Unafraid (Amber Ridge #1)

Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

J esse’s fingers tightened around the wheel. He’d had a bad feeling in his gut all morning.

He shot a glance in his rearview mirror. Nothing. No tail, anyway. But that didn’t make him feel any better.

It was the evening of The Tea House’s reopening. Holden and Becket were meeting them there, but so was the entire damn town. How many people would be there? Would they get in the way of protecting Aspen?

Aspen placed her palm on his thigh. “I’m so excited for Mrs. Gerald. I really hope the town comes, falls in love with her tea house, and her business flourishes.”

At least one of them was excited. “As the only place in Amber Ridge that now sells a decent cup of coffee, I think Mrs. Gerald is going to be inundated with customers.”

Aspen’s smile widened, and that was exactly why he was doing this. He’d do anything to see that damn smile.

She leaned her head back against the headrest and glanced at him. “Do you ever imagine our lives if you hadn’t offered me the spare bedroom in your home? I’d still be in Misty Peak, dealing with my overbearing mother and ex, but by myself. And you wouldn’t have me.”

He knew she meant it as a joke, but the very thought of not having her made him feel raw inside. “Don’t say that too loud. We’ll blink and none of this will be real.” He lifted her hand off his thigh and kissed the inside of her wrist. “Thank you for saying yes.”

“Best yes I’ve ever given.”

He pulled into the parking lot behind The Tea House. Cars already filled the lot, and he hated that. He’d wanted to get here early, before the place filled up, but Aspen had distracted him with…other things, and leaving the house had taken far longer than it should have.

He climbed out and scanned the parking lot. People were climbing out of cars. Others were moving toward the building. None of them looked at him or Aspen, and none of them were Dylan.

When Aspen stepped beside him, he slipped an arm around her waist and headed toward the shop door. They were almost at the entrance when he paused, tugging her to a stop with him as he wrapped both arms around her waist.

She frowned and pressed her hands to his chest. “Jesse, what are—”

He kissed her, swiping his lips across hers and tugging her entire body flush against his.

He didn’t want the kiss to end. He wanted to pause this moment and stay exactly as they were. It took far too much willpower to lift his head. And when he did, his eyes bore into her blue ones.

“Remember…stick close.”

She tilted her head, a small hint of a smile spreading across her lips. “I’ll never be more than a foot or two away.”

“Have I told you I love you today?”

“About six times, but I was really hoping for that seventh.”

“I love you.”

Her eyes softened. “I love you too.”

A throat cleared behind him. “Are we interrupting something?”

His lips twitched at the sound of his sister’s voice, and he turned to see both Clara and his mother standing there.

He leaned down and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Hi, Mom.”

Clara hugged Aspen before grinning at him. “Is my badass big brother so in love that he can’t go five minutes without kissing his woman?”

He grabbed her and lightly ruffled her hair, not caring about all the people passing.

Clara laughed and shoved him.

His mother wrapped an arm around Aspen’s waist. “Let’s go inside, honey. These two might be a while.”

Jesse chuckled and followed. The second he was inside though, the smile fell. Too many people. Far too fucking many. He returned to Aspen’s side. As they moved deeper into the room, he spotted Holden. Good. Now he just needed his brother and he’d feel semi-okay.

Holden dipped his head as he and Aspen stopped in front of him. “Hey.”

Aspen smiled. “Hi, Holden.”

“Sorry we’re late.” Technically, they weren’t late, just later than they’d told Holden they’d arrive.

“You’re fine. Is Becket still coming?”

Jesse frowned. “He’s not here yet?”

“I haven’t seen him.”

Jesse searched the floor, then the mezzanine level upstairs. There were plenty of people but, as far as he could see, his brother wasn’t one of them.

“He’s probably just running late.” Holden’s gaze moved behind them. “I’m going to say hi to your mom and sister.” Holden gripped his shoulder before stepping away.

Aspen inched closer. “Can I ask you something?”

“If it’s whether we can leave, then the answer is yes.”

She rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face as she did it. “Have Holden and Clara ever…”

When she didn’t finish, Jesse frowned. “Dated?”

“Well, yeah.”

“No. Why?”

She lifted a shoulder. “Just wondering.”

Jesse looked behind him at Holden, Clara and his mother. They were standing in a circle talking, and as far as he could tell, everything seemed normal.

He’d never even considered them dating a possibility. Would he care if they did? He wasn’t sure. Holden was one of the best guys he knew, and he trusted him with his life. But his best friend and his sister would be a strange concept to wrap his head around. And ever since Clara had been sick, he and Becket had been more protective of her.

“Aspen! Jesse!”

He turned back to see Mrs. Gerald joining them. The older woman gave Jesse a hug, then Aspen, before pulling back and looking at Aspen’s shirt. “It looks great on you.”

The T-shirt had “The Tea House” across the top, with a teapot graphic beneath, and on the back was Aspen’s name.

Aspen beamed. “Thank you. I’m here to help, so put me to work.”

“But just for an hour,” Jesse added quickly.

They’d told The Tea House owner that they had a last-minute appointment they couldn’t get out of. It was a shitty excuse for a Sunday night, but it was all they had.

“One hour,” Aspen confirmed, reaching up and kissing him before following the older woman.

He was still watching them, following at a discreet distance, when his phone rang.

Becket.

He answered the call. “Hey. You close?”

