58. Thea
58
THEA
THREE DAYS LATER
My house was crowded. Packed to the gills with people. Moose sat atop his cat tower, taking everybody in with curious fascination because it had never been this way before. Not once in the two years that I’d lived in Sparrow Falls had my home been full of voices, laughter, and the sounds of cooking. Not to mention flowers. So many bouquets. I could’ve opened a florist shop.
One of the most beautiful arrangements had come from the most surprising sender. Mara. With a note that read: I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through. Get well soon.
Rumblings of my ordeal had made the rounds in town, and Rhodes had assured me that it had given Mara a wake-up call. As had hearing about Shep putting his life on the line for me.
Shep shifted me on the couch as he checked his phone. The timer app had a minute to go, but Shep didn’t need it. He had radar that bypassed the damn thing. “It’s time for your next dose of pain meds.”
I moved so I was sitting up fully, the quilt still over my lap. “I think maybe we could wait a little longer.”
Shep frowned at me. “I don’t want to chance you being in pain.”
My body was stiff and more than a little sore, but given everything I’d been through, I’d gotten off lucky. I had stitches in my head and in several places on my torso, bruised ribs, and a mild concussion. But not a single broken bone or serious injury.
“Shep is right,” Nora said, bringing over a tray that held a bowl of soup, some rolls, and a glass of lemonade. “You need to stay ahead of the pain right now. In a few days, we can talk about tapering you off.”
Lolli held up a wand that had feathers at the end for Moose to bat at. “Or you could let me make you some of my poppy tea. That’s all natural, and it’ll cure what ails you.”
“Lolli,” Trace growled as he strode into the living room. “It’s an opiate.”
She just smirked at her grandson. “Not selling it, Mr. Po-Po. You can’t lock me up.”
“Jesus,” Kye muttered from his spot on the chair in the corner. “Just remember, your bail is too expensive for my blood.”
Lolli huffed. “You and your fancy tattoo studio could cover it.”
“Not at the rate you’re going,” Fallon argued with a shake of her head.
“You’re all just a bunch of prudes. No fun at all,” Lolli complained.
“I’m with you,” Cope agreed. “They need to live a little.”
Trace’s gaze moved to his brother. “You mean breaking every speed limit known to man in their two-hundred-grand SUV?”
Cope slowly turned on his stool, a devilish grin on his face. “I’d never.”
Trace’s eyes narrowed on him. “According to three deputies in the past twenty-four hours, you’ve been doing exactly that. I told them to arrest your ass next time. You and Lolli can share a cell. ”
Lolli held up her hand for a high five, letting out a hoot. “We’re living now!”
Cope slapped her palm. “Damn straight.”
I watched as lines carved into Trace’s face. His words had held humor, but there was more than a hint of frustration behind them, too.
A phone rang, and Cope stood, sliding off his stool. The moment he pulled the cell out of his pocket, his expression changed. Gone was the devilish amusement, leaving nothing but storm clouds in its place. “Gotta take this,” he muttered, heading for the back door.
Trace’s worried gaze followed him until the door slammed shut.
Rhodes pushed the tray that Nora had left me across the coffee table. “You need to eat so you can take your meds.”
The warmth of her concern, that of all the Colsons, was like a balm. They were all up in my business because they cared.
Anson cleared his throat, glancing at Trace from his spot next to Rho on the floor. “You have any updates?”
I stiffened, my hands tightening around the bowl. Trace had been scarce these past few days, working around the clock on both the Raina and Brendan fronts.
Raina wasn’t saying much of anything, but Trace had worked his magic, getting her placed in the locked ward of a psychiatric facility several towns over instead of the jail. Fallon had jumped in to help, making sure that we found a lawyer who’d take the case pro-bono. I loved them both for that. They could see through Raina’s actions to the pain beneath. She didn’t need punishment, she needed help.
It had been harder for Shep to be at peace with that. Because he’d had to watch me go over that cliff. Had to pull me up, bloodied and broken, worried he’d lost me for good.
