“I don’t mind.”
“The girls wanted to do masks, paint their nails, and watch a movie, but I just felt very tired, and I couldn’t do it. I don’t know how much longer I can pretend, and I keep thinking itmight be my last Christmas with them, and I don’t want them to remember me like this.”
Ian placed his thumb underneath her chin and leaned back to look at her. “Luce, this isn’t your last Christmas with us. We’re going to have many more, okay? And you are going to be an amazing grandmother.”
Lucy searched his face. “You don’t know that for sure.”
“I don’t, but I have faith.” Ian looked into her eyes and ignored the tightening in his chest. “You and I still have a lot more life left to live together, and you’re not going anywhere. I’m not going to let you.”
Lucy’s lips twitched. “I wasn’t aware you had a say in the matter.”
“You’re not allowed to go without me,” Ian whispered, pausing to run his thumb across her jaw. “And I’m not ready to go yet.”
Lucy swallowed, and her eyes turned misty. “Okay.”
“Dean and I picked out a Christmas tree, and I thought that decorating it would help cheer you up, so why don’t we sit here until you’re ready to go downstairs?”
“What about the kids?”
“As long as they don’t burn the house down, we’ll be fine.”
Lucy smiled. “Have I told you lately how amazing you are, Ian Railings?”
“It’s been a while, so go on. I’d love to hear more about how handsome and dashing I am.”
Lucy laughed and pinched his arm. “Modest too.”
Ian pressed a kiss to her forehead and lingered. “The best thing about me is my family, and I don’t ever want to forget that.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“You haven’t had any luck figuring out who made the call?”
Ian shook his head, and his breath came out in puffs in front of him. “No, but it was a long shot anyway. The only thing we can do right now is figure out what Eric’s hiding.”
“He’s probably hidden his tracks very well,” Bryce warned, a loud clicking sound in the background. “Especially now that he knows you’re coming after him. You couldn’t keep that part to yourself?”
Ian shoved his free hand into his pocket. “I guess I should’ve.”
But he only had one regret when it came to being exposed, and that was putting a target on his family’s back.
Thankfully, none of them held him accountable, knowing full well that Eric was going to start gunning for them sooner rather than later. Still, every day for the past week, Ian had been waking up with knots in his stomach and an ache in his chest. Every time he sat down to dinner with his family, or they all gathered together, all he could feel was guilt.
Anger bubbled beneath the surface, coating his every move.
Ian no longer had any idea what he was doing, only that he’d gone so far down the rabbit hole that the only way out was through.
Walking away from his mom’s case was no longer an option, even if he wanted to.
You can do this, Ian. You’ve got the support and weight of the Falmouth Police Department and the entire Wilson clan. It’s only a matter of time before Eric slips up.
He had every intention of being the one to bring Eric to justice.
All he had to do was wait.
“I’ve done some more digging; it hasn’t been easy. Eric’s been stonewalling, and he hired a security firm,” Bryce continued after a brief pause. “I managed to uncover a little more evidence, but I don’t think it’s usable.”
Ian leaned against the wall next to the double doors of the police station and crossed one ankle over the other. “Can you email the evidence to me anyway? My lawyer and I can comb through it together.”
