Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
Titus was almost asleep when his phone rang. He fumbled in the darkness and found it. It was Colt.
“What’s up?”
Colt hesitated, then said, “I want to give you a heads-up. Emelia’s front tires were slashed last night. Naomi spent the night with her, and I’m bringing the car back to her once the tires arrive.”
Fuck. Titus’s heart sank. He felt a surge of anger that the harassment was continuing. “Any idea who?”
“No. It happened at the Redfish Lounge. Naomi and some of her friends were with her. Emelia originally thought it was a flat tire until the tow truck arrived and realized it was more than that.”
“Was anything caught on camera?”
“No. Liam checked as a courtesy, but whoever it was had been careful.”
Titus clenched the phone, his knuckles turning white with anger. “I have an afternoon flight out of Newark later today. It’s a two-hour flight. Then I’ll go straight to Emelia’s. Is she all right?”
“She’s upset, of course, but insisted she go home since she had to get up early.”
Titus stared at the shadows on the wall. He was sure Wyatt wasn’t behind the harassment. When he got back to Haywood Lake, he needed to talk to Emelia and see if she forgot to mention anyone else who might have a problem with her.
He sighed. Time to get up and start driving to the airport. He hoped to catch an earlier flight, but everything was booked.
Titus made his way to Newark Airport late in the morning. He stifled a yawn. He’d never fallen back asleep after Colt called. The worst-case scenarios flitted through his mind. He hated feeling helpless to protect Emelia.
After arriving at the drop-off for the car rental, he grabbed his duffle and caught a bus going to the departure gate.
The familiar hum of chatter, the overhead announcements, rolling suitcases, the distant roar of airplanes taking off or landing, the beep, beep, beep of golf carts moving people from one gate to another irritated him today. Waiting for his flight, the minutes felt like hours, and he was anxious to get home.
He boarded when called, but today he wasn’t so lucky. A young mom was sitting by the window holding a fussy baby. The toddler in the middle seat was an omen that the flight wasn’t going to be peaceful. The woman gave him a small smile. Thankfully, the toddler was engrossed in a busy board game, and Titus prayed it would keep her occupied the whole trip.
The “fasten your seat belt” sign went on, and Titus leaned his head on the headrest.
The plane ride home couldn’t be fast enough for him. Emelia had to be frightened, and he wanted to be with her—now.
Once in flight, Titus closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to quiet his mind. He was aware of the typical plane noises, the quiet chatter and a baby crying farther back in the cabin.
He felt a breeze by his side, followed by a cool substance on his arm. Titus opened his eyes. The blond-haired toddler had lined raisins in a row down his forearm. When he looked at her, she gave him a toothy grin and giggled. The mom and baby were asleep. Titus sighed. He smiled back at her and placed her raisins back on her tray with the others.
The little one decided putting raisins on his arm was great fun.
Game on.
He took them off. She put them on when he pretended he wasn’t looking.
Titus believed Emelia would think this was adorable.
He thought about his SEAL training, which never prepared him for the grape game with a toddler. It had taught him close-quarters combat, demolitions, SERE: survival, evasion, resistance and escape, and how to kill with his bare hands. None of it was useful in how to interact with a kid.
His life was going downhill fast.
Finally, the plane prepared for landing. The mom woke up, gave the baby a bottle, and stared at the raisins on Titus’s arm in horror.
“Oh, my. I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed, her voice filled with concern. “You should have woken me up.” She turned to the little girl. “Emma, you don’t put food on people.”
The little girl scrunched her face and looked at Titus. Her lower lip turned down, and a tear slipped down her cheek. “I sorry.”
Titus returned her raisins and patted her arm. “No worries. It was … interesting.”
The mother mouthed sorry as she cleaned up the tray. Little Emma gave him a big grin.
All was not lost. Titus wanted kids. Lord knew why, especially after his rotten childhood and the responsibility of bringing up his brothers.
However, he’d seen how happy his friends were with their women and kids. He craved the stability and love a family could provide. He wanted the gold ring, the hugs and kisses, the sex and the comfort of knowing someone loved him despite his faults—of which there were few, of course. He envisioned a home filled with laughter and kids running around. Titus smiled. The irony of his crappy childhood and his dream of a loving relationship was not lost on him.
Emelia was it for him. He couldn’t wait to see her, solve this harassment nastiness, and move on with their lives.
Dusk was fast approaching as he got off the plane. The sky was awash with smoky grays and soft pinks, and the air was thick and balmy. A stark cry from the cold, gray weather he left up north.
Titus snatched his duffle and hurried to his truck, eager to get to Emelia’s place.
Colt had filled him in on the new tires and mentioned that Isabelle was staying with her until he arrived.
It took no time to get from the airport to downtown Haywood Lake. Traffic was light, and yes, he might have been speeding, but he needed to see Emelia, wrap her in his arms, and make sure she was all right.
