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Anna cocks her head and glances at Penny before addressing me. “Your protection specialists should be made aware of any plans regarding any company or outings you plan to have long before you get to within a day of said event. Is there anything else they should know?”
I get the hint. She needs to know when people will be here so she can effectively do her job. “There’s one more thing. A party planning company will be stopping by at noon to deliver an assortment of Easter baskets for the kids and arrange for a scavenger hunt.”
“Aiden! How many people are you planning on having over?” Anna asks, exasperated.
“Do you really want to know?” Her crossed arms and narrowed eyes warn me to tread lightly. “About 60 people. The entire team and their families will be here and a couple of people from church. I’ve done this every year since Penny was born. These are all people I trust with my life.”
She motions for me to follow her into the kitchen and spins around quick as a ninja once when we’re alone. “You better trust those people with your life—and Penny’s, too—because that’s what’s at stake here, Aiden. We’d be up a creek without a paddle if three members of my team from Shining Knight weren’t arriving tomorrow.”
“You know, you’re really cute when you’re mad.”
“Aiden, this is no time for jokes.”
I can’t help myself from stroking her bottom lip with the pad of my thumb. “Who says I’m joking? Your cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink, and your eyes shine like emeralds with fire inside of them.”
She takes a step back, and my hand drops to my side. I don’t know if she means to do it, but she licks her lips in the spot I had just touched. I really want to kiss her, and if I thought she would welcome it, I’d do it in a heartbeat. However, I don’t think she’s on the same page, and this isn’t the right moment.
“Anna, until a few days ago, this house was my sanctuary. Please bear with me as I try to adjust to all the changes. If you can forgive me for surprising you with this, I promise that I’ll try to do better by informing you and the rest of the security team of any plans I make.”
Anna relaxes her stance and inhales deeply, “I get it, Aiden. Your home shouldn’t feel like a cage, and my job is to keep you safe doing what you normally do. It’s also my job to minimize any surprises, so if you could refrain from dropping any more bombs on me, that would be dandy.”
I cross my heart, “I promise to do my very best.”
She sneaks into my personal space, lifts up on her tiptoes so that her mouth is right next to my ear, and whispers, “That’s all a girl can hope for. Thank you.” She kisses my cheek and strolls out of the kitchen. I watch the way her hips sway as she walks away, but then she stops and looks back over her shoulder at me, catching me in the act.
“Just for the record, I think you’re pretty cute, too.”
Chapter sixteen
Savannah
I’m up at the crack of dawn so that I have plenty of time to prepare for church this morning. After Penny was tucked into bed last night, Martha explained that the place where they worship accepts people just as they are. When she suggested that I should dress in whatever felt most comfortable for me, I almost laughed in her face. It’s Easter Sunday, and I’m well aware that most people will show up dressed in the nicest outfit they own and will put forth their very best, even when they are at their very worst.
I shouldn’t be so cynical about a church I’ve never been to before, but it’s hard for me to forget the way my mother pretended to be a devout Christian on Sunday, only to return to her wicked ways the rest of the week. I shared my story with Ethan once because he was the only one who understood me, having gone through much of the same thing. Only it was his father who put on the false front, not his mother.
I didn’t have it quite as bad as he did, but my mother was very controlling. I always had to wear the finest clothes, even to school, simply because she wanted to appear wealthy despite the fact we were barely scraping by. Because of that, I rarely played as a child or went anywhere with my friends. If I ruined my clothing in any way, I would have paid a hefty price. She never physically abused me, but she would lock me in my room, which was bare of decorations, books, or any kind of entertainment. It was my prison.
Trying my best to dispel the negative memories on such a sacred day, I concentrate all of my energy on curling my hair and applying my makeup to appear as natural as possible. Once I’m done with that, I open my closet and start pulling out dresses, ultimately disgusted with each one as I hold them to my body in front of the mirror. Frustrated with myself, I decide that I should take Martha’s advice.
Pulling out a pair of black skinny jeans and a cute, flowing floral top that hangs off one shoulder from my closet, I lay them neatly on the bed to keep them from wrinkling. I rummage through my drawers to find a white spaghetti-strap tank top to wear underneath the loose shirt, pairing the ensemble with a light pink belt and matching peep-toed wedge sandals. It might be the last day in March, but it’s 72 degrees outside.
Satisfied and comfortable, I make my way downstairs, preparing myself for a lecture on what’s deemed appropriate attire for church. I’m nowhere near indecent, but it’s not one of the stuffy dresses I was always forced to wear.
Penny is the first to see me, “Wow! You look like an angel, Anna!”
I stop in the stairwell when she says that to me, taken aback by the unadulterated approval in her eyes. But then I remember how she was dressed the day I first arrived and the fact that she’s six. Her opinion on what I should wear is questionable at best.
Slowly, I enter the living room and take a step back at the sight of the Shaw family waiting for me. Aiden is wearing black loose-fit jeans and a simple canary yellow button-up shirt with a white T-shirt underneath. His shirt hangs free from the confines of his belt, but he’s clean-shaven, and his hair is styled to perfection. Penny is wearing a cute summer dress and her sparkly pink tennis shoes. Martha is wearing black slacks and a purple sleeveless top, while Reggie is wearing clothing similar to Aiden, but unlike his son, the light blue shirt he’s wearing is tucked in.
“You weren’t kidding when you said to dress comfortably. I thought you might be pulling my leg.” I say, directing my comment at Martha.
“There are a few people in the congregation who dress up for church, and still some who put on airs, but most of us come to worship God, not Calvin Klein. If God doesn’t care what you wear, then why should we?” she retorts before coming over to hug me.
Penny also comes over and snakes her arms around my waist. “Anna, you’re going to love our church. We get to sing songs!”
“Thank you for inviting me.”
My phone pings with a notification, and I pull it out of my purse to verify who’s coming up the driveway. As promised, Aiden’s security team is here at 8:00 am sharp with two SUVs. Following behind them is a tow truck with Aiden’s vehicle hooked up.
