It was Ben.
“How did you know I’d be here?” she asked, not meeting his gaze.
“Zoe figured it out.” He knelt down next to her and ran his finger over the markings. “Your Aunt Ginny made these?”
Jenna nodded.
“She was good to you?”
Jenna swallowed back a sob. “Yes, I loved her very much.”
He brushed the tears from her cheeks.
His touch was pure agony and sweet salvation. She wanted to sink into it, but she shook her head and stepped away. She needed to put distance between them.
Jenna let out a shaky breath. “You shouldn’t have come.”
“I couldn’t let you go.”
“Ben, I never want to hurt anyone the way my mother has hurt me, especially you or Kate.”
Ben took a step toward her. “Jenna, that makes no sense. You’d never do that.”
“Not intentionally, but I’m her daughter, her blood. I could become… I could turn out like her. I don’t want it to happen, but it could, Ben. I couldn’t live with knowing I brought you or Kate that kind of pain.”
“You are not your mother. You are thoughtful and kind. And if there’s anyone you take after in your family, I’d bet my life it’s your Aunt Ginny.”
Jenna bit down on her lip and blinked back hot tears.
He took a step toward her. “I love you. I can’t imagine a life without you as my wife. You love Kate, and she loves you. Please, Jenna,” he continued, tears streaking his cheeks. “We’re a family, the three of us, and it doesn’t work without you. Please, say you’ll come home.”
He reached into his pocket and took out a ring, but it wasn’t the plastic butterfly. It was a beautiful, delicate ring with a sparkling round diamond glinting in the afternoon light.
“This is the ring my father gave to my mother, and now I’m asking you to wear it. Marry me, Jenna. Build a life with me. Please, come home.”
Jenna closed her eyes and thought back to her days with Aunt Ginny. A gentle breeze lifted wisps of her hair, and her aunt was next to her, as real as when they used to stand together in the farmhouse kitchen, Jenna perched on a chair and Aunt Ginny by her side rolling out pie crusts.
“Don’t run from love, my Jenna Jo.”
Her aunt’s words hung in the air surrounded by sunflowers. Then the winds shifted, and the voice floated away and faded into the big Kansas sky.
Jenna released a breath. A weight had been lifted, and she felt like she could fly. Judith Lewis and Travis Mayer no longer controlled the trajectory of her life. She alone would choose the way she lived and the way she loved.
She met Ben’s gaze. A lifetime of love shined in his eyes. “Yes,” she answered, smiling through her tears. “I’m ready to go home.”
Epilogue
“How do we always end up in the pantry? Kate’s not even home!” Jenna said, laughing as her husband removed her panties.
But her laughter was replaced with an audible gasp as Ben lifted her deftly against his body and thrust into her sweet center.
“You should thank the architect who designed a space so conducive to multiple functionalities,” he said, tightening his grip on her ass.
“I think I’m doing just that,” she breathed against his lips.
Ben let out a low growl. He claimed her mouth in a hot kiss and increased his pace, making intelligible speech impossible as their bodies found carnal release.
Jenna opened her eyes. Her body purred with a sated delight. She surveyed her husband and chuckled. He was covered in Cheerios and a Tootsie Roll. The breakfast cereal and sweet treat had gotten jostled off the shelf by their unconventional use of the pantry.
Ben released his grip, gently setting Jenna’s feet on the floor. She reached up and plucked the Tootsie Roll off his shoulder. Jenna unwrapped the candy, popped it into her mouth, and released a satisfied sigh. “I love Halloween,” she said, her words slurred by the chewy taffy-like candy.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to pick up some Kit Kats?”
“Absolutely not,” Jenna answered, running a finger across her husband’s jawline. “I’d eat the entire bag before the first trick-or-treater knocked on the door.”
Ben reached for Jenna’s hand and brought it to his lips. He loved seeing her relaxed and happy. He kissed her ring finger and admired the diamond ring sitting atop the wedding band that matched his.
They belonged to each other now.
Ben thought back to their wedding day. Even though their lives had become a whirlwind after they returned from Ballentine, they didn’t let the darkness overshadow their love. To everyone’s happy surprise, they married the Saturday after Kate, Kathy, and Neil had returned from Maine.
They opted for a simple evening ceremony in his parents’ backyard with only his family and Sam and Michael in attendance. Ben could still picture Jenna walking toward him, hand in hand with Kate, down the makeshift aisle Zoe had created with flowers and candles.
Hanging lanterns had illuminated the yard, and his heart had skipped a beat watching Jenna coming toward him, grinning and radiant with love. Their ceremony was so much more than a wedding. It was not only a declaration of their love but a proclamation of their fortitude to weather any storm that came their way.
“I like that we have matching bands,” Jenna said, gazing down at their matching wedding bands.
“Me, too,” he replied, then pulled a Tootsie Roll from her disheveled hair. “We should think about reorganizing this pantry. Last week, Mrs. G pulled a Wheat Thin off the back of my sweater.”
