Chapter 10
LAUREN
Two weeks later…
Dean’s gentle snores tickle the back of my neck every time he breathes out.
His arm is draped around me, and his body is warm as he pulls me toward him, snuggling into me even in sleep.
The bedside clock says five-thirty a.m., and if I don’t leave now, I run the risk of dropping back to sleep in Dean’s warm arms.
The pull to stay is strong, but as always, my son comes first. I don’t want Kieren to know what we’ve been up to every night after he goes to bed. Not yet.
Reluctantly, I wiggle out of Dean’s embrace. His arm tightens around me, and he pulls me into his body.
“Don’t go.”
I turn to face him, and he blinks at me in the dark, his features soft and sleepy. How easy it would be to snuggle into him and stay in bed. But I can’t have Kieren find out about us this way.
I haven’t told him about us yet. It’s too new, and I’m not sure what it is that we’re doing exactly. Well, I know what we’re doing. We’re having mind-blowing sex. But I’m inexperienced when it comes to men, and I want to make sure this is for real and not just because of the situation.
“I have to.” I plant a kiss on Dean’s forehead, and he smiles.
“When are we going to tell him?”
We’ve had this conversation before. Dean doesn’t like sneaking around, but I don’t want to give Kieren one more thing to worry about. Not until Mark is captured and we go back to normal, whatever that is now.
“When all this blows over, we’ll tell him we’re dating.”
Dean raises an eyebrow. “This is more than dating, Lauren. I’m going to be his stepdad one day. I want him to know that.”
His words make my heart flutter. It’s not the first time Dean’s made his intentions clear.
At first, I thought it was all talk, but after two weeks of getting to know Dean and sharing his bed for half the night, I’m starting to believe it.
And seeing him and Kieren bond has loosened something in my heart.
“We’ll tell him soon.” I kiss Dean on the cheek, and he releases his hold on me, respecting my decision. “Go back to sleep.”
I slide out of bed and tip-toe down the hallway to my room and my cold bed.
But I can’t sleep again. Soon, I hear the house creak and soft footsteps, then low male voices as Dean and Kieren meet for their morning training session.
They must be going for a run today, because soon the outside door opens and closes and their voices fade away.
Every morning they’re up at six together, either training in the gym or jogging in the woods. Dean has shown Kieren the correct way to weight train, and my lanky boy is starting to put on muscle.
Last night I was on a late work shift, and when I came home, I found them eating homemade burgers and watching Rocky.
When Dean tells me he wants to be Kieren’s stepdad, I believe him. It’s not just because of our relationship. Dean and Kieren are getting close and they seem to generally like each other, which is everything this wary mom wants.
It’s after six-thirty, and I get up and head to the kitchen. The guys will be hungry after their run, and the least I can do is make sure they’ve got something decent to eat.
The saucepans are under the oven, and I put one on to heat before grabbing a bowl from the cupboard.
As I crack eggs into the bowl, I realize how at home I feel in Dean’s cabin.
It’s been two weeks of staying with Dean, and it’s been relaxed and fun, and I haven’t missed my own space once.
I thought it would be weird to give up my independence and live with a man, but I like it here.
I like sharing the load, and I certainly like the nights spent in Dean’s bed, talking and laughing and making love.
No one has heard anything from Mark for two weeks, and my initial fear has subsided as the days go by.
He probably skipped parole for some dodgy job.
Perhaps he made connections in prison, and he’s gone to join a new criminal underworld.
I don’t know how these things work. But as the days go by with no word from Mark, and life in Dean’s cabin settles into the new normal, I’m beginning to wonder if I overreacted.
But it led us to Dean’s cabin, and I can’t regret that.
I smile to myself as I whisk the eggs so they’re ready to scramble. We’re safe, my son is happy, and the man I’m falling for wants to be a part of both our lives. Things are really looking up.
Today is my shift as the community nurse, and a few hours later I’m heading toward my first visit of the day. The Baxter property is in the flat area at the base of the mountain, and one of its borders bumps up against Lexi’s property, which I’ve heard Dean mention.
The farmhouse is red brick with bright white windows. A plastic green slide set is in the front yard, and gardening tools are propped up against the fence.
The property stretches over land that was once farmed and is now overgrown. In the closest field is an ancient orchard, its branches heavy with plump, ripening cherries. Along the back fence are squat beehives, the residents flying to and fro in the hazy morning sun.
I mount the steps, and Abby pulls open the door before I knock.
“Good morning,” I say cheerfully.
