Chapter Eight #2
Tana held little Henry in her arms, marveling at just how tiny Sawyer and Lorna’s newborn felt.
She couldn’t remember the twins being so little, but they were born a little early, so they were probably smaller than Henry.
Still, just the smell of him and the little squeaks that he made while he wiggled and squirmed in her arms made her ache for another.
Which was completely crazy because she and Torren were nowhere near that point in their relationship.
Sure, he told her that he was falling in love with her, and she admitted to having some feelings for him, but they certainly didn’t profess their undying love for each other.
And, why should they? Heck, they only knew each other for a few weeks now, and their relationship, for the most part, consisted of her watching his puppy.
But these last few days with Torren were wonderful, making her crave more than just the physical relationship that she asked of him.
She knew that asking Torren for just a roll in the hay was her way of protecting her heart.
Tana was afraid to ask him for more, not sure that he would willingly want to give it to her.
The last thing she wanted to do was force Torren Harrison into her bed or her life, yet here he was—as big as a mountain, present in both.
“I’ll go back and hang out with the girls while you all talk,” Lorna said.
She bent down to take Henry from Tana, and she instantly missed his little weight in her arms. She didn’t miss the way Torren watched her with him or the way that he looked at Henry.
Tana wondered if Torren ever thought of having kids of his own.
The thought wasn’t foreign to him; otherwise, her girls wouldn’t have been able to wrap themselves around his big finger so easily.
“Thank you, Lorna,” she called down the hall as Lorna disappeared into the twins’ temporary room.
“So, tell me what exactly happened this morning.” Tana could feel her face heat at the thought of all the things that had happened between Torren and her that morning.
Tor must have noticed because he chuckled and pulled her fidgeting hands into his.
“I’m pretty sure we can leave those details out, baby.” Sawyer turned the same shade of red as she must have been and nervously laughed.
“Yep, I don’t need all of the gory details, Tana.
” Sawyer shot Torren a dirty look and shook his head.
Torren squeezed Tana’s hand into his, and she was thankful for the reprieve.
He took over the conversation, filling in the information about what happened that morning before she woke up.
Listening to him retell his story had her heart racing—knowing how close Matt was to her and her daughters was terrifying.
Once he finished telling Sawyer about the delivery of dead roses and the note, he described the car that Matt was driving and handed Sawyer the picture of her ex.
Sawyer turned his attention to her, and she almost wanted to run and hide with the girls and Lorna.
But that wouldn’t make her problems or Matt go away.
She knew that letting him near her twins wasn’t an option, and she would fight him before she let him hurt her again.
Still, the whole process of reporting Matt again was daunting.
The last time she went through the whole ordeal had been disappointing.
The thought of going through all this again and not having anyone believe her or want to help her made her wonder if it was all worth it.
“Tell me about what happened in your old town, why no one helped you after you filed a restraining order.” Sawyer waited for her out, and she sighed. She realized that what she was about to say might seem a little biased against the sheriff’s department, but she owed him the truth.
“I’m not sure why, but it was as if they didn’t believe me.
Even when Matt held me in the bathroom for hours, saying that he was going to kill all of us, they only detained him for a few months.
Maybe it was because I kept going back to him, or maybe the department down south thought that I was crying wolf.
Either way, I had no choice but to take my girls and leave.
And now he’s here, and he hurt my mom,” she sobbed.
Torren stood and pulled her into his arms, and sat back down with her on his lap.
She buried her face into his chest and cried.
She was spent, exhausted, and ready to put this whole ordeal behind her.
“We won’t let him hurt you, baby. Your ex will never get to you again, I swear.” Torren rubbed her back, soothing away her sobs.
“He’s right, you know. I give you my word that Matt Cahoon will not touch you or your twins ever again.
I’ve put most of my department on the case, and I will send this picture over so we can put a face to the search,” Sawyer promised.
Torren nodded his thanks, and Tana wiped her nose on his shirt and sniffed.
“Thank you, Sawyer. I don’t know what I can do to repay you for believing me and helping with all this mess.” Tana sniffled again, wishing that she could stop crying. She felt like she had cried enough for two lifetimes.
“With your mother’s testimony, we should be able to put him away for a while this time.
” Sawyer nodded and stood. “I need you to stay in town, preferably with Torren. He’s got a great security system, and you’ll be safest here.
I’ll have an officer posted just out front, and I will set up regular patrols.
How do you feel about me putting someone in your house, you know—to let your ex think that you and the girls are home?
I think that might entice him to come after you, but instead, he’ll run into one of my guys.
” Tana looked at Torren, hoping that he’d have a few answers.
He nodded, and she agreed to let Sawyer post an officer in her home to pretend that she was still there.
“I’ll also set up a phone call with your mom so you can hear that she is all right. I have already talked to her and taken a statement for things here on my end. She was very nice, and she said that she was fine, just a little tired.” At the mention of her mother, Tana began to cry again.
“Thank you, Sawyer—for everything,” Torren whispered.
Sawyer nodded and went to collect Lorna and Henry.
They packed up and headed out, leaving Tana feeling alone and scared.
Torren must have picked up on her insecurities and wrapped her tighter in his arms, kissing her forehead.
He was so sweet and caring, she didn’t know what she would have done without him through all of this.
“Thank you, Tor,” she whispered.
“Any time, honey.” He pulled her up for a soft kiss, causing her heart to stutter.
She knew that sooner or later she was going to have to come clean with Torren and confess that she was not just falling for him—she was in love with him.
He took the leap and admitted that he was falling in love with her, and she owed him that same honesty.
The girls came running into Torren’s family room and jumped on the couch, cuddling into her and Torren.
They stayed like that for a couple of hours, watching cartoons and laughing.
Her daughters were thrilled to be camping at Torren’s, and honestly, she was too.
Matt watched as the local authorities scrambled to post guards at Tana’s new boyfriend’s house.
As if her mountain-sized boy toy wouldn’t be able to protect her.
He chuckled to himself when he saw that they posted an officer in Tana’s house—like he would fall for that.
He knew exactly where she was and who she was with.
It pissed him off that she so easily moved on from him—hell, they were legally still married since he never signed the divorce papers.
He planned to become a widower and not a divorcee, but first, he needed a better plan.
He had to admit, finding Tana’s giant boyfriend at her house this morning threw him off his game.
He thought that one of the twins would answer the door and that he would be able to surprise Tana, maybe even find his wife in bed.
But that big oaf opened the door, and he knew that his wife was still in bed—she was just tangled up with the wrong guy.
The thought of the two of them in bed together made him grind his teeth.
Matt decided to head to the next town over, lie low for a few days, and let everyone get comfortable.
People were always so much easier to surprise when they felt that there was no threat.
Tana and her mountain of a boyfriend wouldn’t know what hit them, not until it was too late for anyone to come to their rescue.
Sooner or later, they would need to go out, and when they did, he would be waiting for them and make their deaths look like an accident.
No one would ever be able to tie him to the crime, and he could find another town and start over, this time with the right woman.