Chapter 22
Three weeks later…
“Becks. Monica. Seriously? They’ll be fine. How many times have we let Lacey watch Lexi and Nat now when someone was supervising and nothing happened?” Paul asked the anxious women, placing his hands on his hips. He looked at me imploringly.
“They’ve got all of our cell phone numbers, and Trevor’s too,” I immediately reminded them, standing next to Paul with my arms crossed.
Lacey looked to Paul and myself in gratitude as she watched her mother and Becks continue to nervously fawn.
“It is just for a few hours,” said Becks, looking at Monica, “We’re only going to dinner.”
Monica backed away, staring at Lacey, and pointing her finger towards her,“You keep the doors locked! Do not answer it for anyone except your father. Don’t be texting on your phone all night either. These girls are your responsibility,” she instructed the poor girl for the umpteenth time.
“Mom! I know!” said Lacey, exasperated at the mothers, “God, I’m sixteen. I’ll be getting my license soon and everything.”
“I’m aware of how old you are, I don’t need you to remind me,” Monica groaned drily. “That’s the issue, my teenage monster,” she added.
Lacey rolled her eyes and stalked into the kitchen, probably to get the pizzas in the oven.
“Mom, we’ll be fine,” Natasha tried to comfort Becks.
“Yeah,” added Lexi, “Lacey isn’t that bad!”
“Fine,” Monica said, “We’ll be back in a little bit.”
Paul grabbed Monica’s hand and pulled her out the door before she could start in again. I grabbed Becks before she could pick up where her best friend had left off. I stood with Paul as he locked the door watching the women crawl into his SUV.
“Women,” I muttered.
“Not just women. Moms,” he chuckled, walking towards the vehicle with me.
We loaded up and rode to the restaurant chattering about our days and the kids’ activities. It had been three weeks since I’d spent the night with Becks, and we’d only grown closer. Nat and I were getting along as well, and she was okay with us dating. I hadn’t stayed the night unless Nat was spending the night with Lexi or out of the house again, because Rebecca still seemed uncomfortable with her knowing we were that serious. I had managed to find absolutely nothing regarding her ex. It was slightly alarming that he had disappeared off of the face of the Earth a few months ago.
His employer had stated he’d cashed in everything and quit one day, his landlord said he’d closed his lease and disappeared. Lawrence still had an apartment in the town where they had lived but no one had seen him in several weeks either. He was always in and out of jobs so there wasn’t even an employer to ask. My nerves were on high alert and a lot of my time was spent talking Becks down out of her instinct to pack up and run again.
Paul and Monica were both a big help with that. We’d set up a security system and cameras in her apartment and I had fortified everything to prevent any easy break-ins. Nat had been naturally curious about all of the changes so Becks had used a weekend to sit down and tell her as much as she could about their past. It had rocked Nat’s world a bit to know everything, but she was a smart and resilient kid. She had handled everything like a pro. She understood her father was not a good man and had actually thanked her mom for removing them from the situation.
She’d known without us specifying that it had been incredibly dangerous, and if anything, just felt guilty her Mom had continued to run over the years to protect her. Becks was rocking everything in handling the situation. She’d reassured Nat all weekend and made herself available anytime she’d had any questions. She came first and I expected no less. If I was being honest with myself, I was falling in love with that little girl too. The thought of something happening to Natasha or Rebecca made me sick to my stomach.
Paul laughed at me knowingly a lot of the time, he’d even said once, “I told you it didn’t matter if the kid was yours or not. I’d lay my life down in a second for Lacey.”
I knew without a shadow of a doubt I’d do the same for Natasha or Rebecca. It had been about three months altogether that we’d known each other, and I found myself almost slipping to tell her I loved her, several different times. We still hadn’t had sex, but I swear we’d explored everything else.
Making Becks scream my name was one of my new favorite pastimes. We were both driving ourselves nuts holding back. If we didn’t seal the deal soon, I was pretty sure we’d both implode. I just wanted her to be ready and to have absolutely zero regrets.
Becks had gotten close with Paul as well as his wife. She and Monica were inseparable. You’d think they’d been friends since childhood and they were a riot when they really got going. They helped each other relax in a way that was refreshing to see. Becks had even gotten to meet Lacey’s dad Trevor too and they got along as well. If someone didn’t know any better they’d think Monica and Rebecca were sisters separated at birth. It was like Becks and Nat had been a part of all of our lives forever.
As we talked over dinner at the restaurant, I couldn't help but let my mind drift back to Clark and wondering where he was, what he was doing, and what he was trying to pull. Not to mention his slimeball accomplice Larry.
“Hey, you’ve been quiet all night,” said Rebecca, elbowing me gently, when Monica had gotten up to use the restroom.
“Yeah, man. I’m starting to get a complex over here. Do you not like my company anymore?” joked Paul.
I blew out a chuckle, “I’m sorry. I’m enjoying myself. I just gotta be honest. It's creeping me out that there’s been no other indication of Clark and Larry. It’s been so quiet after the other things that happened. My cop senses are tingling. I keep wondering what else I can do to safeguard the house.”
Becks’ eyes softened, “Lucas, you’ve done so much. You’re worrying more than I am at this point. You even have access to my security cameras and can check in yourself at any time. I don’t know what else there would be to do,” she glanced over at Paul to get his agreement.
Paul nodded, “She’s right. We’ve done everything we can. We’ve dug all we could without a warrant or probable cause, not knowing if Clark is really behind what all happened. Even that scumbag Larry. Maybe it was a fluke and they gave up?”
Monica slid back into the booth beside him, catching enough of the conversation to know where to pick up, “Are you stressing again, Lucas?” she asked, tilting her head knowingly, “I don’t know of any other men that could keep our Becks here safe. And Nat.”
I smiled and willed myself to relax. “Well, I appreciate the sentiment. I’m just a little protective over what's mine.”
Becks’ cheeks turned pink and she shoved me playfully.
“Awww,” Monica sighed, “Young love. Remember when we were saps?” she asked her husband wistfully.
“Hey!” exclaimed an affronted Paul, “We can still be sappy!”
Monica’s laugh was her only reply.
“You weren’t complaining last night,” added Paul snarkily.
“PAUL RODGERS!” hollered Monica, turning as red as a fire engine.
Well all laughed and I concentrated on enjoying the rest of our evening.