Chapter 32
Raven bit back a chuckle as she watched the five men attempt to do yoga.
There were other people in the class, of course.
Maggie and Polly. Maureen and Anika. And a handful of locals.
But there was something about watching former SEALs, men who were some of the fittest in the world, try to do a downward dog—and struggle—that just made her want to laugh.
Some of the guys were flexible. Joel was strangely good at it. Zac wasn’t bad either. Connor, on the other hand, could barely touch his heels to the floor.
Her smile widened, but when Connor’s eyes narrowed on her, she flinched.
Crap. He saw the grin.
She spun and quietly stepped into her office as her phone rang, her parents’ names on the screen. “Hi.”
“Hi, sweetheart.” Her father’s familiar voice sounded over the line. “How’s your day been?”
“So far so good. Just watching Sunday morning yoga at the community center. Remember, you and Mom are welcome to join anytime.”
He chuckled. “Yoga is not for me. Your mother, on the other hand, could probably be convinced.”
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s having a good morning. She’s actually just storming toward me and looks like she’s going to—”
“Craig, it’s my turn.” Her mother’s voice sounded from somewhere in the background, making Raven laugh.
“I just got on, Gene.”
There was a scuffling sound, then her mother spoke. “Raven, darling, how are you today?”
Her parents had been calling every day since the incident with Herbert and Briar two weeks ago. Raven had also been visiting them as much as she could. “I’m good, Mom.”
“Are you coming over today?”
“I’ll be there around three.”
The office door opened and she turned to see Connor step in.
Uh-oh. Why did he have that look on his face? Like he was about to do…something? Surely he wasn’t actually mad about her laughing over his attempt at downward dog.
“Could you bring me some of those tulips from Bloom?” her mother asked.
Connor slipped his arms around her and nibbled on a spot behind her ear.
She gasped.
“Raven?”
“Sorry, Mom, yes. Tulips. I can do that.” She shoved at Connor’s chest, but he didn’t budge. Not a damn inch.
“And maybe a croissant for your father,” her mother added.
Connor continued down her neck.
She bit back a groan. “Tulips and a croissant. Got it.”
“Are you okay? You sound breathless.”
“Actually, someone just broke a chair. I need to help them. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
She hung up and slapped Connor’s chest. “You made me lie to my mother.”
“Don’t think that’s what happened.” He sucked on her neck.
She moaned. “Someone could walk in at any second.”
“Good.”
“Good? Is this punishment for watching you out there?”
“Not watching… laughing.”
“I did not laugh. I held it in.”
He lifted his head. “You can laugh at me. I can take it.”
“I’m just used to seeing you be good at everything.”
“I only need to be good at one thing now…loving you.”
Her smile widened. “You’re such a sweet talker.”
“No, I’m an honest talker.” He dipped his head and kissed her on the lips this time.
She sank into the kiss. Tasting him. Drowning in him.
The knock at the door had her gasping. She pushed him again; he still didn’t move.
“Going to Bloom,” Joel shouted. “When you’re done procreating, join us.”
Connor frowned.
While Raven laughed. “Come on.”
“They can wait.”
“No. I don’t want them picturing us doing God knows what in here.”
“Like this?” He nuzzled her neck again.
She laughed but eventually managed to slip out of his arms. When she stepped into the community center, everything had been packed up.
Man, those guys functioned like a well-oiled machine. Outside, she could already see the group heading into Bloom.
Something kicked in her chest. The small realization that a few short months ago, she’d had nothing. No money. No home. No friends. Then she’d met Connor, and he’d given her, shared with her, so much.
Before stepping inside the café, she grabbed Connor’s arm. “Wait.”
“Are you okay?”
“Thank you.”
He cocked his head. “For what?”
“You’ve changed everything. You gave me a place to stay when I needed one. You protected me when you barely knew me. And you’ve shared your friends with me.”
“Raven.” He tugged her a bit closer. “You’re thanking me for loving you. But you don’t need to do that.”
“I do.”
“You don’t need to thank me, because it was never a conscious decision I made. I couldn’t not love you.”
Unexpected tears filled her eyes. “I love you too.”
He lowered his head and kissed her. And even though she wanted to stay exactly where she was, eventually, she let him pull her into Bloom.
The women called her over to the counter, and she felt it again.
Grateful. Lucky. And so unbelievably happy.
“Do you realize how wide your smile is right now?”
Connor shifted his gaze from Raven, who stood in the flower section with the women, to Zac beside him. He lifted a shoulder. “I’m in love. That makes a man happy. You should try it.”
“What? Being happy or falling in love?”
“Love.”
Zac laughed. “Don’t know that that’s in my cards.”
“Why not? Just because you haven’t met the woman yet doesn’t mean you won’t.”
“He’s right,” Joel piped in. “I didn’t think this relationship thing was something I’d ever do, but look at me now.”
