Infatuation

by Aurora Rose Reynolds

  I pull into the parking lot in front of our apartment building and snag the spot right in front of the doors, cutting off the engine. I turn to face her, wanting her to see how serious I am about this. “The only thing I want to hear you say right now is that you’ll move in with me.”

  She looks back at Jenna. “I’m tempted to say yes, because I’m already worried about how things will go with Shelly. She gave me a place to stay, and I’ll always owe her for that, but I’m not sure how she’ll feel when I have to ask her and her friends to keep it down because the baby is sleeping.” She looks at me and nibbles her bottom lip. “I just don’t want us to be an inconvenience to you.”

  “Neither of you could ever be an inconvenience.” I take her hand in mine. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.” She surprises me by answering immediately.

  “Then come inside with me.” I lift her hand to my lips and kiss her fingertips.

  “Okay,” she agrees.

  I climb out and round the hood to help her out of the passenger side then grab her bag. I swing it over my shoulder before removing Jenna’s carrier from the base. I close the door with my hip and follow Aubrey into the building. When she stops at my door, I yank my keys out of my pocket to unlock it and wave her inside. Heading down the hall straight for the bedroom, where most of the stuff is set up, I nudge the door open.

  “Oh my God.” She gasps, seeing the bassinet from her room at Shelly’s inside, along with the stuff I asked my mom to pick up for her and Jenna. “So Shelly knew about this?”

  “She did.” Honestly, she didn’t seem surprised when I asked her to help me bring all the baby stuff to my place. Something I was glad I did before they were discharged from the hospital, since she only had the bare necessities. A long phone call to my mom, in which I explained about Aubrey and Jenna, fixed that.

  “This is beautiful.” She runs her hand over the soft pink blanket hanging over the side of the bassinet.

  “My mom picked that,” I tell her as she picks it up, rubbing it against her cheek.

  “Your mom?” Her eyes widen slightly. “You told your mom about me?”

  “Baby, I plan on you and Jenna being a part of my life. Of course I told my mom about you. She was mad I hadn’t mentioned you sooner, but she’s excited to meet you and Jenna, and is planning on coming to visit when you’re ready for company.”

  “I… I’d love to meet her.”

  “I want you to be happy here.” I drop the bag on the end of my bed and set the baby carrier in the middle of the mattress. Then I go to Aubrey and cup her cheeks with my palms, brushing my lips against hers. “I tried to make sure you have everything else you need. There’s a stroller in the back of the Rover that goes with her car seat, a changing table and diaper disposal thing in the bathroom, a state-of-the-art monitoring system we can use when she’s sleeping, and a fuck-ton of outfits for her stacked on the shelves in my closet. Oh, and a whole mess of stuff in the kitchen in case you decide to bottle feed her.”

  “I… I… I don’t even know what to say,” she stammers.

  “Say that you’ll stay.”

  “Okay,” she whispers with tears filling her eyes. “But promise you’ll tell me if we become too much.”

  I ignore her statement and lead her over to the bed. “Why don’t you lie down for a little bit while Jenna’s sleeping? And I’ll make something for us to eat later.”

  “You’re going to cook?”

  I turn to look at her as I unhook Jenna from her car seat. “Okay, I’ll order us something later,” I amend, catching her smile as I place Jenna in her bassinet while Aubrey gets comfortable in my bed.

  “Thank you.”

  “Anything.” I walk to where she’s laying and kiss the top of her head. Before I even leave the room, she’s fast asleep, so I grab the screen for the monitor and bring it into the living room, leaving the door open a crack behind me. I’m not sure how long they’ll sleep, but my guess is it won’t be long before Jenna will need to eat again.

  I hurry over to my laptop and fire it up then take it with me to the couch. The last couple days have been too busy for me to worry about anything but Aubrey and the baby. But now that I have them home with me where they belong, I start my search for the man I plan on killing.

  Chapter 11

  AUBREY

  “I HAVE BAD news,” Justin says, coming into the bedroom, and my heart drops into my stomach.

