Chapter 15
Devon
W e were at my house in less than thirty minutes.
I’d stopped at Reese’s apartment, and I told her to gather what she needed for a few days.
We’d get the rest of her stuff later.
She’d tried to argue that she was fine in her apartment.
I told her she wasn’t, and if she didn’t grab her stuff that I’d do it for her, and she might not end up with everything she needed.
She’d come back ten minutes later with a small suitcase that I’d tossed in the back of my truck.
I handed her a glass of wine after we’d gotten into my family room, and she’d settled herself on the sofa. I sat beside her with something a little stronger.
I took a deep breath. “You can talk or not talk,” I rumbled. “I’m good just knowing you’re here and that you’re safe.”
I should have been there for her after Gloria and her newborn had left in the ambulance.
I hadn’t because I’d been too busy sulking about the fact that she hadn’t told me that she was a completely different woman than the one I’d come to know.
I’d thought that I’d needed some space for a while to try to digest the fact that Reese…wasn’t really Reese.
Now, I wanted to kick myself for being such an asshole.
My gut twisted at the thought of her nearly dying because some lunatic shot her.
Never, during all of the time that I’d wanted to know her secrets, did it occur to me that she could have suffered that much or that she was in that much danger.
I was pissed off and furious, but none of that was directed at Reese.
She’d had no choice but to keep silent.
I was angry with myself.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I wanted to tell you the truth so badly, but I couldn’t. I agreed to the terms when I was offered a new identity.”
“Don’t ever be sorry for protecting your own life,” I growled. “I hate the shit you’ve been through, Reese. Is your name really Reese?”
She nodded. “Catherine Reese Monroe. I’ve always gone by Reese. I’m the same woman you’ve always known, Devon. I’ve never lied to you about who I am as a person. I’m the same nerd that I’ve always been. I’m thirty-two, not twenty-eight. My age and birthdate needed to be changed.”
“You’re still young,” I grumbled.
“I almost slipped a few times and said that I started watching my diet more closely once I hit my thirties. We got so close, and I got so comfortable with you that it was hard not to make little mistakes once in a while. What else do you want to know?”
“Tell me about your real career,” I suggested. “Why a nurse practitioner?”
“Both of my parents are doctors. I guess it came naturally. I thought about going to medical school, but I found myself more drawn toward nursing. You get more of a personal connection with your patients. After a few years in labor and delivery, I decided to go back to school and become a nurse practitioner. After I finished, Kyle asked me to join his OB/GYN practice. He was an incredible physician, and I loved working with him in the hospital. We weren’t just colleagues, we were friends. By the time I got certified, I’d worked with him in labor and delivery for years. It wasn’t easy waking up from surgery and finding out that he didn’t make it.”
Fuck! I hadn’t meant to bring up bad memories for her.
“You obviously liked your job,” I mused. “How has it been working as an office manager when you’re really a nurse practitioner.”
“I minored in business,” she explained. “So I really do have a business degree. I thought I might want to work in nurse management someday, so I thought the business degree might be helpful. I’ve never worked in a business office in my life. I didn’t want to fail Hannah. That was my only concern. I actually enjoy working at Glam Anywhere, but I do miss my real profession.”
“What do your parents and your friends think about all of this?” I asked curiously.
“They don’t know,” she said in a tremulous voice. “Nobody knows where I am. Them knowing could put them in danger, and any communication could be tracked. I haven’t talked to anyone I love for months. That’s probably the hardest part of all this. I used to talk to my mom almost every single day. She’s probably worried sick about me. All I could say was that I was going away for a while to a safe place, and I’d contact them as soon as I was able. They don’t know I’m living under a false identity in Crystal Fork, Montana. I never thought I’d have to be away from them this long without a single phone call.”
It nearly gutted me when I saw the tears in her eyes.
I couldn’t imagine not having some kind of contact with my family for months.
I could tell she was worried about her parents, and I understood that perfectly.
I took our glasses and put them on the coffee table so I could pull her against me and wrap my arms around her. “I’m not asking any more questions. I hate seeing you cry,” I rasped against her hair.
The woman I was holding had been through so much pain and fear in the last year that I was surprised that she was still calm and sane.
“I’m okay,” she murmured against my shoulder. “It’s probably good for me. I’ve had to hold everything together for so long that I’ve probably never dealt with any of my emotional baggage. That meltdown in your kitchen was the only time I was ever able to lose it.”
Reese’s calmness in a situation like this one amazed me.
She might not be the greatest liar in the world, but her bravery and her ability to keep her head together after all she’d been through was a fucking miracle to me.
I tightened my arms around her. “Feel free to dump that baggage on me any time you want.”
She smacked my arm playfully, “I wouldn’t dump my baggage on my worst enemy, much less a friend.” She paused before she asked in the same light tone, “What was that caveman act you pulled at my apartment tonight?”
“I wasn’t coming home without you,” I said simply. “You are staying here with me.”
“You’re doing it again,” she pointed out.
“I’m not fucking around with your safety, Reese. I don’t use it often, but I have an excellent security system here, and we’ll be using it all the time from now on. I’m also getting you a protection trained dog as soon as I can find one.”
“Do you want a dog?” she asked curiously.
“I’ve always had one. I lost my fourteen-year-old female border collie a year ago. I haven’t had the heart to replace her. Now I’m ready for another dog.”