Hell, he knew she wasn’t all right, but Titus felt better knowing he would be with her soon. He parked in the lot behind the gym, which was still open. First, he needed to check with his assistant manager, Neil, to make sure everything was operating without any issue.
He was a lucky find. An ex-marine, Neil was a no-nonsense congenial man. Titus felt comfortable knowing the gym was in his capable hands when he was on a job.
Neil assured him that the past couple of days at the gym were problem-free, and Titus hurried over to the bakery. It’d been closed for several hours; however, he had called Emelia to let her know he was coming. By the time he unlocked the outside door, Emelia was standing at the top of the stairs, smiling, Leo doing laps around her and vigorously wagging his tail.
Titus took the steps two at a time. When he reached Emelia, he drew her into his arms and embraced her. It never ceased to amaze him how the scent of baking pastries, sugar and vanilla surrounded her, always reminding him of home. Not his home, but his future home.
“I missed you,” she said when they finally pulled apart. “Come in.”
He walked into the living room. Isabelle was sitting in a chair sipping wine.
“Hey there.” She put her wineglass down and stood. “I guess I can go home now that the cavalry has arrived.”
Titus gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. Emelia and I kept each other company,” Isabelle replied. “Plus, I brought some new soap for you both to try. It’s called Love Potion No.9, a soap for romance. I want to know what you think after you two slather it on each other.”
“Eww!” Titus smiled. “I don’t have a mother butting into my love life, so now my friends are stepping up?”
Isabelle winked. “Deal, my friend. Deal.”
She picked up her purse, laughing as she hugged Emelia goodbye, and left.
“Hey, you.” Emelia wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m so glad to see you.”
Titus squeezed her tighter. Lord, how he’d missed her. She just felt right in his arms. “Let’s sit for a minute and you can tell me what happened.”
They sat on the sofa, and Emelia turned to Titus, who took a good look at her. The dark circles under her eyes and pale face told the story. She was afraid.
“We were enjoying ourselves at the Redfish Lounge. But you know I have to get up early, so I wen?—”
An excited puppy jumped between the two of them and started licking their faces.
“Leo, down.” Titus used his most authoritarian voice. The pup startled and jumped down.
Emelia shook her head. “I have to get him into some obedience classes before it’s too late.”
“Melissa, at Paws for Caring, can help. It’s not obedience school, but the dogs are trained to obey.”
“Good idea,” Emelia replied and sat closer to him. “To continue, I left early and started the car, heard a noise. I checked outside and saw that the tire was flat. It wasn’t until the tow truck came and told me that they’d been slashed that I realized I was targeted.”
Titus sighed. “You didn’t walk out back in the dark by yourself, did you?” He hoped not. Darkness was not a woman’s friend.
“No. Joy stood in the doorway and watched me.” Emelia rubbed her forehead. “Titus, who is doing this to me? Wyatt?”
“Sweetheart. We need to talk.” Titus ran his hands through his hair. He prayed Emelia wouldn’t be angry with him. “I just came back from Warwick.”
“Warwick?” Emelia wrinkled her nose. “Why were you in Warwick?” Her eyes widened. “Oh my God, are my parents all right?”
He nodded. “Yes, your parents are fine. I wanted to talk to them to get a sense of who Wyatt is. Then I went up to Poughkeepsie to talk with him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were going? I would have gone with you.” She leaned back onto the sofa. “What did you learn?”
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to worry you. Expect a call from your parents in a day or so.”
She reached over and touched his arm. “What did Wyatt say? Do you think he’s behind this?”
“Wyatt has no idea where you are. His bakery is busy, and I don’t think he has time to worry about what you’re doing.” He shook his head. “I doubt he’s behind this. The question is who and why? Can you think of someone else who could be upset with you?”
Emelia paused for a minute to think. “I can’t think of anyone who has a problem with me. I did fire Patty for stealing, but that was when I first opened the bakery. Maybe she wants revenge.” She pursed her lips and hesitated. “Although, why would she? I didn’t press charges in exchange for her promising to pay me back when she could. Damn.” She banged her hand on her lap. “This is so frustrating. All my employees get along well. I haven’t had any complaints about my baking or problems with the bakery.” She shrugged in resignation. “I’m at a loss.”
Titus reached over and gently kissed her hand. “We’ll solve this. I promise.” He stared at the woman who held his heart in her hands. She was courageous and resilient. He was determined to find out who was harassing her.
Emelia stood. “We can’t do anything else this late.” She twisted her fingers and looked uncertain. “Will you stay the night?”
“Nothing I’d like better. While I was away, I dreamed of having you in my arms and making love to you.”
“Well, reality is standing right in front of you, and I believe reality is better than dreaming any day.” She took his hand. “Come on, soldier, show me your stuff.”
Titus laughed. “I’ll do more than show you.” He stood and in one fell swoop, tossed her over his shoulder and walked into the bedroom. Emelia was giggling and pretending to slap him. He delicately placed her on the bed and lay next to her.
They couldn’t solve anything tonight, but they could make love. Together, they would find the culprit and move on with their lives.