Lyncoln stifles a real chuckle and then gets more serious, looking at Ashton while he says, “If I ever hurt her, I would let you.”
“Well that’s settled,” Ash puts down his fork and claps his hands together. “Good, because I like you already. I still remember watching you at those obstacle courses we had to do for training. Dude, you’re an animal.”
Lyncoln smiles, “Thank you.” Then he shrugs, not knowing how to take the attention. “It comes naturally, I guess.”
I roll my eyes at the both of them but am secretively glad they are getting along. When my mom, who is sitting beside Lyncoln, asks him her hundredth question in the last five minutes, Ash whispers to me, “What ever happened to the other guy?” as he gestures with his head toward Henry.
I look toward Henry quickly, then look back to Ashton. “I chose Lyncoln. I love Henry too. Always will in a friendly sort of way. But Lyncoln is… he’s just different. It’s different with him. I just couldn’t let him go. I can’t ever let him go,” I try to explain.
“Wow. I have never really believed in that whole ‘soulmate’ load of crap Mom goes on about until you just said that. Weird,” he shakes his head and then gets a confused look as his eyebrows come together. “So if he was into you, why is he with her then?” He looks back over to Henry and Marisol.
“She has something on him,” I say without giving too much away, or looking their direction. Of course I am wearing my watch, but the Hadenfelts have to know that we know everything already. That’s part of the reason that they have a guy on Wyatt and Ashton too. They knew we would figure it out eventually.
Ashton shakes his head and snorts out a breath of air, “And the plot thickens.”
“So it does, Ash, so it does.” I nod.
If only he knew how thick the plot really was.
****
After the meal while all the other couples are heading to their rooms in our super small old hotel, Dougall grabs me and pulls me aside.
“Go be with your family. Just be back by midnight,” she says warmly.
I am so surprised by this. She has had us on a strict schedule from before we even left for the tours. “Really?”
“Really. I’ve been letting everyone do this to spend some extra time with their families.” She nods towards my new engagement ring, “Take Lyncoln. You two did well today. Very well.”
“Thank youuu!” I squeal and quickly hug her, adding, “We can use all the help we can get.”
We take Rodgers, Sarge, and Jamie, annnd because of my persistence, we end up taking Frank and Gertie too. Sarge is a bit annoyed by this, but I told him Frank would need to go over our formal wear for Detroit so I needed him along. We both knew I was just saying what I needed to say to get him to let Frank and Gertie come, but he allowed it regardless.
It takes close to fifteen minutes to get to our house. I point out things as we go, explaining where everything is, the different plants and orchards, and how the greenhouses work. Frank and Gertie are beside themselves happy. Sometimes the smallest gestures mean the world to people.
When we pull up, my family greets us in the yard area having heard us arrive. I see the three guards that are assigned to them standing at different posts around the outside of the house. I stare down each one of them, wondering which one is the traitor working for Hadenfelt or if it is another one off-duty at this time.
My mom seems surprised at the bunch of us as we climb out of the SUV, but she takes it all in stride. “Hello, everyone. Welcome to our humble abode,” she says kindly and then to Ashton says, “Will you go get some chairs, dear?” I know she is talking about the folding chairs we store and get out only for harvest time.
“Where is he?” I ask, immediately excited.
“Right here, though you aren’t referring to me,” Ash laughs as he releases our family dog so he can run over to me, and then heads for the shed for the chairs.
“Hey, Shepp. Hey, boy!” I kneel down and pet him as his tail flops everywhere excitedly and he tries to lick my face.
The group I brought with me just stands there somewhat in shock. We don’t have pets like they used to. It seemed like a waste to have pets and another mouth to feed after Trident. But, Omaha has always had pets because we use them. Shepp helps us with the cattle, corralling the chickens, fighting off coyotes and other wild predators, and is just a general member of our family as well. We’ve had him since I was twelve. I introduce him to the bunch and it’s quite funny watching their reactions.
