Tilly moved around, giving everyone a hug. When she got to Eastern, the embrace was slightly awkward, but she was certain that was because of her, not him.
She turned to Harper. “What can I do to help?”
“Sit on the couch and relax.” Harper barely looked up from where she was chopping tomatoes for the salad.
Tilly wanted to argue, but Kayden slipped the box from her hands before pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Sit. Trust me, Avery will have you up and playing soon, so make the most of it.”
She settled on the couch. Kayden was holding Avery again as he talked to Cody and Harper when Eastern brought her a glass of wine. But instead of moving away once she’d taken it, he sat beside her and lowered his voice.
“Hey. I know I said this last week, but I really am sorry about what happened. Jarrad’s been suspended for what he did, and we’re all working overtime to find the person who put that watch in your drawer.”
Her chest expanded with much-needed air. “You believe someone put it there?”
Maybe that was part of the reason she’d felt nervous tonight…because Eastern seemed like an evidence man, and all the evidence was stacked against her.
“Yeah, Tilly. I believe you.”
That last bit of nerves eased from her body, and she sank into the couch.
Kayden leanedback in his seat at the table, his plate empty. He’d eaten far too much and laughed more than he had in a while.
Damn, he loved his family.
Thiswas why he’d come home. This was why, even when he missed his time as a PJ, he didn’t even consider going back. He’d already missed too much time with them, and now, watching Tilly fit into his family so easily, like she’d always been a part of it…it did something to him. Shifted and changed something inside him.
She was his, and he wasn’t going to forget that for a second.
“All right, time to clean up,” Harper said, straightening in her seat.
“Absolutely not.” Kayden rose to his feet and started collecting plates. “You cooked, we’ll clean.”
“And get the desserts?” Avery asked quickly, eyes wide.
Eastern rose and he ruffled his daughter’s hair. “Yeah, Princess, we’ll get the desserts.”
“I’ll help,” Tilly said, about to rise.
Kayden shook his head. “Nope. You’re not lifting a finger tonight.”
“Kayden, you’ve barely let me lift a finger for the last week. I can help.”
“No. Rest. Relax.” He kissed her before grabbing her plate.
In the kitchen, he put the leftovers into containers while Eastern rinsed the dirty dishes and filled the dishwasher. Tilly was talking to the others when she threw her head back and laughed, and he just…stopped. Because fuck, he liked seeing that. It had taken days for her to even start getting back to her usual self after her trip to the station, and it was only today that she’d begun smiling.
“How’s she doing?” Eastern asked quietly as he came to stand beside Kayden.
“Better than she should be after what happened.”
“Good.” Eastern turned his back to the others. “It’s looking more and more like this has to be an inside job. We’ve looked into everyone who works at the visitors center. Pixie, Theo, andHendrix have alibis for the night of Macy’s stabbing, but Elle doesn’t.”
Kayden frowned. “You think Elle might have killed Macy? We basically grew up with that woman. She was best friends with Jace and at our house more often than not.”
“I don’t want to think that. But this person knew about the safe in the visitors center. They also know the mountains and could have been there when Jake found the watch. Sometimes people are capable of more than we realize. Plus, she was close to Macy.”
Kayden cursed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Hey, off topic, but did you see Mrs. Sandler at Sugar and Spice?” Eastern asked.
