Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
“Shit,” Alex hissed, running her hand over her face. “Where are all the medium-sized shirts? I swear, I had them in this bin.”
“I’ve got them,” Victoria called out from under the table, lifting one up into the air. “You put them in the green bin at the last minute.”
Alex let out a relieved sigh then tightly hugged her sister-in-law. “Thank fuck you’re here. If it was just me, I would have lost my mind hours ago.”
“What about me?” I smirked from the other side of the booth.
She rolled her eyes after handing the customer a Fox Creek shirt. “You, my friend, are eye candy. So smile big, pretty boy.”
I shook my head, returning to the back of the Fox Creek booth to restock some of our supplies. We were on hour three of the Fall Fest, and there had been a steady stream of guests ever since we opened. Everywhere you looked, people were enjoying the festivities, families and children running down Main Street without a care in the world. The air smelled of spiced apple cider and fresh fried donuts, filled with laughter that brought a smile to my face without even trying.
I took a moment to look around, letting a sense of rightness wash over me. Ever since I came to this town, I wanted to be a part of its community, and I never felt like more of it than today. When Alex and Cole first asked if I wanted to help out at their booth, I hesitated, unsure if I was ready to show my face to so many strangers. But after months of tucking myself away, I was done letting anyone else decide my fate. With Victoria at my side, I felt invincible, as if I could take on the world if she asked me to. So, when I left my hat and sunglasses at home and walked out into the world, I felt a new sense of hope.
Maybe, if I was lucky, this could be my life. The audition still hung over my head, but instead of nerves, excitement filled my chest. Last night, after Cam put Emilia to bed, Victoria came over and helped me run lines. It was the kind of quiet domesticity I always thought would bore me, but with her, everything else made sense.
As Alex turned toward a new group of visitors, Victoria nuzzled up to my side. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. She sighed against my chest. “You know, when you said this was a big deal, I didn’t quite realize how many people would be here. It’s kind of insane.”
“Seriously,” I chuckled. “Glad Alex made me make another hundred buttons, even if my fingers were about to bleed.”
Victoria’s phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out and smiled at the photo filling her screen. She tilted it so I could see the image of Cam covered in purple glitter makeup, Emilia placing a headband in his hair. Victoria chuckled. “Glad to see they’re having a good time.”
“Me too,” I answered. As much as I was looking forward to spending the day with Emilia, after weeks apart, she needed this time with her dad. While they were hanging out at the apartment, Hadley had decided to make herself the unofficial photographer of the event, running around to try to get as many portraits of our town’s residents as possible.
Meanwhile, the rest of us were on booth duty. Victoria and I agreed to help Alex at Fox Creek’s booth while Cole assisted Gray at his food stand down the street. In the booth next to us, Calla had enlisted her sister and Theo’s assistant, Eloise, to help her with her business. The only people missing were Marta and Curt, but they were taking the year off. After twenty years, they’d passed their duties on to the new generation, enjoying the festivities as guests for the first time.
As much as I loved seeing all my friends in action, a part of me was itching for the next part of the day. Cam was going to bring Emilia by this afternoon so she could see the animals and enjoy the carnival in the Town Square. I couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw the pony ride we’d arranged with the local farm.
I looked down at Victoria in my arms as she texted Cam, a slight grin on her face. There would always be a tiny nudge of jealousy at their tight bond, but I had no question that Tori and I belonged together. I wasn’t the kind of man who believed in destiny or fate, but if I did, I would think the stars sent this woman right to me. There was no other explanation for how she came into my life at the exact right moment and fit so perfectly against me.
As I held her a little tighter, Eloise came over, staring at my arms wrapped around Victoria. For a moment, something passed over her features that I hadn’t seen before, but it passed as quickly as it came, and she gave me her usual shy smile. “Hey, Adam. Theo told me about the audition. I’m glad you found a script that worked for you.”
“Thanks,” I chuckled. “Hopefully, I’ll do okay. I’m feeling a little rusty.”
Victoria turned and lightly smacked my shoulder. “Stop that. You’re going to be amazing.” She shifted her attention to Eloise. “Hey, I’m Victoria, Cole’s sister.”
“I’m Eloise. I’m Theo’s assistant.” She beamed at the woman in my arms. “I’ve heard a lot about you. And if you’ve had anything to do with Adam’s decision to step back into acting, thank you .” She grimaced. “Theo’s been much easier to deal with lately.”
“Eloise was a god-send,” I said to Victoria. “She’d drop off scripts every single week and passed along my messages to Theo.” I turned to the other woman. “Sorry if I put you in an uncomfortable position.”