“Or, we could use the bed like normal people,” she added half-heartedly.
“Beds are so overrated,” Ben replied with a wicked grin.
He popped the candy into his mouth and kissed his wife. The sweet, chocolate taste swirled between them before a buzzing sound made them pull apart.
It was his phone.
“Is it Kate?” Jenna asked, righting her outfit as they left the pantry.
Kate was spending the afternoon with Kathy and Neil at the Langley Park Senior Living Campus. Every year, the campus hosted an event for youngsters to come and trick-or-treat inside the facility. The residents and children alike dressed up, making it a wonderful celebration for all.
“No, it’s a text from Clay. He wants to know if he can stop by?”
Officer Clayton Stevens, now Detective Stevens, had been promoted to detective, in part because of the work he’d done helping authorities find and arrest Judith and Travis Mayer.
“Of course. Let’s call Michael and see if he can come over as well.”
Michael MacCarron had been by their side at every police interview, helping them understand the chaos surrounding them when Travis and Judith were still on the run.
Thirty minutes later came a knock at the door.
“Hello, Mrs. Fisher.”
“Hi, Clay,” Jenna replied, embracing the detective.
“Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. I’m sorry it had to be on Halloween,” he said, giving his feet a few swipes on the doormat.
“It’s not a problem at all,” Jenna said, ushering him into the house. “I hope you don’t mind, Michael’s here.”
“I don’t mind a bit,” Stevens said, extending his hand to the attorney.
“How are you, Clay?” Ben asked, motioning for everyone to have a seat at the kitchen table.
“I do not miss being a beat cop on Halloween,” Stevens said, taking a seat and gesturing to a ceramic jack-o-lantern sitting on the kitchen counter.
“I can imagine. How many calls did you get for TP-ed houses?” Michael asked, reaching for his legal pad.
The detective shook his head. “Too many to count.”
Everyone chuckled, but the room quickly quieted. A visit from Clay Stevens meant information about her mother and Travis.
Jenna turned to the detective. “What do you have for us, Clay?”
Nearly two months ago, Judith Lewis Mayer and Travis Mayer were ar
rested in Arizona, trying to cross the border into Mexico. They were currently being held without bail while awaiting trial.
Detective Stevens retrieved a file from his satchel and placed it on the table. “Everything I’m going to tell you must remain between us,” he said. He met Michael’s gaze. “We’re off the record, counselor.”
Michael nodded and pushed his legal pad aside.
Judith and Travis had been arrested, but they weren’t extradited back to Langley Park. Federal agents had swooped in, and everything had become hush-hush. Federal warrants had been issued in their names due to their suspected business dealings with members of organized crime.
“It’s my understanding,” Stevens began, opening the file and glancing down at its contents, “that the plan was to gain access to your trust fund, Mrs. Fisher. Your mother checked into the Rose Brooks Women’s Shelter, and then she made threats to take her life, hoping to lure you to Kansas City. She wanted to play on your emotions, knowing you’d never give her any financial support if she were associated with Mr. Mayer. She wanted you to think they had broken up.”
Jenna nodded and squeezed her husband’s hand. Even though she knew her mother and Travis couldn’t hurt her, it still stung to hear about the deception.
“What Judith didn’t plan on was the shelter sending her to Midwest Psychiatric Center. At that point, your mother and Mr. Mayer learned they were being pursued by members of a dangerous crime syndicate who had lent them money. They’d burned through your mother’s trust, Travis’ family had stopped supporting him financially, and time was running out for them to pay off their debts. Despite this setback, your mother and Mr. Mayer decided they’d follow the original plan of trying to convince you to give your mother access to your trust while Mr. Mayer stayed in hiding nearby.”
“Can you tell us anything about the charges?” Michael asked.
“What I can tell you is that, between the federal charges they’ll be facing as well as all the charges we intend to file, you’re not going to have to worry about them ever trying to harm you or your family again.”
An angry blush crept up Ben’s neck. “What about what that monster tried to do to my wife? He needs to pay for that.”
Jenna put a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Do you know if my mother knew Travis was stalking me? Does she know he tried to kill me?”
Stevens met her gaze. “In the interview tapes, your mother’s gone on record stating she had no idea Travis was stalking you or had harmed you in any way. Travis was supposed to keep an eye on you, so he could feed her information that may have helped her persuade you to give her access to the trust.”
“Do you believe her, Clay?”
Stevens frowned. “I can’t answer that, Mrs. Fisher. I can tell you she was very adamant about wanting the interrogators to know that she didn’t want you hurt, nor did she know Mr. Mayer was stalking you. She claims she was there to get your money, and then she planned to disappear with her husband with no physical harm coming to you.”
Jenna stood, walked over to the kitchen sink, and peered out the window. She had started seeing a therapist in Langley Park shortly after her emotional visit to Aunt Ginny’s farm. Jenna knew the demons haunting her wouldn’t disappear just because the man she loved had put a ring on her finger. With Ben’s full support, she began confronting her past with the guidance of a mental health professional and was learning how to live a life not dictated by lies or fear.
