Grant.
An image of Ben swinging a pipe and hitting Grant from behind in the storage room played through her mind constantly, like a horror movie she couldn’t turn off.
Grant kept assuring her they were safe. Gavin, Cait and Patty all seemed willing to accept the risks having her in their lives brought. But they didn’t know. To them, he seemed to be no more than an ex-boyfriend who was still hung up on her and had some control issues.
They hadn’t stood, helpless, and watched what he did to her brother. The beating he’d given Alex had been brutal and Ben hadn’t cared about the consequences. He hadn’t cared that the neighbors were calling 9-1-1. He hadn’t cared about her screaming and then sobbing so hard she vomited.
Ben had wanted to make a point about what happened to people who tried to come between him and Wren.
Grant was between Ben and Wren. And all the people in her life who knew where she was but probably wouldn’t tell him if he knocked on their doors were between them.
When her stomach rolled, she got out of bed and hurried to the bathroom, but nothing came up. Sinking to the floor, she leaned her head against the door of the linen closet and closed her eyes. But no matter how hard she squeezed them shut, she couldn’t stop the tears.
She had no idea how long she sat there, feeling nothing but fear and uncertainty. Until her body started to ache from the cold tile and her head hurt from trying to cry silently.
Forcing herself to her feet, she soaked a washcloth in cold water and pressed it to her face. It helped a little, shocking her into focus.
Then she took a deep breath and crept back through the bedroom. Grant was facing her side of the bed, his arm flung across her empty place as if he’d reached for her in his sleep. She loved him so much her heart ached with it, and she watched him for a few minutes, trying to settle her mind.
“Grant.” He didn’t even stir, so she crawled onto the mattress and squeezed his hand. “Grant?”
He mumbled something and tried to roll onto his back, but she had his hand. When she didn’t let go, he opened his eyes and blinked a few times at her. “Wren? What’s wrong?”
“I’m scared.”
He sat up, frowning. “Did something happen?”
“No.” The tears started again, and it took her a few seconds to get any words out past the lump in her throat. “I’m just really, really scared.”
Wren expected him to tell her everything would be okay, pull her down to her pillow and tell her to go back to sleep. Instead he got out of bed and yanked on the sleep pants he hadn’t bothered putting on earlier. After turning on the bedroom light, which made them both blink, he started to pick her up. But a small sound escaped his lips and he took her hand instead, leading her into the living room.
He hit the light switch as they went through the doorway, flooding his apartment in light. And then after settling her on the couch with the throw blanket around her shoulders, he went and turned on the kitchen lighting and got her a glass of water.
Her Grant, she thought, chasing the shadows away.
After she swallowed some of the water, he set the glass on the coffee table and sat next to her, taking her hand in his. “Talk to me, honey.”
“I just... I’m just scared for everybody. Scared for you.” He knew what she was afraid of, so she tried instead to explain why she was having a meltdown in the middle of the night. “I had a horrible nightmare and then I woke up and he was in my head and I started thinking about all the people he can use to get to me.”
“I can keep you safe. We can keep Patty and everybody else safe, too. The police are looking for him. Hell, the fire department’s looking for him. His picture’s been circulated everywhere.” He squeezed her hand. “You saw yesterday how we all take care of each other when somebody needs help. Just keep trusting us.”
“But what if he actually hurts somebody in your life. How are you all going to look at me if he hurts Patty? Or Cait? Or any of them.” Her heart ached just thinking about it. “If he puts one of you or your family in the hospital, do you think that’s not going to change everything?”
“That’s not how you do family, Wren. Your brother’s an asshole, plain and simple, but the people—the family—you have in your life now won’t turn away from you.”
“No. He’s not an asshole, though. Alex warned me over and over again that Ben was no good and I didn’t listen. He tried to help me and I rejected it and he kept trying to help me. And he almost got killed for it. Alex almost died, Grant. Because of me. Because I was stupid and trusted the wrong man.”
“The only person responsible for Alex being assaulted is Ben. It’s not your fault.” He blew out a breath and ran a hand over his hair. “Yeah, Alex had the right to be pissed. He could even tell you he told you so. But even if he did blame you, he should have worked through it because you’re his sister and cutting you out of his life is the one thing he can’t do.”
“Not everybody has a family like yours. And not everybody has this...brotherhood that you have, where everybody’s family and has each other’s backs no matter what.”
“You have it. You have me. You have this family. We have your back no matter what and we’re all here and ready to prove it to you if that’s what you need. You’re not alone.”
“Maybe I don’t know how to do this,” she said in a small, quiet voice.
“Do what?”
“This. I don’t know to be in a relationship with you. How to believe that no matter what, you’re going to still love me at the end of every day.”
“Where is this even coming from? I told you I love you.”
“I’ve had five men in my life tell me they loved me. My father loved us but he and my mother weren’t good together, so he took off and left all of us. Then there was a stepfather who loved us for a few years before he decided he loved his secretary more than he loved my mother. Ben told me he loved me. And Alex. Alex loved me until the day he told me he didn’t want me in his life anymore because of what Ben did. And then you told me you loved me.”
