by C. M. Steele
“You’re a bitch, Emily. I’m not going to tell you again. Go away and stay away from Amelia.”
“I don’t have to. She’s my daughter and you stole her from me,” she exclaims. I’m ready to kill her when I hear an audible gasp behind me. It’s my sweet girl. I turn around to see Blake holding Amelia to his chest as she breaks down in tears.
“So you must be the wealthy son-in-law,” she coos, essentially ignoring Amelia and stepping practically in between the two. If Blake didn’t have Amelia flush against him she would have.
“Lady, I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave us alone because it’s clear as fuck you’re after one thing.” He walks around with Amelia in his arms and into the bakery. “Sheriff, in here now. You, get away from my family shop,” he tells her. I follow Tracy in, then lock the door behind.
“There’s a lot to explain. I’m sorry. I never meant,” I stammer, trying to find the right words, thrusting my hands in my hair then running them down the back of my neck. I hoped that I would never have to have this conversation. I knew I should, but it’s hard to tell someone that all they believed is a lie.
“Never meant to what? Lie to me? Kidnap me?” Amelia snaps on me, tears streaming down her face. I can’t be mad at her because I deserve her ire. If I could take it back and start over I would have told her when she was ten.
“I’m going to give you all a moment,” Tracy says. I don’t want her to go, but I’m not going to beg her to stay. Carly starts walking out of the kitchen, but Tracy pushes her back in, saying “Family issues.” Carly is the owner of Sweetheart’s Treats bakery, and Blake is her brother who just married my daughter. I respect them all, so it’s doubly hard to admit how much I’ve failed my little girl.
“Well?” Blake says to me.
“There’s so much to say. But I’m going to tell you what she said wasn’t the truth at least not all of it. I didn’t steal you. I had her surrender custody of you when you were a little girl. Around five. It was right before we moved here. I should have told you when you got older, but it’s not something I like to talk about.”
She uses Blake as her support. He holds her by the tops of her arms. I respect him even more. “So why did you force her to give me up? Why? Did she cheat on you and it was payback or something?” I suppose that’s a woman’s perspective. Most mothers wouldn’t abandon their children unless they were forced to do it.
“No, please just listen. That woman out there is not my ex-wife, girlfriend, or anything of the sort. She’s…my older sister.” Amelia gasps and so does two voices behind me. It seems that they couldn’t stop being nosy. It’s okay because I want Tracy to know me and explaining this more than once is not something I want to deal with. “Come on, girls. Come over here, so you can hear the story better.” I wave them over, then rub my hand over my face.
Amelia looks out toward the window, but Emily is gone like she’s always been. I know she’s on drugs, the shit’s written on her strung-out face. I reach out and grab Amelia’s hand, squeezing it in comfort for whatever it’s worth. “I’m so sorry about all of this. My parents died at the beginning of my senior year. I turned seventeen and was legally old enough to care for myself. My sister ran out three years before with her boyfriend at eighteen, cutting us out of her life. She wanted nothing to do with rules or obligations at all. My parents cut her out of their will as a consequence, I received everything including the house. About a month before my graduation, she showed up with you and the police. She’d been living in the streets of Houston hooked on drugs. The guy who she left with had got her doped up. He’s supposedly your birth father, but he had never been on the birth certificate and the reason she came to me. If I didn’t take you both in, they would arrest her and take you into state custody. I had a choice to make. It wasn’t easy because I had plans for college, but from the first moment, you smiled at me, I knew that I couldn’t let you suffer like that. You had suffered enough. I never regretted having you in my life.”
She lets go of Blake and rushes into my arms. I wrap her up and hold her tight. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I didn’t tell you sooner. I worried that your father would come looking for you, so I lied to people about it. After leaving my sister pregnant and drugged up, I knew he didn’t deserve to take you from me. I finally got her to give you up for the last of my parent’s inheritance. I may be your uncle, but to me, you’ve always been my daughter.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she mutters, pressing her head to my chest. I love her so much.
“You’ve nothing to be sorry about. I’ve loved you from the first time I held your little body in my arms.” Blake pulls her back to him with his hand around her waist. He loves her, and I know he’d die for her. We saw it happen just a few weeks ago when her stalker came after both of them. I’m forever indebted to him for saving my little girl. He reaches out a hand to me and I shake it.
“Thank you, Mr. Wright. Without you doing what you did, I wouldn’t have met the love of my life,” he acknowledges. That’s one of the many blessings I got for making that hard life choice.
“But you never got to live your own life. Have your own son or daughter. I can’t believe that you never tried to find anyone,” she says, feeling guilty. I smile at her because yes, I didn’t have my own child or watch my wife carry our baby, but I’m not that old.
“I know you think I’m ancient, Amelia, but I’m only thirty-five. I’ve got plans to get married and have a bunch of kids.”
“How? I’ve never seen you date.”
“You’re right. I haven’t since you came to live with me. At first, I was just trying to hang on and do everything right by you. When you were about ten, I wanted to start dating, but as a cop, my life wasn’t easy to maneuver around. Then I didn’t know how.”
