Chapter 16
Reese
T he following week turned out to be the best days I’d ever spent in Crystal Fork.
Hannah had no problem with me continuing to work at Glam Anywhere even though I’d lied about my work experience. She’d insisted on me staying in my current job.
None of the Remington family treated me any differently than they had previously. In fact, they were even more protective and kind to me.
I’d answered all questions they wanted to ask about my life because I had nothing to hide with them anymore, and I wanted all of my friends to know the real me.
“How are things going living with Devon?” Hannah asked as we ate lunch together in the reception area of the office on Friday afternoon.
“He’s been incredible,” I answered honestly after I’d swallowed a bite of my chicken salad. “But he’s definitely overprotective.”
Devon took me to work every day after we got a coffee at The Mug And Jug, and he left work early to pick me up at closing time.
Never, at any time, was I alone at his place, and he was diligent about locking up the house and setting the alarm system.
Hannah snorted. “I think that’s true of all of the Remington brothers and their women.”
I looked at her in surprise. “I’m not his woman.”
“Are you kidding?” she asked drily. “We all saw him lose his mind at Millie’s when he found out what happened to you. And his behavior after that. Devon never acts like that. He definitely considers you his woman.”
“We’re not together, Hannah. We’re friends. I’m not going to lie and say that I’m not attracted to him. No more lies of any kind with anyone who knows the truth from now on.”
“He’s obviously attracted to you, too,” Hannah observed. “The two of you have never…”
“Had sex?” I finished for her since she’d probably stopped because she didn’t want to invade my privacy. But I trusted Hannah and there wasn’t much I wouldn’t tell her. “Nope. You know that Devon doesn’t do commitments or girlfriends. I’m so attracted to him that I even offered him a friends with benefits thing with no strings attached. He never really gave me an answer and he hasn’t mentioned the topic this week.”
“Probably because he wants more than that,” Hannah answered. “And he’s probably more focused on protecting you and helping you through this whole ordeal.”
I nodded. “He has been really focused on my mental health because I told him I still have some PTSD from the shooting. I’m not sure how he pulled it off, but he actually found me a counselor that I started meeting with this week via video that wouldn’t ask any questions or require any of my personal info. She specializes in treating people who’ve gone through a traumatic event in their lives. Kaleb asked his cousin Wyatt for a trauma specialist, and Wyatt knew somebody who would work with me, no questions asked. She seems really good at what she does, but it seems strange to me that she didn’t even require my last name, address, or any of my personal data.”
“According to Tanner, Wyatt has some mysterious connections, but he’s not sure why,” Hannah told me. “When Shelby was kidnapped and almost killed, there was zero media coverage of the event. Wyatt was able to kill the whole thing like it never happened. I think anyone he’s recommending is safe.”
“Devon said the same thing,” I replied.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Hannah queried. “I’m always here if you need to talk about it.”
I shook my head. “I still have some nightmares about the shooting, and I panic when I hear anything that sounds like a gunshot, but I think this counselor can help with that. I guess I’m just starting to deal with it because everything is in the open now with all of you. Helping to deliver Gloria’s baby was scary, too. In all of my years as a labor and delivery nurse, the only mother and baby I ever lost was Burke Kline’s wife and child.”
“What happened if you don’t mind me asking?” Hannah questioned softly.
I’d already talked to Devon about that nightmare delivery, and I didn’t mind sharing with Hannah.
“Her uterus ruptured before we could get her to surgery for a C-section. Something like that happening is pretty rare. Kyle and I were both devastated. Burke left the hospital, and we never saw him again until the shooting over a year later. It was actually my last delivery before I started as a nurse practitioner in Kyle’s office. It was my last day as a labor and delivery nurse.”
“What a horrible way to end your hospital career,” Hannah said in a mortified voice.
“It was,” I agreed. “I was actually glad that I didn’t have to go back and help deliver more babies after that. I loved my job as a women’s health NP. I helped Kyle with prenatal care for women, but I had a wide variety of things that I could do to help women of all ages.”
“It must have been strange to switch to working in this office after spending most of your career in the hospital.”
“Strange, but interesting,” I shared. “I like what I’m doing here, Hannah. It’s been a privilege to help get Glam Anywhere off the ground. In some ways, I’m still helping women. You’re reaching so many women who are housebound and want those services. You’re also making life easier for working women.”
“I feel really good about that,” Hannah agreed. “I love doing weddings and bridal stuff, but it’s nice to branch out and be doing something else that I think is important.”
“You’re doing well in Montana,” I pointed out. “Are you starting to think about going national?”
“Not until after our daughter is born,” Hannah shared. “I’m thinking I’m going to need a new office manager once Burke Kline is apprehended. It’s going to be hard to lose you. Are you going back to Spokane?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead,” I said truthfully. “Probably. My parents are there, and we’re close. But I can’t say that I don’t have amazing friends here now, too.”
“You could stay and practice here,” Hannah suggested. “Devon would be ecstatic. We all would be. Spokane isn’t that far. He’d fly you to see your parents whenever you wanted.”
