The Promise (Neighbor from Hell #10)(74)

“Let go, baby. I’ve got you,” Reed said as she felt his arm wrap around her.

Without a second thought, she let go.

“What happened to your forehead?” Reed asked as they slowly made their way down the tree.

“Discovered that I can’t run without tripping over my own two feet.”

“I thought you learned that lesson when you were ten,” he said, tightening his hold around her.

“I was hoping that I outgrew that phase.”

“You didn’t.”

“I know,” she mumbled sadly as they finally made it to the ground and-

“Where’s Jen?” she couldn’t help but wonder as she looked around and noted that the teenager that she was looking forward to tormenting with a ten-page paper was nowhere in sight.

“Praying for mercy,” Reed said, releasing her and-

“Run,” he said, making her frown.

“What?” she asked as she looked back at Reed and quickly decided that this was probably one of those times that she should keep her mouth shut and-

“Run.”

“Good idea,” she said, noting that the muscle in his jaw had already started to tick as she began to make her way back to the school only to turn around, go up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek with a murmured, “Thank you,” before she turned right back around, grabbed Shawn’s hand, and headed back to school, missing that smile that would have told her everything she needed to know.

He loved her.





Chapter 43

“I’d like to discuss a plea bargain,” the little troublemaker that had finally pushed him too far said from her usual spot with a hopeful smile that wasn’t going to help her.

Not this time.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Reed asked, dropping back in his chair as he watched the rest of the School Board leave.

“Made several bad decisions that will most likely result in spending the next two years in detention,” Jen said, looking hopeful only to wince as the large man sitting next to her leveled a glare on her as he asked, “What can we do to fix this?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Jen said, nodding solemnly only to wince when Aaron shook his head in warning.

Once.

“It’s out of my hands,” Reed said, beyond fucking exhausted.

He’d just spent the last five hours doing everything in his power to keep the little brat helping herself to the candy bowl that Joey had taken over keeping filled from being expelled. He’d barely managed it, but somehow, he’d convinced the School Board not to expel her even though he’d been tempted to let it happen.

When he saw the blood on Joey’s face…

“What’s her punishment?”

“Well, that’s up to her,” Reed said, leveling a look on Jen that had her shifting anxiously in her seat.

“I’d like to point out that this wasn’t even the worst thing that I’ve ever done,” Jen added with a hopeful smile.

“You terrified an autistic child who I promised to look after into fleeing the safety of my school because you were bored,” Reed said, watching as Jen’s mouth began working soundlessly before she managed, “I would never hurt Shawn on purpose.”

“And Dr. Lawson?” Reed asked, watching as her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“What’s my sentence?”

“In-house suspension for two weeks,” he said, glancing at the stack of paperwork from today’s incident that he needed to finish before he could call it a night.

“That seems fair,” Jen murmured as Reed noted the time and realized just how late it was.

“There’s more,” Reed said, pulling his phone out so that he could send Joey a text.

I’m going to be late, sweetheart. Don’t wait up for me.

“More detention when I come back?” Jen said, sounding hopeful as she popped another piece of candy in her mouth.

“No,” Reed said absently as he glanced down at his phone when it chimed.

Do you want company?

For a moment, he was tempted to say yes, but it was going to be a long night.

Not tonight. Sweet dreams, sweetheart, he texted, already knowing that she would probably stay up all night with another “pretty.”

“What else?” Aaron asked as Reed tossed his phone back on his desk and faced the reason that he’d had to call in every last favor that he had with the School Board.

“She needs to attend summer school,” he said, picking up her most recent progress report that he’d printed and handed it to Aaron.

“Wait. No one said anything about summer school,” Jen said, shifting to the edge of her seat as she sent the progress report that her uncle was glaring down at a nervous look and for good reason.

“You’re failing,” Aaron said hollowly.

“What? That can’t be right,” she said, getting up to get a better look only to mumble, “Oh, I’d kind of been hoping for a D there.”

“She needs to attend summer school and pass every class,” Reed explained.

“Oh,” she said, letting her shoulders slump in defeat.

“You can’t miss class, Jen, because if you do, I won’t have any choice but to expel you,” Reed said, watching her reaction very carefully, curious to see how she was going to respond to the news.