by Rye Hart
“Heather, it’s—”
“Answer my damn question, Cameron.”
I clenched my fists at my side, trying to control the anger swelling in my body. His daughter was still down the hallway, and I knew there was no way in hell she could know about any of this.
My heart ached for her.
“No, I didn’t go to see family,” he said.
“Where did you go for an entire month?” I asked.
“My friend in the FBI? His name is Hudson. He came to town with the possibility that I could work with him to get Audrey’s and my life back. So I went to DC with him to talk to some agents about what really happened that night.”
“You went to testify,” I said.
“They’re trying to build a case against them, yes. I went to give my side of the story and offer help in any way I could. Resources. Money. Whatever they needed. I thought I’d come back with the ability to lead a normal life again, but things didn’t pan out like we thought. So Hudson told us to keep laying low until he had more information for us.”
“And now they’ve found you,” I said.
“That’s my assumption.”
“Your assumption?”
“Hudson called me very early this morning before I called you. He told me I had to stay extra vigilant and keep laying low. Keep Audrey from school. Only go into town when necessary. He wouldn’t give me specifics, but my gut is telling me that’s what’s going on. I think this investigation and this mounting case has led the Mafia straight to me.”
I felt sick, not morning sickness kind of sick, but aching in my heart kind of sick. This was not the conversation I’d expected to have, not even close. Now, the conversation I’d been afraid of having was the conversation I wished would’ve taken place. I pulled my phone from my back pocket and opened it up, ordering an Uber to come and get me. I wasn’t staying here. I wasn’t staying in a cabin in the woods with some man I didn’t know who was being hunted down by the Mafia. If that was even the truth. He’d lied about everything. His vacation. His name. Everything.
I heard his feet crossing the floor, and I immediately took two steps back.
“Heather.”
“Stop,” I said.
“I know it’s a lot, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but you have to believe me, and you have to trust me.”
“Trust,” I said sarcastically. “Sure. Yeah. Okay.”
“You’re in danger, Heather.”
“What the hell were you thinking?” I asked.
He stopped in his tracks as I slid my phone back into my pocket.
“The only thing I can think about right now is the first time we ever met. The coffee shop. When you told me your name and your daughter’s name and fed me all these stories and anecdotes and … and things about you. Was any of that true?”
“The only thing that’s changed is my name, Heather.”
“And the fact that you’re being hunted. You didn’t think that was important to take into consideration before bringing an innocent unborn child into the mix?”
I saw him wince like I’d slapped him across the face.
“Are you really that selfish?” I asked. “Or are you simply that thick? Because no well-adjusted man in his right mind would ever dream of bringing another innocent child into his family—surrogate or not—with the Mafia on his tail. Now, I’m in danger because I’m connected to you. Intimately. And not once did you stop to think about how this would affect me. About how having a child with me would affect my world if all of this came crashing down around you. Did you ever consider that, Andr—Cameron?”
I curled my lips between my teeth. I couldn't even argue with him without calling him by someone else’s name.
“It doesn’t change that you’re in danger. You’re carrying my child, Heather, which means it’s my responsibility to protect you,” he said.
“Well, if you think I’m staying cooped up in this house with you, then you’re wrong. I don’t even know who you are. You’re a stranger to me.”
“Nothing’s changed about me. I’m still the same man.”
“Are you? Because the man you just described isn’t the man I know at all.”
I heard a car pulling up in the distance, and I watched Cameron tense. His shoulders pulled taut, and his head whipped around to look out the window. Clearly, he’d been living under the gun, or threat of one rather, for too long. He was seeing danger that wasn’t there.
I shook my head and walked over to the table, grabbing my purse. Maybe it was the pregnancy that had him so sensitive, exaggerating the extent the Mafia would go—and over a beating? He hadn’t killed anyone or stolen from them. He’d said himself it had been over two years. The danger had to be in the past by now or at least extremely far-fetched. No one had any reason to find out about me, but if there really was danger, it would only increase the more I stayed around Cameron.
“I need you to stay here until I know who that is,” he said.
“It’s my Uber,” I said. “I’m going home.”
“Heather, you can’t. It’s not safe for you any longer.”
“And who’s fault is that?” I asked. “I need you to leave me alone. Stop calling. Stop texting. Just give me some time to process the absolute insanity you’ve thrown my way.”
His hand came down on my wrist as I opened the front door, but I yanked away from him again.
“Let me at least drive you home,” he said. “To make sure you get there safely.”
“I’m good,” I said. I hesitated only a moment, thinking of Audrey, but she’d been with him all along, and she was safe. I had no doubt he’d protect her. It was just too bad she needed protection more from the way she had to live than from some distant fear of Mafia backlash.
Then, I turned my back to him, slid into the car I’d hailed, and watched as the cabin became nothing but a distant object through the back window of the car.
CHAPTER 19
CAMERON
I kept calling Hudson, trying to get him to answer the damn phone. I needed more information. Why the hell couldn’t he tell me what the fuck was going on? The safety of my daughter and my unborn child was at stake. But every time I called, all I got was his voice mail. I’d memorized the damn thing by the time the weekend was over.
