Owen
Ipaced uselessly in front of Lila, offering her gluten-free cookies and water. The police had finally left after several hours, yet she was still wrapped in my jacket and staring at the wall.
Gus had pulled surveillance footage. Whoever had done this had clearly known where the gaps in our cameras were, because all that was visible were the tires of one vehicle and the boot in the middle of the parking lot.
The place was swarming with police, firefighters, and paramedics.
On TV, when law enforcement converged, it looked so efficient and coordinated, but in reality, it took forever.
After the mystery guy was taken by ambulance to the hospital, the police spent hours taking photos, asking questions, and thoroughly searching every inch of the property.
A police presence was not a new thing for us, unfortunately, but it was still disruptive as hell. The business may be half dead, but we were still trying to operate.
Thankfully, Gus walked the whole area with them, unlocking every garage bay and storage shed we had. He’d spoken calmly to the police and looked at the photos, but was unable to identify the man. I was so far removed from this life that I was no help with identification or details.
The man’s face was so beaten it was impossible to say for sure who he was, but we didn’t believe he was a Hebert employee or anyone we knew from town.
Which only made this situation scarier.
Lila had been pale and shaking since Officer Fielder had brought her inside and cleaned her up.
She was in shock, and every protective instinct inside me had been activated.
The police wouldn’t let me take her home, but at least Officer Fielder was kind and patient.
Chief Souza, the prick, had been a judgmental ass since I was a kid.
He’d love to find an excuse to arrest any of us.
Every time we crossed paths, he practically salivated at the possibility.
Hell, he’d looked positively gleeful booking Cole last week.
For years, he’d been tight with my dad, always kissing his ass. But the minute Dad was arrested, he’d turned hard on the rest of us. Probably mortified that he’d been so blind to all of Dad’s crimes.
Or maybe the opposite. Maybe he was putting distance between himself and our family because he hadn’t missed the signs of Dad’s nefarious activities.
That, in my opinion, was far more likely.
I kept that theory to myself, but a small-town cop turning a blind eye to a lucrative drug trafficking operation was hardly a leap.
My mom knew what brand of beer I’d bought before I made it to the parking lot of the store the day I’d arrived. It wasn’t a stretch to assume at least some of these guys had been in on it.
But I bit my tongue and gritted my teeth while they asked Lila dumb question after question. And finally, they gave me permission to take her home.
I wrapped my arm around her as I led her to my car.
“You don’t have to do this.” She peered up at me, her face still wan.
“Of course I do. It’s just a ride, Lila.
” That was a lie. It was so much more to me.
The woman I cared for deeply was hurt and scared.
I’d do anything to make sure she was safe and cared for.
So I’d gladly take her home and keep an eye on her.
Even if that meant camping out in her driveway for the night.
“Thank you,” she said softly as we stepped into her house. “I should probably take a shower.” Her eyes were wide as she focused on me. “Can you stay? I don’t want to be alone.”
With a relieved sigh, I nodded and pulled her in for a hug.
She removed my jacket, letting it fall to the floor, then disappeared into the bathroom.
I scooped it up and hung it by the door, then wandered to the kitchen and put the kettle on for tea.
The home was quaint and only a few blocks from where I’d grown up, on a side street lined with cookie-cutter houses. The walls were all painted bright, cheery colors, and photos of Lila were hung on just about every wall.
As I took them in, one at a time, I found myself pulled into her life story. Lila as a tiny baby with chubby cheeks on the hip of a teenager with massive bangs, then a skinny kid with a big smile wearing several glittery pageant outfits, and everywhere in between.
She was adorable and always smiling.
I made two mugs of tea and found the honey Lila liked on the countertop. In my pocket, my phone was buzzing almost nonstop. No doubt my brothers were panicking about today’s incident and expecting me to fix it. I ignored it. I was here for Lila.
I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t hear the door open.
“Oh my God, is she okay? Where is she?”
I spun and came face-to-face with Lila’s mom. Sandra looked like an older, fancier version of her daughter. Even in her medical scrubs, she was dressed up. Hair done, lots of jewelry, and perfect red lipstick.
I nodded down the hall. “Shower,” I said, offering her my hand. “I’m Owen.”
Taking it, she gave me an appraising once-over. “Finally I get to meet the famous Owen Hebert. Thank you for taking care of my baby.”