“Devon might be happy to get me out of his home,” I joked.
“I don’t think so,” Hannah answered. “I think he’d be crushed if you left. I’ve never seen Devon attached to a woman the way he’s bonded with you, and he’s been like a brother to me for a long time. He’s crazy about you, and I mean that literally. He seems obsessed over your safety. I think you’re underestimating how much he cares about you, Reese. I’m willing to bet that the pretty necklace you’re wearing was a gift from Devon.”
I fingered the beautiful turquoise and silver necklace around my neck as I answered, “He got someone to bid on it for him,” I confessed. “I was going to bid on it at the auction myself, but I was busy trying to help deliver a baby.”
“That was pretty thoughtful,” Hannah observed. “And Devon isn’t known for being that kind and considerate. He’s changed since he met you, Reese.”
I shook my head. “I think he’s always been that way underneath all of his bluster,” I said.
“The people who know and love him realize that,” Hannah said. “But nobody else does.”
“He has so many good qualities, and he’s so creative,” I mused. “I just wish I knew why he feels like it’s necessary for most people to think he’s kind of a jerk.”
“If he ever decides to tell anyone, it will probably be you,” Hannah answered. “Change of subject, but we’re going to go to Billings on Sunday. Do you want to go? I know you’re a little nervous about anyone recognizing you, but I could change your appearance. And Anna is an expert at disguise. I asked Ralph if it would be okay. He said if we can really change your appearance, it’s up to you. I think he feels bad that you’ve never been able to get out of town. He might be a no-nonsense guy, but he cares about your mental well-being.”
I let myself feel a little hopeful as I asked, “What can you change?”
There had been some publicity about the shooting, and my face had been in news articles nationally. That’s why they’d kept me buried here in Crystal Fork. Going to a bigger town might have been risky.
“Just about everything,” Hannah said confidently. “I can change your haircut and use some temporary hair color to take the red out of your hair. It will wash out so nobody in Crystal Fork will be suspicious. Anna has a variety of colored contact lenses now that she’d lend you to mask those distinctive eyes. She even has some that aren’t prescription that she wears with her prescription glasses for an even better disguise. I’ll even do your makeup before we leave.”
I didn’t wear a lot of makeup. Just enough to highlight my eyes and my lips.
Just the thought of feeling free enough to go a few places made my heart soar.
“Yes!” I squeaked excitedly. “Are we going shopping? There are so many things I’d like to get. I’m crocheting some things for your baby, but I really want to see the yarn in person, so I know it’s exactly what I need.”
I’d missed shopping in person, and I hadn’t been able to do that in a very long time.
“We’re absolutely shopping at the mall,” Hannah said mischievously. “And eating. And gossiping. And getting a good massage. There’s an expert in gentle massage for pregnant women at the spa. We always have so much fun on our days in Billings. I’m ecstatic that you can come with us. I’ll be at Devon’s place early on Sunday morning.”
“Thank you, Hannah,” I said as I forced back the tears that were threatening to fall. “This means a lot to me.”
I’d felt confined for so long, and I wanted to do something that felt normal with the friends that I cared about.
“Don’t expect Devon to be as thrilled as you are,” Hannah warned. “He doesn’t seem to want to let you out of his sight.”
“I’ll handle him,” I said with a sigh. “I’d love to get him something in Billings because he snagged this beautiful necklace for me, but what do you get a billionaire who has everything?”
He probably wouldn’t be happy about the outing, but he was going to have to realize that he couldn’t protect me every minute of the day.
She winked at me. “If anyone can handle him, it’s you. And I have the same problem getting things for Tanner. We’ll stop at Crumbl Cookies before we go back to Crystal Fork. All three of our guys have a weakness for those cookies. Anna and I always bring a box home so our men stop sulking over us leaving for the day.” She lifted a hand before I could speak. “And don’t tell me that Devon isn’t your guy. He is. You just don’t realize it yet.”
I gave up on that argument. Hannah was convinced that Devon cared about me in a girlfriend sort of way, and I wasn’t going to convince her otherwise. “I was hoping for something a little nicer than cookies. He won’t tell me how much he paid for the necklace, and he definitely won’t take the money, but I’m sure it was pricey.”
“When your man is a billionaire, it’s the little things that mean a lot to them,” Hannah explained. “Thoughtful things. Get some yarn and crochet him something he can use or something he can put on his wall. He’ll like that more than you spending a bunch of money on him.”
She was probably right. Money meant nothing to any of the Remington men because they had more of it than they could possibly spend in several lifetimes. Maybe that was why Devon had been so surprised and happy when I’d made him that hummingbird cake. He always seemed to appreciate things that I’d spent time to make for him.
Finished with lunch, Hannah and I dumped our containers and got back to work.
For the rest of the day, I racked my brain to try to think about something I could give Devon to make him feel special.
After all the things he’d done for me, he deserved it.
He’d made me feel safe.
He’d made me feel cared for and happy.
Those were all gifts that I wasn’t quite sure how to repay.