by Hollis Wynn
“Now I just need a crib and a chair of some sort,” I say, walking to the counter in the back. On the way, I notice a beautiful rocker with dark brown legs. It looks brand new, and I wonder how it ended up here. Taking a moment, I sit down and my body is enveloped by the comfortable seat and lightly padded back. The creamy linen fabric is soft on my skin and there is no doubt I’m leaving here with both pieces.
“Can I help you?” the lady asks me as I approach the counter.
“Absolutely. You have a couple of pieces that I’d like to buy today, but I either need delivery or someone to help us load them in the truck.”
“What pieces are you looking at?” she asks me.
I lead her to the back corner where she has the dresser stashed. “I’d like this dresser and rocking chair that’s over there.” I point to where the rocker is sitting.
“These are both great pieces. Do you have a plan for them?”
Laken pops in before I can comment. “It’s time to get the baby’s room decorated. My friend here has kept her in the room with her and is finally feeling comfortable enough to put her in a separate room.”
The woman’s eyes flash with sadness, but she quickly recovers and puts a smile on her face. “That’s great. Did you just move here?”
We continue chatting and Laken helps me to answer the questions without giving too much away about the situation.
“Wow, that’s great. You’ll enjoy having a place for her if you come here often,” she comments.
“Agreed,” I utter. Something about this conversation is making me terribly uncomfortable, but I try to keep my emotions in check.
“Do you have a truck we can load these in? If not, I can have my brother-in-law bring it by this afternoon.”
Laken looks at me and smiles. “That would be amazing. We will have some shopping to do, so it would be great if he could deliver it around six if that would work.”
“I’m sure we can make that happen. Let me get your information and then I can call you with a time the closer it gets. Also, I’m Kaysen, the owner of the store.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Kaysen. I’m Laken and this is Bella,” she says, pointing at me.
“It’s very nice to meet you both. Now let’s get this taken care of so you ladies can do a bit more shopping.”
Kaysen is super efficient when it comes to getting us checked out and on our way.
“That is such a fun place,” Laken says when we load up in Penn’s truck. He was nice enough to let us use his truck because there is no way I could get all the things I’m buying today into my vehicle.
“It really is. I’m glad the dresser was still there. It is such a versatile piece that I can use all over the house as I change things up.
She laughs because it is what it is.
“Agreed. Do you know if there are any baby stores in town or is our only option Walmart?”
I nod because I think it is our only choice and I’m totally fine with that. “Yep, it is. But it would be nice to be able to pick out the crib and mattress and take it home today, rather than order something.”
“That is true. Do you have a list of things you want or is that why you waited for me?” She laughs and so do I.
“You know me so well.”
We spend the rest of the day shopping and having the best time. This is such a reality check about how much I miss her. As someone who normally spends all day with children and then time with Laken almost daily, it’s been somewhat isolating to spend all my time with Penn and Ainsley.
I love her and I’m starting to love Penn, but I miss my normal life and the ease of living so close to a big city with so much to offer.
Chapter Twenty-Nine—BellaRose
Color me shocked when the sheriff steps out of the cab of a small box truck with Kaysen on the other side.
“Shit,” I mumble to myself. Laken gives me a confused look and I ignore her. We will have to talk about this later. Exiting the front door, I see Penn come out of the garage, and he’s as confused as we are.
“Hi, sheriff. Anything we can do for you?” he asks before I can say anything, because my mouth is hanging wide open.
Kaysen spots us standing on the porch and walks over to us. “Hey,” she says. “I didn’t realize you lived here. I thought these were Owen’s houses.”
I give her the high-level explanation while Penn talks to the sheriff and helps him carry the pieces into the house. I follow them, giving directions.
“Just put them both on that side in front of the window, please. I’m going to figure out where I want everything this weekend.”
Reality is that I don’t want the sheriff in my house any longer than absolutely necessary. He gives me the creeps.
They get both pieces in the house in just a few minutes. “Thanks so much for doing this. I appreciate the delivery,” I say to Kaysen.
“You’re very welcome. If you need anything else, just let me know,” she responds. “Oh, my sister owns The Lemon Drop if you’re ever looking for a night out. It’s a super fun, low key place and you’ll probably find at least one of us there.”
It’s my turn to be confused. “One of you? How many sisters do you have?”
“Oh, I forget you’re not from around here. There are five of us. Ryan, my brother is the baby and then the four of us girls.”
“Wow. That’s great,” I tell her. “I’m an only child, except for Laken. We’re really best friends but after so many years we’re more like sisters.”
Ainsley takes that moment to wake up wailing, and I excuse myself before heading into the house. “Thanks again,” I say, waving and allowing the door to close behind me.
I’m glad Kaysen stays outside with Penn because it gives me a bit of time by myself. I’m dumbfounded that Vic is Kaysen’s brother-in-law.
All the stuff we bought today litters the living area and into what will be Ainsley’s room soon. I’m going to be up all night putting stuff together and washing things, which is perfect considering that Lake and I will be up while I catch her up on all the things that are going on since I arrived.
