AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Julia
The aroma of sugar, vanilla, and chocolate filled the air as I kept myself busy in Lachlan’s kitchen Monday afternoon, flour and confectioners’ sugar covering much of his island. I’d probably baked more cookies, cupcakes, and pastries than anyone could possibly eat, even with the small group of people I’d invited over to watch the game tonight.
But baking always helped me take my mind off things. And with still no news about Nick’s whereabouts, I needed to take my mind off things. Needed to do something I enjoyed.
Neededto stop seeing Nick’s face everywhere I turned.
Plus, I had a few new recipes I wanted to try out. And Lachlan’s gourmet kitchen just begged for me to put it to use.
So that was precisely what I’d been doing all day.
When a chiming cut through the whirring of my stand mixer, I glanced at my phone, a smile tugging on my lips. Wiping my hands down my apron, I turned off the mixer and hit the answer button, Lachlan’s face appearing, the stadium behind him.
“What do you think?” He tilted his phone to give me an unobstructed view of the ballpark. The stands were mostly empty, but the field was abuzz with activity. “Pretty impressive, right?”
I shrugged. “Depends on if you like the Dodgers. Personally, I’m rooting for the other team. Their starting pitcher has an amazing ass that I love to ogle. And occasionally grope.”
He laughed. “And this starting pitcher can’t wait for you to grope his arse.” He waggled his brows before his expression turned serious.
“How are you going? Everything okay?”
“I’m going just fine,” I said, emphasizing the Australian phrasing. “And nothing’s changed since the last time we spoke. Which was just a few hours ago.”
He arched a brow. “But in those few hours, Nikko took you to Imogene’s school to discuss security measures for her to return to class, correct?”
I propped the phone against a mixing bowl, doing my best to suppress the anxiety filling me over the prospect of sending Imogene back to school.
“He did.”
“And?”
I pushed out a long breath. “Nikko said their security is top-notch, which I already knew. It was why I decided to send her there in the first place. They’re going to assign a security guard to escort her to each of her classes, as well as keep an eye on her during lunch and any of her free periods. They also have a security plan in place to not only guarantee her safety at her soccer match Friday afternoon, but also at Homecoming Saturday night. She wasn’t happy to hear about these additional forms of protection, but I told her it was either that or she stays at your house and completes her lessons there. I’ll let you guess which she reluctantly ended up going with.”
“Option one?”
“Correct.”
“And you? Which option do you feel more comfortable with?”
I exhaled another deep breath. “Honestly, I’d feel more comfortable keeping her locked away until Nick draws his last breath, but I refused to go to California and Hawaii because I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he forced me out of my home. Didn’t want to give him that control. And the same goes for this.
“I almost lost you because I kept letting that asshole dictate all my decisions. Or maybe I allowed my fear of him to cloud those decisions. I don’t know which it was exactly. And while we all have to make certain adjustments, like staying at your house because it’s safer and ensuring Imogene has a security escort at school, we’re not going to put our lives on hold because of him. Not anymore.”
I allowed my words to sink in for several seconds before my mouth curved into a smile. “Although, I have to admit, I quite like sleeping in your bed, since it smells like you and makes me miss you just a little less.”
“I like the idea of you sleeping in my bed, too. Like the idea of you being in it every night. Even when Nick no longer poses a threat to anyone, which I pray is very soon.”
I liked that idea, too. But I didn’t tell him that. Not yet. There was too much else going on right now to even think about discussing what Lachlan was implying.
“Regardless of how much longer it takes for the authorities to find him, we need to live as normal a life as possible. Which is why I’m pretending today is just a typical Monday. Except for it being your last regular season game and a win will earn your team a spot in the playoffs.”
“But no pressure, right?”
“It’s just another game, babe.”
He pinched his lips together. “Well… That’s different.”
I straightened. “What is?”
