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A week had passed,and we still hadn’t heard anything from Adam. I was beginning to wonder if he’d given up, or maybe he’d been hit by a bus, his body so mutilated no one could identify him. The police had his picture, and as things unfolded, it became clear he was a psychopath. The place he’d been staying had a wall of pictures of me from over the years and countless emails printed out with things highlighted and circled. He’d been planning this for so long, becoming the perfect version of who he thought I wanted.
The creepiest thing they found…. His journal.
Adam had been meticulous. He wrote down every encounter he ever had with me from online to in person, including the first when he’d saved Noah. To discover that was where it all began had me puking in the closest trash can for a solid ten minutes. He’d been my hero then, but became my nightmare.
It made sense he was also the blog harasser, something I’d never told the guys about. Slade had grumbled for a good while, but eventually let it go saying he’d punish me later. It sounded more exciting than terrifying, but I wasn’t going to let him know that.
All of his deluded fantasies, what he wanted our lives to be, and how he planned to make it happen were too scary to be real. At least that was how I had to look at them or I’d go and hide behind my rock forever. My father asked me if I wanted to read it, but after the first couple of pages, I decided I didn’t need that information in my brain. They’d found my necklace from Blaze as well. I chose not to ask where or what condition it’d been found in, just happy it was returned.
With all the evidence in his place they were able to tie him to Duncan’s murder and even had suspicion of another unsolved case from years before. I couldn’t believe I’d almost fallen for him, letting him in my life so easily. Fortunately, the three men in my life wouldn’t let me hide from it, and helped remind me of all the good things life had to offer, like tacos and orgasms. They reiterated that Adam had an agenda all along, and I couldn’t go through life distrusting everyone’s intentions. It just wasn’t me, and I didn’t want to live life that way. With the amount of orgasms they kept giving me, I didn’t have any fear I would.
We’d all returned to Bowling Green, nothing in Nashville for us at the moment. Though the shop was just as destroyed here, at least my family was nearby, and we had a place to stay. Zane took a leave of absence from his job, cashing in years of vacation hours while we figured things out.
We’d all ended up at Slade’s house, Simon and I’s apartment not feeling safe enough. Though my dad did have the Fire Marshall check it out, it still felt too vulnerable. I’d always known where Slade lived, but I hadn’t spent much time there. I’d only ever dropped something off on his porch once, never stepping into it. So, when I discovered the remodeled farmhouse, I almost had another spontaneous orgasm.
“Wow, this place is beautiful. I can’t believe you live here. It’s the type of house I’ve always dreamed about,” I admitted.
“I know, Peach.” He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back into him. I melted, the feel of his body welcoming.
“What do you mean, you know?”
I looked up at him, and his smirk was too cute. “You drew it once, and I saved it. I started working on it, telling myself it was out of spite, but really, it was because I wanted to create your dream.”
“You did this for me?”
“I did it forus.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, just agree to move in, and we can move on.”
“You want me to move in?”
“No.” Disappointment hit me, and I lowered my head. His finger lifted my chin, his eyes blazing as he stared at me. “No, I don’t want justyouto move in. I want you, Simon, and even Thane to move in.”
“You’ve forgiven him, haven't you?”
“Yeah, well, I love the fucker even if he is annoying at times. Besides, we could both use a clean slate and all.”
“Good. I’m glad.” I started to walk away, and he pulled me back into his arms. I smiled up at him mischievously. “Fine. I accept.”
“Like you had a choice, but I’m happy to hear it.” Stretching, I kissed his lips, realizing I was happy. It was something I hadn’t truly felt in a long time. I’d had moments of it, but there was the underlying grief and anxiety reminding me I couldn’t trust it. Today, though, I could relax into this and trust I could handle whatever life threw at me.
“Hey, do we have anything going on tonight?” I asked, a plan forming in my head.
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“There’s a corn maze and haunted house out at Lost River. I promised Noah I would take him. Y’all want to go with me?”
“Yes, we can get dressed up and everything,” Simon chimed in. “Plus, Lenn, I’m dying to get my hands on your hair.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” I sighed with a laugh.
Slade showed us all to the rooms we could use, and Simon and I got to work on going through the clothes we had on hand for ideas. When we figured it out, we put them into piles for each of us before he started on my hair.
“Simon, you’re happy, right?”
