Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Atlee smiled when she looked to her right and saw Simon at the sink, rinsing off dishes to put in the dishwasher.
It had been three weeks since she’d walked in on the burglar in his house, and she hadn’t spent more than a few hours at a time away from Simon since then.
He’d refused to leave her side, which she was more than all right with her.
Renee came to Fallport as soon as she’d heard her mom had been hurt, and she and Simon had become fast friends almost immediately. Probably because she could see for herself how worried he was about her mom. And how pissed off he was at the guy who’d hurt her.
She’d stayed about three days before heading back to Roanoke, confident that her mother was in good hands. He’d admitted to Atlee later that he’d had a heart-to-heart with her daughter, about how much he loved her mom and wanted to marry her.
The more time she spent around Simon, the more she loved him. He was just the right amount of protective, and even though she could tell he didn’t love it when she went back to work, he didn’t protest…too much.
The kid who’d broken into his house was sixteen.
Atlee had a hard time wrapping her brain around that.
He looked much older and had a…hardness about him, which was extremely scary.
He was nothing like Marley, the guy they’d had the run-in with on the interstate.
Apparently, the kid had moved to Fallport recently and hated it.
Was bored. Missed his friends, who were part of a gang back in Dallas, where he’d moved from.
He was responsible for all the break-ins. More than enough evidence was found in his room at his house…stolen property that was identified by the victims of his crimes.
Atlee had assumed she’d deal with her ordeal just fine.
After all, she’d gotten away with just a concussion and a few stitches in her forehead.
But as it turns out, she wasn’t doing as well as she’d hoped, because at night she had horrible nightmares.
After every one, Simon was there. Holding her.
Telling she was okay. That he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
She was slowly getting better, but walking into either her house or Simon’s alone wasn’t something she could do yet.
She was a little ashamed of her weakness, but Simon reassured her that her reaction was completely normal.
That one of her safe spaces had been violated in the worst way.
When he couldn’t pick her up from work and bring her home, he arranged for one of his many friends to be there for her.
Atlee knew a lot of people in Fallport, but in the last week and a half, she’d gotten to know them even better…
especially the men who were on the Eagle Point Search and Rescue team.
Ethan, Zeke, Cohen, Drew, Brock, Talon, and Raiden had all been by the food bank to check on her.
And their wives had also joined in. Coming in to volunteer their time, or to simply stay and chat. It meant a lot to Atlee.
Simon had told her that there would probably be a plea deal, so she wouldn’t have to face her attacker in court, which was a huge relief. He also told her that the guy was being charged as an adult, so he’d get real jail time, not just a slap on the wrist and released once he turned twenty-one.
Atlee had seen the evil in his eyes up close and personal, and she had no doubt that if released, he’d offend again. She just had to hope whoever crossed paths with him in the future would be all right.
“How do you feel?”
She jerked a little at Simon’s question. She’d been lost in thought, thinking about the last few weeks and everything that had happened. “I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“Well, I don’t think I want to go skydiving or anything, but my headaches are pretty much gone now, and even though the wound on my forehead itches, it’s not painful.”
She could’ve kicked herself for bringing up her injury. She saw firsthand every day how tortured Simon was over it. His gaze would sometimes linger on it, and she often saw regret on his face. He’d admitted to her that he felt a lot of guilt for sending her to his house without him.
But of course, it wasn’t his fault. He had no way of knowing that guy would have chosen his house to break into.
Or that he’d react with such violence to being caught in the act.
Most burglars would run the second they realized someone was entering the house they were inside of illegally.
She’d told Simon time and time again that it wasn’t his fault, that the only person to blame was the kid who’d broken in.
He was trying to let it go, but the mark on her forehead was a reminder of what happened every time he looked at her. Eventually it would fade, as would the bad memories, but for the moment, they were both pretty raw.
“I thought since the weather is so nice today, we could have lunch in The Circle.”
“I’d love that!” Atlee told him with a huge smile. The Circle was a gazebo in the middle of the square, in the heart of downtown Fallport.
