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“It’s not his style,” I informed her. “He doesn’t hide behind texts. But then again, I’m not ruling him out.”
Peyton slid her phone inside her pocket, her smile not reaching her eyes. I could tell the text had rattled her. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t do the same to me.
Peyton took my hand and pulled me to the door. “Come on. We have a movie to watch. Let’s forget about the texts.”
That was easier said than done.
CHAPTER18
PEYTON
ANOTHER WEEK LATER
Iawoke with a gasp at the sound of my vibrating phone. Every time my phone beeped with an incoming text, my stomach filled with dread. Heart racing, I reached over and grabbed my cell off the nightstand. I was relieved to see it was a message from my mom. There was also one from Reagan, but I’d check it later. If I didn’t respond to my mother first, she’d begin to worry.
Mom:Just thinking about you. I hope you’re doing okay.
The words were blurry, so I rubbed my eyes before texting her back. I wasn’t about to tell her I had just taken a nap. There would be lots of questions. I wasn’t a nap-taking type of person.
Me:I’m doing great. Just enjoying my peace and quiet before the chaos when I return.
Mom:I understand that. Give me a call sometime tonight so we can catch up.
Me:Will do.
I always made it a point to call her every day. Usually, she was with me, but I was glad she had this time with my dad. She’d devoted too much of her time to making sure I was protected while away filming movies. Now that I was with Ethan, I couldn’t imagine being away from him for long periods. The amount of sacrifice my parents went through hurt my heart, but I was grateful nonetheless.
Lying back in bed, I looked at the two cryptic text messages. Both had been sent on Tuesdays, and it was now Tuesday again. Ethan was worried about it; I could see it on his face whenever I got a call or a text.
We had two weeks left in Wilmington, but a part of me wondered if we should go ahead and head back to California. What pissed me off was that I didn’t want some silly texts to take away this time I had with Ethan.
We still didn’t have a plan on what we were going to do when we got back. It was something I wanted to talk to him about. There was so much we had to do, so much planning. One thing was for sure, I had to call my agent and tell her before our secret came out. I had no doubt she’d already planned several things for me around the time the baby was due to be born. But, unfortunately, those events I wouldn’t be able to attend.
The smell of garlic and herbs wafted past my nose, and my stomach growled. I was hungry but still so nauseous. Whatever Ethan was cooking smelled delicious.
Sliding out of bed, I grabbed my soft, fuzzy snowflake blanket and draped it over my shoulders. When I walked into the kitchen, Ethan was shirtless and in a pair of jeans, standing in front of the stove. I stared at the dragon tattoo on his back, wondering if the textswerefrom Nikolai Michelson.
Shaking my head, I banished the thought from my mind. All I had to do was not focus on the tattoo.
“Something smells amazing,” I called out.
Ethan glanced at me over his shoulder and smirked. “You’re awake . . . finally.”
Still wrapped in my blanket, I strolled over to him. “What are you making?” I looked in the large pot, and my stomach growled even more. “Ah, potato soup.”
Ethan shook some salt and pepper into the pot. “My mom’s recipe. There’s a salad in the refrigerator and beer bread in the oven. It was one of my mom’s favorite meals when the weather was bad.” I looked out the windows at the gray sky and the pouring rain. “There’s nothing better than soup on a stormy day.”
I kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry I slept pretty much the whole afternoon.”
Ethan stepped in behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, lips gently pressing against my neck. “It’s okay. I worked out and made some phone calls. My parents wanted me to tell you hey.”
“Are you going to be ready for your fight in a few weeks?” I asked, turning around in his arms. “You haven’t had access to a gym.”
Ethan smiled, his arms pulling me into him. “I’ll be fine. When we return to California, I’ll hit the workouts hard. No one’s going to take my title from me.” He smacked my ass and stepped back. “Why don’t you go sit down? Dinner’s ready.”
“Okay.”
I pulled my blanket off and draped it over the back of the chair before sitting at the kitchen table. Ethan brought over a bowl of potato soup, a small salad, and a large piece of beer bread with butter.