“He scared the crap out of me when we came to pick you up that first night,” Jamie confesses as he very carefully pets the dog.
This makes me laugh before I realize I had better introduce the actual people I brought with me. Where are my manners?
“Mom and Dad, these are two people I would love for you to meet. They take care of me in Denver and serve as not only my attendants, but my most loyal supporters and confidants,” I say as I introduce them to Frank and Gertie, everyone shaking hands.
My mom and Gertie instantly become best friends. Mom has a million questions for her. Frank and my dad don’t have much in common since my dad is a farmer and Frank is a fashion and makeup artist, but Frank asks him a bunch of questions about Omaha life and they strike up a bond as well. Frank is hard not to like. He may be quirky and have a weird form of art he is good at, but you can’t not like him. That’s all there is to it.
I decide to help Ashton with the chairs so we can all move inside before it gets any colder out.
“Hey, wait up,” Jamie says after me. “Where are you going?”
I turn around, walking backward to talk to him, saying as if it’s obvious, “To help with the chairs.”
“Oh,” he says.
“In case you haven’t noticed, the only thing that is going to get to me around here is a stray coyote,” I joke as I turn back around. He has been super watchful and protective of me since the Isabella mishap and I love him for it, but he needs to take a deep breath sometimes. I feel like on the tour he has stayed especially close.
Lyncoln lets his presence known by adding, “But it’s a good thing you’re here because we both have seen the way she shoots.”
I wince a little since I was just thinking of Isabella. My aim was just fine then. Knowing he meant it to be good-humored and he is more than likely thinking of the turkey in our sim, I laugh and shrug it off. The guilt for shooting Isabella still just hits me at weird times. I’m not over the events from that day and I’m not sure I ever will be.
As we enter the shed, Ashton is standing there like he was waiting for us. He has his hands crossed over his chest all business and gets straight to the point. “So are you going to tell me why we have those guards? Something isn’t right. One of them majorly gives me the creeps. I’ve almost beat him to a pulp multiple times, but I didn’t want to get Regs in trouble. Does it have to do with the Henry thing?”
Lyncoln nods, grabs my wrist, takes off my watch, and then does the same with his. He hands them off to Rodgers, who goes back outside of the shed so they are out of earshot. Lyncoln then quickly explains to Ashton what is going on, leaving nothing out. This surprises me a little but must be why he had Rodgers take the watches. His immediate trust in my brother shows that he cares for not only me, but for my family too.
“Crap,” Ashton says frustrated after hearing all the news and runs a hand through his hair. “Well, I know which one it is, not that that does us any good. Man, I heard the stories that Hadenfelt was dirty when I was in training, and I knew he had a daughter in the Culling when I saw the list, but this?”
I remember Ashton telling me not to trust anyone when I left for the Culling and I wonder if that is what he meant. Did he know there was a poison in Denver in the form of the Hadenfelts? Even though he was only there for a short while for training, he was able to figure it out. That shows how deep the poison really runs in the streets of Denver.
“I don’t have time to give you all the details, but he may have t
ried to have Reagan killed.” Lyncoln clenches his jaw in anger. Apparently both of us are still dealing with the ramifications from that fateful day.
“If anything happens to her, even a hair on her head out of place, I’ll kill him,” Ashton says all big brother and protective. He might be tall and gangly, but I’ve seen him chop wood. If I needed him to, I know he could protect me. And when he is super mad, he can be downright scary.
Lyncoln nods to Jamie and says, “Step in line. Both of us will beat you to it.”
Ashton shakes his head and runs his hand through his hair again. “So there is nothing we can do?”
“No. Mom and Dad can’t know either,” I say strongly.
He nods. “I agree. The less they know the better.”
“So the only way to take down the Hadenfelts is…” Ashton says as he grabs some chairs, knowing that we have to wrap things up.
“Is for your sister to become Madam President,” Lyncoln says affectionately and winks at me as he crouches down to scratch behind Shepp’s ears.