“Yeah, you definitely surprised me,” Zac agreed.
“Surprised me too. Fuck, I’m a lucky son of a bitch.”
“Jesus, this town is a love nest.” Zac groaned.
“Wonder if Tate, Linc, and Kolby will become victims.” Joel grinned.
Connor couldn’t stop the smile. “Man, I hope they come here. I miss them.”
“I miss Linc’s waffles,” Joel added.
Shit, yeah, but not only his waffles. Linc could cook anything. He didn’t even need recipes, the guy just threw stuff together.
Ryan leaned over the table and studied Connor, his voice lowering. “You get a chance to talk to Herbert?”
Tension immediately returned to his shoulders, any hint of a smile dropping. “I did. They didn’t let me talk to him for long. Maybe ten minutes.”
The elderly man was back at Deep River Residence but still on orders to take it easy after the concussion.
“He say anything about this Lotus?” Joel asked.
“Not nearly enough. He told me Lila was a pit bull when she found a story, and she told Herbert this was the biggest she’d ever unearthed, and it was right here in Deep River.
But she needed evidence. Once here, she called her dad every day…
until day four, when she stopped calling.
He never heard from her again. Her motel room was cleaned out.
Her car rental out front of the business. And she just disappeared.”
“Her motel room was cleared out?” Joel asked.
“She stayed at the Blue Swan Inn,” Ethan said. “But back when she disappeared, there were no surveillance cameras. I checked.”
“Shit.” Ryan looked at Ethan. “You still haven’t found anything named Lotus?”
Ethan shook his head. “Nothing. If there was something, someone has gone to great lengths to cover it up.”
Polly set coffees on the table as Raven lowered beside him.
“Hey.” He traced those beautiful blue eyes of hers.
The smile she directed his way was fucking radiant. “Hey yourself. This conversation looked tense, so Polly thought we should break it up.”
“We were talking about Herbert and Lotus.”
Her smile slipped. “Does Lotus mean anything to you guys?”
“Not yet.” But they’d keep digging.
She nodded.
His gaze caught on Maureen as she stepped inside the café. “Has Maureen offered you a reading yet?”
Just like he’d hoped, her smile returned. “She offers me one every other day.”
“And you don’t take her up on her offer?”
Raven lifted a shoulder. “I like life to surprise me…most of the time, at least.”
“Was I a nice surprise?”
“You were the best kind.” She glanced across at Ryan. “Maureen did say something interesting a couple weeks ago.”
“If she was looking at your palm while she said it, I’d take it with a pinch of salt.”
“No. She was looking at Ryan. She said she sees love in his future.”
Connor glanced at his friend. Ryan had eased up this last week. He was still pissed as hell that Ferris was allowing the movie shoot, after everything the town had been through, but he wasn’t walking around growling at everyone in his vicinity.
Thank God. The guy growled enough as it was.
Maureen stopped at their table, a yellow flower in her hand. “Hi, everyone. Having a well-deserved rest after taking down more of the town crazies?”
“According to Ward, taking down the bad guy was all him.” Zac scoffed.
“Argh. That old man has an ego the size of Texas.” Her smile widened. “You hear the news about the movie?”
Ryan lifted his coffee. “Yeah, apparently there’s no stopping it.”
“Why would you want to stop it?” Maureen asked, bewildered. “The stars and tourism it will bring to our town will be fantastic. Did you hear about the poor leading actress and her accident, though?”
Ryan tensed, but it was Zac who asked, “Is she okay?”
“No. Car crash. It was so bad that, apparently, she’s in a coma. They’ve had to recast the part.”
Ryan choked on his coffee before looking at Maureen. “Who’d they cast?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Not sure. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
It probably wasn’t Emily. But by the look on Ryan’s face, he wasn’t going to relax until he knew for sure.
“Have a good day, boys,” Maureen called over her shoulder as she headed toward the counter.
Maureen had barely left before Ryan was on his feet. “I’ve got to go.”
“Ryan, come on,” Connor started. “Finish your coffee.”
“I’ll see you later.”
As the door to Bloom closed behind him, Connor sighed.
“Is he okay?” Raven asked.
“His breakup with Emi was…painful.”
“It’s probably not her though,” Joel suggested.
“Probably not,” Zac added.
“If it was, do you think they’d get back together?” Raven asked.
Connor looked at the door again. “I’m not sure.”
“I hope so.”
“You do?” He looked back at Raven.
“Yeah. I want Ryan to have everything we have.”
He smiled. “And what’s that?”
“Love. Forever. A happily ever after.”
Shit, he liked the sound of that.
He cupped her cheek and leaned forward. “All of it. I want all of it.”
“You have it.” Then she kissed him, and he knew he’d fight every day to have her. Keep her. To protect their happily ever after.