Bailey shook her head, unwilling to walk down the path of “what if” anymore. “It’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault but his.” She kissed her mom’s cheek andlowered her voice. “I like this boy, Dawson. And I trust him.”
“I’m glad for you, sweetheart. And so proud of the woman you are becoming.” She tugged lightly on the strings of Bailey’s hoodie. “Will you be okay to drive home, or do you want me to wait and give you a ride?”
“I’ll be fine.” Saying good-night to both her parents, Bailey picked up her mug and walked out of the dining room to where Dawson sat.
He shoved his phone aside on the butcher-block countertop while Mrs. Hasting led the two younger boys—Tucker and Nate—up the stairs for bath time.
Leaving her and Dawson sort of alone. A few people from the sheriff’s department were still going in and out of the house through the backyard, loading equipment and talking on phones. But things were definitely winding down. Ms. Finley had left a long time ago and the sheriff had followed Bailey’s parents out the door with Aiden sleeping in his baby carrier.
Dawson spun the counter stool beside him so that the seat faced her.
He looked a little rumpled and still so handsome in a white T and jeans. His feet were bare where he rested them on the rung beneath the seat. She set her cocoa on the bar and lowered herself to the spot near him.
“I told everyone,” she blurted. In a day that had seemed to last forever, she didn’t want to waste any time telling him what she needed him to know. “About J.D., that is. I told both my parents and the officer took a statement about it.”
“That’s great, Bailey.” Dawson nodded slowly, his hazel eyes serious.
They were both quiet for a long moment. The only sounds around them were the quiet swoosh of thedishwasher and the muted sound of conversation between the police officers in the backyard.
“I thought you’d be...happier, somehow,” she said finally. “When we talked about this at my house you said—well, I thought—you liked me.”
Well said, Bailey, she chided herself wryly. But her skill with words had dried up. She was all awkwardness and jitters.
He tipped his head just slightly to one side. For a moment, it made her think of the way Hazel looked at her when she didn’t understand something. He studied her intently as he closed the distance between them.
Making her realize...
He’s going to kiss me.
The realization warmed her faster than the hot chocolate. And when his fingers brushed her cheek to tilt her chin toward him, it was the sweetest touch she could have ever imagined. Gentle. Caring. Sincere.
His lips brushed hers, melting her insides until she thought she might slide right off the seat.
When he eased back, it took her a moment to pull her eyelids open again. He still stared at her intently, but the serious expression on his face had eased. His fingers were still curved around her cheek, his thumb stroking her jaw.
“I do like you, Bailey. So much that I was really scared today.” His words raked along a dry throat. “When Lorelei said you were missing—” He closed his eyes for a second. “I was ready to tear apart the woods myself to find you. But by the time Lorelei and I got back here, Sheriff Reyes had found you and Aiden.”
Her thoughts still stuck on the kiss and what it had done to her insides, Bailey leaned into his touch, liking everything about this boy.
“I figured I’d be safer in the woods than in the house.”
“You’re smart and brave.” One side of his mouth curved in a half smile. “But I really hope you never scare me like that again.”
“Maybe you should start babysitting with me,” she suggested. “Then you could be sure I was...you know, safe.”
“You think the sheriff would mind?” He smoothed a hand down her hair, and she wondered how the worst day of her life could have the nicest ending imaginable.
“We probably couldn’t kiss on the job.” That would be okay, though. She liked just talking to him. Looking at him was also really nice. Everything about Dawson made her smile.
“We can save the kissing for afterward,” he suggested. “I would be okay with that.”
“Me, too.” Bailey leaned closer to him, so grateful he had come into her life when he did. So grateful he was staying. “But lucky for us, I’m not working right now.”
SAM HAD WORKED almost straight through the night after Aiden was found, putting in a twenty-two-hour day before he fell into bed. Alone.
Now, behind the wheel of his pickup and on his way into work again just a few hours later, he debated calling Amy again but decided against it for the same reasons as the night before. She might be sleeping. And after the way she’d had his back in that two-hour window that Aiden had been missing, he didn’t want to drag her away from well-deserved rest.
She’d looked exhausted and upset when she’d told him she was heading home after they’d returned to the Hastinghouse yesterday. She’d offered to watch Aiden for him, but Sam had made new arrangements with Zach. Heather and Zach had promised to look after Aiden, and Clayton had said he’d make sure they were all safe. That gave Sam the chance to close the case.