Ashton laughs at that. “I mean, no pressure or anything, sis.”
****
We stay as late as we can before we say our goodbyes and head back to our rooms for the evening. Mom and Dad both pulled me into the kitchen to talk to me alone as the others chatted and played cards. My mom wanted to make sure I was happy and I confirmed for her that I was. She told me she just knew Lyncoln was the man for me and that it was real because she said we act like we have known one another for years. She went on and on about how smart and good looking he is. Needless to say, I think she is another of Lyncoln’s many admirers.
My dad talked to me after talking in the kitchen with Lyncoln alone. It was Lyncoln who asked to speak to him. Dad had only good things to say about him and just asked, “This is really what you want?” to which I responded, “Yes, Dad. Even if we don’t win this, I still want to be with him. We might not have gotten married as fast, but it was going to happen eventually.”
Frank and Gertie can’t stop talking on the way back to the hotel about how fun their evening was. I bet they each thank me at least ten times.
Sarge turns around from the front and pretends to glare at me. “Hey, I thought you were supposed to be figuring out outfits and such?”
I giggle. “We both knew I was lying, but just for you Sarge.” I turn to Frank. “Hey, Frank, what I am wearing tomorrow?”
Frank pretends to salute Sarge and says all business, “White dress. Long sleeved with the uneven hem at the knees. Hair in a half up-do. Black heels. Lyncoln will be wearing a black suit, white shirt, black vest, and black tie.”
“And of course will be packing at least two handguns, one knife, and possibly even a machete,” Jamie jokes.
I giggle a little too hard, knowing he’s right. “There. It’s settled then.” I nod, turning to Sarge and squinting at him.
He just shakes his head and laughs with the rest of us. I snuggle up to Lyncoln as we ride back to our rooms completely 100% happy. I can’t think of a better day than this one.
Chapter 8
We get up at an insane hour to drive the three hours back to the airport, get on the plane, and take a short flight to Detroit. I stand in the mirror and check myself over as Frank and Gertie do their finishing touches on Lyncoln and me. It is 0400 hours and I’ve been up for at least an hour. It’s way too early, but I’m not mad. I wasn’t sleeping much anyway. I was too happy and excited.
How ironic. Of all the days Frank could have picked for me to wear white, it just happens to be the day after I get engaged. It may have been deliberate, Gertie and Frank knew a proposal was coming, they just didn’t know exactly when. They were kind of in on the secret, which explains Gertie always looking like she was going to cry.
I turn my head side to side as I check out my hair. I love the days that I get to wear my hair like this, away from my face but still halfway down. It makes me look more normal. I think I look a little stuffy in this professional looking white dress, but I like the diagonal line across the skirt, and more so than that, I love that it has pockets!
White, white, white. I can’t believe I got engaged yesterday. Me?? The one who hadn’t even kissed a boy until the Culling? I am ENGAGED?
My eyes automatically go to my beautiful ring. It’s simple yet over the top at the same time. The main diamond is square cut and insanely large. Bordering that diamond is a square of smaller diamonds. Then the band, of course, is also made up of smaller diamonds. I love it. It’s far flashier than anything anyone wears in Omaha but isn’t quite so ostentatious like some of the rings I have seen the cabinet members and cabinet member’s wives wear.
“You look at that thing more than you look at me now.”
I look up to see Lyncoln smirking in the mirror behind me. His hair is gelled, by himself of course, and he is wearing his suit. His hands are in his pockets as he leans up against the wall with one leg crossed over the other. He has caught me admiring my ring at least a dozen times since his proposal yesterday.
I shrug guilty. “It’s beautiful. And I can’t believe it really happened. When I look at it, it reminds me that it’s really real.”
He half-smiles and pierces me with his blue-brown eyes. “I’m glad you like it.”
“You have good taste, Lync.” I smile.
“I know. I picked you.” He winks.
Ohmygersh. Sometimes when he winks at me, I just have a hormonal overload. And what is it about a man in a suit?!
