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They will do everything in their power to destroy Kellan and Fallon before their sons have the chance to destroy them first. And I’ll be smack in the middle of it. I’m not comfortable with going down the darker road in order to protect the ones I love but I will. Without hesitation.
6
Avery
Things at home are the same as I left them the other day. I keep giving Kellan an opportunity to tell me about Charlene Maddox, but he and the guys continue with their usual attitude—warm and attentive, loving and sweet. They are dominant and passionate in the bedroom, yet they still haven’t given me anything to go on. We are all thrilled to be having a baby. We’re also thrilled to be free of Daniel, and my girls are happy and going about their lives, gradually recovering from that gruesome day. Yet I can’t shake the feeling that there is an underlying shadow hovering that nobody wants to talk about.
I would like to get whatever it is out in the open while I’m still early in my pregnancy. The last thing I need is unnecessary stress as I grow closer to my due date. It’s such a scary and wonderful experience, and both Annie and Miley are so excited about having a kid brother or sister. Yet I continue to feel like I’m going through it alone and that everything could go up in smoke somehow. I don’t think I’ll be able to shake the feeling as long as my men continue to keep secrets from me.
Since there’s nothing more I can do until I have a direct confrontation with Kellan, Fallon, and Luke, I decide to focus on my working relationship with Charlene Maddox. If they won’t tell me anything about her, I’ll find out for myself while also scoring a pretty ambitious design project. Her house is a great way for me to further develop my interior decorating brand and given that she’s got purpose for each of the rooms, I get to play on the creative side of things. I do like that she’s been open to most of my suggestions.
The following Monday, I pull up in front of Charlene’s townhome and climb the steps. Toby greets me with an open door and a broad smile. “Good morning, Avery,” he says. “Ready to get this show on the road?”
“Only if the materials were delivered on Friday,” I reply with a chuckle.
“Worry not, I was here when they delivered everything,” he says. “I checked the list you left me and there’s nothing missing.”
“Oh, good. Then we can definitely get the show on the road.”
He’s wearing dark jeans and a black sweater, his short brown hair combed neatly and his stubble freshly shaved. He smells of almonds and musk, and he always smiles when our eyes meet. I don’t know if he’s just friendly by nature or if he’s flirting.
“Shall we do coffee first?” Toby asks. “I just made a fresh pot.”
I’m already in my prewashed overalls and work sweater, but coffee does sound good. “You know what? I could use a hot cup of joe right about now.”
“Follow me,” he says, and I follow him into the kitchen.
To my delight, he has already laid out and taped plastic sheets throughout the house to protect the original floors from any plaster or paint that might fall during the work process. Charlene has yet to decide if she wants to keep the original hardwood or replace it. I can understand the emotional attachment, and the current floor could survive for another decade if cleaned, sealed, and buffed properly.
“So, how long have you been living in Hershey?” Toby asks as we sit out on the back porch to enjoy our coffee.
It’s still cold during this time of the year, but it’s nothing my fur-lined boots and woolen sweater can’t handle, especially with a sweet and milky hot drink to get my engine running.
“Oh, I don’t live in Hershey,” I reply, cautious in the details I offer regarding my personal life. “I’ve got a place just outside of North Platte.”
“Easy drive, though. Makes sense.”
“Yeah. And you? Hershey native?”
Toby shakes his head. “Nah, I moved here with the job.”
“With Charlene, you mean.”
“That is correct.”
I give him a wry smile. “So you like the job?”
“The job and the employer,” Toby replies. “Charlene may seem like a complicated and sometimes difficult woman, but she is strong and determined. Ambitious and driven. No matter what life throws at her, she always manages to come out on top.”
I can hear the admiration in his voice. “So, how long have you and Charlene been in Hershey, then?”
“Only a couple weeks,” he says. “I rent a place just down the road from here. Since being her personal assistant requires my presence on a daily basis, I needed a pad with easy access to her home and office.”
“Charlene has an office in Hershey, too?”
“She’s not using it yet,” Toby replies. “I think she’ll want to do most of her work from here.”
“Precisely what I was thinking, given that we agreed to make the ground-floor guest room a home office,” I say before taking a long sip of my coffee. “Does Charlene know anyone else in town? I understand this used to be her parents’ house, so I assume she grew up here.”