  “Bad news?” I repeat, studying him as he takes Jenna who is asleep in my arms and moves her to the bassinet.

  “It’s going to be okay.”

  “Okay.” I wait for him to say more, but he doesn’t. “Are you going to tell me what the bad news that’s going to be okay is?”

  “My parents will be here in half an hour.”

  My head jerks back and I stare at him in shock. I really hope my foggy brain imagined what he just said. Even with all of the help he’s giving me, I feel exhausted. Jenna barely cries, but she only catnaps on and off between feedings every hour and a half, so I’m not getting much sleep. “I’m sorry, but did you just say your parents are coming over?”

  “Yeah, I couldn’t put my mom off any longer. She’s been calling me at least twice a day, asking if we’re ready for visitors yet. This morning, I guess she decided to skip the call, because my dad just sent me a text to let me know they’re on their way.”

  I get up, taking the baby monitor with me, and leave the room, knowing he’ll follow. I hear him shut the door softly behind us and go to the kitchen, setting the monitor on the counter before I turn to face him.

  “I’m not ready for visitors.”

  “Stella stopped by yesterday afternoon,” he points out, grabbing my hand and leading me to the couch, taking a seat before pulling me down onto his lap.

  “Yeah, but that was just Stella. I don’t need to impress her, because she already knows me. She doesn’t care what I look like. Your parents are a different story.” I blow out a breath. “The last time I remember brushing my hair was a few days ago when I was still in the hospital. I’ve taken a couple quick showers, but I haven’t had time to shave my legs. I’m in no way prepared to meet your parents.”

  “Baby, relax. I’m sure my mom and dad remember what it’s like to have a newborn. They’re not going to judge you for being a new mom.” I snort, and he tugs me closer and rests his chin on my shoulder. “Trust me. You couldn’t look bad if you tried.”

  I melt against him. “There’s no way I’d feel comfortable meeting your parents without at least taking a shower, washing my hair, and changing into my own clothes. So if they’re really on their way over here, I better get moving.”

  He loosens his hold on me, and I slide off his lap.

  “Go on,” he urges. “I’ve got Jenna covered if she wakes up.”

  I pause in the doorway when I see the time out the corner of my eye. “It’s almost time for lunch. Do we have anything besides sandwiches that we can make for your parents?”

  He waves off my concern. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure my mom will have it covered. No matter how many times I tell her not to, she stocks my fridge whenever she comes over, and I highly doubt today will be any different. If anything, she’ll probably go even more overboard than usual, because she’ll be nervous about meeting you and excited about finally getting to hold Jenna.”

  It’s hard for me to believe she might be as nervous as me, but for all I know, it’s normal. I’ve never had a boyfriend before, so I haven’t experienced the whole meeting the parents thing. “You really think so?”

  He nods. “After a week of waiting, she’s probably a mess of nerves by now.”

  “A week, huh?” I shake my head. “It feels like it was just yesterday that I gave birth.”

  “Yeah, time seems to be flying by,” he agrees then tips his head to the side. “Go shower, baby.”

  “Right.” I turn and head down the hall then check on Jenna before I get into the shower. Dressed and waiting in the l
iving room forty minutes later, I jump slightly when there’s a knock on the door.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Justin reassures me with a quick kiss before he opens the door.

  “There’s my baby boy!” His mom tackles him with a hug before she even makes it all the way into his apartment, and I smile at how tiny she is in comparison to him.

  “Mom.” He bends to kiss her cheek, and her eyes lock on mine.

  “And you must be Aubrey!” She leaves his side and rushes toward me, wrapping me in a tight hug. “Look at how gorgeous you are.” She leans back to study me then shakes her head. “No wonder my boy is so smitten.”

  “Jesus, Mom,” he grumbles, and his dad claps him on his back and chuckles.

  “Don’t act so surprised. You know how she is.”

  “Maybe, but I wasn’t expecting her to practically attack her.” He shuts the door and moves close, wrapping his arm around me. “She’s still recovering from having Jenna.”

  “Stop. I’m fine.” I look up at him, leaning into his side, and I swear I hear his mom sigh.

