Brave Love

by Allyson Simonian

  He pulled her close as he murmured, “They liked you too.”

  “Sure you don’t want to stay the night?” she asked, her tone hopeful as she gazed up at him.

  Ethan groaned, wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of the night with Paige in his arms. “You know how early my shift starts tomorrow. I don’t think the captain would be happy if I slept through the morning briefing after making love to you all night.”

  She laughed, and Ethan added, “Besides, I’ll have you all to myself this weekend. After the barbecue on Saturday, anyway.”

  “You’ve worked so hard on your house,” she said. “I know you’re excited to show it off to everybody at work. Are you sure it’s okay that I invite Melissa and David to come?”

  “Of course,” he said. “I’ve invited some of the neighbors I’ve met, and my mom’s coming. She’s really looking forward to meeting you.”

  When Paige’s expression turned uncertain, Ethan leaned forward to press his lips against hers, losing himself in the sweetness of her kiss.

  Chapter 23

  Paige spent the night with Ethan on Friday, then got up early when he left to go to work Saturday morning. The barbecue was planned for later that afternoon, so she spent the morning cleaning and straightening up for him, did a little baking, then began putting together trays of snacks and desserts.

  By the time Ethan arrived home, she had all the food set out on the new granite counter tops, as well as on the oak dining table Ethan had bought for the kitchen. She glanced around, making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

  Ethan came in through the back door and grinned when he saw the table. “Look at all of this. And it smells wonderful in here.”

  “I guess it’s enough.” She had made a few things that day, some brownies and cookies, in addition to what they’d bought at the grocery store the night before.

  He laughed. “You guess? It’s amazing. Hopefully everyone comes hungry.” He leaned down to give her a kiss, then gestured at his uniform. “I’m going to go change. Be back in a minute.”

  As the doorbell rang and guests began arriving, nerves fluttered through Paige’s stomach. Tonight she’d be meeting Ethan’s mother. The speed at which her relationship with Ethan was progressing was a little scary, truth be told. It wasn’t that she wasn’t enjoying everything; she was. But Ethan had no idea of the dark cloud that hung over her. He didn’t know her panic. And sadly, that was a big part of her life.

  But when Ethan’s mother, Debra, arrived, Paige’s anxiety eased a little. She was younger than Paige expected, only about fifty, an attractive woman with honey-blond hair and green eyes just like Ethan’s. She greeted Paige warmly, making her anxiety dissipate. While Ethan manned the grill, Debra and Paige spoke for nearly twenty minutes. David arrived, and Paige introduced him to Debra before excusing herself.

  For the next hour, Paige refilled plates on the food table. By then, most people had eaten. Her gaze shifted to David. He and Debra were now seated across from each other at a picnic table in the backyard, near where James and Denise were enjoying their burgers on lawn chairs. No longer pale, David looked healthy and strong.

  David looked up, saw her, and tipped his head in a nod. Paige smiled back. Moments later, she walked over to Ethan, who was grilling the last round of hamburgers.

  He wrapped his free arm around her. “Hey.”

  “Your mom and David are hitting it off.”

  His gaze went over the tables. Several seconds later, he was still gaping, and Paige tapped his arm.

  “Do you want to flip those?”

  “What? Oh. Yeah.” Smoke plumed as he turned back to the grill and quickly flipped the burgers.

  Paige’s gaze went to the patio, where Melissa and Ethan’s partner, Mark, were also sitting together in side-by-side lounge chairs. Each of them was holding a beer in their hand, and Melissa was laughing as Mark told her some story, making large gestures with his hands.

  Maybe they were hitting it off too.

  • • •

  An hour later as Ethan was getting a beer from the cooler, his mother approached.

  “Are you heading out?” Ethan asked, and she nodded. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “It’s okay. David’s leaving too. I’ll walk with him.”

  Ethan sputtered on the sip he’d just taken. Coughing hard, he stared at his mother. There was a happy expression on her face—the first he could remember in forever. She seemed younger, almost lighthearted, and the change in her startled him.

