“There was a break-in at the diner. I just need to see if anything is missing and lock the place back up.”
“You have to do this now?”
“Yes, Teddy is there now. He asked me to come down there. It shouldn’t take too long, I hope.”
Abe sighed. “Fine. I’m driving you.”
“You don’t have to--”
I don’t know why I even tried to argue - at this point, I knew Abe was going to drive me, and there was no way to get around it. Koda came back into the room, tail wagging as he walked up to me.
“You’re trained too damn well, you know that?” I gave Koda a few head scratches. I hated that Abe was up, but I couldn’t stay mad at the dog. And in a way, it might be better if I didn’t go alone. Seeing my diner, which I’d recently put so much work into, vandalized wouldn’t be easy for me. But I also didn’t want to lean on Abe too much, I couldn’t get too used to him being there for me. We might have agreed to co-parent, but that didn’t mean we’d have much of a relationship outside of that.
But for now, I had bigger things to worry about.
Ooo000ooo
I gasped as soon as we pulled up to the diner. When Teddy had mentioned vandalism, I assumed there’d be some graffiti or other damage. Nothing a little paint couldn’t fix.
But no, it was far more than that.
The glass in the front of the restaurant was busted, as was the front door. It was too dark to see much inside at first, but just seeing the front of my beautiful building filled me with dread.
Abe parked right out front, and I hopped out of the car as soon as it was stopped. I wobbled toward Teddy, going as fast as I could in my state. Teddy saw me and ushered me to the side, his brow furrowed. Abe joined us a moment later.
“You have security cameras, correct?”
“Of course, yes,” I said.
“We will need access to the footage,” he said. “We’ll figure out who did this.”
Tears stung my eyes as I nodded. “Can I go inside?”
Abe and Teddy shared a look, and Abe said, “Felicity, I don’t know if it’s a good idea--”
“You don’t get to decide that for me,” I said, glaring at Abe. “As long as it’s safe to enter, I need to go inside. At least to get the tapes.”
I had to see what was destroyed. I’d just bought all new appliances, fixed up the dining room and the back of the house. There’d been so much money thrown into these repairs, I needed to see if any of it was salvageable.
“The building is secure, there’s no danger,” Teddy said.
Abe sighed and ran a hand over his beard. “Fine, but I’m going with you.”
I didn’t argue with him there. It didn’t matter if he was going to be there. If anything, having the support would be nice. Teddy led us over to the back door, where the person broke in. The stupid fire exit I had to make sure was accessible for the inspection. Of course. It was kicked open, completely busted and would need to be replaced.
That was the first of many things that would need to be replaced.
There was graffiti all over the hallway, but that could be covered up with paint. I held a hand over my mouth and cried out when I stepped into the kitchen, however.
It looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to everything. The new stoves, even though they were stainless steel, were dented and the glass fronts of the ovens busted. Every plate and glass were shattered on the floor, as if a tornado had driven through and knocked everything out of the cabinets. The cabinets had the doors ripped off, and they too were smashed in, as if someone was set on demolishing the kitchen.
My knees went weak, and I nearly crumbled to the floor, but Abe had his hands around me in an instant, holding me up. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered into my ear.
I wasn’t sure if it would ever be okay again, truthfully. Even if we managed to fix everything up, which would cost more than I originally had spent, the fact that someone did this to my restaurant sickened me.
I’d worked so hard for everything I had, and in a matter of minutes, it was destroyed. Demolished.
We walked out into the dining room. Abe kept ahold of me, and I was thankful for that. I might have collapsed otherwise. The floor was riddled with debris from the destruction. My counter tops were smashed to smithereens, the booths and chairs too. It was rubble, like something you’d see after a major earthquake. The fact that this was man-made was almost hard to believe.
How could someone do this?
Of course, I could think of only one person who would be behind this. Only one person who was hateful enough to do it. Someone who wanted to force my hand to sell.
“Do you think we can get those tapes?” Teddy asked me, his voice breaking the silence and taking me by surprise.
“Of course,” I said. “Follow me to my office.”
When we got to my office, I noticed the door was smashed in. I had locked it, and I thought that it was secure - but the heavy wooden door wasn’t heavy enough apparently. As soon as we entered, I knew we were in trouble.
My office was destroyed, much like the rest of the place.
And the equipment that supported our security cameras was smashed to smithereens too. I rushed over to it, knelt down, and picked up the pieces.
“What’s that?” Abe asked, kneeling down beside me.
“The tapes,” I choked out.
So much for assuming my old-fashioned security system would be enough. This was Liberty, I never in a million years would have expected something like this. Never would have thought that a more updated security system was needed. Break-ins didn’t happen in Liberty. Our crime rate was essentially zero.
But as I held the broken remnants of the security footage in my hands, I was kicking myself so hard. Of all the things I should have focused on, that should have been in. But it had never crossed my mind.
And I was paying for that oversight now.
Abe
“I’ll take care of it,” I promised her. “I’ll take care of everything.”