Frank comes into my line of view in the mirror scurrying around picking up. He looks more tired than usual and I wonder how he’s holding up with all this traveling and the pressure of making us look perfect day after day.
“Thank you, Frank. We look great.” I turn to smile at him.
“Well, darling, when I have as much natural beauty to work with as the both of you have, it doesn’t take much.” He shrugs and makes a gesture as if to mean it was simple.
“By the way, where did all of the attendants sleep?” I ask confused. We only have about a dozen rooms in this old bed and breakfast that is kept for emergencies. The hotel we stayed at in Vegas had a dozen rooms per floor and at least a dozen floors. I never thought about how we would all fit here.
“Well each of you had a room, and then all of us attendants squeezed into two rooms and two rooms for security.” He shrugs.
“Frank stayed up way too late bragging on the both of you and telling our roommates about meeting your parents,” Gertie adds with a glare at Frank.
“Woman, I am a grown man and can stay up if I want!” Frank pretends to scold her.
“Except that now the rest of us will have to put up with your snoring on the plane,” Gertie jokes, making me giggle.
“Shall we? Ready for Detroit? Day four?” Lyncoln offers me his arm with a smile that stops Gertie and I both in our tracks. His smiling should be illegal. Really. Who is this Lyncoln and what did he do with the dark and mysterious one? He just seems... happy.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
There is no way that day four of the tour will ever top day three.
****
Upon landing in Detroit, we take a half hour car ride south to what we are told is the Fermi Nuclear Power Base. Upon seeing it, I understand there are just some things in this world that will be over my head. Two huge columns stick out of the ground on a peninsula surrounded by the waters of Lake Erie. In just looking at this foreign looking machine of sorts, I have no idea how this works. The use of “power” in the name means it’s a power plant, right?
Much to my surprise and delight, October is there to greet us as we pull up. While she smiles and nods at some of us, I go ahead and throw my arms around her. “What are you doing here?” I ask surprised.
“Helping with the tour,” October says like it’s the most logical explanation in the world.
“I’m so glad to see you,” I say honestly, not caring that she’s usually not a hugger.
“I’m glad to see yo
u too.” She smiles and then says under her breath as we turn to go in, “What the heck?!” She gestures to Marisol and Henry walking hand in hand in front of us.
I roll my eyes. “Long story.”
“But you picked Lyncoln?” she asks. “I mean I know you picked him because I’ve seen the interviews, but it was your choice, right?”
“Yep.”
“Good.” She smiles with a snicker.
“And this is funny how?”
She rolls her eyes. “We all knew you two had crazy chemistry. Even a blind man could see that.”
“Thanks, I guess.” I laugh, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“Holy crap!” she says, catching my hand as my ring reflected sunlight off it. “This is your ring?!” She would have seen what happened during last night’s broadcast. I don’t know what all was shown, but I’m sure our engagement was made known.
I smile and nod.
“Did he pick it out or did they?” she asks.
I smile at Lyncoln proudly. “He did.”
“Shut up!” she squeals, proving that even an introverted nerd like October can still be a total girly-girl over a diamond ring. “It’s just so pretty.”
“Ladies, we are holding up the show here,” Lyncoln says barely containing a smirk as he walks up behind us.
“You! You are a sly dog!” October points at him as he walks past us towards the door.
Before we walk through the door he is holding for us, I stop and grab her arm. “You and Lucas?” I ask concerned.
“Married a week after I got home.” She holds out her hand to show me her own ring. It’s smaller and simpler than mine, but still gorgeous.
I give her another hug. “Oh, good!”
Lyncoln shakes his head at our girl talk as we walk in. Back with the rest of the group, Attie and Elizabeth come over to talk to October while Marisol gives her the death glare. I guess she must be figuring out that October was loyal to me and not her. It takes every ounce of patience I possess to not to wink at Marisol as she stares all of us down.
The Fracturing: Book 2 (The Culling Series) Page 11