Harley looks over at me with his eyebrows pinched. “Ember, no,” he says. “I haven’t done a single thing I didn’t want to do.” He comes to stand beside me, bumping my hip with his own. “It’s called priorities, princess.”
“How far is the roastery from here?” I ask him, a very spontaneous idea popping into my head.
“Its about fifteen minutes from here,” he tells me, “about thirty from my house.”
“Damn, not too bad,” I say, my eyes sliding to the ground. “But, what if it was just fifteen minutes?” I ask him, nervous to make eye contact.
“Huh?” he says, nothing clicking for him.
“Move in with me,” I say blatantly. He doesn’t say anything, and I grow more uneasy with each passing second. It’s probably too soon for that. I finally bring my eyes to meet his, and a breathtaking smile is plastered on his face. His eyes are literally shining.
“A thousand times yes, babe.” He wraps his arms around me, and I nuzzle into his chest. He plants a kiss on the crown of my head. I lean my head up, and he presses another kiss to my lips.
“Okay, change of plans,” he says before letting go and heading out of the kitchen.
“What’s the plan now?” I ask as I follow him into the bedroom.
“Well, I am still going to head to the roastery,” he says as he pulls a shirt over his head, “but instead of heading home to clean, I'm going to call Chase and the rest of the boys to help me pack up.”
He pulls a hoodie over his t-shirt and rounds the bed, grabbing his shoes and sitting down to pull them on. He has a glow to him, which is so funny to me because usually the woman is the giddy one in this scenario. Granted, usually you don’t get the chance to move in with your first boyfriend after seventeen years, but here we are.
“I don’t have time to make room in the closet right now, but I can do it as soon as I get home tonight.” I grab my tennis shoes from inside the closet. I have lots of lifting and things to do today, so comfy attire over cute is necessary. “I’ll give you the key before I leave, and you guys can just come and go as you please,” I tell him as I tie my shoes. “Just let me know if you guys will be around when I'm off and I can pick up a couple pizzas and beer on my way home.”
“I’ll get a copy of the key made and drop it back off to you, just in case we have to make a couple trips to and from the house.” Harley bends down and kisses me, sliding his tongue into my mouth and grazing the roof of my mouth, before pulling back and pressing a quick soft kiss on my lips. I grin at him, loving the happier mood we’ve created for ourselves.
Harley is in the living room, grabbing some of his things and moving other things around, as I walk through into the kitchen. I grab myto-go mug, and pour in a fresh cup. Harley comes in, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
“I love you,” he says as he squeezes me. “I’ll see you in a little bit with the copy of the key.”
I return the small squeeze, resting my head on his chest. “I love you, too, babe.”
And with that, he turns and strides out the door. I smile to myself before grabbing a snack from the refrigerator and throwing it into my bag.
I finally head out the door, pulling it shut, and watch as Harley backs out of the driveway, giving me a small wave before he pulls out of sight.
I go to get in my car, and the hairs on the back of my neck raise. I get the door unlocked and hop in quickly, making sure to secure the lock once I'm inside. I press the key start button and the gas pedal to start the car. I sit for a few minutes, giving my car time to warm up.
I haven’t completely shaken the feeling from the back of my neck yet, and my mind starts to wander. I know that Dean had taken off before the cops arrived the other day. He’d been startled when he saw Harley and Asher running at him, and he hightailed it out of there.
I don’t really know what happened after that. I back out of my driveway and dial the cop who had responded to the call.
“Officer Ulrich,” he answers in a stern voice.
“Hi Officer, my name is Ember Alden. You responded to a call pertaining to my ex who was stalking me, and wanted to follow up on the status of that and see if we were able to do anything?”
“Oh Miss Alden, yes,” Officer Ulrich speaks clearly in a firm tone. “Based on all the evidence Mr. Blackwood submitted, you have a valid case to put a protection order in place.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief, one I didn’t even realize I was holding in. It feels like a weight has lifted off my chest.
“We went to serve him. However, his last known address, the one that Mr. Blackwood supplied, seems to be under someone else's name and looks to be abandoned.”
My heart drops. I don’t know if it's relief or fear that I should be feeling, but it’s definitely a mix of the two emotions. Maybe it is all just too much and he’s finally taken off, leaving me alone. It’s wishful thinking, honestly. I don’t like thinking about the alternative.
“What can we do from here?” I ask, because this is unknown territory.
“Well,” Officer Ulrich says with a disheartening tone this time, “our options are limited at this point.” I understand it. I really do. “We can continue visiting his home, attempt to serve him with the protection order,” he says. “But we are limited beyond that.”
“And if I see him near me or my home before you serve him?” I ask, not sure what my own options are for my protection.