  “I can’t wait to meet your baby girl,” his mom says, gaining my attention. “But first, since my son seems to have forgotten his manners, I’ll introduce myself. I’m Cora, and this is my husband Jasper.”

  “Sorry, Mom.”

  I smile at how quickly he apologizes and wonder if he’s had a lot of practice doing that.

  “Cut the boy some slack, Cora. I’m sure he isn’t getting much sleep, and he’s probably wondering if we’ll be on our best behavior around his girl or if we’ll do our best to embarrass him,” Jasper says, setting two large tote bags on the kitchen counter before turning our way.

  “Oh!” Cora grins at her husband. “You should’ve reminded me to tuck one of his baby albums into the bag. Then Aubrey could’ve seen how adorable he was when he played pirate in the bath—”

  “Jenna is in the bedroom, Mom,” Justin cuts her off. “She should be waking up any minute now to eat, if you want to go check on her.”

  “Ooh, can I?” She turns to me, and I nod. I follow her into the bedroom and smile as she lifts Jenna, who’s blinking her eyes open, out of the bassinet. “It looks like I have perfect timing.”

  “She’s on a pretty set schedule now. I swear she wants to eat every hour and a half. She’d probably eat more if I fed her.”

  “I remember those days. They lasted a long time with Justin, since he was such a greedy little boy.” She heads toward the recliner in the corner of the room that Justin had delivered yesterday. “Do you mind if I sit with her for a minute?”

  “Not at all. I’ll be back in a minute to change her diaper and feed her. I’m just going to grab the stuff from the living room.”

  “Take your time.” She doesn’t even bother looking at me and I smile. I head into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, since I always get thirsty when I breastfeed, but Justin’s already poured one for me.

  “You doing okay, sweetheart?” he asks, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind.

  “Yeah,” I whisper back. “It’s not as bad as I thought.” I blush when I hear his dad’s deep chuckle behind me. “Sorry.” I turn to face him. “That sounded worse than I meant it.”

  “No apology needed, Aubrey. I’m not offended at all—more the opposite, actually. I wouldn’t have liked you half as much for our boy if you weren’t at least a little worried about meeting his parents.”

  “Well then, you should like me a ton, because the only reason I’m not a nervous wreck is because I didn’t have enough time to get all worked up about your visit,” I say, and he smiles right as Jenna’s hungry cry rings through the air. “Duty calls.”

  I hurry back to the bedroom and hear Jasper say, “You did good, son. Pretty and sweet is a hard combination to find.”

  It feels good to get the stamp of approval from Justin’s dad, and judging by the smile on Cora’s face when she hands Jenna over to me before she leaves the room, I figure I have it from her too. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and I’m much more relaxed when Jenna and I join everyone in the living room, where I discover Justin was right about his mom bringing over a ton of food.

  I settle on a roast beef sandwich and chips, and while I eat, Jenna falls asleep in Cora’s arms.

  Twenty minutes later, she stands and hands Jenna over to Justin, announcing, “We’re going to go so Aubrey can take a nap. The best advice I can give you, honey, is to sleep whenever Jenna does. It’s the only way you won’t feel exhausted all the time.”

  “I’ll try to remember to do that,” I say, and she smiles, walking toward me, and I stand to give her a hug.

  “I’m just a phone call away if you have questions or if you just need me to come over so you can have a break.”

  “Thank you.” My arms tighten around her and my eyes fill with tears. I pull in a deep breath to get myself under control, more thankful than she could ever know for her offer. I always expected to have my mom at my side to offer advice or just to lean on when I had my first child, and it’s difficult when I remember she’s not around.

  Once they leave, I head into the bedroom for a much-needed nap, and it doesn’t take me long at all to fall asleep. A half an hour later, I hear Justin’s deep rumble in the other room, and since Jenna is still asleep, I start to roll over to try to go back to sleep, but stop and jerk upright when I hear Jenna’s father’s name come out of Justin’s mouth.

