Hannah gasps. “Thomas! He was not staring at my ass. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m not being ridiculous, freckles. He was staring at your ass.” Don’t get me wrong. He’s a nice guy, and he’sDottie and Ron’s son, so I’m sure he’s a wonderful person, but he was staring at my girl. He’d probably never act on it, but still. She’s mine.
She shakes her head as if it’s unbelievable. Do I want anyone else to be attracted to her? Fuck, no. Not when she’s my girl. The engagement might technically be fake, but that doesn’t mean our relationship is. When we get home, I can’t wait to take her out and show her off to my family and friends. Show them how lucky I am to have her by my side.
“It doesn’t matter who looks at you. If they aren’t me, I’m going to get jealous, baby.” I shrug. “It is what it is.”
“You’re dramatic,” Hannah tries to say, but I shake my head.
“Dramatic would be punching him out for looking at you. A little jealousy is nothing.”
I lead her up the creaky front steps of the house, not bothering to knock as we walk in. After over a month of being here and being told many times not to bother knocking, we’ve gotten used to it.
“Good morning,” I call into the house. The smell of bacon, cinnamon rolls, and coffee invades my senses. My mouth waters. Even though we had a shit ton of waffles, I’m already hungry again. Dottie is one hell of a cook, and her cinnamon rolls are my favorite. She’s taught Hannah the recipe too, so once we get home, we will keep making them.
“Morning kids,” Ron calls from the kitchen. Hannah and I kick off our shoes, heading down the hall.
Ron, Dottie, and Fletcher sit around the kitchen table, empty plates and half-empty coffee cups surrounding them.
“Sorry, we didn’t wait,” Dottie exclaims. “We weren’t sure if you two were coming.”
“No, don’t be sorry,” Hannah rushes to say. “We’re sorry we are late. It’s so rude but we overslept.”
Ron guffaws. “Now, don’t be silly. Since when have we eaten breakfast at a set time, sweetie?” He stands, kissing Hannah on the cheek. “Dish up. I’ll get you both some coffee.”
I reluctantly let go of Hannah’s hand, grabbing her a plate and putting a cinnamon roll and some bacon on it for her before handing it to her. I fill myself a plate and sit down beside her at the table. It appears Fletcher got the hint last night, because his gaze is much friendlier this morning.
“Did you two get any sleep last night?” Ron asks, his eyes full of humor. “There were some coyotes making a lot of noise at dusk. We drove around in the side by side a little later when we heard them again, but couldn’t find any. Did you hear them?”
The coffee I’m drinking goes down the wrong pipe, causing me to cough and splutter. Hannah’s eyes drop to her plate, her entire face and chest a new shade of red that I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing yet. I swallow the lump in my throat, clearing the coffee that trickled down my windpipe. “No, we didn’t. We went to bed early, and must have been sleeping hard.”
I scan the table, noting the way Fletcher is smirking at his coffee cup. They totally heard us last night. Trying to stay quiet was near impossible, and never in my wildest dreams did I think our noises would carry all the way to the house. I’m not embarrassed, but I know Hannah isn’t exactly comfortable with other people hearing us.
“Those darn coyotes,” Dottie says with a frown. “Hopefully they don’t hurt our chickens. We can’t lose any of our flock.”
“We’ll keep a closer eye on it,” I mumble, taking a bite of my bacon. “Can’t have you losing any of the chickens. Is Dave okay? Should he be kept in the barn?”
Ron shakes his head, waving me off. “Nah, he can hold his own.”
We talk for a little longer, finishing up our breakfasts. The entire time, my hand is resting on Hannah’s thigh. When she’s done eating, I hold her hand on top of the table, drawing circles on her skin.
After a while, we say goodbye. The sky is a dark gray, with heavy clouds that make me think it’s about to rain, so Hannah and I decide to get back to the cottage sooner than later. Fletcher is leaving tomorrow morning early, as he has to get back for the start of training camp, so we’re unsure if we will see him again. My jealousy faded as the morning went on. He stopped staring at Hannah as if she was a conquest, and I enjoyed his presence a lot more. I might even take him up on tickets for a game this year. I’d love to take Hannah to one.
“There hasn’t beenanything on the phone, right?” Hannah asks, curled up against my side. We’re on our third movie of the day. The only thing we’ve done today was have our late breakfast and then come back here, only leaving the couch for snacks and bathroom breaks. The rain we expected never came, but it’s still gloomy, the perfect day to be lazy and cuddle.
“Not yet,” I reply. The burner phone is sitting on the side table, and both of us are waiting for it to ring. Elena didn’t give me a time the last time I spoke with her, only a date to have the phone on. A nervous thrum runs through my body. I’m ready to get home.
“Okay,” Hannah murmurs. She’s as anxious as I am tohear. She’s lying between my legs, her back to my front, her head resting on my chest. Arson is at our feet, curled up and snoring. I should take him for a run or something later.
The phone starts to buzz obnoxiously, and Hannah and I jolt apart as I reach for the phone. Hannah moves so she’s sitting in front of me as I answer the call and put it on speaker.
“Hello?” I answer.
“Thomas?” Elena’s voice carries through the line.
“Yes, hi, Elena.”
“I have good news,” she says, a hint of excitement in her tone. “We’ve arrested Chaz, and have a warrant to search the house he was living in. You should be able to come home early next week.”