A few minutes later, I hear the loud roar of the engine and then the front door opens, and I hear Penn and Laken talking.
“Bella,” he shouts.
“Be right out,” I respond, realizing my hands are shaking and it’s making it a bit harder to get the snaps done on her sleeper.
Ainsley coos as we head into the living room where they’re waiting. Penn’s face is red and the emotion that normally fills his eyes is totally gone.
“Why did you invite Vic to the house without telling me?” He glares at me and for the first time I’m bamboozled by his response.
“Because I didn’t know. Kaysen owns the antique store and told me her brother-in-law would deliver because I needed the space for all the other stuff we were buying. She failed to tell me who he was.”
He clenches his jaw, and I can tell he’s pissed. “In the future, when you invite someone to the house, ask who is coming. I don’t care who is here, but considering what is going on, it’s best not to invite those who we don’t—or can’t—trust here. Got it?”
My shoulder slump forward and I sigh dejectedly. “Understood. And Penn,” I say as he turns his back to me, “if I had known who he was, I promise you, I wouldn’t have invited him.”
“I know.” He turns back around and walks to me, wrapping me in his arms. He smells of sunshine and dirt, and I take a deep whiff. “I’m just worried about you.”
I can feel the power that he holds within his body—both physical and mental, and it turns me on. Glancing up, I see Laken watching us intently to see what is going to happen next. I will not let it go any farther with her standing here.
Ainsley wiggles right on cue, and I step back. Penn leans over, kissing her lightly on the top of her head. “I’m going to finish in the garage. I don’t have much more to do. Once I shower if you’d like help putting the bed together, I can come over.”
I
nod in agreement, and he heads back out the door. I know Lake is champing at the bit to ask what the hell is going on, but I hold up my hand, refusing to answer questions. “Want a beer?” I ask her. I’m going to need some liquid courage for this conversation.
Chapter Thirty—BellaRose
“There is so much I need to tell you, but before we go there, I want to show you something,” I say to Laken. We’re all sitting in the living room folding clothes, sorting, and generally working on what will be Ainsley’s room.
“Ohhh,” she says, and I can see the excitement in her eyes.
“Do you want me to go with you guys?” Penn asks.
I stand up, holding my hand out to Laken, who grasps it, and I pull her off the couch. “Sure.”
All three of us make our way to the storage closet. They stand outside as I step in around the broom and mop, reaching up to click the latch open.
“Okay,” I say from inside and Lake steps forward, her mouth agape.
“What the fuck?” She narrows her eyes and grimaces.
Penn places his hand on her back and urges her forward. “Just go. We’ll be with you.”
I take the first step down and flick on the light before continuing forward. When I get to the bottom, I turn around and watch Lake gingerly take each step down into the basement.
“I don’t like this, Bella,” she says while her eyes shift from side to side, trying to take it all in. Knowing her, she’s probably looking for shackles on the wall. We both watch way too many true crime and police shows.
I walk backward toward the kitchenette and allow them to follow me. “Please leave the door open so we can hear for Ainsley if she wakes up,” I say to Penn. He nods and stands back, allowing Laken to take it all in.
“Fun fact. Owen built this bunker years ago at my parents’ request. I didn’t know it was here until I was cleaning and thought there was something wrong with the wall. Little did I know, there was a whole house under here.”
I point all the different things out and allow her to take it all in. We’re all quiet for a few until Laken begins asking questions.
“How long has this been here? Has anyone lived here before? Why? Just why is it here?” She continues rattling off a long line of questions, and I can’t help but laugh at her nervousness.
“Take a deep breath,” I tell her. “We’re not leaving you down here and no one has ever lived here—that we know of.”
Penn pipes up, “No one has ever lived here, on either side. But Gramps had these built after Bella’s parents requested it because they thought someone was after them. It’s slightly more complicated than that, but I’m sure Bella will explain more to you.”
“It’s not much, but the space itself is large enough for Ainsley and me to hide out in, if need be. It’s one of the big reasons I wanted to get her a bed and stuff so I can put her portable crib down here in case we need to hide quickly.”
I’m certain she is freaking out inside, though she doesn’t want anyone to know it.
“Why would you need to hide out? It’s not like Kaiser Sharpe knows you’re here with Ainsley.” She pauses, and then her eyebrows draw together. “Or does he?”
“We can talk about that later. There is more I want you to see before we go back upstairs.”
Opening the door to the hallway, I walk in and turn the light on. I shove the door open, and they follow me through. Stepping aside, I let them walk in front of me so Penn can show her this side.
“This side is almost exactly like Bella’s side except for a couple of things. It’s under my house and everyone knows Gramps built a basement, so it’s not really hidden. But there is one thing that’s different.” He steps over to the corner and opens the door to the safe room.
“Gramps worked for the agency and he kept his go bag, all of his weapons, and important files in here. No one other than the three of us know it’s down here.”