I set the bowl down again and burrowed into Shep’s hold. His arm gently went around me, but I could feel the tense muscles beneath his shirt.
Trace looked at me, waiting for a moment as everyone around us went quiet. “The FBI arrested Brendan Boseman on set today, and the paparazzi trolling the place got more than a few shots. He was charged with seven counts of nonconsensual pornography, twenty-two counts of fraud, and ten counts of stalking. At the same time he was arrested, teams served search warrants on multiple properties and vehicles. They seized all his electronics.”
I froze, tears welling in my eyes. I swallowed hard, trying to keep control. “You got him.”
Trace’s expression gentled. “We got him. He is going to jail for a very long time.”
“I’m free,” I whispered.
Shep’s lips ghosted over my temple. “You’re free.”
A phone dinged, and I saw Anson shift in my periphery, pulling out a device. He stared down at the screen, a massive smile spreading across his face.
“It still weirds me out when he smiles,” Kye muttered.
Fallon smacked his chest. “Don’t say that.”
Kye caught her wrist, giving it a little tug as he grinned. “What? It’s true.”
Rhodes turned toward Anson. “What is it?”
Anson’s head lifted, but he didn’t look at Rhodes, he turned to me. “Just heard from Dex. Apparently, all Brendan’s money vanished from his accounts overnight. He’s going to have a hard time paying for that fancy legal defense team.”
My jaw went slack. “What?”
Anson just grinned wider. “And somehow, the exact amount that went missing was donated to women’s shelters and domestic abuse nonprofits across the country.”
The tears returned, and I didn’t even try to stop them.
Shep pulled back the covers on my bed and helped me get settled. He didn’t move his gaze from my face as he slid in behind me. “How’s the pain level?”
I rolled carefully into him. “Not that bad. ”
He sent me a pointed stare.
“I swear,” I argued. “But it’ll be a miracle if I can sleep with all the food your mom and Lolli fed me today.”
Shep chuckled at that. “It’s how they show their love. Well, that and poppy tea for Lolli, apparently.”
I grinned up at him. “I love what a troublemaker she is.”
Shep trailed light fingers over my back in a soothing gesture. He’d already memorized where each injury was and deftly avoided them all. “How do you feel about everything else?”
“I’m not sure it feels real.” Pressure built behind my eyes. “The most I’d ever hoped for was for Brendan to leave me alone. The fact that he’ll actually be brought to justice? It’s more like a miracle.”
And it wouldn’t just be a miracle for me. Dex had eventually found nine other women that Brendan had done similar things to. They would all get the gift of closure like I did. Knowing the peace that would bring was sweeter than anything I could imagine.
“You’re the miracle,” Shep whispered. “You never stopped fighting. Never gave up.”
Wetness gathered in my eyes. “I didn’t stand up to him. Because there were still tiny, dark places in my mind that believed his lies. But you showed me the truth.”
“Thorn,” Shep rasped.
“You gave me back my life. I’m different than I was before. But it’s a better different. I know where my value lies. I know I don’t take anything for granted.”
His lips pressed to my forehead as he breathed me in.
I just kept going. “Like today. Such a gift. Shep, you gave me the family I never had. And you’re right, the fact that it’s something we all chose makes it that much sweeter. Stronger.”
He pulled back, unshed tears glistening in his eyes. “Love you, Thea. That word doesn’t do the feeling justice, but it’s the best I’ve got.”
My mouth curved. “I’ll take it.”
Shep’s thumb traced the swell of my bottom lip. “I don’t want to move into that rental. ”
I stilled. I’d known that his lease had already started. I just hadn’t wanted to think about him possibly leaving my little cabin in the woods. “You don’t?”
“Can’t imagine sleeping without you. Or not having Moose scare the crap out of me with his nighttime crazies. Don’t want to wake up and not have the first thing I see be your face.”
“Shepard,” I whispered.
“That full-name biz had better be a fuckin’ yes,” he growled.
“Yes,” I breathed. “Stay.”