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Sobs broke from his chest and he gripped his phone tightly. They all sat together in silence for a few moments. His voice cracked when he replied, “Watching Kenna’s dad pass yesterday made me realize a few things. How much I love both of you and Dani. I miss you all.”
He heard them both choke back tears. His mom managed a response first. “We miss you too. Why don’t we plan to come down and visit? We’d like to meet Kenna.”
“We’d like that very much. I want you to meet her. She’s...special.”
“Where is she now?” his mom asked.
He took in a few breaths, finally able to let go of the sadness and loneliness for his family. “She’s getting ready. We’re heading to her parents’ house this morning to make arrangements.”
His dad’s voice cleared. “I’m proud of you for being there for her, Spence.”
“Well, that’s the other thing. She’s being stalked. Read the reports Tate uploaded this morning. I’m doing everything in my power to protect her, but we’re trying to find the asshole, so we know she’s safe.”
“I’ll read them as soon as we hang up,” his dad responded.
His mom replied, “I’ll plan today to be there soon.”
“It’s likely we’ll have Mr. Lawrence’s funeral on Saturday.”
“Then we’ll be there for support. I’ll talk to Lara about a room for us to sleep in.”
“We have all the room you need. I can’t wait to see you both.”
Their call ended after the love yous and he inhaled a deep breath and let it whoosh out. He’d needed that. He swiped at his eyes, clearing the remaining moisture from the tears he’d shed, ran his hand down his face and stood from the picnic table he’d been sitting on.
“Hey, is everything alright?” Kenna asked from behind him.
He turned, “Yeah. I just needed to talk to my parents.”
“Oh,” she whispered.
“After watching you lose your father yesterday, I needed to speak to my parents. I called them twice last night, and they didn’t answer, so of course, after what you went through, I assumed the worst.”
Kenna moved toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She squeezed him tight and laid her head on his chest. “I get that.”
He swallowed. “Anyway, they’re good and they’ll be here in two days to visit. They’re excited to meet you.”
“Daddy’s funeral might be Saturday.”
“And they’ll be here for support. Their words, not mine.”
“Oh, such a sad day to meet them.” Kenna said into his chest.
“But, after this, I don’t want to wait any longer for them to meet you.” Her beautiful face turned up to look into his, and he kissed her lips. “I don’t want to wait another day. I love you, Kenna Lawrence.”
Tears welled, then spilled from her perfect green eyes. He wiped them away gently with his fingers and she said, “I love you, Spencer Lawson. I love you.”
He kissed her again, this time sealing the expression of love they’d each offered the other. He knew he loved her when they’d argued a few days ago. It hit him like a sledgehammer when he’d left for work in the morning without a kind word. He’d felt terrible all day, and he vowed to himself then he’d never leave the house again without telling her to have a great day or a kind word. And now, he’d never leave the house without telling her he loved her. That would be their new morning routine. It felt good. It felt right.
38
The soft murmuring of her mom’s voice and her brother’s responses circled around her, but Kenna was focused on other things. Spencer, first. He stood in the living room, just off the kitchen, his broad, strong back to her as he stared out the window. His hands were in his front pockets, but he wasn’t relaxed at all. He tried looking casual for her; she was sure of it. But he was worried about the texts and email. He was thinking about his parents. And, likely, he was worried about her plans.
And that was the elephant in the room right now. What were her plans? On the one hand, she had a ready-made business here. Process service was something she’d done since she was eighteen. Years before she could legally serve documents, she’d ridden along with her dad and kept all the records.
When she moved to Houston, she’d done the same thing. But she’d worked for another agency. Something there told her she wouldn’t stay. But she honestly never thought she’d come back here to Glen Hollow.
“Kenna?”
