Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Chloe
A s the days slip by, my time spent locked up in Louie’s penthouse turns hazy, like slowly waking up from a nightmare .
The pack of Misty Pines takes its place, every moment spent with them warm and welcoming. Like a bubble of happiness surrounds the island.
“Chloe!” Quinn barrels into my arms for a hug as I come down from a nap in Holden’s room. “Come help frost the cookies Uncle Holden and I made!”
I laugh and hug her back, the little girl smelling like sugar. “Are they oatmeal cookies?”
Quinn’s nose wrinkles in disgust. “Ew! No!”
I tickle her sides. “I bet Uncle Holden would bake delicious oatmeal cookies.”
She giggles and squirms out of my hold, racing back for the kitchen. “Uncle Holden! No raisins in my cookies!”
I sense someone’s attention on me and the bond hums. Turning, I find Blake watching me. He must have come in from the garden entrance to sneak up on me like that.
He comes forward to wrap his arms around me. “She adores you.”
I lean into his embrace. “She’s so sweet and fun to be around.”
This close to Blake, with his smoked applewood and cider scent filling my lungs, spikes my own pheromones, and from the purr rumbling from his chest, he senses it.
I turn in his arms and wiggle my fingers into his thick beard, dislodging sawdust. “What have you been up to today?”
He taps the tip of my nose, flecks of green paint caught under his nails. “That’s a secret.”
He, Nathaniel, and Dominic have been trying to be sneaky, but they’re up to something that has nothing to do with the construction sites around the island. When I ask, though, none of them will tell me, and even Holden pretends not to know.
I purse my lips and give him a suspicious glare. “So you keep saying.”
“Don’t give me such tempting looks when you know I can’t do anything about it.” Bending, he rubs his beard over my face, and laughing, I wiggle to escape his arms.
While Blake and I are back to where we were before, Quinn’s presence as a constant roommate has made it difficult to be alone together. Which reminds me…
“Hey, I’ve been wondering.” I clasp Blake’s cheeks to draw his attention back to me. “What are you going to do about Quinn’s schooling? She should be in first grade right now. She can’t spend every day baking cookies and coloring.”
He grimaces. “She was being homeschooled before. Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper, was in charge of overseeing her schoolwork. She’s advanced in her reading and writing, but I have no idea where she stands in other subjects.”
“What happened to Mrs. Reynolds?” I ask.
His shoulders lift. “As far as I know, she’s still taking care of Sadie’s penthouse while my sister is in rehab. We talked about poaching her to help with Quinn, but Sadie’s familiar with her, and she’s going to need help when she gets released. I don’t want to completely upend her life.”
The child in me who always wanted to please her mom demands I offer to help, but I know nothing about how to homeschool a child or even where to start. Plus, I need to return to work soon, whatever that will look like.
All my time since returning from Louie’s has been focused on recuperating and bonding. But at some point, I need to open my laptop and figure out how much of a mess my career is in right now.
“We’ll figure it out.” Blake presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll try to contact Mrs. Reynolds to see if she’ll give me Quinn’s schooling information, but I don’t want her to jeopardize her position with Sadie in the process.”
“Chloe!” Quinn shouts. “Come on! ”
Blake sighs. “You better go before she comes and drags you back.”
“Where will you be going?” I demand.
He holds a finger to his lips, then spins me around and gives me a little pat on the backside. “Go on now. Shoo.”
I glare at him over my shoulder, but I go as directed. Let him and the others keep their secrets. I’ll discover what they’re up to, eventually.
Later that day, I walk with Holden outside, Quinn running off energy with Sprinkles. I’m slowly getting more accustomed to the Newfoundland. It helps to see how gentle he is with the little girl, and how fearless she is around him.
“Are you sure it was okay to leave dinner on the stovetop?” I ask as we venture farther away from the Homestead. “What if something happens?”
“It will be fine.” Holden stops me from turning back. “The fire alarm in the kitchen will alert the others if it bubbles over.”
I recognize the diversion tactic to get us out of the house. It happens at least once a day, and Holden refuses to let us go back until he receives some kind of signal that it’s safe to return.
I’m beyond curious, but I’m stopping myself from being too nosy because I love surprises.
As we continue our exploration, admiring the flowers Quinn finds and chattering about fairy princesses, a prickle of unease skitters across my skin.
The sensation of being watched lifts the small hairs on the back of my neck and sends a shiver down my spine. I peer over my shoulder to scan the tree line but see nothing amiss.
“Chloe?” Quinn’s small hand tugs on mine. “Is something wrong?”