“Well, I’m married, and you can go and get anyone you want,” she insinuates that there’s already someone. I wonder if she knows. I look around to see that although Carly’s still standing around Tracy’s nowhere to be found. “I’m sorry, dad. I know you’re tired. You should be going home to rest. How about we stop over after work?” she offers.
“I’d like that. I need to go before I pass out driving.” Reminding me that I should be exhausted did the trick. I lost the second wind I had a moment ago. I walk out without saying goodbye to my woman. I’ll check on her in a few hours. I need some sleep though. As soon as I get home, I fall asleep on the sofa.
Chapter 3
Tracy
I watch in awe at the scene in front of me. I can’t even deny the initial jealousy that stole my breath when she referred to Amelia as her daughter. The rumors and stories had been that she’d left him to raise a kid. I suppose that she had, but the relationship status was incorrect. Amelia became his because he was the only family she had left. Damn, that makes him one hell of a man. I can’t imagine someone giving up their happiness at such a young age.
A wide variety of emotions pour right through me. I can’t say that I even know how to handle them. The wisest thing for me to do is go about my work. I slip back into the kitchen during the exchange between Blake and the sheriff.
There’s a lot of work to do for the day. I’d quit working at the diner last week after the shooting, since they needed my help at the bakery. Baking is the only thing that occupies my thoughts away from the sheriff. I’ve been in love with him from the first day we met. I put my headphones in and put on my favorite playlist and try to drown out my thoughts.
It's been a long day, but all my pastries came out perfect, surprisingly so. My mind has been focused solely on Derek and the revelations that he shared. Amelia's a mix of happiness and sadness all-in-one today. She wavered through the emotions as she randomly mentioned things throughout the day. This isn’t the Amelia I met before. She was confident and happy, but I can understand her confusion. Like her mom, my parents were on drugs and I was taken away from them. I lived with my Grandma until two years ago when she died. It was soul crushing and left me wan
ting to be alone. Even though we didn’t have a large apartment and lived modestly, she kept a huge secret from me. Last month, I found out that in two years, I’ll be wealthy. Well, at least very well off. She had a trust made for me that would be available when I turned twenty-five. The lawyers couldn’t find me until now because I’ve been moving around, trying to find somewhere that could take away the pain of losing her.
And for the first time in forever, I feel like I'm home. Maybe that's because the sheriff is always lurking, looking after me, making me smile even when I'm frustrated with him. He refuses to call me by my name and always keeps it formal. Except for that one time…he told me I couldn't work at the bakery because he said so. I laughed him off because he’s not my keeper. I still haven't figured out what his problem was, but I think it had to do with Blake in general and his daughter. He was worried about her and didn't trust Blake.
Chapter 4
Derek
It’s been a long week since I ran into Emily. She hasn’t contacted Amelia again, so I hope she ditched her attempt to get money from her. I’ve been doing my best during my patrols to check on Tracy and Amelia. I didn’t want Emily to try and hurt them for money. Truthfully, I’d make an excuse to see Tracy. Although most of the time, she doesn’t see me.
Like the stalker I am, I follow her home just a minute behind. Every day I want to knock on her door and pull her into my arms, kissing her like she needs. She’s got her keys in her hands, holding them like a weapon with a key between the knuckles. Smart girl. I watch her slip the key into the lock and turn it. I don't always get to do this because I’m at work, but I need to know if she's safe.
Her door slams awkwardly, and through the window I see shadows. I hear her scream and that’s when I see what’s going on. Two guys are shuffling around her apartment. Immediately, I call for backup. “I need backup 22 N. Central. Two guys—looks like a B & E.”
“On the way.” I rush with my gun out, up the stairs and slam straight into her apartment. I fire off a shot at the one holding my woman, hitting him in the arm. He lets go, then both of the assholes take off running before the next shots are in their heads. They dash out the rear exit of the apartment and down a flight of stairs. “I'm in pursuit,” I say into my walkie, running after them.
I see them hop into a waiting car. I try to position myself before firing since there are children in this area, but they speed off with a third person in the driver's seat. Instantly, I radio my men to give them all the details I can. Since it’s dark out, I can’t make the exact color of the vehicle, but I know it’s a Chevy Tahoe about ten years old. I call out the BOLO on it. Then I step back inside. Tracy is shaking and rocking herself in the corner of the living room. I lock the front and back doors, holstering my weapon. I know it’s more than a robbery gone wrong.
Walking up to her, I grab her hand and lift her to her feet, then I wrap her up in my arms where she belongs. “I'm so sorry, baby. I'm not going to let them hurt you, ever,” I promise her with a burning need to protect my woman.
“Derek,” she sobs, pressing her head against my chest. With every tear she sheds, my heart breaks. I'm going to hunt these fuckers down myself. The thing is, they were lying in wait for her. I didn’t see anything and neither did she when we both first pulled up. Burglars would have been moving around and bolted like they did when I arrived. I made a mental note that they don't fit the description of the burglars in the area. Something's going on, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it. I rub her back; my heart racing out of control. This is the moment I've been waiting for forever just to hold her. Unfortunately, it took me this long to welcome it and I almost lost her. I let her hold on tighter, releasing a sigh. And I hear my walkie go off.