And I meant it too. She refused, of course. Because that’s what she did. But I wasn’t about to let her dreams crumble like that. She was giving me the greatest gift anyone could give a person, the least I could do was make sure her restaurant was up and running.
And I planned to do much more than that.
“Hello Steve, any news on the building?” I said, speaking softly even though I was locked away in my office. She was either in her room or the living room. She’d been staying with me for several weeks, and together, we’d been putting her restaurant back together. But she was getting far too pregnant to do much. So I was doing it for her. She had no idea, of course. But she would know soon enough.
“Yes, it looks like the owners are very eager to sell, but there’s one other offer.” Steve Blankenship was a commercial realtor, one of the best I was told.
“So you’re saying we need to bid more than asking?”
“I like the way you think,” he said. “You know there are other buildings out there though.”
“Not like this. Not in Liberty. This is perfect for the restaurant,” I said.
“I know, but offering more than asking? Not many people are willing to do that in this economy, in this area.”
“Which means I’m more likely to have it accepted,” I said. “Offer them 25,000 over asking. Think that will entice them?”
“I think so,” Steve said with a laugh. “I can’t imagine many people saying no to that.”
“Good, because they need to say yes. I will not accept no. If we must, raise it to 50k over asking.”
“The building ain’t worth that--”
“It is to me.”
“Alright, you’re the client. I’ll do as you wish.”
Steven hung up and I pulled up the listing again. It was an interesting building. At one time, it was a barn at the edge of town, but as Liberty grew, it became a farmer’s market for a while. It had hookups for sinks and stoves, for the vend
ors that would sell food there. The farmer’s markets were moved to the local park since the owner of the barn passed. Her kids were now selling it off since they had no interest in living in Liberty.
I’d seen the inside already - and it had the framework needed to become a unique, beautiful restaurant. I could picture it already - and I knew Felicity would love it.
There was a knock on the door, causing me to close my laptop.
“Come in,” I said.
Felicity stepped inside, her belly seemingly larger than the day before. She wobbled when she walked, reminding me of a penguin. The most adorable penguin I’d ever seen.
It took me a while to convince her to let me buy her some maternity clothing. She was wearing a burgundy sweater dress that hugged her growing belly and showed it off. Black Ugg boots, which I’m told are extra comfortable and warm, on her feet. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail that fell over her right shoulder.
She wasn’t wearing any makeup, but she glowed from the inside out. Her lips were naturally the most perfect shade of pink and her blue eyes didn’t need any color - they were stunning all on their own.
“Dinner is ready,” she said. “But I can’t get the ham out of the oven.”
“Yes, of course,” I said, scooting my chair back. The blood had rushed through my body and I was thankful for a long sweatshirt that covered the erection in my pants. Living with her, I was constantly hard and there was no relief. I made sure not to come on to her, to not lead her on anymore. But damn, it was hard not to give in to my urges sometimes.
Especially when she looked like that.
I followed her out of the office and into the kitchen. I’d put a ham in the oven earlier, which she helped season and marinate. She wasn’t working in the kitchen at all, but she still wanted to cook. She got bored around the house. I helped her with most tasks, we’d make dinner together most nights. We kept it mostly simple though, to keep her off her feet as much as possible.
I pulled out the ham, and as expected, it smelled delightful. Everything she cooked did. I was very lucky to have such a talented chef living with me, even if it was only for a short time. On the side, we had garlic mashed potatoes and green beans fried in bacon grease, one of her diner specialities.
I was going to put on weight with her living under my roof. A guy could get used to this, I thought. Not that I should get used to it, since it wasn’t a permanent arrangement.
We sat down for dinner, and as expected, the meal was delightful. Simple, but full of flavor and better than anything I’ve ever made alone.
Every day I spent with Felicity, the more I appreciate about her.
She was a good woman. She will make an excellent mother, I had no doubt. Which reminded me of a conversation we’d had a while back, one we never finished having. I told her we’d figure out a way for her to be in the babies’ lives.
“So I was thinking. We’re going to do this co-parenting thing, right?”
She smiled at me, and it tugged at my heart. Why, oh why, must I be too broken to commit to this woman?
“Of course,” she said. “As long as you’re willing. I want to be in the babies’ lives.”
“And I want them to know that you’re their mother,” I said.
That brought out an even bigger smile. She looked ecstatic, like I’d just given her the world.
Perhaps I had.
“Abe, you have no idea how much that means to me. I’ve grown so attached to these little ones already, I want to be the best mother I can for them.”
Her hand rested on her belly, rubbing it gently. We were a day away from another sonogram, one where we would hopefully find out if we’re having boys, girls or both. The twenty week scan came and went, but they weren’t very clear. It was rather crowded inside there and grew more crowded by the day. We might have to wait until they were born, but I hoped we could find out soon.
We needed to discuss names.
I didn’t want to be the only one naming them. She was, after all, their mother and should have a say in these things.
