Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
“ Y ou have to choose this crib.” The elegant shop lady was eagerly looking between Cass and Tilly. “It’s the very best we have in store.”
Tilly hazily stared back at the starstruck saleswoman of Boutique Bébé. Cass’s chauffeured car had dropped them off at the upscale baby store on a quaint shopping street in a posh area of Montreal. Her mind wasn’t quite registering the suggestion and instead razoring in on the text she had just received from Lilah in Hyannis.
She held her phone tighter, unable to appreciate the lovely infant paraphernalia around her—the plush pastel stuffed animals, the blond and white wooden furniture, the high-tech baby care items. Her heart hammered within her chest as she stared again at the pictures her friend had just sent her. She was in danger. Someone had entered her home last night and trashed it.
The classical music piping from the wall did nothing to soothe her nerves as she studied the crude symbol—some sort of vague squiggles encompassed inside a rudimentary circle—that had been spray-painted in red on her front door. Lilah tried to sound reassuring, and they were tidying up at this very minute. All would be perfect upon her return.
The stylish salesperson, realizing that Tilly was not listening, was now entirely focused on Cass who was paying attention and asking smart questions about the crib’s safety. He had jumped right into the concerned future father without missing a beat.
Meanwhile Tilly’s knees felt weak at the invasion of her private space.
“What do you think, Till? Do you want this one?”
She tore her gaze from the image and tried to push down her rising panic. She wanted to tell Cass but didn’t know how to bring the topic up discretely. Not with the lady right there and her two young assistants hovering around, obviously completely taken by the rock star who’d had the shop closed for the afternoon so they could browse in peace.
She took a quick look at the glass entrance, where Marjo was scrolling through her phone by the door, her brows furrowed in concentration, and where Tommy and the new bodyguard, Raphael Chung, stood watching from the sidewalk. She was safe, she had to believe it.
Raphael was a vampire. He’d apparently been with Cass’s brother for years and had taken care of all sorts of hazards at Magnovald’s nightclub. And, unlike Tommy, was fully briefed on the supernatural threats to her safety.
She’d tell Cass about the break-in later when they were alone. But Cass seemed to always have people around him. Aside from when he slept, he rarely had a moment by himself.
“So,” Cass insisted.
“Uh?” She tried to refocus.
“The crib, do you like it?” Cass asked. He took a double take and caught her clutching her phone to her chest. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah sure.” She pursed her lips with a tight shrug and pocketed her phone, trying to sound casual as she added, “I’ll tell you later.”
She hated stalling but she didn’t want to compromise him. Cass had chosen a very public life as a regular human, and she wouldn’t jeopardize it by revealing anything to prying ears. Even if at best, the gossip would be that his baby mama was completely crazy.
She fixated on her surroundings to center herself.
“This is a nice crib, right?” He beamed with enthusiasm. “Perfect for the baby’s room.”
“Baby’s room?” she said with a frown.
“We’ll have one soon, don’t you worry.” Cass chuckled as he turned to the saleswoman. “We don’t even have a house yet! Isn’t that crazy? But my assistant has narrowed down a few possibilities. In this neighborhood, I think.”
“Oh, how nice, Mr. St-Amand,” the lady enthused, her hand upon the beaded jade necklace at her neck. “This is the perfect area for you.”
“Just call me Cass,” he said with that charismatic smile of his. “Ms.?”
“Judith.” She flushed and shifted her weight on her sensible black pumps.
“Judith, thank you for all your explanations. I never knew there was so much to learn about baby beds. So Tilly, this is good right?”
“Yes sure.” Overwhelmed by the stately baby furniture and imported infant clothing in the shop, she thought of the wooden crib she had left behind in Hyannis, simple but sweet, carefully chosen with the help of Allie and Josh from the nearby hardware store in town.
She shuddered with apprehension. Had the bastard who’d broken into her house messed with her nursery? What about the delicate moon and star mobile above the bed, and the little white crochet bear given to her by Mrs. Mac from the local coffeeshop?
She wanted to ask Lilah right now to make sure.
And blast! Did she really have to have her child here in Montreal, away from her life?