She tilts her head and smiles. “You look different today. Did you have a haircut?”
I lower my head to hide my blush. I’ve been getting that a lot this week and the only thing I’ve done differently is sleep in Dean’s bed every night. Not that we get much sleep.
The sex is phenomenal and exploratory. We’ve tried positions I never knew existed, and I’ve orgasmed more times than I thought humanly possible. And yet we still can’t get enough of each other.
I follow Abby up the stairs of the old farmhouse that she shares with her three sisters, two nephews, and her elderly grandfather, whom I’m here to see.
While Abby’s sisters run Sweet & Strong, the bakery in town, she stays home to look after their grandfather and the farm.
Not that there’s much farm to look after these days.
It’s mostly gone to ruin over the years, since Abby’s parents passed away when they were still girls. All that remains are the orchard and the beehives.
I’ve been coming for the past three weeks to check on a foot infection the grandfather has. He’s too ill to move or too stubborn. I’m not sure which.
“Morning, Mr. Baxter,” I say brightly as I enter his bedroom.
His granddaughters keep it bright in here, and the curtain is pulled, and the window is open a crack. He eyes me warily as I dump my nursing bag on the chair.
“You look different.” His voice is croaky, as to be expected from a man of seventy-nine.
“How are you feeling today?”
I change the subject, but his gaze remains on me. I pull out the blood pressure monitor from my bag and strap it around his arm. His gaze follows my every move.
“Your cheeks look brighter. You’re glowing.”
I lower my gaze so he doesn’t see me blush. Am I that transparent that even a sick man can tell what I’ve been up to?
“You’ve met a man!” He slaps his hand on the side of the bed. “I’ll be damned, the nurse is in love!”
“I need you to be still for a moment while I take your readings.”
He hoots with laughter and turns to his daughter. “There’s a young man involved. I’d bet my farm on it.”
My cheeks flame bright red, and I make myself busy taking his readings.
“How do you feel this week, Mr. Baxter?”
His face falls. “Not good.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Are you in pain?”
He shakes his head. “Only in here.” He taps his chest, above where his heart is.
I glance at Abby, and her mouth is set in a thin line. “We had another visit from the lawyers,” she says. “The same ones who wanted to buy the Reilly property.”
“It’s not them that wants to buy it,” says her grandfather. “Whoever wants to buy it is hiding behind them. I don’t do business with someone who won’t show their face.”
“Are you thinking of selling the farm?”
I glance at Abby again. They’ve got a lot of land they’re not using. It could be an opportunity for them to downsize.
“Heck no,” her grandfather says. “This land has been in my family for generations.”
But Abby looks away, out of the window. I wonder what the sisters think. They have the bakery now. Aside from the orchard and beehives, the farm hasn’t been worked in years.
And even with the bakery, times are tough at the moment. I’m sure the farm would get a good price.
“We’re not selling,” her grandfather reiterates, and I wonder if there have been tense discussions around the dinner table.
I finish up, and Abby sees me downstairs. “We don’t use all those empty fields,” she says quietly. “If someone wants them, I don’t see the harm.” She sighs heavily. “But we couldn’t do it to Pops. He loves this land. His history is here.
“Do all your sisters agree?”
She shakes her head. “No. We’re divided on it. So we told the lawyers no. They weren’t happy. Then they came back with a higher offer.”
“Isn’t that what they did with Lexi?”
She nods. “Someone wants the land around here real bad. Makes you wonder why, doesn’t it?”
As I drive back to Dean’s cabin, I’m thinking about what it could be about the land here that someone wants so badly.
Dean’s training tonight and Kieren will be with him, giving me a few hours to myself.
I rub the tension out of my neck and think about the bath I’m going to run.
Then I’ll put dinner on, chicken pasta, so they have something substantial and high in protein when they get back from training.
How easily we’ve settled into this new life.
I like the ease of it. I could get used to it here in Dean’s cabin, the community of Hope and the opportunities for Kieren.
As I pull up in front of the cabin, my phone rings. It’s Dean, and I smile as I pick it up.
“Is Keiren with you?”
My blood freezes. “He should be at training. He was getting a lift with Thom.” I mention the name of Kieren’s new friend at school. They’ve been going to the training gym together. Thom takes him straight from school, and Dean brings him home.
“Thom said he didn’t meet him after school. He messaged him and he didn’t reply, so he assumed he wasn’t coming.”
“Kieren’s missing.” I state the words, and I don’t need to say the meaning behind them. Mark has my son.