“Today was a lot.” I sighed, rubbing at the back of my neck. “The police, the questioning—”
She held up a hand. “Not just today. You’ve been good to her. You’ve done so much for that girl’s confidence. I’ll miss her, but I know she’ll be ready to take on the world when she leaves.”
I cleared my throat, surprised at the direction of this conversation. “She’s incredible,” I said, only realizing how potentially creepy that sounded once the words were out. “At accounting. Work, you know,” I stuttered like a bumbling idiot. “She’s very smart.”
Sandra pursed her lips and crossed her arms. For a long moment, she scrutinized me, then dropped her arms and stepped over to the stove. “Let’s sit down.” She handed one mug of tea I’d prepared to me and pulled another mug from the cabinet.
“I don’t want to intrude.”
She pinned me with a look that reminded me so much of Lila I did a double take. “Don’t you dare leave.” Once she’d added honey to her tea, she nodded toward the living room. “Go sit your ass down so we can have a chat.”
I followed her into the cheery space and sat on the sofa.
“I apologize for the chill,” she said, blowing on her mug. “I’d light the fire, but we’re out of wood, and I can’t bring myself to order more. It’s May, for Christ’s sake. I’ve lived here my entire life and still get angry every year when spring never arrives.”
I nodded politely, but I kept my mouth shut, terrified that if I spoke, I’d say something stupid. Rather than a successful businessman, I felt like a teenager waiting to take Lila to prom.
“This place,” she mused, “is not for everyone. I’ve grown a thick skin over the decades, but Lila deserves a hell of a lot more.”
I sipped my tea to give myself something to do while I deciphered her words. Was this a test? It had been a long time since I’d had to deal with the parents of a love interest.
Of course Lila deserved more. She deserved the world. But I didn’t want to show my hand to her mom, especially with the skeptical way she was looking at me.
“You know,” she said, “if I were the type of person to listen to the rumors, I’d kick you out of my house right now. According to the gossips, you’re one of those greedy city types. Got too big for your britches and forgot where you came from.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My stomach had sunken to my feet and my throat had gone dry.
Sandra didn’t seem to mind that she’d stunned me speechless. “And the fact that you’re a Hebert? Trust me, one of the reasons I want her to get out of this place is to get as far away from the Heberts as possible.”
I cleared my throat, finally finding my voice, and sat a little straighter. “I am not my father.”
She gave me a pitying smile over the rim of her mug. “Of course not. He’s a one-of-a-kind piece of shit.”
I laughed. Despite the sweet, feminine exterior, and the bubbly energy, Sandra had claws. It made me happy that Lila had someone like this in her corner.
“And your brother.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“I’ve heard all the rumors about you Hebert boys.”
I sucked in a breath, irritated that I’d once again been lumped in with Cole. He’d made a name for himself, and it wasn’t a good one. And the rest of us were guilty by association.
“It’s a good thing I don’t put much stock in rumors. This town has been talking shit about me since I was a kid. Trailer trash, teen mom. I’m sure they’ve called me worse behind my back.”
The ache in my chest throbbed at that admission. “I’m so sorry.”
She waved her hand. “Don’t be. I’ve got a good life, and I take great pride in pissing off the sanctimonious jerks. But my girl.” She shook her head. “She puts on a good front, but it’s not as easy for her to tune it out. She’s dealt with her fair share of shit too, and come out stronger for it.”
I likely didn’t know half of it, but I respected what she was saying. Lila had a quiet strength, and she bore her scars privately, but she had plenty. The way she’d reacted after our weekend in Boston revealed that she wasn’t as free-spirited as she pretended to be.
The bathroom door opened, and soft footsteps sounded down the hall, followed by the soft snick of a door closing farther away.
She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “I know something happened between you two.”
I stiffened but pressed my lips together. I had no interest in giving away anything Lila hadn’t shared with her mother.
“But I’m not a meddling mom. My girl knows what she wants.” She squeezed my hand. “Promise me something?”
I gave her an encouraging nod.
Her expression hardened. Not in an angry way, but in a way that made it clear she was dead serious and concerned for her daughter’s well-being. “Do not trap her. Do not clip her wings. Let my girl fly. Because I believe she can soar.”