Cass was very pleased with her approval of the crib and her heart swelled at his giddiness. He meant well, she knew that. He wanted her safe and comfortable, she could tell.
“We’ll take it,” he told the shop woman as he lay a hand on Tilly’s forearm. “If you would please give us a moment.”
“We have a lovely matching changing table that just arrived yesterday, all the way from Italy,” the lady said over her shoulder as she made a quiet retreat with the crib’s sales tag. “It’s right over there in the corner.”
“You okay?” Cass became serious as soon as they were alone in a quiet spot of the store, surrounded by tiny cheerful mobiles and plushies in soft hues.
She took a deep inhale. “Yes. I’m fine.”
“Too much time on your feet?” His brow was raised with genuine concern.
“No, I’m perfectly healthy.” She waved his worry away with a quick motion of her hand. “I kept myself fit. I was still jogging last week.”
He shot her a broad smile. “But you are carrying life.”
“Look, Cass.” She eyed him somberly. “Someone was in my house last night.”
“What?” His expression changed instantly.
“They trashed my home.” Her voice turned hoarse at saying the words out loud.
“For real?”
“Yes, my friend was checking on my place.” She brandished her phone at him. “She just texted me. It happened during the night. Look, this was painted on my door.”
“Huh.” He frowned, concentrating on the image on her phone. “A gang tag?”
“In Hyannis? No way.”
“It’s hard to tell what it means.” He squinted at the photo. “It’s just scribbles.”
“I know.” The bottom of her stomach knotted with anxiety.
“I’ll have people sent over to your home right now. To fix everything.” He passed her the phone back. “We should call the authorities.”
“Already done.” She pursed her lips, still shaking with disgust at the intrusion. “My friends have cleared up some of the worst, putting in new locks and all. They contacted the local police. A detective is already on the case. If it’s me and the baby they wanted, they won’t come back. We’re here.”
“Are you sure it’s someone after you?”
“Yes. This is too much of a coincidence.” She instinctively drew closer to him, as if someone would come at her at this very moment, here in the baby shop.
“Send me that pic and I’ll pass it on to my brother Justin.” He patted her back, his tone soothing. “He’s well versed in the occult. He might recognize it.”
She tapped a few commands on her phone screen to share the image with him. “I’m worried, Cass. I left the bus schedule with my itinerary circled on the fridge for my friends in case they needed to contact me. I didn’t think straight. I had no idea someone would truly be after me.”
“You’re perfectly safe in Montreal,” he told her with a smile. “I’m right here.”
She glanced back at Tommy and Raphael out on the street. Both were tall and broad-shouldered, looking lethal despite the dark suits and ties. Pedestrians glanced at them as they took a wide berth around them on the sidewalk.
“But what if you’re not,” she questioned. “I can’t be tethered to you for the next month.”
“Raphael is here,” he countered. “I can ask for Evan, too, if you want. Mag won’t mind.”
She shook her head, still apprehensive but feeling a little safer.
“I’ll send people to move your things here,” Cass added. “Maybe make me a list?”
“My friends will be devastated when I tell them I’m having the baby here.” Crestfallen, she let out a heavy sigh.
“Won’t they understand?”
“They don’t know anything about me being a banshee and all.”
“But they know I’m the father.”
“Yes.” She’d finally told her friends the truth after she’d turned down a drink from their usual pitcher of margarita one Friday night. They knew she’d had an affair with rock star Cass St-Amand and that he was the father of her child.
They’d been shocked at first but supportive of any decision she had wanted to make. Allie had been thrilled when Tilly had said she was finally reaching out to Cass to inform him of his impeding paternity.
“Look, we’ll fix this, I promise you.” He stepped in front of her to take her hands in his, helping dissipate the tension that had been holding her neck tight since she’d seen that text. “Right now, we are shopping for our child’s nursery. For our brand-new house. You must be a little excited?”
He was so keen that she didn’t have the heart to tell him that she’d done this kind of shopping before in her own home.
“A little, sure,” she managed to say. It was true that she hadn’t been in a fancy shop like Boutique Bébé with an unlimited budget at her disposition.