“It’s fine.” She waved me off. “Theo is…demanding. But I’m learning a lot from him, so it helps. And Calla’s amazing, which makes dealing with her husband worth it.” She snapped her fingers. “Speaking of, she asked me to come over here and ask if Alex had any more of those little candies. Her stomach’s been in knots all day because of the booth, and they’re the only thing she can keep down.”
Victoria turned to Alex, seeing her busy talking to a potential guest about hosting a work retreat in the winter months. She smiled. “I’ll take a look around. I’m sure she has them in one of the bins.” She shuffled through the different containers under the table, scouring them. When she popped back up, there was a bright smile on her face. “Here you go. Tell her I hope they help.”
“Thanks!” Eloise called out as she headed back to the booth.
But even as she left, the same secretive smile remained on Victoria’s face. I shifted to look down at her. “Something I need to know?”
“Nope,” she smirked, lifting onto her tiptoes to kiss me. “But I have a feeling things are going to change around here pretty soon.”
“I think it’s official,” Cam sighed, leaning into the back seat of my truck. “Batteries power this kid. That’s the only possible explanation for how she has that much energy.”
I had to agree with him. After hours of working the festival and then following Emilia through the entire carnival twice , I was dead on my feet. The trek to my truck was far enough, and I couldn’t wait to get back to my cabin. My bed was calling my name, and all I needed was my girl in my arms to make this day complete.
As I hit my blinker to turn off Main Street, Victoria chuckled in the passenger seat. I dropped my hand back into my lap, and she reached over and linked it with hers. “Yeah, that’s the reason, Cam. Not the eight sugary treats you let her pick out.”
“It was a special event, and it made her happy.” He shrugged. “Besides, I had to do something to improve my reputation after this guy blew her mind.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the memory, remembering how Emilia’s little eyes filled with happy tears when she saw the “unicorn” waiting just for her. Even after the horn fell off, she kept beaming at me like I had made all her dreams come true.
Earning Victoria’s smile was one of my favorite things in the world, and I was desperate for each and every one. But seeing her daughter look at me with stars in her eyes? That was the kind of feeling I wouldn’t forget for the rest of my life.
As we pulled up to the lodge, I checked the back seat, seeing Emilia’s head on Hadley’s lap. Both slept soundly, exhausted from a long day at the festival. But that wasn't what caught my eye. No, that was the way Cam’s brow furrowed as he looked at them together, as if finally connecting something in his mind. I grinned to myself, bowing my head so no one else would catch on.
But apparently, it wasn’t quick enough, because Victoria turned toward me, searching my expression with her eyes. “What’s that look for?”
“Nothing, trouble,” I said as I leaned in to kiss her. “You gonna come over after Emilia gets settled?”
“Yup,” she said. “Just going to get changed and make sure she’s still out, then I’ll be there.”
“Make it fast, Tor.” I leaned in so only she could hear me. “After all of our hard work, I think we both deserve a little reward.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, tucking her lower lip between her teeth. “Can’t wait.”
Cam’s head popped between our seats, making us jump apart. As he placed his elbows on the tops of our seats, he looked at each of us with a grimace. “Listen, I love you guys together, but could you save the dirty talk for when I’m out of earshot? These child locks are making it impossible to escape.”
Victoria playfully rolled her eyes as she stepped out of the car. I opened the door for Cam, reaching in to grab Emilia as he said good night to Victoria and tried to wake up Hadley. She growled at him as she slowly opened her eyes. “Waking up and the first thing I see is you? I must be having a nightmare.”
“You wish, menace. Get your ass inside.”
I kissed the top of Emilia’s head as I passed her over to her father then reached out and pulled Victoria into my arms. She nuzzled my chest, letting out a content sigh. While Cam, Hadley, and Emilia walked up the front steps, she lifted her chin. “Thank you for today. It was definitely chaotic, but getting to spend the whole day with you was worth it.”
“Same here, trouble.” I grinned as I tucked her hair behind her ear.
“And thank you for the surprise for Emilia. I’m pretty sure her little heart gave out when she saw that unicorn standing there.”
I chuckled, kissing the top of her hair. “No problem at all. Love making my girls smile.”
She leaned back and grinned at me. “Oh, we’re your girls now?”
“Have been for a while, Tori. Cam might have had you first, but I’m claiming you two as well. He’s going to have to get used to sharing.”
She placed her hand on my chest. “You aren’t jealous of Cam, right? You know that stuff with him is long over. We’re just friends.”
