long it would take for her to read the folder. I could only hope that it would be soon. Whatever the outcome, I had to know.

"Did you see her?" he asked, watching me take another gulp of the beer.

I pressed my lips together as I studied the beer bottle I held in my hand as the alcohol slid down my throat.

"Yeah."

"And?" he asked, I could feel him watching me.

"I gave her the folder to read," I said, giving him a side glance.

He frowned like he was struggling to understand why I would do such a thing. "Why?"

I shrugged like it wasn't the most important choice in my life. "She has to know everything so she can make the right choice."

"And what if that isn't you?"

His words reminded me of what could go wrong. I gave him another shrug. "Then I will have to live with it."

My words were braver than the reality of being without her but I had to believe she could choose me anyway. I had never felt good enough for her and even now I didn't fully believe I was the best choice for her but I wanted her anyway.

I would never allow anything to happen to her again. She had been through enough and she deserved to live the rest of her life free of any more violence. Even if she didn't want me to be a part of her life I would still keep an eye on her.

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling emotionally exhausted as well as physically. I hadn't had a proper night's sleep since I had discovered the folder but I knew until I had my answer from Taylor I wouldn't.

There was a knock at the door. Slater got up to answer it.

"Sin," he said in a tense voice, which made me look over my shoulder sharply to see a couple of cops in the doorway.

We had been on the other side of the law before, where the sight of cops would have sent us fleeing in the opposite direction, but we had changed our lives. We were law-abiding citizens now, with nothing to fear, but it was still difficult for Slater to be at ease with cops around.

I stood up and took over from Slater as he stood back with his arms crossed, keeping his eyes fixed on the guys watching us with interest from my doorway.

"Officers," I greeted.

"We're here to process Eric Watson's room." He handed me a piece of paper.

I scanned it briefly and handed it back to him. I nodded and opened the door farther for them.

Slater frowned as he watched them enter the house.

The sooner I could get rid of Eric's stuff the better. I showed them to his room and left them to it.

"Is that really necessary?" Slater said, still looking as tense as when they had arrived.

"They need to get everything to make sure he doesn't get away with it."

"He will probably confess," he added. "It's not like they don't have enough evidence to put him away."