“Because you want to protect me?” she questioned suspiciously.
“Yep.” I wasn’t going to lie to her. I liked having a dog, but my motivation to get one revolved around Reese’s safety right now.
“Don’t do it,” she warned. “I’ll use the security system. I’m not letting you get a dog just to protect me. I’m here willingly. I didn’t fight you about coming here because I always feel safer when I’m with you. But I’m putting my foot down on this one.”
“We’ll see,” I said noncommittally. I had gotten what I wanted now that she’d agreed to come stay with me. I didn’t want to push my luck, but I wanted to keep my future protection possibilities open.
“I keep hoping all of this will be over soon,” Reese murmured. “I’ve been terrified since the day Burke burst into our medical office. It’s been like a nightmare that never ends.”
“Are you still scared?” I asked her.
She took a deep breath. “I hate to admit it, but almost all the time. I’m always hyper aware of my surroundings and looking over my shoulder. Rationally, I know that Crystal Fork is a safe place and that I’m well-hidden here under a new identity, but I’m never quite comfortable. I’m probably the most relaxed when I’m here with you.”
That was probably incredibly normal when you knew there was someone out there who wanted you dead. No matter how well she’d been hidden.
“I’m always a little edgy,” she continued. “I hate the sound of gunshots or anything that sounds like one, and I still have nightmares occasionally about the shooting. I probably still have a little PTSD that I’ve never been able to deal with because I can’t talk to anyone.”
No wonder she hadn’t wanted to learn how to use a gun.
It was a helpless feeling for me to know that Reese needed some help coping with her past trauma but couldn’t get the help she needed.
“Until you can get some trauma counseling, talk to me,” I insisted. “I can’t give you much advice, but I can listen. You have someone other than Ralph to talk to now.”
“I adore him,” she shared. “He’s done so much for me, but he is a no-nonsense kind of guy. He’s not exactly someone I’d talk to about my trauma.”
“You can tell me anything,” I said, and I meant it.
If Reese needed me, I was going to be there for her.
“I guess I’m going to have to earn your trust back before we can truly be friends again,” Reese mused.
“You don’t owe me anything,” I growled. “You did what you had to do for your safety. You never intentionally lied to me, Reese. I trust you, but I want to get to know you more now that everything is out in the open. I admire what you did for Gloria today. I didn’t see it, but I could hear you from outside the booth. I didn’t let Ralph chase me away. You were pretty calm when you decided their lives were more important than your safety. Doing a high-risk delivery in the middle of a park is pretty ballsy, but it never seemed to faze you. I don’t know that part of you. We don’t have to start over. I just want to get to know the parts of you that I don’t know yet.”
“I want that, too,” she said with a small yawn.
I got up with her still in my arms. “You’re tired. It’s getting late. Let’s get you to bed. It’s been a long day for you.”
Reese was probably exhausted emotionally and physically after what happened at the park and all of the talk about her past today.
From now on, I considered it my privilege to take care of Reese Monroe, and I was going to take that job very seriously.
“My bag,” she said sleepily.
I scooped up the small suitcase I’d brought in and put it on her lap.
“You’re not seriously going to carry me and this suitcase up all of those stairs,” she said, alarmed.
I grinned at her. “Now that you said that I’m tempted to do it, but I do have an elevator that goes up.”
“Use it, please,” she said. “I don’t want you to end up with a hernia.”
For all her talk of extra pounds, Reese was a small woman, and she hadn’t brought much with her. I could easily carry her up the steps, but I got into the elevator to make her happy.
“I’ve never seen the upstairs area of your home,” she commented.
I found that interesting since she’d had every opportunity to look around while I was out of town.
“I’m putting you in the bedroom right next to mine,” I informed her. “If you ever need me, I’m out the door and to the right.”
“Thank you for this,” she said quietly.
“You don’t ever have to thank me for helping you, Reese. We’re friends. It’s what people do when they care about someone. You’d do the same for me.”
“I guess I’m used to being the one who takes care of everyone else,” she said thoughtfully.
“Then I guess it’s about time someone took care of you for a change,” I informed her as we arrived in her room.
As I put her gently on the bed, she suddenly lifted her head, her eyes wide open. “I never got to bid on the necklace at the auction!”
I dug into the pocket of my jeans. I was going to save the surprise for later, but she looked so disappointed that I wasn’t about to make her wait.
I held up the necklace. “You mean this one?” I teased. “I had a friend win the bid for me. It’s yours. Consider it a gift for all the times you’ve fed me.”
“Devon, I have to pay you for it. I’m not sure I have enough in my savings here to cover it, but I have money I can’t access in my real bank accounts.”
“Not happening. I’m a billionaire, Reese. Just let me give you one small gift without being stubborn about it.”
She took the necklace from me like it was a priceless diamond necklace.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said with a sigh. “But I’m not taking advantage of you just because you have billions of dollars. I’ll take it, but only if you let me do something nice for you in return someday.”
I could think of a million nice things she could do for me that would make me extremely happy, but I wasn’t opening up that topic right now.
My priority was her well-being right now, and what she needed was some sleep.
The friends with benefits discussion that had gotten interrupted earlier was going to have to wait.
Now that I knew everything that she’d been through all I wanted to do was make sure that she felt…safe.