Once I’ve showered and changed, I walk into the living room to ask Magnolia what movie she picked. When I approach her on the couch, she’s hardly breathing and is pale as a ghost.
“Hey, you alright?”
She doesn’t move or speak for several seconds.
“Sunny?” I sit on the edge of the coffee table and cage her in with my legs. “What’s wrong?”
Finally, she blinks and looks at me. “Travis just called and said he’s in jail.”
My brows shoot to my hairline and my spine straightens. “What’re you talkin’ about?”
She goes on to explain what he said, talking about some guy named Emilio and how he needs fifty thousand dollars to pay him off. Describes how he knows she’s pregnant and basically how we’re all in danger if we don’t find a way to get this guy his money.
“Travis wasn’t arrested,” I tell her once she finishes.
After he was named a suspect, I asked the deputies to let me know as soon as he was found since Magnolia’s apartment was one of the targets. He’s been in hiding for months, and I figured he was long gone or hoped he was dead.
She tilts her head, narrowing her eyes at me with confusion. “Whaddya mean? I got a call from the county jail. That’s what the operator said. I heard a warning beep about five minutes in and the call ended thirty seconds later.”
“I mean, he’s still missing. They haven’t arrested him.”
“How can you be so sure? He said they brought him in last night.”
I pull out my phone from my pocket and call the sheriff’s office. The dispatcher immediately puts me through to Sheriff Wagner.
“What can I do for you, Tripp?”
I put him on speaker so Magnolia can hear.
“Did you arrest Travis Boone last night?”
“No, son. I told you when I had him in custody, I’d tell ya.”
I give Magnolia a pointed look.
“Travis called Magnolia just a few minutes ago claimin’ he was, and the operator said the call came from Sugarland Creek jail.”
He chuckles, and my irritation level ramps up.
“Wendy, did you send a call to Magnolia Sutherland tonight?” he calls out to his dispatcher.
“No, sir.”
“Sounds like he faked it. Probably had someone pretend to be the operator or downloaded one of those voice talkin’ apps you kids use on your phones. Either way, he’s still on our wanted list. If we had him, the news woulda spread all over town by now.”
“That’s what I figured. Thanks for confirming.”
“What’d he want?” he asks.
I explain everything Magnolia told me and by the time I’ve finished, the sheriff’s cussing up a storm.
“He’s pretendin’ to be in jail so she’ll give him money to pay off his bookie?” he confirms.
“That’s what I’m assuming. A few months back, there was a guy matchin’ his description who showed up at her coffee trailer in a blacked-out Denali, and it was obvious he wasn’t from the area. Travis is also claimin’ it was this guy who broke into Magnolia’s apartment and not him—to give him some kind of warning that he’d go after her if he didn’t pay up. But he fessed up to the other robberies.”
“Give me his details, and I’ll add him to our watch list.”
Magnolia shares it with him, and I have to physically stop myself from digging my nails into my palms at how angry I am at Travis and the possible danger he’s put her in.
“Alright, got it. What’s the number he called you from?”
Magnolia pulls up the contact and rattles it off.
“That’s a Florida area code,” Sheriff Wagner tells us.
“He’s probably using a burner phone,” I say.
“Most definitely, but it gives me a location to start with to send out his wanted profile. If he’s hiding and has limited funds, he’s probably stayin’ with someone or at the very least, somewhere cheap. Someone might recognize him down there. I can also cross-reference similar crimes from that area when I speak to their department. I’d be surprised if he’s still around here with everyone lookin’ for him.”
“That’s somewhat of a relief to think he’s not even in the state,” Magnolia says and adds, “How do I get a restraining order against him so if he comes near me, I can get him arrested for that, too?”
“You’ll have to come in and fill out some paperwork for a temp order, but it shouldn’t be difficult to get it filed,” he explains. “But if he’s found, he’ll get arrested either way, sweetheart.”
“I know. I just want some legal order of protection if he thinks I’m gonna help him or that he’ll be safe comin’ to me.”
“We’ll stop in first thing tomorrow,” I tell him.
No way I’m letting Magnolia out of my sight now.
“I’d still be on alert in case he does come around here or if this Emilio guy resurfaces. Don’t let your guards down,” he says.
“Don’t worry, I’m keepin’ an eye on her.”
“Alright, kids. See ya in the mornin’.”
We say goodbye, and then I wrap her in my arms because she’s visibly shaking.
“Sunny, it’s gonna be okay. You know I won’t let that fucker put a finger on you.”
“And what ’bout you? They could come after your family, too.”
He chokes out a laugh. “I’d like to see ‘em try.”
“I’m so pissed I bought his bullshit so easily. What the fuck is wrong with me? After all these years, I should know he’s a goddamn liar.”
