Chapter 2
Sebastian
I stop the timer.
Four minutes and twelve seconds.
Not my worst, but not my best either. I chalk it up to the whale smiling at me. A blue Beluga in a blue ocean does make it more difficult, but I love a challenge. And I love the challenge even more when it’s provided by my beautiful neighbor.
I grab the puzzle glue I keep on hand for this exact situation and glue it together. I slide it into a frame and put the one-hundred-piece whale puzzle next to all the other animal puzzles I’ve done in the past six years.
All the wall space has long been taken up with these puzzles, so now I have cabinets full of them. Only my favorites are mounted. Not based off their picture, but on the memories attached to them.
The one with the picture of otters with rocks in their hands hanging across from my desk is from the first snowstorm I shoveled her driveway. She left a letter attached to it thanking me. It’s the first time I’d ever seen her scrawly cursive. I cherish it.
The Komodo Dragon puzzle is missing a piece, but that doesn’t stop it from being my all-time favorite. Because this is one she did before giving it to me. I must have spent weeks sniffing her scent off of it. I refrained from gluing it until every last hint of her evaporated.
The puzzles aren’t as fun as the Legos, but I’m grateful for them. My angel likes to test my intelligence. She gives me fun ways to work out my brain. I love that she has some of the same interests as I do.
Since she encourages my hobbies, I’ve done the same with hers. I know every fact about all the reptiles she cares about. Not only the ones she has at home, but also the ones she works with.
I don’t even know how many times I’ve been to the zoo, just to watch her presentations and activities with the reptiles… That’s a lie. I know exactly how many times. Forty-eight times. And each was just as captivating as the first.
How could it be anything other than enthralling? She’s performing up there, explaining all the nuances of such majestic creatures. After much research, I understand the allure of these animals. They’re pure and caring. Perfect for my Lizzy.
In my mind, she’s Lizzy the Lizard Queen.
No one could usurp her claim to the title. No one could care for these scaly beasts like she can. She handles a python with a grace that rivals royalty. My fearless angel.
Despite her bravery, I saw the discomfort when men get too close. The tremble in her hand when someone shakes it. The fear in her eyes when one goes in for a hug.
It’s my duty to protect her. Which is what I’ve done. And after six years of watching over my angel, of guarding her, she’s finally freed herself from that fear. A man-free life has given her the space to let go of the demons that haunted her past.
Giving her time to heal from whatever horrors she ran from helped me keep my distance. But it isn’t the only factor that’s kept me away.
I found her weeks after my sister-in-law was kidnapped by the Bratva. It was a terrible time filled with great fear. There were moments we doubted her survival. Matthias hasn’t been the same since.
Then months later, when I convinced myself, given time, I could introduce myself to Lizzy, Cecilia went missing.
Another sister-in-law of mine. Instead of days, she was gone months.
Roman went insane. Declared war on the Bratva.
Despite the unexpected turn of events that showed Cecilia had left of her volition, it was too deep a trauma to fully recover from.
My final straw was seeing the women who’d been trafficked by Viktor Sokolov. Even though I was freeing them, the horrors I witnessed were inconceivable. I came to the realization that my world isn’t one I can taint Lizzy with.
My angel is perfect in her peculiarity. She has a purity that rivals Snow White’s in her love for animals. It’d be a sin to soil my angel by bringing her into my world.
She’s strong enough to survive it, but I wouldn’t risk her dirtying herself with even something so benign as mud. I couldn’t infect her soul with the blood on my hands and the filth of my underworld.
So, I’ve acquiesced to watching her from afar. Always here. A silent protector, keeping her safe and warm and happy.
The glimpses of her are treasured beyond measure. The gifts she gives speak of her gratitude, even if she doesn’t know the true recipient nor the extent he goes for her.
I glance at the pile of crocheted garments she has given me.
She clearly hasn’t seen a teenage boy in years, because the sizes she makes them would only fit an eight-year-old.
But I keep them nonetheless. I know I should donate the apparel to someone who could fit in them, but I can’t bring myself to part from them.
She made each one, by hand, for me. They’re the most thoughtful gifts anyone’s ever given me. I treasure them beyond belief.
The one crocheted item I can use is the blanket she made me for our third Christmas.
It’s different shades of green. There are some parts that are patterned, but others where she gave up on it.
Then parts where she tried again. The greens clearly weren’t meant to be different colors, but she ran out of yarn in different spots unexpectedly.
It’s by no means expertly made, but it’s made by her.
For me. And that’s better than any store-bought gift.
I only wish I could give her more. But I’m aware enough to know random gifts showing up would only raise her hackles and make her believe she has a stalker.
That’d be terrifying for her. She doesn’t realize I’d never let that happen.
I’d never let any man in her life… I mean, not if they still unsettle her.
When my alarm goes off, I sit up from the drying puzzle. It’s time to work on my newest design. Syndicate Enterprise requires a new code for a high-profile client. This one is a little tricky, but nothing I can’t handle.
I love the challenge. It’s what I live for. So, I get to work.
…
“The lizard is in her nest,” a robotic voice sounds through my office, bringing a smile to my face.
This is the best part of my day, and the reason I work from home so often.
Despite the thousands of times I’ve heard the message, my heart still races. Instinctively, my gaze is pulled to my monitors mounted on the wall across from my desk. And sure enough, my beautiful angel is displayed stepping out of her car.
My blinds lower and the telescopes that line the windows adjust to capture her home. She barely goes out to her backyard enough for them to be justified, but I couldn’t risk not getting an up-close glimpse of her if the opportunity presents itself.
I check my watch: six thirty-seven. Right on time.
As she goes up her driveway and enters her house, different angles capture her. She’s in the same green coat as this morning, and it’s stunning against her shiny locks.
I absorb her every move, not willing to miss a second. As she dances through her living room, I catch her talking to her pets and wish it were me. Wish I were there to hear about her day. But I resign myself to turning up the volume on the television.
“Tom asked me about dating again today,” her lovely voice lilts through my office, causing my breath to catch… until I register what she said. “Betty put him up to it. They should know better. None of the Boston men like me.”
My heart breaks for her. She doesn’t see how alluring she is. She doesn’t know how wrong she is. Far too many of these Bostonian men have shown an interest in her. I’ve had to chase each and every one of them away.
“I told him that if Betty has any single bingo buddies looking for a reptile-loving girl, to send them my way.”
Like hell she will.
“Anyway, enough of that nonsense. What have y’all been doing all day?” she coos to her scaly friends.
Sitting back, I enjoy my favorite show. I stay glued to my office couch until she eventually goes to bed. Only then do I part from the room.
I check the weather for the morning, and my heart sinks that it won’t be snowing. Guess tomorrow I’ll have to keep my distance, I lie to myself.