And I still hadn’t heard from Heather.
My worry for her was mounting. Was she okay? Had someone gotten to her? It took all the energy I had not to charge down to her bakery and check on her every hour of the day. I wanted to give her the space to process. I knew it was a lot. Hell, I was living that life. I knew it was a lot to digest, but she was in danger. Didn’t she understand that? She could be angry with me in this cabin. She could be upset with me while sleeping down the hall from me. She could process things while being under my roof, so I could take care of her and protect her.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to see her.
I walked into the bakery and saw Heather standing in the kitchen. She was kneading something against her metal table and memories of us came crashing back. How wonderful she felt underneath my body for the first time. How I had longed to hear her say my name instead of that damn fake identity. She knew my name now. She said it now but full of anger and spite, not with pleasure and orgasmic bliss.
Her eyes wandered up to mine, and her face etched itself in stone. She had every right to be upset and to be distant. But this was serious, and I wasn’t leaving without her. I still had one thing I had to come clean about, one thing she didn’t know about that I hoped would change her mind about all of this.
I needed her to come with me, no matter what I had to do to convince her.
“How can I help you?” she asked.
“Heather, don’t do that,” I said.
“Do what?”
“Talk to me like I’m a customer.”
“Everyone who walks into my bakery is a customer.”
“Can we talk?”
“No.”
“Can I talk the
n?” I asked.
She stood at her register with her eyes burrowing into me, but she didn’t turn me down, so I took the opportunity before she shut me down.
“You need to stay with me. I know you’re upset. I know you don’t like it, and you can blame me all you want. But you’re in danger, and I have to protect you. Whether you like it or not, you’re pregnant with my child, and there’s a chance they know that, which means you’ll be the first target they come after to get to me.”
“Are you going to make me if I don’t?” she asked.
“It’s either that or Audrey and I will stay with you in your studio apartment. I figured that might get a little cramped.”
“I’d never let you in.”
“And I don’t believe that,” I said. “I’m not asking you to care about me, Heather. I’m not asking you to move in and act like we’re instantly a family. All I’m asking is that you pack up and stay with me so I can look out for you until this all blows over.
“I didn’t sign up for this. None of it.”
“I know. This is the last thing I wanted. I truly believed this would be over by now. I can’t fix the spot I’ve put you in, but I can protect you and our child until it’s safe enough for you to go back to your life. When the coast is clear, no matter what that means for me and Audrey, whatever decision you make moving forward, I’ll respect.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, but her body softened. The tension in her shoulders released and her eyebrows unfurled. I had her attention, but I didn’t have her convinced.
Fuck, I hope this doesn’t backfire.
“I don’t even know what to think about you anymore, Cameron.”
Hearing her say my name brought me so much joy, even in the midst of arguing with her. Even in her anger, it flowed effortlessly off her tongue. I sounded right in her voice. I batted away the feeling of my blood rushing through my veins at the sound of it. It wasn’t the time to get excited. It wasn’t the time to flex my desire for her. I had to convince her to stay with me, to let me keep her close, because if anything happened to her, I’d never forgive myself.
I took a deep breath and showed my final card.
“Charlie threw a brick through my window last week.”
Her lips parted and her jaw dropped as she took a step toward the counter. “What?”
“I’ve still got the note and everything. Threw it right through the window of my kitchen while Audrey and I were eating lunch.”
“He did what?” she asked.
“Charlie’s a danger to you. Shoving everything else to the side for a second, whoever that man is? He isn’t a friend to you.”
“I know he’s not a friend to me. He’s a guy from high school who’s had an unrequited crush on me for years.”
“Well, he thinks he owns you.”
“No one owns me,” she said.
“Well he seems to think so. The note he attached to the brick told me to stay away from you unless I wanted something to happen to me.”
“Look, you must be mistaken. Charlie’s many things, but vandalism and threats are entirely different from petty pestering,” she said.
“Then come to my house and read the note.”
She barked a laugh devoid of any humor. “Do you think I’m dumb? I come to your house to see this note and you don’t let me leave. Is that it?” she asked.
“My only aim is to keep you and our child safe. I’d be doing that even if there wasn’t all this shit flying around our heads. Even if everything had worked out perfectly for us and none of this had ever transpired, I’d still take care of you and protect you because you’re carrying my child, and that makes you family. I do whatever it takes to protect my family. No matter the cost.”
My eyes hung on hers as she sank against the counter. I strode over to her and gathered her in my arms. She slumped into me like her body was so tired and about to give out while she stood there at her register. I smoothed my fingers through her hair as she sighed heavily into my chest, and I felt the last of her reservations spill from her body.
“I’m still upset with you,” she said.
“I completely understand.”
“This doesn't change the fact that I need time to process.”
“I know. You’ll have your own bedroom and bathroom, and you can run your own schedule.”
“Charlie really threw a brick through your window?” she asked. She tilted her head back and I resisted every single urge to press my lips against hers.
