Anonymous(27)

Once the alarm beeps and the screen turns green, Owen focuses back on it. “You’re good to go. If it ever goes off, it’ll alert the police.” He shows me how to turn it on and off.

“Why do you need an alarm?” Joanne asks, coming up behind us.

I shrug. “You can never be too careful.”

She snorts. “Nothing bad ever happens here.” If she only knew.

“When are they leaving again?” Owen asks under his breath.

I giggle and whisper back, “Not soon enough.”

“Good luck. I’m going to head out.” He says his goodbyes to everyone else and hugs me before he leaves.

While Jake’s parents talk to him, I put away all the groceries Randy sent. From all the meats and vegetables he gave us, I won’t have to go to the store for a month. Joanne pampers Jake a little more and is determined to make her meatloaf for him. I let her take over my kitchen, which kills me because I’ve never let anyone cook in there, other than myself. I know it’ll be a mess when she’s done. I sit beside Jake on the couch, and he puts his arm around me. His father is asleep in the recliner.

“Just a couple more hours and they’ll be gone,” he says, trying to comfort me.

I gently rub his side. “Do your bruises not hurt?”

He shrugs. “Only a little. I’m tough, remember?”

“You could’ve died, Jake. All of this could’ve been so much worse.”

Tilting my chin up with his fingers, he kisses me gently. “But it’s not. I’ve never felt more alive. Staying home the next couple of weeks is going to be different though. I mean, I haven’t had that much time off in years.”

I kiss him again. “It’ll be good for us. I’m looking forward to spending more time with you. You’ve been gone so much lately.”

His gaze lingers down to my stomach. “Maybe now we can concentrate on making that baby of ours.” My whole body tingles and I lean up to kiss him again, but his mother clears her throat.

“Dinner’s ready.”

He kisses me anyway. “We’ll continue that conversation tomorrow, when I’m not doped up on pain meds.”

“I look forward to it.”





Thirteen





Ellie





Night time scares me more than anything, but it comes and goes without any issues. Having the alarm gives me peace of mind, but if Bryan is an undercover agent, he probably knows how to disarm them.

“What’s on your mind, cupcake?” Jake asks from the passenger seat. The bandage is off his head now, and I can see the tiny incision where the doctor had to drain his blood.

Shrugging, I turn down the street toward the bakery. “Nothing, really,” I lie. “I feel bad for dragging you out to the bakery.”

He rubs a hand up my thigh. “I don’t mind. I like watching you work.”

“It’s only one cake. I totally forgot about it, until Vikki found the order form. She has it all baked and ready for me. All I have to do is decorate it.”

“It’s okay, Ellie. I’ll just eat all of your chocolate-covered strawberry truffles.”

I burst out laughing. “Vikki won’t mind. She’ll be glad to know you love them.”

By the time we get to the bakery, it’s late morning. Jake and I had slept in and it felt great. We haven’t been able to do that in a long time. Feeling his arms around me when we woke up was the best feeling in the world. It’s something I don’t want to ever take for granted. In the blink of an eye, he could’ve been gone.

Vikki has everything ready to go when we walk in. Her eyes light up when she sees Jake and she flings her arms around him. “Looking good.”

He winks at her. “Thanks. Got any of those chocolate-covered strawberry truffles?”

She takes his arm and leads him over to the display case. “Tons. They’re all yours.”

While they talk about anything and everything, I get busy decorating a little girl’s fifth birthday cake. She loves Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony, so the cake is nothing but color. The inside layers are a rainbow of swirls, and the outside is going to match. It’s not very difficult, just time consuming with all the colors.

When the cake’s done, I help Vikki by making a few batches of giant sugar cookies, so she can put icing on them. Jake even helps, which makes my day even that more fantastic. Out of everything that’s happened, having him in the kitchen at my bakery has been one of the best days of my life. He’s always been too busy to see me in action.

Saying our goodbyes to Vikki, we head out the back door. I look up at Jake and I can’t help but smile.

He stops and places his hands on either side of my head, pressing his body against mine. “Why are you grinning like that?”

I wrap my arms around his waist. “I’m happy you came with me today. It feels like it brought us closer.”

His gaze saddens. “I know I’ve been working a lot lately. You have to know I’m doing it for our future.”

Placing a finger over his lips, I nod. “I know. I just wish you knew how much I missed you.”

He brushes the hair off my face. “Things are going to change when we’re in Arizona, Ellie. I won’t have to travel while we’re there. We can be together every single day. You’ll eventually get tired of me.”