His men started forward.
Thomas drew his gun, and I went for the one tucked in the back of my waistband.
His hand went out to hold his men back. “Not today.”
I’d taken a bat to a wasp’s nest. I meant what I said, too. His threats weren’t going to change my mind or our plans.
Colter pointed his finger at me. “Just remember. I tried to be nice. Now, we’ll get ugly.”
“You say that like you aren’t already there.”
“Come on,” he growled. He turned and plowed through the front door with his brothers following behind.
Thomas kept his gaze trained on the door. “That war you didn’t want…” He holstered his weapon.
“Yeah, I know.” I returned to the platform. “I don’t want Cora to know about this. It’ll just scare her. Tell Ari. Anna and Cora don’t go anywhere without an escort.”
Thomas nodded. “You got it.”
If Colter wasn’t planning something before our exchange, he was now.
The tailor and his daughter returned, both trying to pretend nothing had happened. We finished the fitting in relative silence, punctuated only by the rustle of fabric and the scratch of pencil on paper.
When we finally left the shop, I knew we were being watched.
Thomas fell into step beside me. “You know he’s not going to stop with threats.”
“No,” I said. “The more desperate he gets, the more mistakes he’ll make.”
What I didn’t say was that desperation made men like Colter exponentially more dangerous. And I’d break every rule to make sure I protected what was mine.
Chapter Eighteen
CORA
The bellabove the door jingled as Ari held it open. I pushed the stroller inside, breathing in the familiar scent of vanilla and fresh bread. Anna and Ari followed me inside.
The last time I’d stepped inside, I’d found out that Maya worked here. At the time, I’d broken down after speaking to the baker, but this time, I felt a weird closeness to it. It was the last place Maya worked, and by the sounds of it, she had loved it. I could almost picture her here, laughing with Tilly, flour dusting her apron.
I glanced around, taking in the display cases filled with decorated cakes and pastries. Had Maya helped make any of these? Did she have a favorite recipe? Maybe I’d ask during the cake tasting.
When the bell chimed again, I turned just as Jason and Thomas entered.
He reached me, leaned down, and kissed my cheek.
If we hadn’t discussed it before leaving the house, I might have been a little surprised. Or wondering if we’d blurred thelines so much that we didn’t mind Anna and Ari witnessing the sudden increase in affection. But we had. And we’d made certain to tell Anna so we didn’t get her hopes up. A big wedding came with big public displays. She said she understood, but there’d been something in her eyes that made me wonder if she wouldn’t meddle.
The problem was, it was getting harder to pretend. And a small voice was whispering that maybe I didn’t want to fake it.
Tilly emerged from the back of the bakery. Her smile lit up her entire face. “It’s so good to see you again and I’m so sorry for upsetting you so badly last time.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay. Maya and I were…”
“You loved her and wanted more for her life than being abused by that creep she was dating,” Tilly finished gently.
My throat tightened. “Exactly.”
Jason’s arm wrapped around my shoulders, and he pulled me closer. “Cora loved her deeply. She wanted her safe, and Colter wasn’t safe.”