“I know that baby,” I chuckled, leaning down to capture her lips. “I’m not worried that he has your past. ”
“You’re not?”
“No,” I said, gripping the back of her neck so she’d look at me. “He can have it. Because I get your future, and that’s all that matters to me.”
Victoria sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re making it really hard to walk away from you right now.”
“Tell me about it,” I groaned. “But the faster you get in there, the faster I can have you screaming my name.”
“Deal,” she said as she kissed my lips one last time. “You really know how to motivate a girl.”
Victoria waved at me as she stepped inside the main lodge, and I waited until the door shut behind her to head to my cabin. Even though the sun had set hours ago, there was still life around me, bugs humming in the air and squirrels scurrying across the yard. I waved as I walked by the fire pits, a couple of families up late making s’mores and telling tales by the fires.
What would it be like here when the winter started? Would this all be a sea of white, the snow transforming the mountains yet again? I stared at my little cabin tucked at the edge of the woods and wondered how it would feel to leave it behind. I’d toyed with the idea of creating permanent roots here for weeks, but now, the idea was starting to grow teeth. Even though I told Emilia I wouldn’t be moving in anytime soon, eventually, I wanted us all under one roof. It would be hard enough splitting time with Cam. When she was home, I wanted us to be all together.
Maybe it was time to look into some real estate, something we could all grow into. As I glanced over my shoulder at Victoria’s apartment, I wondered what she would think about that. Hopefully, she’d be on board, but she had yet to tell me her plans for the future. While it’d be great if she stuck in town, I knew better than to give that dream a voice just yet. She needed to decide what would be best for both her and Emilia, not to mention, Cam.
And as much as I wanted our home to be here, in the end, it didn’t really matter. Home was the two girls upstairs, the ones who held my whole heart. I’d go anywhere they wanted to go.
Shaking my head, knowing a long talk with Victoria was coming, I stepped closer to my cabin, but as I reached the bottom of the steps, the hair on the back of my neck started to rise. The door was mostly closed, just a sliver of the wooden strip showing it wasn't wholly latched. I gave one more glance over my shoulder, making sure Victoria wasn’t anywhere near before I climbed up the steps and pushed it open.
There was no sound, only darkness that washed over the room. The only light was the glow through the patio doors, the moonlight reflecting off the lake. There was no sign of anyone else, but I could sense it—someone had been in here.
It was the same feeling that haunted my nightmares, the knowing feeling that someone unwanted had invaded my private space. As I walked through the kitchen, nothing looked amiss, but there was a lingering odor in the air, like the smell of sulfur or smoke.
As I stepped into my bedroom, I could feel the air shift, my entire body telling me to turn around and walk back out the door. But I couldn’t. I had to see what was waiting with my own two eyes.
I flicked on the light, stifling a sharp curse as my bed came into view.
My sheets and my pillows had all been doused in some kind of chemical, leaving nasty stains and burns on the fabric. I had to cover my mouth with my hand, the smell causing my stomach to flip. The sensation only grew as I spotted a lump in the middle of the bed. My heart sank at the sight, terrified of what was waiting for me under the thick blanket.
Run. Leave , my intuition called out, desperate to get out of this room and return to earlier in the day, when everything seemed to be going well. But I couldn’t. I needed to know what happened, what this stalker had done to invade my home.
With shaky, uneasy steps, I returned to the kitchen and grabbed a metal spatula. The room ebbed in and out of focus as I walked over to the bed, and pulled back the comforter. Before I could even get a proper look, a powerful odor crashed into me, causing me to turn and empty the contents of my stomach all over the carpet.
When it was thoroughly empty, I forced my back to straighten, trying to ignore the smell of rotting flesh filling my nostrils. Turning toward the bed, I was met with the dead eyes of a large fish carcass lying in the middle. From the look of its skin and innards, it had been doused in the same strange chemical as the rest of my belongings, or it had been the source. Either way, my bed was ruined, and that wasn’t the worst part. Sticking out of the fish’s flesh was a large carving knife, similar to the one that stuck out of my walls in New York.
My vision started to darken as I stared at it, taken right back to that night so many months ago. It was as if no time had passed, and I was stuck in the same cycle of terror, waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows and take me out for good.
As I turned to walk toward the balcony for some much-needed air, I finally faced the opposite wall, and my blood ran cold. The wall that had once housed my television was covered with hundreds of pictures of Tori and me. From our first interaction to our more intimate moments, our entire relationship was spelled out in an angry rhythm. My stomach lurched again as I read the words carved into the paint just above the photos.
I warned you—you are MINE.