“That’s okay. I need to keep myself busy,” I said, grabbing the pile of linens.
“The silver ones are for the banquet tables and the black ones are for the guest tables.”
“Gotcha.” By the time I got back into the space, Aaron was already wheeling out the last of the round tables and was unfolding it and popping it into place.
“You’re beyond amazing,” I said, handing him the black pile of tablecloths.
“I’m trying,” he said, grinning.
I glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that we only had about forty-five minutes before the guests would start arriving and another fifteen minutes before my parents would arrive.
I quickly placed the tablecloths on the banquet tables and grabbed the bag of rose petals that was leaning against the wall. I opened them up and began spreading them along the tables and turned to see Aaron running the tablecloths out on each dinner table.
He was dressed in one of my favorite suits, and I couldn’t stop imagining what it would be like to strip it off him later tonight. How horrible was that? I was preparing for my parents’ anniversary party, daydreaming about getting it on with my boyfriend. I completely blamed Aaron.
My phone buzzed, and it was Mason letting me know that everything was going as planned. I quickly texted back that things were looking good here too, and we should be set for the first guests to arrive.
I wandered over to Aaron who was now placing the arrangements in the middle of each table and sliding his hand over each tablecloth smoothing the wrinkles off of it.
“Signs of the military?” I asked.
He started laughing and nodded. “Guess so.”
A few of the servers began wheeling out the china and silverware and waved.
“It looks great,” one of the servers said. “We’ve got it handled from here. Go grab a drink from the bartender and relax.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Aaron said, sliding his arm around my waist.
“Yeah. It does.”
We walked over to where the bartender was placing the selection of beer and wine along the bar.
“Nice selection,” Aaron said.
“Carla helped in that department as well. I still can’t believe she did all of this. My parents would die if they knew someone did that for them that wasn’t related.”
“Carla did it for me because of you,” he said softly. “She knows how much you mean to me and…” his voice trailed off, as he slid his hand into mine. I felt the blush color my cheeks as the bartender continued to set out glasses, acting as if he wasn’t overhearing our conversation.
The bartender turned around, sensing our conversation had come to an end. “What can I grab for you two?”
“I’ll take a Jack and Coke. And she’ll take a Royal Washington Apple.”
“Are you trying to get me drunk before the party even starts?” I asked, teasing.
“Actually just before I tell you what we found about the messages you’ve been receiving.”
“Seriously?” I asked. “You’ve got to tell me tonight?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, what we found out needs to be taken care of immediately. Jason worked his magic. No matter how much the guy says he’s not into tech stuff, he sure knows his shit.” Aaron grabbed both of our drinks, and we found a couple of comfortable looking seats along the far wall.
I took a seat and sipped my drink, feeling the sting as it touched my lips.
“It’s definitely that Jeff guy from your class,” he began.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “That’s so weird.”
“We’re positive. Once we figured out who it was, Jason was able to tap into his wireless and connect into his systems. He’s been stalking you for quite a while.”
“Isn’t that illegal?” I asked, staring at Aaron.
“Yeah, stalking is quite illegal.”
“No. I mean tapping into his system.”
“We have ways around it. Besides, there’s enough evidence that was collected to be able to turn over to the police just from the texts he sent you.”
“Why?”
“The Jeff guy’s nuts. Jason’s got a few buddies at the police station he’s talking to before he gets here tonight, but you are in definite need of a restraining order and security.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I wish I were.” Aaron pulled out his iPhone and tapped on a link. “Check this out.”
I looked down at the screen and watched a video game reenactment that looked all too familiar. It was the inside of my apartment.
My marrow chilled as I continued to watch. A haunting overture played in the background, as I followed the intruder through my apartment, first looking into Gabby’s bedroom, going through her things, and then leaning over her while she slept. My heart was pounding so hard and I could barely focus. Granted these were cartoonish images of us, but the point was clear. My palms moistened as I continued to watch where the gamer went next. Into my bedroom. I watched as the items on my dresser were moved and then placed back in their proper places before he spun around to look over at me sleeping in my bed, with the exact replica of my comforter and pillows carefully placed around me.
“He’s been inside our house…” I felt numb as my body filled with terror.
“I wanted to wait until after the party, but I figured I couldn’t do that. Not if we needed to be on alert with this large group of people just milling around.”
I took another sip of my drink and looked back at Aaron.
“He might have stolen some items from my bedroom.”
“What do you mean?” his voice sharp.
“This sounds absolutely bizarre and—”
“What?”
“A while back I noticed some of my underwear went away.” I blushed at the thought, at the ridiculousness of what I was saying.
“You’re just telling me this now?”
“I figured they got lost with laundry or who knows. It’s like the case of the missing socks. I can’t go more than a month with perfect matches. There’s always a mate missing—always. This is so mortifying.” I sighed.
