Chapter 13 Far And Away
Far And Away
Nash and Charlie waited with Ella Mae in what they called a green room. Olivia was doing her first interview in a studio elsewhere in the building.
The four of them had arrived in New York only a few hours before. Enough time to check into a hotel with adjoining rooms and find the studio. An actual suite would have cost him a month’s bartending wages, but this would work as well. He didn’t want Olivia to be afraid.
“Lee. Lee.”
Charlie looked up at Nash with a grin. “Do you think Ella’s saying my name?”
Nash nodded. “I think so.” She’d been saying Lee a lot over the past few days, always when she wanted Charlie’s attention.
Charlie lit up. “That’s so cool. Hi Ella. Can you say my name? Can you say Charlie?”
“Lee. Lee. Lee.”
With each repetition, Ella’s voice got louder until she squealed with delight.
Charlie leaned forward and hugged her, sending Nash’s heart booming. His son loved this little girl with all the fierceness in his ten-year-old heart. So did Nash. He was pretty sure they’d both fallen for Olivia as well.
Now, he had to figure out what to do about it.
How did Olivia feel? He thought she might be on the same page, but he couldn’t be sure. Was she simply grateful to him for helping her find a secure place to stay?
Except the kisses they’d shared told a very different story.
They hadn’t said the words yet, but he was sure Olivia’s feelings went beyond gratitude and friendship.
Charlie pulled one of his old board books out of the baby bag and started to read Ella a story, leaving Nash to his thoughts. He’d never expected to fall in love again, but he had.
He needed to pull his head out of his feelings and keep his attention on protecting Olivia and Ella from any potential danger.
His online searches hadn’t told him a lot.
He’d eliminated a lot of men by age alone, but he couldn’t find social media links for an Adam Parsons who matched what Nash knew.
The group home where Olivia had spent her teen years had been in the Bronx.
Far away from Manhattan, but that didn’t mean that’s where he continued to live.
The man’s name wasn’t unique, and Nash had found dozens of Adam Parsons working in New York. Everything from stock market traders to advertising executives to bartenders and even a man who made a living flipping signs on street corners.
Those were the Adam Parsons who were listed on public employee records. There would be dozens more. Even plugging in the details he knew, Nash hadn’t been able to locate the correct man yet.
Olivia said Adam stood over six feet and was heavily muscled. Nash had scoured the employee lists of gyms and personal trainers but hadn’t found him yet. He’d started in the Bronx and was expanding the search further afield, but there were a lot of gyms in New York.
Olivia didn’t have any photos of Parsons, and Nash hadn’t found anything online that confirmed his appearance.
When they got Marcus involved, he was sure that would change.
As a police chief, his friend would have access to mug shots.
With a restraining order in his past, Parsons had to have a mug shot.
He and Olivia had planned to speak to Marcus before leaving, but Olivia’s agent had wanted her immediately, so they’d had to push that off for until they returned. In the meantime, Nash was alert to anyone who paid them any attention at all.
Nash’s body reacted at the first sound of the knob turning. His body was sure it wasn’t a threat, but he was ready in case his instincts were wrong.
They weren’t. Olivia entered the room with Rika Yoshito, her agent. The woman was warm and welcoming. She’d talked Norissamin with Charlie for a full ten minutes before taking Olivia to her interview.
Nash rose. “How did it go?”
Olivia’s eyes were wide. “I have no idea. I barely have any memory of what I said or did. No one laughed me out of the room, so I think it went okay.”
Rika grinned at Nash. “Livie was amazing. Charming and humble. It was a terrific interview.”
Olivia blew out a breath. “I hope so. Being in the spotlight is scary.”
Charlie laughed. “I bet Rika’s right, and that you were great. You obviously know everything about Norissamin so it’s not like you were going to mess it up.”
Everyone laughed and Ella looked up. “Mama. Mama.”
Olivia scooped her daughter up and kissed her cheek. “Hello Ella. I missed you.”
Ella hugged her and then pointed at Charlie. “Lee.”
The rest of the babble didn’t make sense to Nash, but Olivia nodded along as she spoke, repeating Lee a few times.
Olivia kissed Ella’s cheek. “It sounds like you and Charlie had a good time. You like it when Charlie reads you books, don’t you?”
Rika patted her arm. “We’ll need you back here for two interviews tomorrow. They’ll be a print interview and then back-to-back tapings first thing in the morning so you’ll have the rest of the day free to explore.”
