“We are a family, Wes,” Chris reminded him, trying to hold back the tears she thought might come.
“We are.” He nodded. “I know we are. You and me – and now you and me and Pax are a family, Chris.” Wes paused. Chris nearly let the tears fall at the mention of Paxton being a part of their family now. “There just could be more. We could have more, Chris.”
“I’ll talk to her, okay?” she offered. “I’ll work on it, Wes.”
“Okay. I’m going to my room to wrap my cast before taking a shower. I haven’t showered in more than twenty-four hours; I think I’m starting to smell.”
“Do you need any help?” she said through mild laughter.
“No, I’m okay.”
Wes left the kitchen. Chris finished doing the dishes. She changed in the living room and went into the bathroom after Wes finished in there. Once she finished her nightly routine, she pulled out the sofa bed, made it, and climbed into it. She wished more than anything that she was falling asleep next to Paxton, but Pax had to get ready for her flight tomorrow and her trip. Instead, Chris opened the book she’d been reading last night before her world got rocked by a car accident. Then, her phone rang.
“Hey. I’m glad you called,” she said with a smile.
“Yeah? What are you doing?” Paxton asked.
“Lying on this sofa bed, trying to read,” Chris replied. “You?”
“Standing outside your house, hoping your brother and Cheyanne are already asleep so I can fall asleep next to you tonight,” Paxton said.
“You’re outside?” Chris turned immediately toward the front door.
“I’ll leave before they wake up. My flight is at seven in the morning. I just want to sleep next to you. Is that okay?”
Chris stood, made her way over to the door, and opened it softly so as not to wake the other house occupants.
“Of course, it’s okay. Get in here,” she said.
CHAPTER 30
“How’s your–” Adler thought otherwise and said, “How’s Cheyanne? It’s Cheyanne, right?”
“Cheyanne or Lily, depends on who you ask,” Chris replied. “Thanks for helping out around here while Pax is away.”
“Morgan is planning some surprise. She told me she wanted me out of the house today. I told her she’s crazy. I came here to help with whatever you need.”
“A surprise, huh?”
“I don’t know… She does little things like that sometimes. I’ll get home, and there are flowers on the counter. Or, she’s planned a weekend away for us where we’ll camp and get away from everything. She really is an amazing girlfriend. I’m so lucky I found her.”
“I kind of feel the same way about your sister,” Chris offered.
“Pax is amazing. I’m glad you two have each other. She’s the most supportive person in the world. She’s brilliant and could have done anything she wanted. Ever since she started her own business, she’s been incredibly successful in her professional life. But in her personal life, she’s just never been really all that settled. What I’ve seen since she met you, though, is the opposite of that. And I’m so glad. My parents are, too. Even though we’ve both now moved away from them, they love the fact that we’re both finally settling down and that we’re happy.”
“They know about me?”
“Pax told them all about you. You didn’t know that?” Adler asked as she finished cleaning the roller they’d used to finish painting one of the rooms.
“She mentioned it; she just didn’t go into a lot of details.”
“She does that.” Adler laughed. “She told them all about you and Wes, though. We were on FaceTime with them. I could see how happy she was, and so could they. They’ll start giving her a hard time about meeting you soon.”
“I guess that’s the next step for us, huh?”
“Meeting the parents? It happens when you know you’ve met someone worth introducing to them, yeah. I know she feels that way about you.”
“I would have had her meet mine already, if that was an option,” Chris replied, placing a few stray paint brushes into an empty can to store overnight.
“How are you dealing with Cheyanne being around?”
“It’s been two days. I’m trying to be civil, for Wes. I know Paxton wants me to get to know her, too. I know they’re right. She’s an old woman, who’s lost everything. But there’s just something I can’t seem to let go of.”
“Is Pax pushing you to do this?”
“No.” Chris folded her arms over her chest. “As much as I thought your sister was a complete and total stuck-up asshole when we first met, she’s really the opposite of that. She’s supportive, like you said. And she’s so sweet sometimes. She doesn’t push me to do something specific; she just pushes me to be a better person.”
“I think that’s one of the benefits of falling in love with someone. Morgan makes me better, too.”
“I just don’t know if I’m doing anything for Pax,” Chris said.
“Are you kidding?” Adler chuckled. “Chris, you’ve changed her entire life, and it’s for the better.”
“I don’t–”
“Chris, she hadn’t felt at home in Seattle or at work for a while when she came here to visit.” Adler sat in the white folding chair in front of the sink they’d been using.
Chris pulled a stray one from the other side of the room to sit next to her; proud of her decision to buy about six of the chairs so they’d have places to sit while the place was under construction.
“She liked you immediately; I could tell. You give her a run for her money.” Adler laughed lightly. “You’re no pushover, and that’s what my baby sister needs. She’s ready for you, Chris. It took forever, but she’s finally ready for a real commitment. She adores you and Wes. She called me yesterday to tell me that Mom and Dad are thinking about coming here for Christmas this year, but all she could really talk about was you and Wes. She wanted to know if I thought you two would join us for Christmas dinner. She wanted to talk about having a New Year’s Eve party. She even mentioned kissing you at midnight. She’s crazy about you, and it’s only made her a better person, Chris.”