“It’s worse than that. It’s downright dangerous,” he muttered, texting Jason the latest revelation.
“And there was some jewelry…”
“Seriously?”
I nodded.
“You need to be more vigilant, babe. Is there anything else?”
I shook my head. His eyes said everything and more as he looked at me.
“You’re not staying at your place any longer. And neither is Gabby.”
“Does she know?”
Aaron nodded. “Yeah, Jason just showed her on the way to the police station.”
“There’s got to be a connection to him that I just can’t remember,” I muttered, wondering what in the world introduced him into my life.
“Probably. We’ll see what Jason says when he gets here tonight.”
I nodded, my heart pounding as I slammed the rest of my drink and nervously awaited for the first of many guests to arrive.
The music was pounding and my parents were having the time of their lives. Seeing that kind of love gave me hope. Watching them hold each other as they swayed to the music and the possibilities for decades more together helped to take my mind off of everything that was starting to fall into place about the madman.
Gabby looked pretty petrified, but it was hard for her to hide her emotions. She was as transparent as cellophane as Jason danced with her in the crowd.
I hadn’t told anyone about what we had found out, not even my brothers. It could wait until tomorrow, and in the meantime, Aaron was handling everything anyway. There was no reason to spoil my parents’ special night.
I turned to face Aaron who had been watching the crowd the entire evening, looking for anything suspicious. I knew both Jason and Aaron were armed and the thought terrified me… not so much that they were armed, but that I was somehow in a position where the people around me
felt they needed to protect me.
“I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him with the brown hair,” I said to Aaron, shaking my head. “Derek Bourot gave me the creeps years ago, but I never suspected he’d be capable of this type of hatred or—”
“Obsession.”
The word sent a spike of fear down my spine. The police were granted a search warrant immediately and found far more than the video game reenactment at his apartment. Unfortunately, Derek was nowhere to be found. It turned out he started going by his middle name several years ago about the same time he started watching me, following me. He was the son of one of the law center’s clients. His mother was sentenced to time in prison for several petty crimes that added up to a stiffer sentence. I remember feeling so bad when I learned about their story. His father was killed in an accident, and his mother spun out of control shortly thereafter, falling into drugs and alcohol. The law center was her last hope, and my mom and her team were able to get her sentence greatly reduced, but she died in prison. What we’ve been able to scrape together in a few short hours was that he wanted my family to pay for his mom’s death, and I became his target.
“We need to tell my mom as soon as possible, but I don’t want them to find out tonight. We’ve got a hotel suite reserved for them and—”
“I’ve got a security detail already in place. They won’t know a thing is wrong, but they’ll be protected. I promise.”
“Thank you,” I said, pressing my head against his chest. “Who would have known I was such a catch?”
He started laughing and hugged me tighter. “I already knew that. I didn’t need some psycho to point it out.”
“What does that say about you though?”
He placed a soft kiss on top of my head, holding me closely, and I’d never felt safer than I did in his arms.
Chapter Twenty-One
“They got him,” Aaron announced, hugging me tightly as he turned off his phone.
“Are you serious?” I asked.
“Yep. They picked him up loitering around your condo.”
The moment I heard those words, it was like a big weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I no longer felt frightened to show up to my classes tonight.
“Just in time,” I mumbled, picking up my scattered schoolbooks. “I guess it’s okay to go back to my condo…”
His eyes caught mine, and I saw a flicker of disappointment—exactly how I felt. I was sitting at the granite breakfast bar and looked around, surprised at how comfortable I’d made myself in the short time I’d been here. My favorite mugs were lined up on the back counter, and I’d even brought over some of my teas.
Aaron walked over to me and placed his hands gently on my shoulders, massaging the tension away. “I’m going to miss you.”
“Me too. Is that bizarre in such a short amount of time?” I asked, feeling his thumbs pressing into my muscles in a rhythmic motion.
“If you count all the back and forth, it’s been months…”
I laughed, “True.”
I glanced at the clock and knew I needed to take off to get to my first class on time. I had taken today off from work to regroup with everything going on. Now that Gabby bought the bakery and left her dad’s company, I magically got transferred to the legal department. I knew Aaron had something to do with it, and I was extremely grateful. The official transfer would take place next week and I couldn’t wait.
No more cheese for me!
“I should probably give myself an hour to make it into the city since rush hour’s about to start.”
“You want me to drive you?” His hands fell away from my shoulders, and I immediately missed his touch.
“You’d do that?” I raised a brow.
“Yeah. Why not?” He smiled, but his gaze dropped to the counter.
“You still worried?”
“I shouldn’t be. I know he’s sitting in a cell, but it just feels like he’s still out there.”
“Tell me about it.” I touched his chin softly and smiled. “But I’m perfectly fine. I should be home a little after ten tonight.”
“Home, huh?”
I blushed and placed a kiss on his cheek.
“Make sure your weekend is completely clear.”