“Sheriff, we are outside.” I forgot that our silhouettes can be seen from where we’re standing. That’s how I could tell someone had broken in, so they could make us out. Honestly, I no longer cared.
“Sweetheart, I need to get you out of here.” There’s a lot of work to do, but she doesn’t need to be here for it. I can question her later about he guys in the place, and if she happened to know them at all.
“I don't have anywhere to go,” she mutters, looking up at me with those round eyes that captivate me every time.
“Tonight, you're staying with me,” I tell her. She doesn't fight me, thankfully. “Sweetheart, you want to go get some things that you'll need?”
“Okay.” She reluctantly leaves my arms. Then as equally reluctant, I open the door and let the other officers in.
“Start looking at the scene. There were two guys waiting for her and a third in a car outside. We need to see if there are surveillance around this area.”
“I highly doubt it, sir. There's no need for cameras around here. The burglaries are isolated to the other side of town.”
“I want you to double-check anyway,” I bite out. “I need to go check on Ms. Hope.”
I walk back to her room and accidentally catch her changing.
“Shit.” I step out and close the door. I'm horny and pissed at the same time. She left her bedroom door unlocked. Any of my men could have walked in there. Right now is not the time to curse her ass out. I'll have to fix that for later though. I stand guard at the door because fuck if I catch one of my men looking at her. She comes out a moment later with a double bag packed.
“I noticed your apartment doesn't have much in it. You’ve lived here for a few months?” I ask.
“Yeah not a clutter lover kind of person,” she admits. It’s more than that the place looks empty. There’s no reason for the robbers to come here unless they weren’t here for a robbery.
Chapter 5
Tracy
He buckles me up in the passenger seat as if I was a kid and then goes around and gets in the car himself. A myriad of thoughts race through my head. Oddly, the first being, why was he outside my house? It makes no sense since he lives on the other side of town. I wonder if it was by accident or is there a real reason he was passing by. I'm too afraid to ask because maybe he's going to see the lady that lives next door to me. She's closer to his age than I am, and she's beautiful. They would make a cute couple, which destroys me.
“You know I'm not going to let them harm you, right?” he reassures me. I guess my feelings are on display. He thinks I’m upset about the guys in there. My thoughts at the moment are solely about him right now. I can’t tell him that, but they are all about the sheriff.
“I know you won't let them,” I answer softly. He turns back and starts driving toward his house. I know he lives close to the edge of town—completely in the opposite direction from my apartment.
“Are you hungry?” he asks.
“No, I'm not, but thank you for asking. And thank you for earlier. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't show up.” The fear of what could have happened seeps inside me and I shiver. He reaches over and grabs my hand as I start to relive the moments before he came bursting through my door. His thumb rubs against the back of my hand and it feels so wonderful and soothing.
I stay quiet for the rest of the ride because I’m edge of an emotional breakdown and don’t want him to see it. As if he understands, Derek doesn't ask any more questions. He has a very nice home I notice as we pull into his driveway. “Well we're here,” he says, releasing a hard breath. Derek throws it in park, then jumps out of the car. He grabs my bag from the back when he comes around for me. His strong, manly body moves effortlessly, and it makes me feel safe to have his hands on me.
He leads me up the stairs and into the house. “Wow, you have a lovely home,” I remark. He turns around and smiles at me. “Thank you.”
I feel like he wants to say more, but he doesn't. Instead he heads to the kitchen but not before asking if I'd like something to drink. “No, thank you.” I pause then change my mind. “You know what? As a matter of fact, I’ll have some water.”
He smiles at me. “Sure thing.” Then he leaves me alone.
I walk around the li
ving room just examining the house. It's full of photos of Amelia and Derek throughout the years. Knowing the truth of his life makes me fall even deeper in love with him. He took on the responsibility that wasn't his own. He's a great man. “Here's your water, sweetheart.” I love hearing the endearment.
“What happened to the Ms. Hope?” I blurt out. He blushes and stammers for a moment before saying sorry. “I'm not bothered by it at all,” I tell him. “I'm just starting to think you don't like my name.”
“Tracy,” he says, moving closer to me. I can feel his breath inches from my face. “When I see your name, I think about all the things I want to do to you. I constantly think about you.”
“You weren't over there to see April?” I ask. Externally, I show no emotion. Internally, I’m doing a happy dance.
“No, I wasn't. This is going to sound pretty fucked up, and you're probably going to want to run away. But Tracy I'm obsessed with you. I wanted to make sure you got home okay. I often do. I know it's kind of crazy especially because you're so much younger than I am.”
“Stop. Stop right there. You've been watching me? Staying at a distance all this time?”
“Yes,” he relents. I put my glass of water down on the table. Then I punch him in the arm.
“So for the past three months, you've been making me think that I'm a fool for having feelings for you,” I complain.
He doesn't respond with words. Instead, he pulls me into his arms, lifts me onto his lap so that I'm straddling him, then pulls my hair and kisses me hard. A kiss that I've been waiting for since we first met. I moan and rock my hips slowly, aching for him. I need Derek more than I can express.