Unafraid (Amber Ridge #1)

Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

A spen strummed her fingers against the window frame. She was nervous. The kind of nervous that made her belly do funny little rolls and made sitting feel impossible.

She shouldn’t be nervous. This was her mother, the woman she grew up with. Most people would be excited.

But most people didn’t have Karen Davies as a mother.

She should have done this yesterday, but Jesse had encouraged her to spend the day resting. Well, not encouraged. Enforced in a very direct you’re-not-moving way.

But he was right. And she’d been an emotional mess; waiting an extra day was probably for her mother’s benefit even more than hers.

But if her mother confirmed that she’d given Dylan her address, she’d probably turn into that emotional mess all over again.

She dragged her gaze from the window to Jesse behind the wheel. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“Until we find Dylan, you’re not going anywhere by yourself.”

Dylan…her fingers itched to touch the bruising on her neck, as if she needed the reminder of exactly what he’d done. She’d covered the bruising with makeup, but every time she looked in the mirror, it was all she saw. Every time she closed her eyes, he was all she saw…the anger as he choked her. The fury as he said she was his.

“Hey.”

She jolted and swung to face Jesse.

His voice gentled. “Are you okay?”

No . For the millionth time in the last two days, she’d gotten lost in the darkness.

But she nodded because he was already angry and stressed enough. He didn’t need her adding to any of that.

The muscles in his arms contracted…he knew she was lying.

“There’ve been no sightings of him?” she asked.

“Not yet. But there are a lot of eyes looking for him, and there are only so many places he can hide in a small town. We’ll find him.”

The rational part of her brain knew that. The part that kept remembering his fingers around her neck was wondering if that would happen before or after he got her alone again.

Jesse pulled onto a residential street. She frowned at the cabin when he pulled up. “You’re sure this is where she’s staying?” Her mother didn’t have a lot of money, and this Airbnb had to be costing a fortune, especially considering how long she’d already been in town.

“George, the owner, confirmed she keeps extending her stay and is still there.”

“Hm. Okay.”

They both climbed out of the car, and she didn’t miss the way he scanned the street before studying the cabin. He touched a hand to the small of her back and led her toward the door.

“Whatever happens in there…I’m sorry in advance,” she said quietly, feeling obligated to warn him even though he probably didn’t need it.

“You don’t need to apologize for anyone else’s behavior.”

“Okay, but what if I attack her?” She half grinned at him, only kind of joking.

“I’ll give you a five-second start before I jump in,” he whispered before they stopped at the entrance.

Her half grin dropped when she looked at the door. She didn’t knock right away. It always took a few seconds to work up the nerve to see her mother. What mood would she be in today? Happy? Angry? Would she start one way and switch to the other when Aspen started asking questions?

Jesse didn’t push her. In fact, he didn’t say or do anything. He just stood by her side, being his usual perfect self, the warmth of his hand seeping into her skin.

Twenty long seconds and a million unhealthy thoughts later, and she knocked.

Footsteps sounded from inside the house, then the door opened and Karen Davies stood in front of them.

Her mother’s brows rose. “Aspen. What are you doing here?” Her gaze shifted to Jesse, and a small scowl crossed her face. “Are you—”

“I need to talk to you, Mom.”

Her mother shifted her gaze back to Aspen. “I was going to pop out, but I suppose I can spare a few minutes. But only you, not him .”

Jesse tensed. “I’m staying with her.”

Her mother raised a brow. “Well then, I’m not talking to either of you. Have a nice day.”

She went to close the door, but Aspen pressed her palm to the wood. “Mom. Really?”

“Really. Take it or leave it, Aspen.”

Argh. Her mother couldn’t be mature for two seconds.

Aspen turned to Jesse. “I’ll be back in thirty seconds.”

“ No .”

Her mother smiled. The evil woman was enjoying this.

Aspen inched closer to him. “Jesse. Please. I need to do this. I’ll be fine. I’ll stay by the door.”

His jaw clicked, and he looked inside the house behind Karen before returning to her. “Door stays unlocked, and you stay right at the entrance.”

She touched his chest. “I will.”

She sucked in a breath. She didn’t like this any more than he did, but she needed to get some answers from her mother.

She stepped inside, and her mother closed and locked the door.

“Call out if you need him?” Her mother scoffed as she headed into the kitchen. “What does he think I’ll do? Hit you over the head with a frying pan and rob you?”

Aspen unlocked the door and turned to her mother, not moving from where she stood. “What are you still doing here, Mom?”

Her mother stopped, back still toward her. “I’m here to see you .”

“You haven’t initiated any contact since you broke into Jesse’s house and accused me of stealing your bracelet.” To anyone else, those words would sound insane.