“I have another proposition for you as well then,” I said, clearing my throat.
“Oh yeah?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
“Yes, I was thinking, you could stay here - even after the babies are born. I could set you up with a room upstairs and--”
Her smile fell, and right away, I knew I’d said something wrong.
“You want me to stay here with you, even though we aren’t together?” Her voice cracked.
“You know, putting it that way sounds bad. I was just offering, in case you wanted to be here with them, at all times. But I understand if you don’t want to or--”
Felicity put her fork down even though her plate had hardly been touched. She stared at me with her lips parted, as if she wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out. I knew from the look on her face that I needed to shut up. I picked up my fork and piled some mashed potatoes into my mouth to prevent myself from saying anything else stupid.
“Abe, I-- I don’t think I can do that. I can’t just live here and play house like that,” she said. “As much as I want to be part of their lives, and God, I’d give anything to see them every single day. I just think it would be confusing for everyone involved.”
“That’s fine,” I said, swallowing my food. “Whatever you feel is best.”
She didn’t say anything else, but I could tell there was a lot she wanted to say. She kept opening her mouth to talk but closing it again. Finally, she picked up her plate and walked over to the sink.
“You’ve hardly touched your dinner.”
“I think-- I think I’m going to take it in my room, if that’s alright,” she said.
She didn’t wait for an answer. She took her plate and left the room. Koda was right on her heels.
Dammit, Abe. When are you going to learn to just keep your mouth shut? You always have to fuck up everything good.
Felicity
“There, let’s see if they’re cooperating with us today,” Dr. Gill said, running the wand over my enormous belly. I couldn’t believe how big I was and we were only a little over five months. We still had so much time left, and I expected to grow even larger.
But today, none of that mattered because we were finding out the sex of our babies, hopefully.
“Oh look there, we have a little girl,” Dr. Gill said, pointing to the screen.
Abe reached for my hand and squeezed it. I hadn’t talked to him much, not after his proposition that I stay in his house, under his roof, even though he wasn’t willing to commit to me. I let him hold my hand and pushed all those thoughts out of my mind because my focus was on the babies today.
“And looks like Baby B is also a little girl,” Dr. Gill said. “Congratulations, Dad. Looks like you’re going to be outnumbered.”
Two little girls. Two daughters.
“And looks like Baby C is cooperating today too. He’s normally snuggled against his sisters, but I can see him clearly today.”
“He? So you’re saying we’re having two girls and a boy?” I asked, my voice cracking as I fought back the tears of joy.
“Yes, it looks that way. Congratulations, everyone looks very healthy too. Heartbeats are normal. You’re doing a great job, Mom.”
“Yes, she is,” Abe said, kissing the back of my hand.
“Most of their systems seem to be developing as normal. Of course they need more time to grow and for their lungs to develop, so we’re going to focus on keeping them inside for as long as possible,” Dr. Gill said.
“Yes, we are,” I said. The idea of them being born this early was scary. They still looked so little on the scans. Dr. Gill had told me that they were each about a pound, and around seven inches. So tiny and fragile. I wanted to keep them safe for as long as possible.
“And you’re doing fine, Mama?” Dr. Gill asked.
“Oh yes. I mean, besides the usual - my ankles are swelling. Still some heartburn, like we dis
cussed last time. But nothing I can’t handle, I think.”
“And you’ve been taking it easy?”
“Yes, I’m mostly working from home.” That was pretty easy considering the restaurant was still not back up and running. I had to let things go back at the diner, my babies had to come first. Normally I would have been in there, fixing things myself. But I wasn’t going to jeopardize my babies. The diner would have to wait - and I just prayed that I would have something to go back to once the pregnancy was over.
Of course Chester had made me an offer, again. But considering he was the prime suspect for the damage, there was no way in hell I would sell to him now. I wouldn’t let him win now. The police were still looking into everything, but we had little evidence. Neighboring businesses’ cameras didn’t capture anything, sadly.
But all of that would wait.
I had two little girls and a boy to worry about for the next few months.
I got dressed and met Abe in the waiting room after the appointment. I went back to not saying much, still seething a bit from the night before, even though it was diluted with excitement over knowing about the sex of our babies.
But Abe wasn’t about to let me seethe in silence.
As soon as we got in the car, he asked me, “So have you thought about any names yet?”
My hand rested on my belly, and I looked up at him, surprised. “Names? I thought--”
“You’re their mother, Felicity. I want you to have a say in their names as well,” he said.
Sometimes he could be a clueless jackass, like last night. Other times, he made my heart race with just how sweet and thoughtful he could be. I wasn’t sure what to make of this new request.
“Well, I know you mentioned Genevieve,” I said. “I like that name; I think it’s pretty.”
“Good. It was my grandmother’s name, so it’s a special name.”
“Well, if we’re going that route, what do you think of Evelyn? That’s my grandmother’s name as well”
Abe smiled. “I like that a lot actually.”
Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection Page 92