“Thanks for that,” Chris replied, not knowing what else to say to Adler’s admission. “I should probably wait for her to bring up the Christmas dinner thing, though, huh?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she asks the moment she gets back. She’s not hesitating at all with you, Chris. I love that.”
“I love that, too. It’s scary, but I do love that about her. I love her. She’s intense, and she goes all-in on the things that she cares about. She gives, and gives, and doesn’t take much, if anything, in return. She’s buying a house here, and she wants to make sure I love it just as much as she does, because she hopes I live there with her someday.”
“That’s Pax.” Adler smiled at her. “You know, you can tell her to cool it if she’s going a little too far. She’ll slow down for you.”
“I don’t know that I want her to,” Chris replied. “It’s a lot, but I think it’s the kick in the ass I need to finally have what I want in my life. It wasn’t all that long ago that I was waiting tables at the same place I’ve worked at since Wes and I moved here. We couldn’t afford to fix Wes’s car, and he was working way more than a teenager in high school should be so that we could make enough money to get by. I felt like I was always on the outside looking in with the friend group we share.” She sighed. “I don’t feel that way anymore. She’s a big reason why.”
“Have you told her that?” Adler asked with a smile. “I know Morgan always likes when I tell her how amazing she is,” she added with a small laugh. “I mean, who wouldn’t?”
“Paxton’s ego’s so big, I don’t think she needs anyone else expanding that head of hers.”
“Pax hides in that ego. You know that,” Adler replied as she stood. “I’m sure she could use a little reminder that you’re all-in on this thing you two have started.”
“Did she tell you that?” Chri
s asked with concerned eyebrows.
“No, she hasn’t said anything specifically. I think she’s just stressed right now and trying to cover it up because she knows you’re stressed. She started her own business from scratch in Seattle and made it a successful one. Selling it is a big deal for her. If she decides to keep it, even if she passes over the reins of the everyday stuff to someone else, it’s still a big change. She’s trying to manage finding a new home, having a new relationship, building a new hotel, and dealing with her business back in Seattle. It would be a lot for anyone, don’t you think?”
◆◆◆
“My knee is feeling a lot better. I think I’ll be able to head back to my own apartment tomorrow. Would you be able to give me a ride?” Cheyanne asked from her seat next to Chris on the sofa. “If not, I’m sure I can call a taxi or…”
“I’ll take you back to your apartment if you think you’re ready to be on your own,” Chris replied. “You can stay here if you need help, though. Things aren’t exactly great between us – I know, but I’m not kicking you out, Cheyanne.”
“Wes is back at school. You have a full-time job. You shouldn’t be sleeping on your sofa bed because of me.”
“It’s fine. My back is getting used to it. It’s started to just reshape itself to fit the springs,” Chris replied.
“But Paxton is coming back soon. You don’t need your grandmother in your way,” Cheyanne said.
Paxton was supposed to return the previous night, but after a few meetings with her lawyers and a competitor real estate agency, she’d decided to stay for another two nights to try to get as much wrapped up as possible. They’d spoken every day, but the distance between them was starting to get to Chris. Paxton seemed overwhelmed. She was struggling with the weight of her decision. She had staff that was depending on her there to make a decision that would affect them. It wasn’t just about her and the changes she was making in her own life. Chris tried to be supportive, but over the phone, it was difficult. It hadn’t helped that she had to hang up on Paxton a couple of times to help Cheyanne and Wes with things they couldn’t take care of themselves.
“She’ll be back tomorrow, yes. But she understands the situation. Wes will be in that cast for at least another four weeks. You’re out of the sling – which is good, but you need help changing the dressings on your arm. It’s not just about your knee. Do you have anyone else that can help?” Chris asked, noting the eyes that looked so much like her mother’s staring back at her.
“Your cousins have offered to help. I called one of them this morning. She’s going to pick me up at my apartment tomorrow and take me back to her house in Nevada for a week or so. I should be fine by then,” the woman said.
There was something in the way she said it, though, that had Chris wondering if something else was going on here.
“Why can’t she just pick you up here?” Chris asked.
“I didn’t think you’d want to meet her.”
“I’m not really sure I do, but it doesn’t make sense to drop you off there only for her to pick you up later,” Chris replied.
“I have a few more things at my apartment I need to pick up before I go with her,” Cheyanne said.
“I can grab them for you tonight if you want. Wes is over at a friend’s house. I haven’t made dinner yet. I can grab something for us on the way back.”
“That’s not necessary. The arrangements with her have already been made. You’ve done so much. I’m grateful for it, but I think it’s time I move on.” She stood up shakily from the sofa. “I’ll be ready early tomorrow so that you won’t be late for work if you can still give me a ride.”
“Sure.”