“I’m not them. And the only way you’re going to believe that, no matter what, I’m still going to love you at the end of every day is to let me be here at the end of every day. To let me wake up next to you every morning.”
“I won’t want to wake up to the look on your face if he comes after you again and really hurts you.”
“If he comes after me again, I’ll be ready. And relieved since showing his hand will get him nothing but a beating and a long time behind bars.” He pushed back the strands of hair sticking to her wet cheeks, tucking them behind her ear. “We’re okay, Wren. Do you believe I love you?”
“Yes,” she whispered, because she did. If she dug down beyond her fear, she knew this man loved her with every fiber of his being.
“And I know you love me. So we’re going to believe in each other and we’re going to get through this together, and everything else life decides to throw our way. Together.”
“Together.” She squeezed his hand and nodded.
* * *
Grant could still see the shadow of fear in her eyes, and even though the most important thing to him was that she’d gotten spooked and hadn’t run—that she’d come to him instead—he wished he could make those shadows disappear.
“Look,” he said, making up his mind. He was going to do what was best for Wren’s peace of mind, no matter what it took. “If you need to run to feel like you’re protecting people you care about—to really feel safe—then we’ll run together. We can go away until they catch this guy.”
Her eyes widened. “And go where?”
“Anywhere. Florida. Alaska. Arkansas. I don’t have a passport, so we can’t leave the country, but I’ll go with you. I love you. I’m going to keep saying that, because it’s true.”
“You said running’s not the answer.”
“I don’t think it is, but if you do and it’s what you need to feel safe, we’ll talk about it.” He grinned. “And you can’t go alone. Even if you won’t let me in your car, I’ll just follow you in my Jeep. We’ve already established I have boundary issues when it comes to you.”
As he intended, she smiled through her tears at the reminder of him making an ass out of himself at their girls’ night out. “I wouldn’t go without you. But if you’re sure everybody’s being careful, then we won’t go at all. I love you and I trust you and I just want to be here with you.”
Then she was moving toward him and he pulled her into his arms. He kissed her, trying to chase the last vestiges of her nightmares away, and then he just held her close. Her arms squeezed him so tightly he could barely breathe, but he didn’t care.
“Have I mentioned how much I love you?” he asked, because he was going to say it all the time now. He never wanted Wren to doubt how he felt about her.
“I won’t ever get tired of hearing that, because I love you, too.” She tilted her head back and smiled up at him. “And I don’t really want to go to Arkansas. I’m sure it’s a perfectly nice state to visit, but I’d rather just go back to bed with you.”
“I can talk in a Southern accent if you want,” he said as he got up and went to turn off the lights, trying to mimic the accents he’d seen on TV. “So you can pretend.”
She laughed, the joyful sound echoing through his apartment. “That was awful. Don’t ever do that again without letting me get my phone to record it first.”
Once they were back in bed, in the dark, Grant stared at the ceiling while Wren slowly drifted off to sleep. He was thankful he’d calmed her fear enough to let her rest, but now he was wide awake.
More than anything, he wanted to get out of bed and go kick over every rock in Boston until he found the one Ben Mitchell was hiding under and make damn sure the asshole would never bother Wren or anybody else Grant cared about ever again.
He wasn’t helpless. Even in his weakened state, he could keep Wren safe if her ex came after her. But sitting and waiting made him feel powerless and he didn’t want this situation dragging on like a black cloud hovering over their lives.
As if sensing his tension in her sleep, Wren stirred, frowning and shifting away from him. Grant forced himself to relax and kissed her hair. Ben Mitchell’s day would come, and Grant would do the smart, responsible thing and focus on Wren instead of trying to bait the guy out of hiding.
All that mattered was the woman in his arms. She loved him and she’d trusted him enough to come to him with her fear so they could work through it together. There may be a wolf at the door, but he wasn’t getting in tonight. And no matter what, he would never come between them again.
* * *
For two days, Wren and Grant hung out in his apartment, eating takeout and watching movies. She wasn’t ready to make any big decisions about her employment yet, so she called in still-sick to the salon and told the market she was okay, but the emergency was ongoing. The lie made her feel guilty, but she wasn’t ready to face the world just yet.
And since Grant was out on medical leave until they ran Mitchell to ground, they were taking lazy to a whole new level. He was feeling a lot better, and starting to get antsy about being confined. And on day three, she admitted to herself she was getting bored.
She did her best not to think about Ben but sometimes, when it was quiet or Grant was sleeping, she couldn’t help it. It was hard, trusting in the system to take care of him, but she trusted Grant. When the fear started taking hold, she told him—even if she had to wake him up—and when he held her and told her they were safe, she allowed herself to believe him.
But something would have to change soon. They both needed to get back to work and start living the normal life they were going to build together. Yesterday had been hard on Grant because his crew worked without him. And tomorrow would be worse, because St. Patrick’s Day was an all-hands-on-deck kind of day for the city, and he’d be sitting it out.
