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Her frown deepens. "This is my home."
"Not anymore. Your home is under my roof now."
"Says who?"
"Says your future husband."
"Fake husband. And I never did agree I was going through with that sham marriage."
"Think about it, Abby. If he came here once, he could do so again. Surely, you can’t risk that happening."
She shivers, then wraps her arms about herself.
I walk forward and come to a stop in front of her. "I don’t want to scare you, but you’re not safe as long as he’s out there."
A haunted look comes into her eyes, and my stupid heart, once more, stutters. That familiar thickness assails my throat.Jesus, fuck. I can’t afford to be weak, not now. Not when I need to be her pillar."You have to realize the best thing right now is for you to pretend to be engaged to me and move in with me. That way, I can ensure you have round-the-clock protection. And once he realizes it’s not as easy to get to you, he’ll probably give up. It also buys me time to track him down."
She swallows. "You think you’ll be able to do that? You think you’ll be able to find him and put him in prison?"
"I’ll make sure he never bothers you again." I bend my knees and peer into her eyes. "Can you trust me on that?"
33
Abby
"So, you trust him to keep you safe?" Solene adds the final touches to her makeup. She’s in the dressing room of another venue where she’s performing, this time, in Denver. If she weren’t so diligent in calling me every week, I’d never be able to keep up with her.
I scowl into the phone screen and resume my pacing. Something I’ve been doing a lot since I moved in with Cade. "He promised me, and as much as I haven’t been a big fan of his over the past eight months, one thing I know is that he’ll keep his word."
"So, you feel safe with him?"
I frown. "I guess I do."
"You didn’t have to move in with him or agree to this pretend marriage. You could have asked your father for protection."
"I disowned them, remember? I’m not exactly on speaking terms with them.”
She shoots me a sideways glance. "You’re going to have to face them someday. How long are you going to keep running?"
"Are you talking about yourself?"
She blinks, then lowers her mascara wand. "Ihavebeen running, haven’t I?" Her lips turn down.
"Sorry, babe, didn’t meant to put you on the spot like that."
"You’re right, though." She straightens her back. "I’ve been putting off facing Declan. Sometimes, I think that’s why I accepted this crazy whistle-stop tour. Doesn’t give me time to think, you know? And I can take refuge on stage. Performing is my drug; it helps me postpone the inevitable. But maybe it’s time I face up to things." She lowers her chin. "Like you are."
I laugh. "I’m hiding in my room, so I don’t have to step out and risk running into Cade. Not sure I’m facing up to anything."
"You took a leap of faith when you accepted his arrangement. You’re following your instincts, knowing it’s the only way to explore if there’s a chance of a future with him. You had the guts to own up to your mistakes and try to make up to him for your errors—and you weren’t put off by how mean he was to you. Yeah, you’re facing up to plenty. If I were half as courageous as you, I’d have a heart-to-heart talk with Declan about the state of our relationship. Or non-relationship."
"That bad, huh?"
She winces. "You have no idea. But this call is about you, babe. If this is going to keep you safe, then I’m all for it."
"So, you think it’s fine to agree to the public announcement of Cade and me being together?"
"If it’s going to keep you safe, then go for it." She picks up the phone and peers into my face. "I’m glad he was there for you. I’d reach out to the Sovranos and ask them for help to track down your stalker, but I imagine Cade wants to be the one to do that."