Chris couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was going on. Normally, she would talk to Wes about these kinds of things, but he was at his friend’s house, and this was their grandmother. He was trying to find something that Chris didn’t quite understand but she had to respect. She could talk to Paxton about it, but with everything Paxton had going on and the stress Chris had heard in her voice the previous night, made that an impossibility. She wouldn’t add to Paxton’s problems to solve.
Instead, Chris fell asleep after they had a five-minute goodnight phone call. She woke a little earlier than usual, dressed and readied for work, helped Cheyanne into the car and drove her back to her apartment. She helped her into the room and to the bed, which couldn’t really be called a bed. She made sure the woman had her pills and some water, and when she went to help further by offering to add the items she needed from the apartment to the suitcase, Cheyanne told her that she’d take care of it herself later because Chris needed to get to work. Chris said goodbye to her with the same feeling that she couldn’t shake: something was off with this woman.
She left the apartment, climbed back into her car, started it, and then she sat there. The cousin Cheyanne had mentioned was supposed to be by to pick her up in less than an hour. Chris didn’t have a meeting until after ten. Paxton would be heading to the airport for her return flight soon. Chris had the time. She sat in the car, scrolling through emails and messages on her phone until she heard another car pull into the small parking lot. It wasn’t a regular car, though. It was a white van with no windows in the back. Chris watched as two men climbed out of the front. They were wearing odd clothing that flowed from their bodies and were also all white. They moved toward the apartment building. Chris leaned over the steering wheel to get a better look, noticing the license plate was covered by a thick layer of mud, making it impossible to read the numbers.
She knew then who these men were. Her heart started to pound. She had a choice to make. She could let them take Cheyanne back to the cult she’d escaped from months prior, or she could call the cops and have them arrested for attempted kidnapping. The cousin Cheyanne had trusted must have turned her in. That was the only explanation for why these men would come today, of all days, to take her back to their sick cult. She reached again for her phone, tapped the emergency button to call 911, and just as the call connected, she saw Cheyanne being helped out of the building by one of the men while the other carried her suitcase. She wasn’t smiling exactly, but she didn’t appear to be upset in any way. She even laughed at something the younger man that was helping her walk said. The other man loaded her suitcase in the back while the first one assisted her into the front seat. Then, he took his own place in the back of the van just as the older man started the engine.
“911. What’s the nature of your emergency?” the dispatcher asked.
“What?” Chris said. “Oh, I don’t know,” she added. “I thought–” She hung up the phone, not worrying about the consequences.
She climbed quickly out of her car, rushed toward the van that was just about to pull out of the parking lot but had to stop at the stop sign before it could enter the street, and banged on the passenger’s side window.
“Christina?” Cheyanne mouthed through the glass. She rolled the window down just enough so she could speak to Chris. “What are you doing here?”
“Who are they? Where are you going?”
“We are taking our sister home,” the driver said.
“Bullshit, you are. I’m calling the cops,” Chris said, reaching for her phone again.
“Chris, it’s okay. This is my choice,” Cheyanne said.
“What do you mean this is your choice? You left,” Chris argued.
“Those who leave our flock are always welcomed back by our–”
“You better shut the hell up, preacher. I’m one tap away from having you locked up for kidnapping,” Chris interrupted him.
“What’s the problem?” the man, who had apparently opened the back door, climbed out, and walked over toward Chris, said. “Why are we stopped?” he asked as he looked her up and down.
“This is my grandmother.” Chris pointed at Cheyanne. “And she’s not going anywhere with you two.”
CHAPTER 31
“What is going on?” Chris asked Cheyanne the moment the apart
ment door closed behind them, leaving the two men outside the building still waiting on Cheyanne, or Lily as they had called her.
“I have nothing. I have no one!” Cheyanne exclaimed as she leaned against the kitchen counter in the open space of the small apartment. “I have nothing, Christina. I am alone. I am all alone. I wanted to go home.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I called the church. I told them I was ready to come home. They’ve not only accepted me back, they offered to drive me home. I didn’t tell you because I knew you wouldn’t approve and that you’d try to stop me.”
“These men control women. They marry young girls off to older men; men who already have wives and children. They branded you, and you want to go back?” Chris could not believe what she was hearing. “You left. You got out. Why would you want to go back?”
“How can I stay?!” she yelled. “I have no job. I have no money. Those cousins I mentioned to you, they want nothing to do with me, Christina. They see me as the old woman who kept them there. They see me as an old woman who believes in the church’s teachings still to this day.”
“Maybe because you still call it a church instead of what it really is,” Chris said loudly.
“Because it was my church!” Her eyes teared up. “It was my church. It saved me all those years ago. My husband saved me. I was happy until your mother left.”
“Until she escaped,” Chris reminded. “Because you were trying to–”
“And you hate me for that. You hate me. Wesley is trying his hardest to get to know me. But he will never fully let me in because you hate me, and he loves you.”
“Wes has his own mind.”
“But you hate me.”
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