“No, princess.” I force away the unsettling feeling. “Everything’s fine. Just thought I heard something.”
Holden gives me a concerned look before his focus shifts to the trees surrounding us.
So far, no trace of an intruder has been found on the island, and I’m beginning to think I imagined the figure outside the French doors. I’d still been recovering from my time with Louie, and my mind was probably remembering how the guards at his place had me on constant surveillance.
Frowning, Holden checks his phone and looks down at Quinn. “How about we head back and do some drawing instead?”
“Yes, please!” She skips alongside us as we walk up the path toward the cabin, her flowery sundress fluttering in the breeze.
Once inside, Holden gathers paper and crayons and settles us at the kitchen island.
Quinn climbs onto the stool beside me, reaching for a bright blue crayon. “Can we draw a fairy garden? With sparkly flowers and tiny houses?”
“Of course, princess. We can create anything you want.” I pick a soft gray crayon and begin sketching the outline of a winding path, much like the one we walked down. “How about we start with a trail leading to a magical pond?”
“Oh!” Quinn bounces in her seat. “We can draw little fairy friends having a tea party!”
As we work side by side, Quinn’s tongue pokes out in concentration, and I marvel at her imagination. Her small hand moves across the paper, bringing the idea to life. I add a unicorn to the party, complete with a magnifying glass for a horn.
“That’s Detective Stardust!” Quinn slaps her hands onto the table on either side of the drawing to lean closer and admire it. “You’re so good at drawing, Chloe.”
“It’s your imagination that gives it life.” I shade in the large teapot. “I bet Uncle Blake will want to hang this one in his room.”
“Mamma never hung any of my pictures,” Quinn confides, her face downcast. “She threw them away.”
My heart aches for this little girl. “My mom did the same thing to me when I brought stuff home from school.”
Quinn looks up at me. “Really?”
“Yeah. After a while, it made me stop wanting to do art. But it’s hard when you’re creative, isn’t it?” I smooth a hand over her hair. “Your imagination is so big that it just bursts out of you.”
Tears shimmer in Quinn’s eyes. “I never want to stop drawing or writing stories.”
“Then you never should.” I glance at Holden, who pretends to be fascinated by the soup simmering on the stovetop. “Here, your creations won’t ever be thrown away.”
Quinn sniffles, then leans over and hugs me, the scent of sugar and baby powder that clings to her filling the air. I hug her back, wishing someone had told me as a child not to give up on my dreams. It had taken leaving home and striking out on my own in university before I found anyone who believed in me.
After a moment, I straighten and pretend I don’t see Quinn wipe her sleeve across her face. “What do you think about purple roses?”
She leans against my side. “Can you show me how to draw them?”
“How about we learn together?” I catch Holden’s attention. “Can you pull up a picture of a rose on your phone?”
“Sure thing.” He comes over to join us, his eyes shining a little too brightly, and sets his phone on the counter above our picture. “One rose for my ladies.”
He kisses Quinn’s cheek, making her giggle, then turns to me. I offer him my cheek, too, and blush when his lips linger before he returns to his stove.
Then, Quinn and I work together, creating a magical garden for the fairy tea party by the pond to take place, safe and warm in Holden’s kitchen.
As Quinn and I tidy up the art supplies, the murmur of deep voices catches my attention. Curiosity piqued, I slide off my stool and push open the door to see Blake, Nathaniel, and Dominic coming downstairs.
Blake’s head turns toward me. “Is that a little mouse peeking out of the kitchen?”
Quinn joins me, poking her head out below mine.
“Two mice!” Blake jogs the rest of the way downstairs. “We’ll have to put out traps if this keeps up!”
“Perfect timing, everyone,” Holden announces. “Soup’s ready. Chloe, will you grab the breadbasket? Quinn, fetch the spoons.”
We duck back into the kitchen to do as directed and join the others out in the dining room.
Holden follows us with bowls of stew and macaroni for Quinn. “I hope you’re all hungry.”
I eye the other men. “Yes, did you work up an appetite doing…?”
“Nu-uh.” Blake waggles a finger at me. “Shush, woman, and eat your dinner.”
I puff my cheeks at him, but I’ve been smelling this stew all day, and my stomach growls for a taste.
“Chloe, sit next to me!” Quinn pats the bench beside her.
“Don’t mind if I do!” I take my seat, and Blake slides in on my other side, his leg pressed to mine under the table.
With the warmth of his body seeping into me, I struggle to focus on both the food and the conversation.
Especially when his hand covers my thigh under the table, kneading my soft flesh. “Did you have fun with Quinn and Holden today?”
