33. Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Rina
I’m still shaken from the box that landed on my doorstep yesterday.
After it showed up, Oakley took it back to Arlo’s office and called his friends at the Marshals. There was a lot of talking and a lot of information flying around, but I zoned out pretty quickly.
All I could think was that this person was in my house. Not only that, but was in my house while both Arlo and I slept. My house now feels like a tainted place, somewhere I’m no longer safe. And I’m truly scared for the first time since this whole thing started.
Arlo spent the day by my side, helping me—rather terribly, I’ll add—finish up some pieces before we headed to his office so he could work.
Today has been a day of avoidance. We’re held up in Arlo’s house, doing a whole lot of nothing, but our time to hide is about to come to an end.
It’s family dinner night, and I’ve just decided I want to bring Arlo with me. It’s a huge step, and everyone in the family knows you don’t bring someone to family dinner unless you’re serious about them. And I feel very serious about Arlo.
I still feel conflicted about us being married, but I’ve put that on the back burner in my head. We’ve been married all these years, and it hasn’t affected anything. What’s a few more weeks or months until I come to terms with what I want in the long run with him?
Yeah, you’re not in denial at all, are you?
I roll my eyes at myself, not wanting to analyze how far deep I am with him already. I know Lennox talked about not waiting, but getting this stalker situation figured out feels like the priority in my life. After that, I can focus on Arlo and me.
“What’s got you thinking so hard over there?” Arlo’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
“It’s family dinner tonight. And I’d like…” Here goes nothing. “I’d like for you to come.” I hold my breath, dreading his reaction. I know I don’t have reason to think he’ll say no, but there’s always a possibility we’re not on the same page.
“Really?” His astonishment draws my attention.
“Only if you want to,” I hurriedly say before cringing. I’m giving him every out instead of telling him that I really want him to go. It’s childish, but the fear of getting my heart broken again weighs heavily on my chest.
“Hey, look at me,” he says softly.
We’re sitting on the couch, so I turn my body toward him, tucking my foot underneath me as he grabs my hands in his.
“I want nothing more than to be included in your life, including family dinner. My endgame is you as my wife, and not just because of a piece of paper. I don’t want you to ever doubt that I’m all in with you. You are who I want to spend the rest of my life with, Emmerdeur. I understand things will take more time for you, and I’m fine with that, but know that you’re it for me.”
The honesty in his eyes breaks down the last of my barriers. It’s like my heart cracks open and all the possibilities, all the dreams I put in a locked box, are suddenly available again. These hopes and dreams I gave up on are no longer a distant memory.
Leaning forward, I press a kiss to his lips. I don’t think I have words to tell him how I feel, and the impulse to tell him I love him is too damn strong right now.
He cups my jaw, angling me the way he wants me as he shifts forward, covering my body with his. Making room for his body, I spread my legs and wrap them around his torso. He rips his lips from mine with a growl.
“We need to get ready for family dinner, and yet you tempt me to skip one of the most important things I’ve done in a long while.”
“I was about to suggest skipping it,” I breathe.
“Not a chance, Marina. This is my first invite to family dinner, and you can bet I’m not missing it for anything.”
He lifts off of me and stands next to me on the couch, where I’m still a little breathless and a whole lot horny.
“Not even for sex? What man turns down sex?” I mumble the last part.
“I do, because I know you’re coming home with me at the end of the day and that I can tease the shit out of you at family dinner.”
“You’re a cruel man, Mr. Steel. Do you enjoy torturing me?” I arch an eyebrow at him.
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” His devilish grin shouldn’t be so attractive, but I must be a glutton for punishment because Arlo teasing me during family dinner sounds like sweet, delicious torment, and I can’t wait.
“Ugh, let’s get dressed, then. Ledger could use the help cooking.” I roll off the couch unceremoniously and plop onto the floor before shifting to my knees, doing a version of downward dog before standing up .
“Jesus, have a mercy on a man, Emmerdeur.” Arlo scrubs his face with his head tipped back, and I smirk, knowing this family dinner is going to be rough for both of us.
Half an hour later, we’re walking into Ledger and Ainsley’s house.
“Where is everyone?” I yell as we walk toward the kitchen.
“Ledg’s out back,” Ainsley replies from the kitchen as she chops up some vegetables.
“What can I help with?” I ask, saddling up next to her.
“You can grab potatoes from the—” She stops abruptly as she looks up and sees Arlo standing across the kitchen island. “Damnit, I owe Ledger twenty bucks,” she whispers, stunned.
“What the hell?” I cannot believe these assholes were betting on me. Well, that’s not true; it’s completely believable. It’s usually just me making the bets. And I thought I had a better handle on all things Arlo, which I evidently didn’t.
Arlo’s booming laughter fills the kitchen as Ainsley’s cheeks turn pink.
“Shit, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Oh no, please tell me more.” I cock my hip against the island.