The lump in my throat made it hard to speak. “I’m not—” I coughed. “We’re not—”
She shook her head. “I’m not saying stay away. I’m not saying give up. In fact, I’m impressed with your efforts so far. She’s gonna make you work for it, but if I had to guess, you’re the kind of man who likes a challenge.”
I roughed a hand down my face, then busied myself with my tea. Wasn’t that the truth. She’d been hot and cold and everything in between for weeks. Flirtatious and seductive and then closed off and cold.
Then there were the most glorious moments of vulnerability sprinkled in. When she confided in me about her fears about graduate school, or when she was so kind and patient when we’d gotten locked in the supply closet.
Sandra put her other hand on top of mine. “She’s not going to be someone’s obedient housewife. She won’t be content to take the back seat and always be the runner-up. If you can’t deal with that, then please walk away now.”
Her words hung in the air between us, threatening to swallow up all the oxygen.
But then Lila appeared. She was wearing a Boston Bolts sweatshirt, her wet hair hanging around her shoulders, and I jumped to my feet.
“Can I get you anything?”
She shook her head and headed straight for her mom, who stood and wrapped her arms around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“Have you heard anything?” she asked, her face buried in her mom’s scrub shirt.
“Yes.” I pulled my phone out and double checked the information I’d been given. “The police were able to identify him. His name is Hugo Barrett. He’s an employee of the Department of Fish and Wildlife.”
She cleared her throat and tilted her face lower. “Is—is he alive?”
I nodded. “Officer Fielder texted me and asked me to assure you he was okay. He’s at the hospital now.”
Sandra blushed at the mention of Officer Fielder.
Huh. Interesting.
Lila straightened and wrapped her arms around herself. “How does something like this even happen?”
I shrugged and tucked my phone back into my pocket.
“He met with Gus a while back, I guess. Gus didn’t recognize him until the police showed him a copy of his driver’s license.
I think he works in the area.” I didn’t mention that Chief Souza now wanted to question us about our company’s relationship with him or how that would only add to the dozen issues I was already dealing with.
Sandra smoothed Lila’s hair and kissed her once more. “I’ll call Bernice. Tell her you need tomorrow off. It’ll be good for you to take a day to rest.”
“I should go.” I could use some time to myself to process how the woman I loved had stumbled upon a man beaten unconscious on my family’s property, only yards from where I sat working. And I wasn’t sure I could even get into the complete shit show that was going down at the office right now.
“You should stay,” Lila said.
I shook my head. “Your mom’s got it covered. Can I bring you ladies anything?”
Sandra shook her head. “This one should probably get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll take it easy and have a Hallmark marathon.” She smiled at Lila. “Do it right. Full cozy girls’ day. Popcorn and snacks and PJs?”
“I’m fine, Mom.” She waved her off. “You don’t have to fuss.”
“Text me if you need anything.” The offer was lame, but what I really wanted to say was that I’d take care of her forever if she let me, and I was pretty certain that wouldn’t go over well.
Lila walked me to the door, and once I had my jacket slung over one arm, she looped her arms around my waist. I held on for a moment too long, soaking her in, just fucking thankful she was safe.
Being chased by a moose and finding a man clinging to life all in one day was a lot, even for someone as tough as her.
She popped up on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you, Owen.”
With one final goodbye, I walked back to my car, trying to make sense of my life.
In the last couple of weeks alone, she’d witnessed my panic attack in the closet and we’d had life changing, mind-blowing sex. And now all this.
This wasn’t the linear progression I was used to when it came to relationships. We’d never even had an official date, but our lives were intertwined in so many ways. I’d shown her parts of me that no one else had ever seen.
On paper, we made no sense. But when I was in her proximity, I felt more alive than I ever had. In the light moments, while we laughed about orgone and the Leech Museum, and the dark ones too.
The pain I still felt from the trauma and the anger and confusion over what my father had done to this town, the Gagnons, and our family, lessened when she was near.
The only thing that grew was the sense that the life I’d built away from my family and this town was a hollow one.
This was too much for me. I thrived on being in control, on having a plan and setting parameters and boundaries.
I entered and stayed in relationships on my terms and never pushed myself too far.
But this time, I’d gone too far, and there was no going back. I was in love with Lila Webster.