  When Paige joined them, his mother stepped forward to give her a hug, saying, “It was a lovely time.” She hugged Ethan next. Pulling away, she asked, “Are you all right?”

  Try shocked. He cleared his throat and murmured, “I’m fine.”

  Later that night, after everyone had left, Ethan explained to Paige what a surprise it was that his mother and David had even spoken.

  As a teen, Ethan had been bitter after his father’s death. He would have resented anyone his mom had tried to date. There was a widowed neighbor who’d tried to pursue her, but Debra had never so much as gone out on a date with him. She’d never come close to dating anyone in the fifteen years since his father had died, and as the years had gone by, Ethan had begun to wish she would. She was still very young, and had to be lonely in the rambling house she lived in.

  “David’s been through a hard time too,” Paige said. “Maybe they’ll be good for each other.”

  If they’d even exchanged numbers. Ethan changed the subject. “My mother liked you very much.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I know so. She told me before she left.”

  He took hold of her upper arms. “The tub’s finally in,” he said. “Why don’t you take a bath?”

  When Paige began to protest, he said, “You got everything ready for the party by yourself. The least I can do is clean things up.”

  He led her upstairs and then pulled out the bath salts he’d bought. She gazed at the bag.

  “Did I get the right ones?” He’d searched online until he’d found some that looked like the ones he’d seen in her bathroom.

  She nodded. “That was so nice of you.”

  As he left the bath and went downstairs, Ethan began to second-guess the claw-foot tub he’d installed. It had character and fit with the house, but it wasn’t big enough for two. And that was a damn shame. The thought of sharing a bath with Paige made his blood stir, but that was nothing new. Anytime he was around her, he wanted to hold her, to protect her, to love her.

  All those years when even the thought of a long-term relationship had made him shudder; things had certainly changed. It wasn’t as if he’d never had a plan for his life. He’d had one; he’d planned to move up in the ranks of the department and become a detective. But he’d never spent time thinking about a long-term relationship until now.

  With Paige, he couldn’t help himself. He wasn’t only falling for her; he saw a future for them. And surprisingly, none of it was scary. Instead, it was exciting.

  Chapter 24

  Maybe if he hadn’t worked on a college campus, the man would have been able to resist the urges. Instead, they grew insistent, beating like a drum inside his head. He’d had to try it. And try it he had.

  But killing that first time hadn’t quenched his appetite; it had only fueled the beast. All hopes of a normal life after that were lost. He’d made the effort, of course. He’d dated. Even gotten married. But it was as if his wife had sensed his disinterest. Almost immediately she seemed to know he was keeping a secret. And he certainly hadn’t been able to tell her she was right.

  He’d never harmed his wife, though, and he’d never had the dark thoughts about her. He only had them about the ones he chose. The more he watched someone, the darker the thoughts became.

  And he’d watched Paige for a long time now.

  Chapter 25

  That Monday, Paige turned on CNN while she got ready for work. The case against the principals a
t Pinnacle Pharma was being covered. A legal analyst was speculating the trial would last for six weeks.

  Paige felt a tug in her chest as she thought of the patients who had passed away. In the last year, civil suits had been filed against the company executives; those trials would take place after this one. Even if the executives were found guilty, nothing would bring back the loved ones those families had lost. Although her father was relieved that the truth had come out, exonerating him, he still felt a great deal of guilt.

  Ethan came up from behind and put his hands on her shoulders. “What’s got you so riveted?”

  She pointed to the screen. “This is the company I told you about. The one David’s wife worked for.”

  “Trial’s starting, then.”

  She nodded, and they stood watching the rest of the segment together.

  • • •

  The next Saturday, Paige and Ethan painted the interior walls of his house. Paige had brought over paint samples earlier that week. After some debate they’d decided on a warm tan, agreeing that the color was warm enough to liven up the rooms, but neutral enough to go with anything. By nightfall, they’d painted not only the downstairs, but part of the upstairs as well.