“You couldn’t have known with how he made it seem real.” I soothe a hand down her back as she angry cries.
“How am I gonna work without constantly lookin’ over my shoulder? I can’t not work. My taser and pepper spray aren’t gonna be much help if the guy has a gun.”
“I’m gonna come with you every day.”
She pulls back, wiping her cheeks. “How’re you gonna do that when you have a job?”
“You only work till three, right? I’ll get Landen or Waylon to cover for me during the day, and then I’ll make sure you’re with someone at all times while I do cabin call and catch up in the evening. You can hang out with Landen or Noah.”
“You can’t stay with me at my trailer for seven hours and then go work for another however many. When will you sleep?”
“I work till nine or ten and then go to bed.”
Her head falls back on the couch with a groan. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t made him think there was a chance of us gettin’ back together, I wouldn’t even be on Emilio’s radar.”
“That’s if Emilio is actually involved in this. Travis could be using him as an excuse to get money out of you or me.”
“I dunno…he creeped me out when he showed up. He said my name in a provocative way, and the whole encounter was very odd. I think Travis could be exaggerating about him going after you for the sake of scaring me into gettin’ him that money. But there’s just so much that doesn’t add up…” She rubs her temples. “For all we know, Emilio could be leadin’ this whole scam and forced Travis to tell me this story or throw me under the bus with him. Fuck, I dunno. There’s a million scenarios running through my brain, and I can’t keep up.”
I grab her chin and tilt it up until she meets my gaze. “Whatever the situation ends up being, if it comes down to it—protecting you and the baby or giving this guy fifty thousand—I’d pay up in a heartbeat.”
She pulls back abruptly. “You can’t. That’s way too much.”
“Not when it comes to your life, Sunny.”
“What if it’s just Travis’s way of scamming you out of the money and he doesn’t even owe this guy? Or he already paid him off and he wants the cash to run off for good?”
I shrug. “Still safer to just give him what he wants. I’d pay double if it meant he left for good.”
The look on her face has me wishing I could freely kiss the sadness away.
She snarls. “I hate him so much. And I know I shouldn’t wish ill will or death on someone, but if he is in Florida, I hope an alligator eats him.”
I snort out a laugh. “Out of all the ways to die that’s what you’d pick?”
“Why not? Sounds horrifying.”
“True.”
After a beat of silence, she sits up. “Do you think I need to be worried about my dad? He didn’t mention him, but I wouldn’t put it past him to threaten him next.”
“Yeah, you should probably tell him just so he knows. The more people are aware, the better so they’re not blindsided.”
She nods.
After we go to the sheriff’s office, I’ll update my parents on what’s going on and then grab my handgun from their safe while I’m at their house.
“Well, what’re you hungry for?” I ask, hoping we can end the night on a better note.
“Don’t laugh.” She looks up at me through her eyelashes, a hint of pink on her cheeks.
“Okay?”
“I’m cravin’ mac ’n’ cheese and two hotdogs. Like the Kraft kind.” She purses her lips, then adds, “Well, the baby is.”
I smirk at how cute she looks flustered over boxed pasta. Considering I have plenty in the pantry, she has nothing to be embarrassed about.
“Your secret’s safe with me.” I wink. “Just don’t tell Gramma Grace or she’ll be in here teachin’ you the family recipe.”
“She could stand next to me, hand me the ingredients all measured out, and never take her eyes off me, and I’d still manage to mess it up. It’s a miracle I can bake boxed muffins.”
I laugh at her dramatics, and each time she says something so oddly specific like this, I fall even harder for her.
“Did you decide on a movie?” I ask once I’m in the kitchen.
“The Last Song. It looks like one of those cute young teenage romances.”
I quickly revert back to the living room and swipe the remote. “Were you sheltered as a child? You cannot watch that.”
“Why the hell not?” She furrows her brows, reaching up to steal it back. “I like Miley.”
“It’s based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. You know, the author of The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, The Best of Me.” I arch a brow, hoping she’ll understand what I’m implying.
No happy endings.
“Oh.” Her expression drops. “Someone dies in this one?”
“Yeah.” I turn toward the TV. “Here, I’ll pick something.”
“Disney Plus?” She groans when I scroll through the ‘family-friendly’ options.
“Here we go. A classic.”
She snorts. “The Parent Trap?”
I shrug. “What’s wrong with it? At least it has an HEA.”
She inches closer to the edge of the couch. “In what world do two parents break up and think, yeah, let’s just each take a child and split up twins, live on different continents, and never talk again or see our other kid. Or tell them they have a sibling.” She crosses her legs and folds her arms as she leans back on the couch, shooting me a look of disapproval.
Just when I think she’s done and I hit play, she continues.