“I think we watched this movie yesterday,” Wren said, frowning at the television. They were curled up on the couch because it was raining and cold and there was nothing out in the world they needed that badly. “I know we did. The jousting and the dancing and rock music.”
“But it’s a great movie. It’s this, talk shows or reruns of cop shows.”
“It really is a good movie.”
But when he started saying the dialogue along with the characters, she elbowed him in the ribs. “Stop that. It’s annoying, and just how many times have you seen this movie, anyway?”
“As often as I can.” He nuzzled her neck. “Let’s dance, you and I.”
“I don’t think that’s what he means when he says that.”
“I’m going off-script.” He pulled her closer and nipped at her earlobe. “I’d probably be censored on TV, though.”
“I think your phone is vibrating.”
“I think so, too, though it was weird there for a second.” After she shifted away from him, he fished it out of his pocket and frowned at the screen. “It’s Danny. Why the hell is he using FaceTime?”
“Maybe you should answer it and find out.”
He did. “Hey, LT. What’s up?”
“I hate this thing.”
“Maybe hold it a little further from your face. And get one of those pore strips for your nose.”
“Maybe you should go f—Oh hey, Wren. Nice to see you.”
“Literally,” she said, smiling.
“Why the video?” Grant asked, cutting to the chase.
“It seemed like the easiest way to talk to you and Wren at the same time. In retrospect, speakerphone would have worked. Anyway, they found Mitchell.”
The words, dropped so casually like that, shook Wren to her core. She sucked in a breath, her body cold all of a sudden, and was barely aware of Grant’s free hand closing around hers.
“They arrested him at a gas station about an hour ago. Cuffed and stuffed, and he didn’t want to go, so he got taken to the pavement pretty hard.”
“They’re sure it’s him?” Grant asked, squeezing her hand.
“They’re sure. Cobb confirmed it before he called me. Mitchell violated parole in Virginia, plus he’s got the new charges here. Arson. Assault. Resisting. Anything else they can tack on to it. But the bottom line is that Ben Mitchell is going away for a long time.”
It’s over. Wren trembled, squeezing Grant’s hand back so hard she was surprised she didn’t break his fingers. She heard Grant asking more questions and then thanking Danny, but she couldn’t pull her thoughts together enough to speak.
It was really over.
Grant tossed his phone on the table and then hauled Wren into his arms. “You’re shaking.”
“It’s relief, I think,” she said, finally able to string words together. “He’s been a shadow in my life for so long and now he’ll be gone.”
“I told you to have faith in the system. And faith in us.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m glad you listened.”
She laughed and slapped his hand. “Did you seriously just I told you so in this moment?”
“According to the married guys on the crew, I need to celebrate the times I’m right because there won’t be many.” He shrugged. “Just practicing.”
After straddling his lap, she held his face between her hands and kissed him. “Thank you for sticking with me. I know this hasn’t been easy.”
“You’re worth it.” He ran his hands over her hips. “We’re worth it.”
She rested her hands on his shoulders and sighed. “I don’t even know what to feel right now.”
“Relief. Joy.” His nudged his hips up. “Maybe a little horny.”
“I’m definitely relieved. But I’m going to need a minute on the rest.” She considered. “Maybe half a minute.”
&nb
sp; “So the coast is clear now,” he said, and she could tell he was getting at something, but she couldn’t tell what.
“Yes. Finally.”
“It was important to you that you not end up living here because you were here for your safety and just didn’t leave.” He paused and cleared his throat. “So now that the coast is clear, there’s no reason you couldn’t go back to Patty’s if that’s what you want to do.”
“And you bring this up while I’m straddling your lap?”
He grinned. “Besides being naturally charming, I’m also pretty clever. Especially when it comes to getting what I want.”
That he was. Looking down into his dark eyes—crinkled as he smiled at her—she wasn’t sure she could resist him if she wanted to. But she didn’t want to. “I can go back to Patty’s for a night so you can officially ask me if you want, but I’d rather not. I just want to be here with you. Is that what you really want?”
“I want you in my bed. Forever,” he said in a voice that was almost a growl against her lips. Then he shifted her body so he could stand with her in his arms.
“What about your head. Should you be carrying—”
“My head is fine. It’s my dick that aches right now.” He shrugged. “Plus, sex releases endorphins, which are your body’s natural painkillers.”
“Then we should go to bed,” she said, giving him that slightly naughty half smile she knew drove him nuts. “For science.”
It was probably the fastest they ever got naked, but Grant being Grant, he tried to slow things down the second they hit the bed.
“I like to take my time with these things, you know.” He tickled her with a soft, butterfly kiss to the middle of her stomach.
“I know you do. But I just want you, Grant. There’s been so much and so many emotions and I just want to feel you.”
Rather than teasing her any more, he moved up the bed so his face was next to hers. “I love you.”
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