Laken shakes her head and steps back. “Are you telling me Owen worked for the CIA and you guys knew it?”
I shake my head no at her but allow Penn to explain. “I found out when I was accepted by the DEA. We had a long conversation about it and it’s also why he gave me the house. The rest of my family doesn’t know about this part of his life. I’m pretty sure my father thinks he was just a crazy man. In reality, Gramps was brilliant and did his best to shield all of us from this part of his life.”
She looks at me and fires off another round of questions. “How does this fit in with you, Bella? Did you know about this? I’m so confused.”
“I didn’t know until Penn gave me the box from my parents and we started talking. Thinking about it now, I’m certain fate had a hand in this.” I smile at Penn, and he smiles back.
“Okay, so what now?” she asks.
“Now, you agree to not tell anyone about this—even Callum—and we will go back upstairs and talk about it. I’ll tell you as much as I know, and we will go from there.”
She doesn’t respond, but turns to walk back down the hallway and into my space. Penn closes everything up behind us. Looks like none of us will get any sleep tonight.
Chapter Thirty-One—BellaRose
The only person who got any sleep last night was Ainsley. It’s noon and Lake and I are walking around like zombies in our pajamas. If we could mainline the coffee, I’m sure we’d both be doing it.
“These buns are divine,” Laken says with a mouthful of cinnamon goodness. I nod in agreement and finish the last bite of mine.
“The bakery is called Sweet Buns, and this is what they’re known for. I need to be careful, or my ass is going to be the size of one of these buns.”
She burst out laughing, crumbs flying all over the table. I laugh and snort-laugh loudly. Lake points at me and oinks like a pig. This continues for a few minutes before I’m sitting on the floor laughing so hard I’m wheezing.
It feels so good to let it all out and laugh. The last couple weeks—months, I’m not even sure, have been so stressful and emotional, I’ve done more crying than laughing and that needs to change.
Lake cleans up the table and pulls me off the ground where I’m rolling around. Standing up, I notice the sound of gravel crunching under tires and internally freak out. My heart skips a beat and I try to keep it together.
“Lake, go check on Ainsley and stay in my room until I come and get you. If you don’t see me in five minutes, grab her and go downstairs.”
Laken doesn’t say anything, just runs into my bedroom, quietly closing the door. My heart is racing and my palms are clammy, but I turn off the light in the kitchen and lean on the counter, my head just high enough that I can see out the window. What seems like forever but is no more than a few seconds before a delivery truck filled with wood makes the final turn into the parking area.
“Shit.” I release a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding and stand straight up. Damn, this is getting old. Thank the lord the gate company is coming on Monday. I’m going to die of a heart attack if this keeps up much longer.
“You can come out,” I say to Laken, walking to my bedroom.
“What the fuck was that? You scared the piss out of me,” she says.
“Then go pee,” I return snarkily.
And she does. A few moments later she comes out of the bathroom and stares at me, hands on her hips.
“Kaiser has been in town and so I’m slightly on edge when someone arrives that I’m not expecting. We’re having an electric fence installed next week, so it will stop, but until then, every time I hear the crunch of gravel, my heart stops, and I fear he’s coming for me. For us.”
“Well, that’s just dandy.” Sarcasm drips from her words, and she flops down onto the sofa. “Is this payback from Penn because you didn’t tell him that the sheriff was delivering your furniture?”
“No. He told me, but I forgot with everything that has been going on. Plus, you know I’m a hot mess when I don’t sleep.”
“Isn’t that the damn truth. Do you remember when y
ou were studying for finals and ordered pizza and the guy showed up with four. You argued with him for five minutes before you realized they probably misunderstood you. We ate pizza for a whole week.”
We both begin laughing again, and it rings throughout the house.
That’s just one of the many crazy things I’ve done when I’m sleep deprived. Thankfully, they’re mostly silly and not embarrassing.
“Ready to finish getting all this done so Ainsley can sleep in her bed tonight?” Lake asks me.
“Let’s do it.”
And we do. We spend what’s left of the day organizing her room and moving things around to make it feel fresh.
I step back into the doorway and gaze over our handiwork. “If I’d have been more organized, I would have given the room a fresh coat of paint, but maybe next summer. For now, this works.”
“Thank goodness. I don’t think I have enough strength to paint a room after everything. Plus, I’m ready to go home and see my people.”
“Is this the first time you’ve left Liberty overnight?” I ask her because I can’t recall.
“Yep. I know she’s safe with Callum, but I miss them. Who’d have thought I used to want to travel the world, moving from hotel to hotel. Now, I can’t imagine being away from my bed for more than a couple of nights.”
“Married life,” I say, and we both smile. I’ve always wanted it and she’s never flaunted that she has what I want. She’s very thoughtful when it comes to me and my wants and needs. Though, she tells me often that it will happen when I’m least expecting it and I will hold her to that.
Chapter Thirty-Two—BellaRose
Laken went home, the gate has been installed, and overall, it’s been a quiet week here, which I’m super grateful for.