“Great. I’ll grab something from Sunny Side Up and meet you there around noon. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Simon turned from the sink to approach her. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her hard. Atlee snuggled closer, still smiling.
She was happy. Even with the break-in and getting hurt and almost violated, she found every day was a little easier.
She was getting her equilibrium back, and a lot of that had to do with the man holding her.
He made her feel safe. Went out of his way to do whatever he could to make sure she was doing all right mentally.
And knowing that when she’d called him, he’d come immediately, with no hesitation, went a long way toward solidifying her trust in him, if there’d been any lingering doubt at all.
“Come on, I know you’re getting that huge donation today, and there will be a lot of work to do to figure out where to put everything. Don’t overdo it though, got it?”
Atlee leaned back and smiled at him. “Of course.”
Simon rolled his eyes. “I mean it. You’ve got a ton of help coming to help lift boxes and move things around. There’s no need for you to hurt yourself trying to cart shit around that’s too heavy for you.”
“I can’t believe how many people volunteered to come help with the delivery.”
“I can. What you do for Fallport is huge, Atlee. We have more and more people who are food insecure, and your work soliciting donations so they can feed their families is a big deal. They know it, and they want to give back. Ready to head out?”
She nodded.
Before she knew it, Simon was kissing her long and deep while they sat in his cruiser in front of the food bank. By the time she pulled back, they were both breathing hard.
“By the way, I talked to Doc Snow—which was the most embarrassing thing ever, but it had to be done—and he said since my dizziness was gone and I’m back to normal, that it would be fine for us to make love again.”
The desire that flared in his eyes made Atlee’s thighs clench together. He’d insisted on not doing anything that might hurt her, or exacerbate the headaches she had from the concussion, until she got the all-clear from the doc.
“Good news, sweetheart.”
She couldn’t keep the smile off her face if she tried. “Yeah.”
“I think tonight I’ll try again to arrange that anniversary surprise I promised you. Except this time it’ll be our a hundred and twentieth anniversary.”
She chuckled at his insistence in marking time in days instead of months.
Atlee couldn’t wait. Tonight would not be a replay of what happened before.
The guy who’d broken in was behind bars, and she wouldn’t be returning to the house by herself.
She had no idea what Simon had planned, but she was excited to find out.
Especially since it would most likely include both of them naked and hopefully having several orgasms. “Can’t wait. ”
Simon kissed her again, then pulled back. “Go. Before I put this car in drive and take you to my lair to have my wicked way with you.”
Atlee giggled. She hadn’t smiled or laughed so much in years. She liked it. A lot.
If she didn’t have this huge delivery of supplies today, she totally would’ve tried to convince him to take her home.
But her sense of responsibility was too strong.
The anticipation of what Simon had planned, and what they’d do together tonight, would run through her veins all day, making the evening that much better. Of that she had no doubt.
He waited until Bethany opened the door to the food pantry before giving Atlee a chin lift and driving off toward the police station. Atlee watched him go, then turned. “Ready for today?” she asked.
“Oh yes,” Bethany said with a grin.
Together, they walked into the food pantry to try to figure out where all the boxes they would be receiving this morning would go.
Simon was nervous about lunch. He hoped everything went off as planned.
He did his best to keep his worry from showing as he picked up Atlee. But she noticed. Of course she did. Just as he’d know if she was concerned about something. They were as in tune as two people could be. It was just one more way he knew they were meant to be together.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, watching him carefully as he drove back toward the police station. He’d park there and they’d walk to the square and the gazebo to have their lunch.
“Nothing.”
“Simon, you can talk to me about anything. I know you might not be able to give me details if it’s about your job, but I want to be here for you just as much as you have for me. And if it’s about what happened to me, please don’t keep anything going on a secret.”
“I know I can talk to you, and it’s not about that asswipe. He’s in jail where he belongs and will be for a long while. The prosecutors are making sure of that. There’s more than enough evidence against him.”
“Okay, good. Then what’s wrong?”