Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
HOLLIS
Ihover outside of her bedroom door, not wanting to leave her alone.
She still had tears in her eyes when she went off to bed.
The last thing she needs is to be upset right now.
She’s pregnant. The only tears she should have are happy ones while watching those ridiculous Hallmark Christmas movies Kindred is always rambling on about.
I force myself to go. There are things that need to be handled.
The first is turning on the alarm. I don't use it half the time, but I know there is a feature that will alert you anytime a door or window opens and pinpoints which one.
I turn that on along with the alarm. I want that feature on even when the alarm isn't on.
She said she wouldn't run, but I can't take that chance. I also don’t know who this Max motherfucker is and what he’s capable of.
After I have that handled and working on my phone, I go into my office and call my mother.
I want to know everything she does about Gwen.
How she found her. If she was listed on a website for the company.
Whatever details my mom can provide will help me.
I also need her full name. That way I can have one of my men back in the city do a deep dive and get everything he can on her, this fertility clinic, and this Max.
“It’s late. Is everything okay?” Mom asks when she answers. It doesn’t matter how old I get, she always worries. It hits me that Gwen never had that. I’m sure my mom is more than willing to fill the role. But those are future plans, and we’re not there yet.
“No, everything isn’t okay. The girl you sent—”
“The party planner?” Mom sounds confused.
“Yes, she arrived a few hours ago. I need you to tell me everything you know about her.”
“Wait, hold on.” I hear her shuffle around before the sound of a light clicking on fills the line. “The party planner isn’t there yet. I had dinner with her earlier to go over a few smaller details.”
“Are you sure she didn’t come afterward?”
“Hollis, Polly isn’t there yet. Are you telling me there is a girl there?”
“Who the hell is Polly?”
“The party planner.”
I’m taken aback. “A girl arrived here tonight. Her name is Gwen.”
“Is she still there?”
“I gave her a bedroom.”
“What! I told Polly you didn’t want her staying there and asked Mick to hold a room for her.” Mick owns one of the bed-and-breakfasts in town. “But whoever this girl is, you let her in and gave her a room?” Mom is flabbergasted. It’s not surprising. It doesn’t sound like me at all.
"I did."
"Hollis," my mother hisses. "Call the sheriff.”
"No."
"No?” she hisses. “Have you lost your mind?"
"Maybe so." If I have, I don't want to find it.
I tell my mother what’s going on. She jumps right over that Kindred and I were never dating because she never believed it. She wants the details on Gwen.
“That's terrible. She’s all alone and running scared,” Mom says when I get it all out. My mother in her corner is one of many things Gwen needs.
“She’s not alone.”
“I can tell that by the tone of your voice.” Mom pauses, and I hear a sniffle. “It’s how your father sounded when he talked about me.” My dad loved Mom fiercely. “Okay, what do you need from me?”
That’s Mom. Ready to take this on full force. I suppose that might be where I get that from. I, however, haven’t done it with a woman before. But I’ve never felt this kind of attraction before either.
“Well, I’d called to get information on her, but since she’s not the party planner, I guess you won’t be able to help me with that part.”
“But she said she was?”
“No, actually. She never said it. We assumed it.” Gwen didn’t correct it.
“She went there for a reason.” What I'm thinking too. It was my door she came to. Though she might think since I’m the mayor I might be able to help her find another person she could be searching for in New Hope. The thought pisses me off for no reason.
“I’ll see what I can find out from her tomorrow after she gets rest. I need you to get her some things. The bag she brought was small.”
“Like clothes?”
“Everything a girl needs to be comfortable at home.” I’m not sure what all that is.
The only woman I ever lived with was my mother.
“I’m going to set up an appointment with Dr. Parks so Gwen and the baby can get checked.
She can do local care, but I think we’ll have to go back to the city when she gets closer to delivering. Oh, and a baby room,” I add.
The room she’s in would be best for that. It would be right next to the master. “I need baby books as well. Then I’ll—"
“Hollis!” Mom shouts my name.
“What?”
“Slow down.” I don’t want to fucking slow down.
Not until I know Gwen has everything she needs to stay here permanently.
I mean, I think I’m going at a turtle's pace, compared to what my mind has been imagining. If it were up to me, this process would be moving a lot quicker. There would be a ring on her finger, she’d have my last name, and she, the baby, and I would live happily ever after.
Holy shit. I’m really all in.
“I only mean about the baby. You’ll freak her out. The girl herself only just found out the baby was hers.” Mom’s tone is getting more heated by the second. “I want that fertility clinic’s name.”
“It appears we both have things to handle.”
“Are you going to let her keep planning this party?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the right answer. Now send me a few pictures of her so I know her size.”
“I’ll pull a couple from the cameras.” Mom is quiet for a moment before she speaks again.
"So, really, my party kind of helped facilitate this."
"Mom," I chuckle. "You can take the credit."
"Oh, I was going to," she says smugly before we say our goodbyes.
I stand there still at a loss of how Gwen got here. There has to be some connection.
"Fucking hell." I run my hand down my face. There are many issues to explore and things to be done.
What I do know is that when she lifted her sweater to show me the small bump, mine was the first barbaric thought I had. She's mine, and the baby is mine. It might sound crazy to everyone else, but I didn't get to where I am without trusting my instincts when it comes to people and situations.
I send my mom the pictures, saving them for myself on my phone too before I call Kindred.
There is one more issue that needs to be handled.
I could see the guilt all over Gwen when I almost kissed her.
I want to be honest with her, but after all the lies she got from this Max, it could spook her. I can’t chance it. Not yet.
It was fucking stupid on my part. Now she’ll think I’m a cheater, but I’ll handle that with the help of Kindred, and she’s more than willing to help out. She actually sounds overly excited.
“Don’t do anything too crazy. Simple,” I tell Kindred, knowing I have to state it or she might do something dramatic while she breaks off our pretend engagement.
“I’ve got this. I was made for this.”
“You reached out to the sheriff?” I ask her.
Kindred grew up in this town and knows everyone.
It’s why I hired her. It’s definitely not the use of her sparkle pens and stickers that landed her the job.
I swear she’s a handful but also efficient.
She actually gave me a good job sticker on a contract last week.
I don’t know if she’s serious or fucking with me, but I’m starting to think that’s the point.
“Oh, I’m going to light up the phone tree.”
“No, you’re not going to do that.”
“Hey now. I’m not stupid, and I know my town. I’m not going to give them details. Only going to tell them to be on the lookout for a Max. His ass is grass.”
I can already see it now. Any tourist that enters this town is going to be asked for their name in conversation.
“Thanks,” I tell her, letting out a deep sigh.
“You’re a good egg, Hollis. It’s why I allowed you to become mayor.”
Again, I’m not sure if she’s messing with me or not, but I have a gut feeling if Kindred didn’t care for me, then I wouldn’t have been mayor. She is the town's sweetheart.
Why isn't my mom all over hooking Kindred up with someone? That might be next on her list.
"I'll see you in the morning." I drop my phone down on my desk and myself into my chair. I've been pacing.
My mind might be going in a million directions, but a smile takes over my face. I rub my jaw. I don’t do that as much as I used to. The town likes me, but they all still think I’m stoic.
This is right. I know that down to my soul. I don’t know what brought that precious girl here, but now she and the baby she’s carrying are mine. I just have to convince her of that.
If I’m good at anything in life, it’s negotiations. This one will be the biggest and most important of my life.