Having him there didn’t stop the nightmares, but each time I woke up gasping for air, he was there, chasing them away with his reassuring caresses, and reminding me that I wasn’t alone…making the dark a little lesslonely.
Travis
Iwokeup to a vacant space where Becky should have been. I sat up quickly, looking around the semi-darkroom.
She stood near her dresser, pulling a pair of denim shorts up her thighs. Her hair was wet from a recent shower, cascading down her back, a dark contrast against the milky white of her skin. She hadn’t put on her a shirt yet, so I was gifted with the sight of her black lace bra. She turned her head when I satup.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my lips twitching a little as I watched her pull a shirt over herhead.
“Couldn’t sleep anymore. I’m usually up at this time anyway,” she shrugged, collecting her hair and pulling it out from under her tanktop.
Tossing the sheets off me, I stood up, loving the way her eyes tracked every movement, loving how they widened slightly as they roamed my bare chest, dropping to where my shorts hung low on myhips.
Despite how hot it had been last night, I’d left them on—worried I might get caught in a state ofundress.
I crossed over to her, putting my hand on her hip and tugging her toward me. “Hey, it’s going to be okay…alright?” I told her softly. Tilting her chin up so that I could look at her with the little light that came through her blinds from the streetlamp outside. “The police are going to find him, and we’re going to keep you both safe in themeantime.”
She collapsed into my arms, resting her head against my chest. She didn’t cry, but I could tell she was affected by my words from the rapid rise and fall of herchest.
Before everything happened yesterday, I had every intention on telling her exactly how I felt about her, just in case there was any doubt still in her mind. I knew we had to address the elephant in the room...the tours, the distance, and what that meant forus.
I knew what it meant for me—but I needed to make sure she was on the samepage.
Naturally, we hadn’t been able to have that conversation yet. Richie was still out there somewhere, and none of us knew how dangerous he really was. He didn’t seem to mind terrifying women and children, but he’d run like a bat out of hell when I pulledup.
“I need a coffee,” she finally sighed. She held on a little tighter for a moment, then pulled away, gracing me with a small smile. “Do you wantone?”
“Yes please,” I replied, bending over to grab my t-shirt that I’d tossed on the floor at some point during the night. I pulled it on, following her as she crept quietly from the bedroom. She paused by Aiden’s door, opening it soundlessly. I heard her exhale softly before she closed it and continued down the hall to thekitchen.
When the coffee finished brewing, I fixed us both a cup before returning to the table. Becky had her phone in her hand, she was staring at the zero missed calls with dejection. I put my hand over hers, prompting her eyes to rise. “They’llcall.”
I heard movement on the basement stairs, and a moment later, Braden came up, quietly shutting the basement door behind him. He was dressed in coveralls for work, his eyes puffy from lack ofsleep.
He walked over to the coffee pot and poured some into a travel mug. “I’ll try to get off early tonight,” he said, his voice gravelly from lack ofuse.
“I’ll be around,” I pointed out, my brow raising. Braden nodded, relief filtering across hisface.
“Call me, okay? With any updates at all,” he added, pausing to squeeze Becky’s shoulder before he headed to the front door to put his work boots on. A few moments later, the door closed behind him, leaving Becky and I alone in the quiet of thekitchen.
My fingers twitched with the urge to pick up the phone and call the police station to see if there were any updates on Richie’s whereabouts. Becky must have had the same idea, because a moment later she reached for the card Officer Browning had left and dialed thenumber.
“Hi, yes. This is Becky Miller. I spoke to you yesterday… I was just wondering if you’d found him yet?” she paused, listening to whatever it was that the police officer said. “Yes, I understand. Thankyou.”
She hung up, a dejected look on her face. “What if they don’t find him?” she wondered out loud, looking up atme.
“One way or another, they will,” I promised. I’d make sure ofit.
Brock and Tessa pulled into the driveway at eight o’clock in the morning, along with Hunter, waking us from the unintentional nap we’d taken on the couch. I’d fallen slept sitting up with my head on the back of the couch, and Becky’s head in mylap.
The moment they cleared the threshold, Hunter took off down the hallway and laid outside of Aiden’s door, almost as if he was guardinghim.
Tessa immediately went to Becky and hugged her tightly. Her amber eyes were overwrought withemotion.
“It’s okay,” Becky breathed, patting her sister-in-law on the back. “I’mokay.”
“Really?” Tessa sniffled, appraising Becky carefully. Aside from the exhaustion on her face, she was calm. Tessa sat down on the sofa, her eyes still heavy withworry.
“How’s Aiden?” Brockasked.