“We did!” Quinn launches into our adventures of the afternoon, saving me from trying to talk as his hand moves higher.
When it becomes too much, I elbow him in warning. Wasn’t he the one who said earlier that we couldn’t do anything while Quinn was bunking in his room?
Smirking, he leaves me alone for the rest of the meal, for which I’m both grateful and disappointed.
When the dinner winds down, the men exchange secretive glances.
Dominic stands from his chair and claps his hands together. “Who’s ready for a surprise?”
Quinn turns into a cyclone of excitement as she scrambles off the bench. “Me, me, me!”
Nathaniel rises with a chuckle. “Uncle Dom, lead the way.”
Blake catches my hand, helping me over the bench, and the rest of us follow as Dominic races Quinn up the stairs.
I lean into Blake. “So, you’re finally letting us in on the big secret?”
He just winks, teasing to the very end.
Upstairs, we enter the family quarters to hear Quinn squealing at the top of her lungs and bouncing up and down in front of a door with an enormous bow on it.
“Chloe!” She whips around, pigtails swinging, and points. “Uncle Dom says there’s a surprise behind this door for me!”
Thinking I know what this has all been about, I grin. “Then you should open it.”
Quinn tugs on Dominic’s pant leg. “Can I? Can I?”
“It’s your present.” He motions to the door. “Go right ahead.”
Quinn grasps the knob and flings open the door. As soon as she dashes inside, her delighted squeals fill the air again.
Curious to see what all the fuss has been about, I peek through the door. A plush cream rug covers the floor, and a soft, pastel rainbow circles three of the walls, with a forest mural on the fourth. In the corner, a treehouse-style reading nook stands tall, its wooden frame wrapped in twinkling fairy lights that cast a warm, inviting glow.
A twin-sized bed sits on the other side of the room, with a dog bed of almost equal proportion beside it.
Quinn spins around in circles, her little hands clasped together as she takes in every detail. “It’s like a fairy tale!”
My throat tightens with emotion as I watch her explore her new space. The guys have outdone themselves, creating a haven sprung directly from Quinn’s imagination.
Colorful pillows and blankets fill the treehouse, the perfect spot for snuggling up with a book. A small table and chairs sit beneath it, ready for tea parties and art projects, while a cozy window seat overlooks the front yard.
I reach out for Blake’s hand. “You guys did an amazing job.”
He squeezes my fingers and leans closer. “We’re not done yet. We have one more surprise waiting. This one for you.”
My brow wrinkles in confusion. “For me?”
While Quinn explores her room, the others hang back as Blake leads me out of her room and back toward the family room. Before we reach it, he stops in front of another door.
This one doesn’t have a dramatic bow on it, but it sends my pulse racing with excitement all the same.
Blake nudges me. “Go on.”
My hand shakes as I reach for the knob and, with a gentle push, the doors swing inward, revealing a room painted in pale blue, the color reminding me of a clear summer sky.
A canopy bed sits in the center of the room, its white, gauzy curtains rustling in the gentle breeze from the open windows. Soft pillows and a fluffy comforter cover the bed, and I spot what I’ve come to think of as my quilts resting at the foot of the bed frame. A gorgeous bouquet of pink and white flowers sits on the nightstand, filling the room with a welcoming fragrance.
I step into the room and see the reading nook with white, built-in bookcases. Tears well up when I see the display of gifts fans gave me at my last book signing. A padded chair placed next to a gas fireplace invites me to curl up with a blanket, and a small, round table sits beside it with my eReader resting on top.
The window in this room sits in a small alcove overlooking the back lawn, with a writing desk beneath it.
I drift over to it, my fingers trailing over my lucky troll doll, the piece of rose quartz, and a stack of fresh notebooks. They had arranged it the same way I did down in Cabin One.
“Do you like it?” The question holds a hint of uncertainty, as if afraid I’ll be upset they did this without speaking to me first.
My fingertips brushes over the closed top of my computer as the tears spill over. “This is so… It’s perfect. How did you…?”
“Quinn wasn’t the only one who drew a dream bedroom.” Blake comes up behind me. “We wanted you to have a permanent space to make your own.”
I wipe my cheeks and turn to face him, my heart swelling with too many emotions to name. In that moment, standing in the room the pack created just for me, a sense of belonging sweeps over me.
I step forward and wrap my arms around him, burying my face against his chest. “Thank you.”
As we stand wrapped in each other’s arms, I allow myself to sink into the sense of home, of family, of belonging.
And for the first time in forever, I’m truly, deeply content.