Her mind went to a quote her therapist kept framed on her desk by Daphne Rose Kingma.
Holding on is believing that there’s a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.
It was time to let it all go. It didn’t matter if her mother’s words were true or not.
“Thank you, Clay,” she said, still staring out the window. “What you’ve told us today has helped me more than you’ll ever know.”
“Honey? Are you all right?” Ben asked, coming to his feet.
Jenna joined her husband. “I am,” she said, meeting her husband’s gaze. “My mother and Travis have no control over my life or my happiness.”
“One more house?” Kate begged. Her eyelids were drooping, but she still maintained a firm grip on her pillowcase filled with Halloween candy.
“We can end with Michael’s house,” Zoe suggested to Ben and Jenna as the group walked up the path to his front door.
Kate rang the doorbell and danced around, her second wind kicking in. “Trick-or-treat,” she sang out as Michael opened the door.
Michael waved to Zoe, Ben, and Jenna. “My goodness, Miss Kate, what are you for Halloween?”
Kate looked at Michael skeptically and repositioned the round glasses on her nose. She flung a burgundy and gold scarf dramatically around her neck. Then, in a British accent, replied, “Why sir, I’m Harry Potter.”
Michael chuckled as Kate broke character upon hearing the pitter-patter sounds coming up behind him.
“Michael, can I pet Cody?” Kate asked, peeking inside the house.
“Sure thing,” Michael answered.
The old Golden Retriever sauntered out into the yard with Kate trailing behind him. Michael followed close behind and greeted Ben, Jenna, and Zoe.
“No more Star Wars?” Michael asked with a wry grin.
“That would be my fault,” Jenna said, linking her arm with Ben’s.
“She’s moved on to Harry Potter. It’s a travesty. But I’m surviving,” Ben added. He gestured to Michael’s house. “The house looks like it’s holding up.”
“I’ve been here almost five years,” Michael replied, wry grin vanishing.
“My parents saw your dad today, Michael,” Zoe said. “They brought Kate to the Langley Park Senior Living Campus for the Halloween party. My mom said your dad seems to be doing a little better.”
“Yeah. I was there today for a bit,” Michael answered stiffly.
“It’s a top-notch facility,” Ben said, putting a hand on Michael’s shoulder. “I’m sure he’s in good hands.”
Jenna was about to agree with her husband when she noticed Michael’s dog sitting alone on the porch. She looked around the yard for Kate but didn’t see her. “Kate?” she called out.
“She couldn’t have gone far,” Ben replied.
“I see her,” Zoe said, pointing to the darkened house next door.
“Kate, nobody’s— ” Michael began, but before he could finish, a light flicked on, and the door to the darkened house opened.
“You are my first trick-or-treater,” came a young woman’s voice.
“Your light’s off. Nobody will knock on your door if your house is dark,” Kate said, cocking her head to the side.
“You knocked,” the voice answered back.
A stumped Kate scratched her head. The woman laughed and produced a large bowl of candy, and Kate made quick work of snagging several chocolate bars.
“Em? Is that you?” Ben asked, surprise lacing his words.
The woman stepped off the porch. “It is.”
“It’s Ben Fisher.”
Jenna walked to her husband’s side and gazed up at the young woman. Her striking auburn hair was styled in an inverted fishtail braid that looked like a waterfall cascading down over her shoulder. Her eyes were smoky with makeup and heavily lined with black eyeliner. For being a petite woman, she looked quite formidable.
“This is my wife, Jenna, and our daughter, Kate.”
“Em,” Kate said, looking back at her Aunt Zoe. “Is this one of your favorite gingers, Auntie?”
Everyone’s gaze went to Zoe, who opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Sensing something strained, Jenna stepped forward and shook Em’s hand. “I love your hair. Maybe sometime you could show me how to do that. Kate’s obsessed with braids, and I’m sure she’ll be asking me to do her hair like yours when we get home tonight.”
Em kicked at a few stones on the ground. “Yeah, sure.”
“I don’t think she’ll be asking for braids toni
ght, honey. Looks like she’s all trick-or-treated out,” Ben said, picking up a wobbly and weary-looking Kate, her second wind expired.
A cool breeze carried a few fallen leaves across the lawn, and Em pulled her sleeves down, allowing only the tips of her fingers to remain visible. It was quiet a beat. Something strained loomed in the darkness.
“I didn’t know you were home,” Michael stuttered, breaking the silence. “You’re—you’re back.”
Without speaking a word, Em turned around, walked back inside her house, and slammed the door.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
1
12 Years Ago
“Come on, Em. You’re eighteen now. You’ve got to learn to live a little.”
Mary Michelle MacCaslin, known to her friends and family as Em, exited the car and met the gaze of Zoe Stein, one of her oldest friends and her only real link to normal teenage life.
The Complete Langley Park Series (Books 1-5) Page 25