“He did,” I said. “He’s very upset and his behavior is escalating to a point that scared my daughter, Heather. This wasn’t a harmless threat. He came close to hitting her.”
She shook her head as she found her strength and stepped away from my arms.
“I can’t believe he did that. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t feel bad. It’s not your fault,” I said. “I’d punch him in his teeth if he were here.”
“I don’t doubt it for a second,” I said with a grin.
“I take it you want me to come with you now?”
“Or I can stick around the shop until you close up.”
“Where’s Reb—Audrey?” she asked.
“I dropped her off temporarily at school. It’s not ideal, but I needed to see you. To talk to you and try to get you to see my side of things.”
“I don’t see your side of things at all right now, but I do believe you when you say you’ll protect me. You did that for your brother.”
“Not quickly enough.”
“Don’t do that to yourself,” she said.
I closed my eyes to keep my emotions at bay and felt a warmth encompass my cheek. I opened my eyes and found that Heather had placed her hand against my skin. Her eyes danced between mine before her fingertips slid up my face, massaging the worried wrinkles out of my furrowed brow.
“Once this is all over, if you want to leave, I won’t stop you. I’ll still help you with the baby. I’ll still pay for your medical expenses. I’ll still do all of it, Heather, but I can’t do any of that if you’re not safe.”
“I know,” she said. “Which is why I’m about to close up my shop.”
Relief rushed through my body like a raging summer storm.
“I’ll need to pack up some of my things to take with me from my place,” she said. “But if you want to go pick up Audrey and come back around for me, that’s fine. My place is within walking distance from here.”
“I’ll drop you off and then go get her.”
“That’s fine, too. It won’t take me long to pack. Should we file a police report for what Charlie did?”
I stepped out from behind her counter as she started closing up her shop. A report wasn’t smart, and I had no intention of doing it. I had no idea where the Mafia had their fingers stuck. For all I knew, the second I filed a police report and someone in that department saw my face, they’d know exactly where I was. Because I didn’t know what I was working with, avoiding people who could be compromised at all costs was imperative.
The only two people I could trust were Heather and Hudson.
“It’s better to keep a low profile for now like Hudson told me to. We tackle one thing at a time. Right now, all Charlie has become is an angry man who wants something he can’t have. I can deal with a toddler throwing a tantrum. I raise one some days.”
Heather’s giggle filled her bakery, and for a second, everything settled into place. The world was right, and she seemed happy and things between us were okay.
If I could still make her laugh, there was still a chance we could work this out.
CHAPTER 20
HEATHER
My hunger woke me up at one in the morning. I’d spent the past three hours dreaming of pizza, and I knew I wouldn’t get to sleep until I had some. It was crazy how my body switched from not wanting any food to wanting a very particular set of foods. I didn’t think the cravings would come until my second trimester, but every pregnancy was different. It seemed mine was determined to
keep me on my toes.
Like the little one’s father.
I shook my head at the thought and continued rummaging around. When I shut the fridge, a dark shadow caught my eye. I jumped, listening as everything I gathered fell to the floor. The light came on, and Cameron stood there, shirtless and mussed from his sleep.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
My eyes trailed down his body, down the lines of his defined muscles. I traced the rings of his abs with my stare before taking in the lines that disappeared beyond his flannel pants. Heat pooled in my toes. It trickled up the backs of my thighs and made my nipples pucker. He bent down and picked up everything off the floor, and I watched the show in front of me. His back muscles rippled with his movements, and his arms flexed. He gathered everything into them before pouring the contents onto the kitchen island.
“Hungry for pizza?” His rumbling voice ripped me from my trance.
“I kept dreaming about it,” I said.
“Then, let’s get you a pizza made. Go sit down. I can throw one together quickly that’ll be better than what you’ve got here.”
“Are you mocking my tortilla pizza?” I tried not to smile. After all, I was supposed to be angry with him, though being around him more made that more difficult by the hour.
“Maybe a little bit. Go sit. Give me thirty minutes.”
I walked out of the kitchen, but my eyes trailed back behind me. I craned my neck to keep him in view before I sat at the table. He moved around the kitchen like a professional, chopping up vegetables and slicing meat like it had been his job at one point.
It struck me then that I had no idea what his job was or had been. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“You said you threw your time and energy into building a company.”
I watched his shoulders tense before he continued throwing together my pizza. “I did.”
“What kind of company did you build?”
“Real estate,” he said. “It’s always been my passion. I got my real estate license but went to school for business.”
“So you owned your own company.” It made sense. He must’ve had an extremely successful one to offer me millions for surrogacy services. Something in me relaxed. It seemed I’d had some worry in the back of my mind somewhere about where he’d earned so much money, considering his ties to organized crime. Though the cabin was huge and richly appointed, it had seemed strange for someone that wealthy to do seemingly nothing in the middle of nowhere. I could admit the agency background check process had lulled me into a sense of security that might not have been reliable, especially given Cameron had successfully snuck an alter ego past those checks.