  Chapter 12

  JUSTIN

  “THIS ISN’T GOING to be good. Paulie Sr. isn’t stupid. He’s going to figure out that Kai coming back to life is connected to his son dying,” I tell Kenton, knowing something is going to have to be done about Paulie Sr. sooner rather than later.

  “Paulie Jr. is dead?”

  I’m so focused on delivering my warning to Kenton that I don’t realize Aubrey is awake, let alone in the room. My head jerks around at her question, just in time to spot her fall to the floor like her legs gave out. I disconnect the call without a word and drop my phone as I rush to her side. I pick her up and place her on the couch then kneel on the ground next to her. “Shit, Aubrey. Are you okay? Should I take you to the hospital?”

  Her skin is so pale it’s almost see-through, but her hold is strong when she grabs my hand and squeezes hard enough to cause pain. “Who were you on the phone with? Why were you talking about Paulie Jr.? How do you know him? Did you tell anyone in Vegas we’re here?”

  “Paulie Jr.?”

  “Yes!” she shrieks, stunning me by grabbing my shoulders. “Did you tell anyone I’m here?”

  “Baby, Jesus.” The pieces click together and it hits me.

  I’ve already killed the motherfucker who raped her.

  I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to tell her. I never want her to look at me with the same fear she has in her pretty blue eyes right now, but knowing he’s dead and can’t hurt her or anyone else fills me with relief.

  “Breathe for me,” I say quietly, knowing I need to be extra careful explaining the situation to her. “I was on the phone with Kenton. We were talking about Paulie Jr., because one of our friends has been having some trouble with his dad, and he needed our help.”

  “You helped Paulie Jr.? Was he a friend of yours?” She jerks away from me, sounding horrified.

  “Of course not, sweetheart.” I get up and take a seat on the couch with her then resituate her on my lap so I can see and hold her while we talk. “Paulie Jr. was going after the wife of one of my friends. She inherited some property in Vegas, and he wanted it for himself. He thought if he had control over it, it would give him the power he needed to get out from under his father’s thumb and take his dad’s seat.”

  “Were you guys able to help her before he”—she pauses and shivers before continuing on—“did anything to hurt her?”

  She doesn’t use the actual word, but I get what she’s trying to ask. I rush to reassure her. “His goal was to marry her, but he never got close enough to try anyth
ing with her. Kai, her husband, and his team were set to confront him in a club in Vegas, but a sniper took him out before they got the chance.” I skip the part about me being the one who pulled the trigger. Maybe I’ll tell her about it someday, when we’re happily married and I don’t need to worry about the possibility of it sending her running in the opposite direction.

  “He’s really dead?” Her voice is just above a whisper.

  “I saw his body myself,” I assure her, and she melts against me. “Is his dad the reason you can’t go back? Does Paulie Sr. know about Jenna? Is he the one looking for you?”

  Her head jerks back and her blue eyes scan mine. “I don’t think anyone knows about Jenna besides my family.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Why? Did you hear something? Is he looking for me?”

  “Don’t get pissed, but I started digging into your past when I brought you and Jenna home from the hospital. A couple nights ago, I came across a chat where someone mentioned your name and said they were looking for you.”

  “Who was it?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t been able to find out.”

  “Did they say where to call if I was found?”

  “Baby, the dark web doesn’t work like that. It’s all codes and shit. I’m still working on figuring out who it is,” I explain, and her body stiffens like she’s preparing to jump off my lap, so my arms tighten around her.

  “I will never let anyone hurt you or get to Jenna. You have to trust me.”

  “You went behind my back and dug into my past.”

  “Yeah, to protect you. I didn’t know who hurt you, baby, and I wanted to make sure I was prepared in case he ever came after you or Jenna.” Had I known I already killed him, I wouldn’t have started the search... but then again, I wouldn’t have discovered someone’s been actively looking for her.

  “The reason my brother pushed so hard for me to get an abortion was because he didn’t want word to get out about who the father was. The only people who knew were him and my parents. I didn’t tell any of my friends. I didn’t go to the doctor to confirm the over-the-counter test I took was accurate.”