“Ains, did you pull the—” Ledger stops in his tracks as he walks in from the back porch. He looks pointedly at Ainsley. “You owe me twenty bucks. ”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I throw my hands up as Arlo is still laughing. “It’s not funny! You should be just as mad as I am!”
“You aren’t mad; you’re just annoyed you weren’t as smooth as you thought you were.” He smirks.
“Shut it, Sheriff, ” I snark.
His wink takes away the sting out of my brother and best friend betting on me, but only just.
“So, what’s for dinner?” I deflect and decide moving on is the best option. Giving Ainsley and Ledger more ammunition is not something I want to do right now.
“To be fair, we knew you were together, or whatever you’re calling it since you already told us. The bet was when you were going to bring him to family dinner.” Ledger shrugs like it’s not just as bad.
“Moving on!” I say loudly as everyone else in the room laughs.
“Dinner is grilled chicken with baked potatoes and random veggies on top of the chicken, like a sauce but not.” Ainsley thankfully helps me out. She can still be called my best friend, I guess.
“Sounds delicious. How can I help?” Arlo asks.
“Oh, just sit and enjoy yourself. You’re a guest. Do you want something to drink?” Ainsley asks sweetly like she doesn’t interact with Arlo on a semi-regular basis.
“I’ll get it,” I jump in, feeling inadequate as a girlfriend already.
Am I his girlfriend? I mean, technically, I’m his wife, but am I considered girlfriend level now? Yes, you overthinking mess of a woman, especially if the conversation before we came here is anything to go by.
I grab him some iced tea from the refrigerator and grab myself a seltzer. Ainsley and Ledger look at each other, eyebrows raised, and I roll my eyes at their antics .
“Why, thank you, Marina, ” Arlo jokes.
“Stop. You’re giving them more to work with.” I chuckle as I set his drink down and take a healthy gulp of mine.
“Knock, knock!” Oakley yells as he enters the house.
“Hi, we’re here! Sorry, I got distracted writing,” Willow says, looking rather frazzled.
They both stop the second they enter the kitchen, and Oakley’s smirk is bigger than I’ve ever seen.
“Not you two as well,” I groan. “It’s not even fair since Oakley knows too much.” I bury my head in Arlo’s neck as he laughs.
“It was just about when you’d bring him to family dinner!” Oakley protests.
“And who won?” Arlo asks. He grunts as I slap his chest.
“I did, of course,” Oakley says.
“Barely.” Willow rolls her eyes. “And what’s this about insider knowledge? I call a mulligan because that’s cheating, my dear James.” She smirks.
“Okay, that’s enough of that. I can already see the heart eyes happening, and making out is never far away from that.” I gesture to them wildly.
Everyone laughs as I groan.
“I’m so happy we could provide tonight’s entertainment,” I say sarcastically.
Arlo chuckles as he pulls me back to his side. “How can we help?” he asks.
“I think we’re good. Just going to pop the potatoes in the microwave because we were running late—” I gasp. “I know, I know, don’t give me shit. I’ll crisp up the skin in the oven, I promise.” I wipe my brow in relief as she points her knife at me. “And then the chicken and veg will go on the grill. Nothing else really to do.”
Arlo leans in next to my ear as the rest of the family starts talking about business. “I don’t think I told you, but you look beautiful tonight,” he whispers.
I lean back and look at my usual outfit of leggings and a tank top with skepticism. He yanks me back to him and leans in. “It’s not your outfit; it’s your whole demeanor. I know your family gives you a hard time, but you’re playful and so damn sexy right now.”
I move closer to his chest and soak in his words. He may be onto something. Just like when I talked to Lennox, it feels like little pieces of me are changing for the better. Like I’m less bitter, less beaten down by life. The constant grind that I’m always on doesn’t seem so appealing anymore. And it’s because of this man.
“Can we leave immediately after dinner?” I ask quietly.
I feel his smirk even though I can’t see it. “We can do whatever you want, Emmerdeur.” He presses a kiss to my temple.
“Eww, get a room. Is this how you normally feel around us?” Willow says in a little sister tone I haven’t heard in years.
“Yep, this is payback,” I say smoothly, still buried in Arlo’s chest.
“You and Oakley are the worst of us all. I wouldn’t be one to talk, Will,” Ledger says as he walks out the patio doors.
Willow gasps, “We are not! Are we?” She turns to Oakley, who just laughs. “Whatever, I’m not apologizing.” She shrugs and drops her indignation act.
Shortly after the usual shenanigans of the Hutton siblings—minus Lennox—dinner is served, although we leave an open seat for him .
“Alright, I’m going first,” Ainsley says. “I think my favorite part of the week was taking a half day on Friday. Work has been so busy it was nice to just come home and do absolutely nothing for a couple of hours.”
“I’m glad you did that,” Ledger says. “My favorite part was hiring a new contractor that will take over the day-to-day details of our projects. I’m officially handing over the reins of every single job at Bluebell Landscaping.”