Her mother cleared her throat as she took two mugs from the cupboard. “Doesn’t mean I wasn’t planning on visiting again. And can you blame me about the bracelet? After the way you were staring at it, I’m surprised you didn’t snatch it off my wrist.”

It was so like her mother to not take responsibility. “Mom, I need to ask you something, and I need you to look at me when I do.”

Her mother was good at lying, but her eyes usually gave her away.

Slowly, her mother turned. “What?”

“Did you give Dylan my address here in Amber Ridge?”

Her features didn’t change at all. In fact, for a moment, she remained so perfectly still she was like a statue.

“Yes.”

Aspen’s stomach dropped. And the reaction was stupid. She’d known it was her mother—she was the only one Aspen had given her address to. But even after everything her mother had done to her, it still hurt. It always hurt.

“Why?”

“Because he asked for it.”

That was it? He asked for it, so she gave it to him? God, she felt like throwing her head into a brick wall, she was so frustrated. “I told you that I left to get away from him. I told you our relationship wasn’t healthy.”

“What did you want me to do?”

“Say no! Protect your child!”

“Protect you from what? He’s a nice guy. I was doing you a favor.”

Anger darkened the room around her. “He hit me. Shocking, isn’t it? He also used to grab me so tightly, I’d have bruises for days. And when I left him, he hit me so hard, I fell into the coffee table and it broke.”

Her mother’s brows flickered. “Come on, Aspen. Is that true? I know you have a tendency to make things up, and I don’t want your overactive imagination to get that boy into trouble.”

She flinched. She’d just told her mother the most painful things that had ever happened to her…and she didn’t believe her. “You think I’d lie about something like that?”

“I think you like attention.”

She blinked. Was this woman really her mother? The woman who was supposed to love her more than anyone else in the world? “What is wrong with you?”

“Excuse me?”

“I just told you that someone assaulted me, and you tell me that I like attention?”

“Aspen, I don’t have the energy for your drama today. You asked me a question, and I answered it. Is there anything else?”

There was no point. Her mother would never change, and at some stage, Aspen needed to accept that. “No. That’s all. I won’t be visiting again. And I certainly won’t be sharing information about my life with you ever again. Stay as long as you want, but leave me alone.”

She turned and took a step toward the door when a sweater hanging over a chair caught her attention. She frowned, and her fingers shook as she lifted it. Immediately, she dropped it as she stumbled back.

It was his…the sweater was Dylan’s. And it was also the same one she’d seen in the grocery store the other day.

She turned back to her mother, disbelief sending tingles through her limbs. “This is Dylan’s.”

Her mother pursed her lips but remained silent.

“This sweater is Dylan’s! Is he here?”

The front door flew open and Jesse stormed inside, Glock in hand.

Her mother gasped and threw a hand over her chest. “What on earth—”

“Is Dylan here?” Jesse shouted, repeating Aspen’s question.

“Get out!”

Jesse ignored her mother and moved through the cabin, opening doors, checking every inch of the space.

Her mother hurried behind him. “What the hell are you doing? You have no right to be in here!”

Her mother grabbed his arm and he spun, towering over her. “He’s a wanted man, and keeping him hidden will see you arrested.”

Her mother’s face paled. “What are you—”

“ Is he here, Karen? ”

She jumped at Jesse’s shouted words, and it took her a few seconds to respond. “He was. He’s not anymore. The second your little deputy fixed the Wi-Fi router, he left. He didn’t want to be caught on camera.”

Aspen’s jaw dropped. “You’ve been living with him?”

“Yes. So?”

Why did it keep hurting? “I can’t be around you.”

She spun and walked out of the house because she knew if she stayed a second longer, she would cry or scream or do something she couldn’t take back.

Jesse watched Aspen as she leaned against the counter at The Tea House and spoke to Mrs. Gerald. The second they’d left her mother’s rental, this was where she’d wanted to come, and Jesse could see why.

She was smiling again. A big smile that lifted the corners of her lips and created little lines beside her eyes. She’d built a relationship with the older café owner. Which was good. She needed people in her life who treated her well. She certainly deserved a hell of a lot more than her mother gave her.

His biceps flexed at the memory of what she’d said to Aspen. At the way she hadn’t even cared that she’d been living with the man who’d hurt her daughter.

What the hell was wrong with that woman?

He’d always known he was lucky to have the mother he had, but seeing Karen in action today just cemented that. And it made him want to share his family with Aspen. She deserved that kind of love.

Aspen returned to the table, setting a mug of hot liquid in front of him and a cup of tea in front of herself as she slid into the booth. “I had the best idea while talking to Mrs. Gerald.”