Nash wasn’t sure how far they wanted to travel with the threat of Adam hanging over their heads.
Not that the man would know Livie Sanchez’s identity.
Rika never used Olivia’s new legal name.
All their interactions were with Olivia being Livie.
He assumed the official paperwork was under either Carmen or Olivia, but when dealing with her author world, everyone called her Livie.
Still, Nash couldn’t squash the worry. Adam sounded like an obsessive man. Obsessive people didn’t give up easily, and it hadn’t even been a year since Olivia had taken on Ella.
Hopefully, Parsons’s obsession was limited to Mary Mae and not her daughter, but Nash wouldn’t relax while they were here.
Probably not even when they reached home. Not until he knew exactly where Adam Parsons was and what he wanted. If he wanted anything at all.
Two of the men at the apple farm had once worked with bodyguard firms. Gray in Chicago and Knox in Boston.
Both would have contacts who could look into Parsons.
He’d check with Olivia, then get that started as soon as they were back home.
If he could get privacy for a call, he’d do it sooner.
But he didn’t want Charlie overhearing and worrying.
They left the news building in time for lunch. Charlie wanted to try a New York hotdog from a cart, but they didn’t spot any on the walk back to the hotel. Instead, they found a pizzeria that claimed the best slice in New York.
Inside, Charlie asked the hostess for a booster seat for Ella. The woman smiled. “You’re a good brother.”
None of them corrected the woman as she turned to lead them to a booth. Charlie’s smile was almost wider than his face.
Olivia’s smile was misty, and Nash rubbed his hand over the small of her back as they crossed the restaurant.
Just like a real family.
The hostess set the booster seat into the booth, and Charlie asked Olivia if he could sit next to Ella.
When she nodded, he scrambled in, and Olivia bit her lower lip. Nash wanted to soothe it with his tongue. Instead, he rubbed her back again and followed her to the same side of the booth. Where he sat a little closer than strictly necessary.
Olivia stayed where she was and didn’t slide closer to the window. Instead, she sent him a smile and bumped her shoulder lightly with his.
When the server brought papers and crayons for the kids, Charlie grinned. “Thanks. Want to draw some dragons, Ella?”
She squealed and grabbed a green crayon chanting Lee and La, making Charlie laugh.
It might not have been the best pizza in New York, but it was one of the best meals in Nash’s lifetime.
And he wanted more of them.
A lifetime of more.
His heart ached at the thought. He’d already lost one woman he’d loved with his whole heart.
What if something happened to Olivia? What if Parsons hurt her? What if an accident took her? Or cancer?
Fear and pain lanced through Nash. He wasn’t sure he had it in him to survive another heartbreak. Was he making a mistake after all?
Olivia’s nerves were strung as tightly as a brucan's bow. This time in New York was amazing.
They’d watched a matinee performance with incredible puppets and finally found a hotdog cart for Charlie.
They’d taken a dip in the hotel pool where Ella had filled the room with her delighted squeals.
They’d checked out thrift stores and markets where they’d all snuck Christmas presents into bags to hide from the others.
Nash had hired a limo to take them on a tour of the city lights and window displays. They’d stopped at the Rockefeller Christmas tree and Olivia had thought her heart would melt at the family feeling that had enveloped their group.
Magical.
And terrifying.
She’d worried continuously about Adam. What if he spotted them? What if he tried to snatch Ella? What if he hurt Nash or Charlie in the process?
She’d fallen for the two of them and she worried her past was putting them all in danger.
Everyone they’d met had assumed they were a family and none of them had corrected a single person. Charlie reveled in being seen as a big brother.
Just as she reveled in being seen as a mother to the two kids. Even more at being seen as being Nash’s partner. The thought of it sent joy and contentment soaring through her in equal measure.
If only they were safe. Which made her roll her eyes internally at herself.
New York was a ridiculously large city. Adam didn’t know her new legal name.
He didn’t know her pen name. The odds of him knowing she was here and bothering to track her down were as likely as Lelja flapping her silver wings as she landed beside them on the sidewalk.
Adam had probably moved his obsession to another woman. The man had no desire to be a father. He didn’t know Bella Eldritch was now Ella Mae Gonzalez.
They were safe.
But Olivia would sleep a whole lot better once they were back on the farm. The hotel’s fixtures were new and shiny, but the pink ones had grown on Olivia. And Ella loved them.