“Holy shit, that’s huge!” I say in shock. Never in my life did I think my big brother would give up any control of his company.
“It is, but it feels good. It’ll free up more time for me to help Ains out with the bigger picture stuff. Give us more time together.”
“That’s awesome. Congrats, guys,” Arlo chimes in.
“My favorite part was seeing these two finally figure their shit out,” Oakley says, gesturing to me and Arlo.
I don’t bother with a response; I just roll my eyes as Willow picks up the trail.
“My favorite part was figuring out this damn plot hole in my book. Piece of shit took forever, and I finally figured it out.” We all clap as Willow does a little bow with a laugh.
Arlo clears his throat, looking at me, and I nod. “My favorite thing was being invited to the illustrious Hutton family dinner.”
“We’re happy to have you,” Ainsley says happily.
“My favorite part was being forced out of my house and spending more time with Arlo,” I blurt out, not even thinking about the repercussions of what I’m saying. The entire table freezes, and a cold silence takes over. I look over at Arlo and see him visibly cringing. Well, shit .
“What do you mean, forced out of your house?” Ledger’s tone is one that was common in our house when he had to raise Willow and Lennox when our parents died, and I’ve never really had it directed at me.
“Umm, well …” I look at Arlo again, not sure what to tell them.
“Someone has been texting Rina some creepy shit. It’s escalated to stuff being left at her house, and I thought it was safer for her to not be there for the time being until I can get things figured out,” Arlo says, strong and clear.
“Excuse me?” Ledger’s voice gets louder. “This is related to the wrecked workshop?”
“I’ve called in a friend from my old job, and we’re looking to track down the culprit,” Oakley adds.
“You fucking knew about the escalation too? Jesus, who doesn’t know about this?” Ledger’s outrage is obvious.
“Just the three of us know,” Arlo says, placating Ledger.
“Are you safe?”
“How the fuck do I know you’re safe with him?”
“You knew this whole time!”
“We’ve got it handled!”
Everyone except Arlo and me talk over each other.
“ Enough! ” I yell, finally silencing the panic. “We didn’t tell you because we knew you would freak out.” I gesture to everyone. “Arlo and Oakley have things handled, and I’m staying with Arlo as a precaution and nothing else. They’re close to figuring out who it is, and things will go back to normal.”
It’s close enough to the truth, and if the looks of Arlo and Oakley are anything to go by, they see right through my white lie. Who knows, they could be close, could figure this whole thing out tomorrow .
“I don’t like this,” Ledger says.
“Well, I don’t either, but it’s happening, and we have the best guys handling things,” I tell him, getting more and more irritated by the second by his big brother act. I know it’s because he cares, but it also feels like he doesn’t trust my judgement or trust Arlo to protect me.
Ainsley puts her hand on his forearm, dousing the fire spewing from his head. Oakley looks like he’s caught in the middle of something he didn’t willingly volunteer for, and Arlo looks like he’s about to go toe to toe with Ledger. I don’t know what happened between those two, but the distance between them seems larger than ever. They used to be friends in school, but who knows what happened with that? I’ll have to ask Arlo sometime.
“Let’s just all calm down and enjoy dinner. Take the night to process everything, and we can get together tomorrow, calmly, to talk about it if you want.” Ainsley takes control, just like she usually does. Her badass self can tame a group of rowdy men with just a few words, and I admire the shit out of her for it.
The men grumble in what can barely be considered agreement, and Willow looks like she’s plotting an entire book in her head. I breathe out a sigh of relief that this conversation is at least on pause for the moment. Fighting with my family is the last thing I want to do right now.
Dinner slowly returns to our normal routine, and I’m thankful for the reprieve. What I’m not thankful for, or what I’m affronted by, is how subtly handsy Arlo has become as the meal has wound down.
The horniness that sat idle during most of dinner has returned with a vengeance, and I’m ready to get the hell out of here .
It takes ten more minutes of chatting about things I’m not paying attention to, Arlo’s hand sliding between my thighs and grazing my clit every so often to make me lose my mind.
“Well.” I abruptly stand. “This was great, as usual. Dinner was delicious. If y’all want to get together tomorrow, let me know. We’re going to head out.” I reach out and grab Arlo’s hand, pulling him up as he stutters out a thanks.
Oakley hides his laughter behind his hand. Ainsley and Willow have dreamy looks on their faces, and Ledger looks like he doesn’t know what to think.
I drag him to his truck, but he spins me around as we come up to it, pinning me against the side.
“Need something, Emmerdeur?” he asks, ducking his head to press a kiss to my neck.
“You know what you were doing. Whether you were distracting me or not, I don’t care. Take me home.”
“Done.” He opens the door and lifts me into the seat like it’s nothing, and I instantly worry about his back. I open my mouth to say something, but he cuts me with a look. “I’m fine, I promise. My back is fine.”
“Then show me what you’re working with,” I say with a smirk. He slams the door and runs around to the driver’s side. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for me tonight.