A car engine sounded over the line. “I’m sorry, man. I was on my way, but I’ve been called into work. There’s a huge fire in Bozeman, and they’ve called us in for backup.”

Jesse’s chest tightened, the sudden urge to whisk Aspen out of there almost overwhelming. He wanted his brother there, but he was the fire chief; if he was needed at work, there was nothing he could do. “Stay safe.”

“Will do. Don’t let Aspen out of your sight.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

He hung up and was still watching Aspen when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Luke.

“Hey.” Jesse frowned. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

Luke lifted a shoulder. “You said there was good coffee. Thought I should get out of the house for something other than work.”

Good. Luke definitely needed to get out. Since Margot, he hadn’t been his normal self at all. But then, no one at the station had.

Luke lifted his chin, gesturing toward Aspen, who was now holding a tray of pie slices. “I’m surprised you let her come.”

“Just for an hour.”

“I’ll help keep an eye on her.”

“I appreciate it.” There were so many people in this shop, he could use all the help he could get.

Aspen could not wipe the smile from her face. It was busy. People-everywhere, could-barely-move kind of busy. And locals were loving the coffee and pie. But she’d known they would. Both were amazing, and so were the scones and little finger sandwiches Mrs. Gerald had made.

She set another empty tray behind the counter and turned to see Mrs. Gerald in front of her, mug of coffee in hand. The older woman was smiling from ear to ear. “Thank you.”

Aspen shook her head. “All I did was make a coffee bean suggestion and hand out a few fliers.”

“No, you did a lot more than that. You cared enough to help.” She pulled Aspen into a one-armed hug. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for letting me occupy one of your booths for hours on end.” No, days on end.

“You may occupy a booth whenever you want, for as long as you need.” She pulled back and handed Aspen the mug of coffee. “Now, this is for you. I added the creamer you like. You have ten minutes before you have to go, so inhale that coffee and have fun.”

“But—”

“No buts. You’ve volunteered enough of your time.” Then Mrs. Gerald gave her a little push around the counter.

Aspen chuckled as she slipped into the crowd. Someone brushed her shoulder, knocking her drink and almost spilling it. “Whoops, sorry.”

The woman didn’t look back or stop, just kept walking.

That was a bit rude.

She took a small sip of her coffee, only to flinch. Hot. Good, but hot. If there was one teeny-tiny criticism she had of Mrs. Gerald, it was that she tended to make the coffee on the boiling side.

Her gaze lifted, and she spotted Jesse. He was on the other side of the room talking to Burt, the pizzeria owner she’d been introduced to earlier. But Jesse’s gaze was on her , exactly as it had been every other time she’d looked for him that evening.

Her heart did one of those funny little squeezes. The kind that reminded her of just how lucky she was to have the people she had in her life.

She took another step toward him, only to crash to a stop when a woman cut in front of her. Not just any woman—her mother.

What the hell ?

“Mom…what are you doing here? I thought you left.” Well, she’d assumed she’d left after the Airbnb owner had confirmed she’d checked out. Plus, Aspen hadn’t heard from her mother in weeks.

“No, I stayed. I need to talk to you.” The words came out fast. Almost breathless.

“Are you okay?”

Her mother stepped closer. “Aspen—”

“Do you have a black eye?” Oh, God. She did. And it looked fresh.

Her mother’s mouth opened and closed. “I…no, it’s just bags under my eyes from not sleeping well.”

She was lying. And she wasn’t even lying well. Suddenly, a sickening thought hit her. “Mom, was it Dylan? Have you been in communication with him again?”

“Yes.”

Aspen’s jaw dropped. The confirmation came so quickly, it felt like a kick to the stomach. “Yes?”

“I know you’re angry, but—”

“I’m not angry. I’m furious . I shouldn’t be. I should be used to you disappointing me by now, but for some reason, I’m still not.”

“I am sorry, but I need to tell—”

“I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to do better! I need—” She stopped speaking when a wave of dizziness passed over her.

What was that?

Her mother kept talking, but for some reason her words didn’t make sense. They were a blur of sounds that morphed into the noise of the room.

Something was wrong with her. Something was very wrong.

She needed Jesse.

She mumbled something she hoped sounded like, “I need to go,” but everything was so fuzzy she had no idea what came out. Her mother reached for her, but she shrugged off her touch and pushed into the crowd.

Jesse…where was Jesse? Was she moving toward him? She didn’t even know.

Two more steps and an arm slipped around her. Who was that? Her mother? It wasn’t Jesse. The body was softer. Shorter.

She tried to pull away, but her muscles wouldn’t cooperate.

Panic tightened her chest. What was wrong with her?

Her knees started to tremble, like her legs could barely carry her weight, and her eyes shuttered, too heavy to keep open. The arm around her tightened, almost dragging her.

A door opening sounded, then there was wind on her skin.

She was outside. Someone had taken her outside.

Fear gripped her chest.

Her legs suddenly crumpled, and strong arms wrapped around her…but not Jesse’s arms.

Her heart took off at a gallop as she was thrown onto what felt like the floor of a car. Pain seared her side, but she was too tired to do anything about it.

A door slammed closed, and a few seconds later, a car engine sounded. She was just losing consciousness when a voice pricked her ears. A voice that was both familiar and terrifying. A voice that made the darkness around her turn into a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

Dylan’s voice.