“Come on,” he told her, dropping her hands to wrap an arm around her shoulder. His deep, confident tone echoed seductively above her, the pleasant frequency resonating all the way down to her chest and making her want to fall farther into his embrace. He gestured to the array of baby luxuries around them. “You can have everything here. Price is not a concern.”
She let out a breath, smiling at how easy life was for him. She’d had to budget tight to furnish her own nursery. But he only had to point at something, and just like that, it was his and someone would set it all up for him.
She rubbed her strained back. Maybe she was tired. And maybe it was okay to accept his help. Life didn’t have to be so difficult all the time. Maybe she would indeed be safe, surrounded by immortals and vampires to protect her.
Maybe Godmother April was overcautious. Maybe Death was wrong.
And maybe, her only challenge right now was to get to know her child’s father better.
“Tell me more about this house you want,” she finally relented.
“I think here, right? In Westmount,” he suggested. “This is a great neighborhood and wait ’til you see Park Westmount. Great place to go with children.”
“Children?”
“Yes, why not?” He shot her a boyish grin.
“Whoa there.” She smiled at his excitement. They were not even a couple anymore. “Let’s start with the crib.”
“You want it?” His gaze turned to the gorgeous piece of furniture at the other end of the showroom.
“Yes. It’s beautiful.” She wanted to ask Lilah and Josh to pack her things and have them sent here. She liked the crib she’d purchased but Cass was so excited to have this one. And it was pretty.
“With the matching table.”
“Sure.” This was their first purchase as parents. Carrying with it was the hope of an actual future as a family. Would they rekindle their flame and make it as a couple?
She just couldn’t go there yet with so much drama clouding her brain.
“I can’t wait to go look at houses with you,” he gushed. “I think Marjo has a few appointments set up for this afternoon already.”
Blast, this was going fast.
But he was so enthusiastic. His magnetic smile was irresistible, and she remembered why she’d fallen for him in Hyannis.
Yet, she didn’t want to think too far. Could she actually relocate to be near him? Settle together in Montreal so he’d be there for the child? Was there any studio here that could take her and her roster on?
She shook her head, trying not to consider it all, and instead getting carried away by his excitement.
She was about to ask him about the details of having her baby stuff moved to Montreal when his phone buzzed.
He looked at the text. His face fell.
“Till, I’m sorry.” He raked his hair back as he let out a frustrated breath. “You’ll have to go alone with Marjo.”
“What’s up?” She frowned, her excitement evaporated.
“Something about the band.” His expression was dark, his mind elsewhere. “You keep the car. I’ll get a ride-share.”
“What is it?” Stunned at his sudden change of mood, she watched him ordering himself a car with a few taps on his phone.
“Band stuff. Don’t worry, I got this.” He plastered a fake smile on his lips, not quite meeting his eyes. As he grabbed her arm, his tone sounded a little too reassuring to be real. “I’ll deal with this, and I’ll be right back.”
“But—”
“You go see the houses with Marjo, Tommy, and Rafael,” he interrupted. “You’ll be perfectly safe. I trust they all will look after you. You will be okay, I promise.”
She stared at him, not saying a word, feeling cold inside. Was that joyful moment they’d shared earlier completely fake?
And right there, she realized that his band would always come first. Not just before her safety but before her heart.
“You go ahead and choose us a fantastic house, okay?” he said before escaping to the outdoors and jumping in a nondescript sedan that had pulled by the curb.
“Sure,” she mumbled to herself while ambling over to the counter where the shop lady was ringing their purchases with efficient gestures of her flawlessly manicured hands.
Still uneasy, Tilly waved at Marjo to come over.
“I think his assistant will take care of that,” she told the saleswoman.
The lady cracked her professional facade as her eyes fell on Tilly’s belly. “It’s his, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Her shoulders dropped. It was all over the internet by now. Everyone knew.
“You’re so lucky to be with him,” the woman said dreamily as she wrapped up a selection of stuffed jungle animals chosen earlier by Cass. “And he has such great taste.”
“Yes, I am.” She nodded slowly and offered the woman a brave smile. “I’m very lucky.”
But she didn’t feel lucky. Not at all.