  As Ethan rolled up plastic sheeting, he said, “I knew the paint fumes would be bad, so I put an air mattress in the basement. We can sleep down there tonight.” He picked up a paint tray and started down the stairs.

  Paige gripped the banister as she followed, her heart in her throat. She didn’t want to sleep in a basement. After being held for days in that horrible bunker, the last place she wanted to spend any time was a dark, dank, earthy-smelling room. But when she opened her mouth to say they could sleep at her place instead, Ethan had already walked into the garage.

  She bit her lip, thinking she needed to face her fears sometime. With Ethan here, maybe now was as good a time as any. She’d never even seen the basement. Maybe it wasn’t so bad.

  The basement door creaked when she opened it a few seconds later. Fumbling for the light switch, she finally located it and switched it on. The resulting light provided only a dull glow. Her sandals slapped against concrete as she forced herself down the narrow stairs.

  Once she reached the basement floor, she clenched her hands into fists and looked around. Things felt tight and airless down here, but it was the smell of dirt that had the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. A shadow shifted, and Paige swore she could hear a man breathing.

  In an instant, she was transported back to her kidnapping. She squeezed her eyes shut and then blinked them open again. It was every bit as bad as she’d feared down here.

  Willing herself not to panic, she gasped in a breath. She and Ethan didn’t have to sleep down here. But already, it felt as if the room had closed in.

  She grabbed her throat as a wave of panic hit. Her chest constricted, closing up tight and stealing her breath away. She had to get out of there!

  Leaning heavily against the wall, she made her way back to the staircase. Gripping the banister, she took the steps as quickly as she could manage, gasping for air along the way.

  Ethan was just coming in from the garage when she reached the hallway. At the sight of her face, he called out to her. Whatever he said didn’t register as she stumbled toward the front door, snatching her purse from the foyer table along the way.

  Frantically, she twisted the knob. It took another two tries before it finally gave way. Desperate to be able to breathe again, she rushed outside. Her legs felt like rubber as she staggered down the porch steps, but she was finally able to draw in a breath. Her hand fumbled the insides of her purse and she grabbed hold of her keys.

  Just get home. Just get home.

  Paige kept repeating the words. Mercifully, she was once again able to pull air into her lungs. Ten minutes later, she parked in her driveway and shut off the engine. Gripping her hands tightly against the wheel, she leaned her head forward.

  God, what Ethan must think of her. He’d seen her awkward exit, and now he knew exactly what a mess she was.

  On shaky legs, she climbed out of the car and made her way to the door. Once she’d unlocked it, a giant lump formed inside her throat. She stumbled inside, her emotions shifting from panic to utter dismay.

  Chapter 26

  Ethan ran the paint rollers under the garage sink until the water ran clear. He squeezed them out and then reached for a paper towel to dry his hands. His arms and clothing were spattered with tiny dots of paint and he reeked of paint fumes, but he was thrilled with all he and Paige had accomplished.

  The basement door swung open just as he reentered the house, and Paige rushed into the hallway.

  “I’m going to—” He stopped short as he registered the terror on her face. Why had she been in the basement? And what was she running from?

  Then it hit him. Someone was down there!

  Racing into the kitchen, he grabbed his pistol from the top of the refrigerator and bolted for the basement staircase. Although the light was on, he couldn’t see beyond the foot of the stairs.

  Cautiously, he descended several steps, gun at the ready, until he cleared the support beam. He quickly swept the gun across the room and inhaled a sharp breath afterward. No one was down there.

  He stepped down the last two steps and made another sweep to be certain. Could it have been an animal Paige had seen? A mouse, maybe? Believing that to be the case, he lowered his gun and blew out a long breath.

  Walking to a nearby shelf, he grabbed a flashlight. He shined the beam into the dimly lit corners but could see nothing moving. Whatever Paige had seen was now gone.