“Why’s that?” I slid off the stool.
“Think of it as a new chapter and a way to celebrate.”
“I think I can handle that,” I said, grabbing my bag that held my books and laptop.
He walked me to the door, and I turned around and gave him one more kiss, this one longer. All it did was make me want to forget about class and stay in for the night, again.
“The new housekeeper is stopping by at eight o’clock tonight to go over everything so don’t get paranoid if you see a car in the driveway.”
I rolled my eyes. “I trust you.”
He held up his hands and shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
I started laughing as I walked out the door. I was still a little bit paranoid, truth be told. But I was happy to see that the only new photos of Aaron surfacing on the Society pages were of him firmly gripping me. Thank you, Google!
I made it to my car and watched him slowly shut the door and knew we’d never be the same again. We were no longer going to take ten steps back to get five steps forward. I needed him and he needed me, but that was okay. As I pulled out of the driveway, I thought back to my parents and wondered if Aaron and I could ever be lucky enough to have such a wonderful life like theirs. It was so cute when I dropped them off at the airport for their trip to Ireland. With all the hugging and kissing and excitement they radiated, it was as if they were fifteen. I only hoped to be that lucky to live a long, love-filled life.
I wondered what kind of things Aaron had planned for the weekend and got excited just thinking about it. I pulled my car onto the highway and began the stop and go, hoping I’d make it to class on time.
What I didn’t realize as I sat here in the final class of the night was just how fast news traveled. Apparently Jeff or Derek or whatever he wanted to call himself had made quite the impression with several of the other students. Teresa was filling me in during break that the police had questioned many of the students who were connected with our study group.
“Can you believe he’d go that nuts over everything?” Teresa asked, her eyes wide. “Kind of makes me think twice about becoming an attorney.”
I glanced away as a few students were milling around and looking over at us. The classroom was small, but it had stadium seating. I was sitting in the back row at the top, nursing my cup of coffee.
“It shouldn’t. There are always crazies out there that are unpredictable no matter what we decide to do for a living.”
She shuddered and shook her head. “I always knew I never wanted to be a prosecutor or a defense attorney, but I’m telling you it makes me worry. I’m actually thinking of changing my concentration to legal writing.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that…” I took another sip of the lukewarm liquid. “But make sure you’re making the switch for the right reason. Not just because you’re scared.”
“So do you still want to work in your mom’s law center when you pass the bar?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’m not going to let someone else shatter my dreams. Besides, he had a rough life, and while I don’t understand why he chose my family as a target, I understand the pain that drove him. At least partially.”
“You’re a better person than I,” she hummed.
I laughed, “Hardly.”
The Professor came walking back to the classroom and a few straggling students followed right behind and took their seats. I only had another hour and then I could go home and see Aaron and begin to pack up my things to go back to my condo tomorrow. The last thought made my heart sink a little, but it was for the best. I didn’t want to scare him away just yet. It was going to be odd since Gabby basically lived at Jason’s house now so she could be closer to th
e bakery. When she told me that was the reason, it was all I could do to not start laughing in her face.
But anyway, things had been absolutely amazing between Aaron and me since we put the focus on us and eliminated all the second-guessing and worries about others. I was completely ready to hand over my letter to Gabby this weekend. Although, it might have to wait a day or two depending on when we got back from whatever fabulous thing Aaron had planned. I felt confident that she would understand and would be totally supportive. Plus, Jason said he started sharing hints about the possibility, but he wasn’t sure she was picking up on any of them, which didn’t surprise me.
“Miss Rhodes, you look like you might be able to answer my question,” the Professor began.
Oh, no! What was her question?
Teresa scribbled something quickly on a sheet of paper as I sat up straighter in my chair.
The elements required to prove Breach of Contract are examples of what type of law?
Thank God for Teresa! Suddenly feeling as if I were on Jeopardy I answered, “Procedural Law, Professor Loretal.”
“Nice work, Miss Rhodes.” She shot her stare at another unsuspecting victim and continued her lecture, and I flashed Teresa a grateful smile.
The rest of the class went without any other hiccups, and I was beyond thrilled to pull into Aaron’s driveway, and I was starving, ten o’clock at night or not.
I walked up the steps to Aaron’s home and opened the door, my mind wandering briefly to the first time I was brought inside. My heart fluttered at the memories flashing through my mind. I dropped my bag on the slate floor of the large entry and sighed. I really could get used to this place. The walls were a nice taupe and there was a large mirror in front of me, which I happened to glance at. I saw my reflection and started laughing. I looked horrible. If the circles under my eyes were any darker I’d put zombies to shame.
“How was your first night?” Aaron asked, walking into the foyer.
He looked sensational when I left, but even better when I returned. He had traded out his suit for jeans and a sweater, and his hair was still wet from a shower.
Spring Fling Trio- Beyond Love Starter Set Page 41