The smile on her face was radiant. “Tell me.”

“You know how she’s close to closing this place because business has been so bad?”

“Yeah.” Not that he was surprised. He’d been born in this small town and didn’t even know it existed. Plus, he didn’t know one tea drinker.

“Well, I don’t want that to happen. She loves this place. She said she wouldn’t know what to do with herself without it, so I suggested a big reopening party.”

He frowned. “A reopening party?”

“Yes! I’ll do posters and get the word out around town, and she’ll give free samples of her pies and scones. They probably think she only serves tea, but when people try her pie, they’re going to die.”

“I don’t mean to state the obvious, but her coffee isn’t the best.”

“I know, which is why I suggested—in the nicest possible way—that her coffee machine is due for an upgrade. And when you buy a new coffee machine, they show you how to use it…hence, free coffee-making lesson. And I’ve told her all about my favorite coffee beans. Trust me, there is no bad coffee with these beans.”

“That will be a big investment for her.”

“I know. But it could also save her business.” She cocked her head. “Perfect plan, isn’t it?”

After the shitstorm that was the visit with her mother, anything that put that smile on her face was perfect. “It sounds great.”

The smile slipped slightly from her face. “I hope so. I need something good to focus on.”

He reached across the table and gave her hand a small squeeze. “I’m happy to help in any way.” He lifted the coffee, only to cringe on the first sip.

Jesus, had it gotten worse since he’d last come here? The corners of Aspen’s lips lifted again. It almost made the acid-tasting coffee worth it.

“Why did you order that?” she asked.

“Because after the twenty-four hours we’ve had, I needed coffee.” Really, he needed something stronger than coffee. A shot of whiskey wouldn’t hurt.

“I told you, we could have gone to the diner. The instant coffee there’s slightly better.”

“Not really. And you like this place.”

“Two pieces of pie.”

Jesse looked up at Mrs. Gerald. “Thank you.”

Aspen took one bite and closed her eyes. “It’s heaven in a bite.”

The older woman beamed at Aspen. “Thank you, dear. I would hope they’re good after fifty years of perfecting the recipe. Call out if you need anything else.”

As she left their table, he cut a piece of his own. While the coffee had been worse than he remembered, the pie was better. God, it was good.

“See,” Aspen said, scooping more pie onto her fork. “The second locals taste this stuff, they won’t be able to stay away.”

She was right. The pie was addictive.

His voice softened. “I’m sorry about your mom.”

Aspen frowned down at her pie. “I don’t know why anything about her surprises me anymore. After a lifetime of her, I should be used to it, but for some reason, I just keep expecting more.”

“It’s not a bad thing to expect more from the people we love.”

“No, but in my case, it kind of makes me a glutton for punishment.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe he was living with her.”

“I’ll put a deputy on the cabin to watch the place, in case he returns.” After some pressure, Karen had said she’d let him know, but he didn’t believe that for one second.

His phone rang, and he pulled the cell out of his pocket and cringed.

Aspen straightened. “Who is it?”

“My mother.”

Aspen laughed. “You have a sane mother. We only cringe when mine calls.”

“She’s not going to be happy with me. I keep bailing on our family meals.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I’ve also been avoiding her calls, and I’m about to hear it.” He answered the call. “Hi, Mom.”

“Jesse Michael Hayes. Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”

Jesus, she was middle naming him. “I’m sorry, I’ve been—”

“Don’t you say busy. You should never be too busy for family.”

“I know.”

“You are coming to lunch this Sunday. That’s not a request. It’s happening. Already have plans? Cancel them. Your brother and sister are coming too.”

“Okay.”

“Good. And no last-minute canceling like last time.”

“I won’t. But I’m bringing Aspen with me.”

Aspen’s brows shot up, fork pausing halfway to her mouth.

“Of course. I expected her to come. Are you two—”

“Mom.” He was not going to define what they were to his mother when he hadn’t even talked to Aspen about that.

His mother sighed. “Butt out. I get it. It will be lovely to see you both. Is there anything she doesn’t eat?”

“She doesn’t like salmon, but that’s it.” He’d learned that the hard way in Misty Peak, when he’d cooked it, and she’d paled.

“No salmon. Done. I’ll see you Sunday, darling. Remember, don’t—”

“Cancel. I won’t.”

“Good. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He hung up to see Aspen giving him a strange look.

He frowned. “Did I miss something? Is there anything else you don’t like?”

“No. I just… I’m going to your family dinner?”

“If that’s okay with you? If not, I could rain check.” His mother would kill him, but for Aspen, he’d do it.

“Don’t rain check. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Good.” It really was, because there was a huge part of him that was looking forward to her being a part of the family gathering, too.