  He climbed the stairs and returned his gun to the kitchen. As he was reentering the hallway, Paige’s car started. He raced outside to see her backing out of the driveway.

  “Paige!”

  If she heard him shouting or saw him running, she didn’t acknowledge him in any way. The gears of her car shifted and she accelerated, speeding down the street.

  Blinking in stunned silence as he reached the end of his driveway, Ethan watched her make the turn at the top of the street. What in the world was going on?

  Unease raged through him as he rushed back inside his house, grabbed his keys, and set out after Paige. He had no idea what had just happened, but whatever it was, it had obviously terrified her.

  Fifteen minutes later, when he sped up to her duplex, he could see her car parked there. Breathing out a sigh of relief that at least she’d made it home safely, he pulled to the curb. Despite the light on inside, there was an eerie silence after he rang her bell. He raised his hand and knocked hard. “Paige?”

  Several knocks later, there was still no answer. He eyed the window, debating whether or not to break it, before darting a glance toward Melissa’s side of the duplex. There was a light on there. Crossing the distance in three strides, he quickly knocked.

  He could hear footsteps approaching as he breathed out short breaths. Melissa opened the door, clutching her bathrobe, and frowned at Ethan. “What’s going on?”

  “Something’s happened to Paige. Can you open the door?”

  Melissa stared at him for a second before springing into action. Turning, she hurried off into the kitchen, and Ethan hoped like hell it was to get a key. In fact, a large set was dangling from her hand when she came back into the room. He could also see her holding something else—what looked like a pill bottle. As she rushed out the door, he was right on her heels.

  She put one of the keys into Paige’s lock and twisted the knob. Ethan followed her inside.

  Paige was sitting on the sofa with her head in her hands. She jerked up at the sound of Melissa’s voice, and her eyes widened when she saw them. Ethan took in the rest of her face—the red-rimmed eyes and the streaks from tears—and swallowed hard. What in the hell had happened?

  Paige squeezed her arms around herself as Melissa knelt in front of her, murmuring soft reassurances. Darting a glance at the pills Melissa set down, Ethan thought of Paige’s med
icine cabinet. That bottle. Was it also for something like this? It had to be. Striding into the bathroom, he yanked open the cabinet and grabbed it.

  When he got back to the living room, Melissa had the bottle beside her open.

  “What about these?” he asked.

  “It’s okay. What I’m going to give her should be enough.”

  Feeling helpless, he stood watching as Melissa shook out a pill.

  Glancing up at him, she asked, “Can you get us some water, Ethan?”

  Once he’d filled a tumbler in the kitchen, he quickly brought it to Paige, who accepted the glass without making eye contact. She swallowed a pill along with a sip of the water.

  All these minutes later and she still hadn’t looked at him. Ethan’s heart beat hard.

  Melissa began to rub Paige’s back in slow, calming circles. “Let’s get you into bed,” she finally said.

  Paige gave a slight nod, and Melissa grasped her hand and pulled her up from the couch.

  Still stunned, Ethan watched as they moved past him toward Paige’s bedroom. He was pacing the hallway when Melissa came out a few minutes later and closed the door behind her.

  She leaned against the door, an embarrassed expression on her face as she said, “She asked that you go home.”

  Blowing out a breath, Ethan crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not doing that.”

  Melissa stood watching him for a long moment before she finally sighed. “I’m going to call into work.”

  At least she seemed to understand that he wasn’t going anywhere. Stepping forward, he said, “You don’t have to do that. I’ll be here with her.”

  Melissa stared back at the closed door, obviously unsure of what to do.

  “Will I need to do anything?” he asked.

  She turned back to him and shook her head. “No. What I gave her will probably have her sleeping through the night. I doubt she’ll even wake up before morning.”

  “What is it, Melissa? What’s going on?” It stung to have to ask. Paige was his girlfriend. Yet for the past half hour, he’d felt like a complete stranger.