“And for eleven freakin’ years! The staff knew everything, which makes it worse. Then, you’re tellin’ me all it takes to get ‘em back together is a boat dinner date? You hated your ex so much you left one of your children presumably for the rest of their life, and all it would’ve taken to put your family back together is one conversation!”
She’s having a full-on meltdown at this point, and I’m not sure if I should laugh or be scared at how passionate she is about this.
“You’re aware you’re analyzin’ a Disney movie when you read alien and monster smut?”
“You don’t read those for the plot…or logic. Those are meant to be fun!”
I chuckle, clicking the remote again. “We’re never gonna find a movie at this rate.”
After going back and forth for ten minutes, we finally agree on something safe—one where she won’t cry from devastation or send her off into a script rant. Then once our food is done, I stir the cut-up hotdogs into the pasta and serve it in a bowl, per her request, and we sit next to each other on the couch.
Every time we’re this close, the urge to pull her in and kiss her is so strong, I have to constantly remind myself not to cross the line. In order to get back together, she’s going to have to make the first move. The ball’s in her court, and I stay a sitting duck until she realizes we belong together.
I’ll wait for as long as I have to. Until she drops her guard and lets me back in.
It’s not until the last ten minutes of Erin Brockovich that Magnolia loses her battle with trying not to cry. But this time it’s tears of happiness.
“Oh my gosh…” She grabs my arm and leans against it as we watch one of the final scenes. “Imagine your life being changed so drastically overnight and makin’ a huge difference to hundreds of families’ lives.”
“I forgot how good this one was,” I admit when Erin’s boss drops off a two-million-dollar check on her desk. “Hadn’t seen it in years.”
“I love how independent and strong she is for her three kids. She made mistakes along the way, but she didn’t let it hold her back. She demanded respect, and it paid off.”
“And she had a full career after that,” I say.
“Do you think she and George stayed together?” She gazes up at me with hope in her brown eyes.
I already know they didn’t based on what I remember seeing years ago, but I’m not about to break her heart when she gives me that look.
“Definitely.” I grin.
She smiles, then yawns. “I think I’m gonna try to go to sleep.”
After the night we’ve had, I don’t blame her. “Me too.”
I grab our dishes and bring them to the sink. When I turn slightly to open the dishwasher, I bump into her stomach and quickly wrap an arm around her waist to hold her in place. “Shit, sorry.”
“It’s my fault. I didn’t know you were gonna turn around.” She licks her lips as she studies mine. “I was just gonna ask if you needed any help in here.”
“No, don’t worry about it. Gonna finish rinsin’ these, then wipe down the counters, and I’ll be done. Go ahead and get ready for bed. We have a busy day tomorrow,” I remind her.
She nods and then gives me a side hug. “Okay, night. See ya in the mornin’.”
Before she walks away, I press a kiss on her forehead and keep my hold on her for a split second longer than I should. “Sweet dreams, Sunny.”
As I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind races with every negative thought involving Travis and how he’s capable of hurting Magnolia. I don’t know what he’s up to or what the truth of the situation is, but I’d take a thousand knives to the chest before letting him get to her again.
After tossing and turning for an hour, a soft knock on my bedroom door grabs my attention.
“Come in,” I say, pushing myself up against the headboard.
“Hey, are you awake?” Magnolia asks quietly.
“Yeah. Can’t sleep.”
“Me neither.” She steps in and stares at the sunflower tattoo on my chest. “I’m too anxious.”
Same. “You wanna lie with me for a bit?”
She plays with the hem on my T-shirt that she wears every night. It slides up her bare legs, revealing her white panties and little baby bump. I don’t think she even realizes she’s doing it, but I’ve noticed it’s one of her nervous habits.
“Would that be too weird for you?” she asks.
I scoot over, pulling the blankets back. “Nope, get in here.”
She smiles and crawls in next to me, lying on her side away from me. Once she’s situated, I cover us up and snuggle in next to her.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” I ask. “Maybe it’ll help you feel better.”
“Not really.”
“Okay. Lemme know if you change your mind.” I stay on my back, but we’re close enough to share each other’s body heat.
Fifteen minutes of silence pass between us before her breath hitches and she gasps. “Oh my gosh, the baby kicked really hard. Gimme your hand.”
Rolling toward her, I circle my arm around her waist, and she puts it on her stomach. “Hold on. She’s really active at night.”
“She?” I ask.
Her shoulder lifts. “It feels like a girl.”
I smile at that. A moment later, a little nudge pushes against my palm.
“Did you—”
“Yep. Wow, that’s incredible. A little boxer in your belly.”
She giggles. “No kiddin’. I’ve felt little flutters all week, but this is the first big one.”
Instead of releasing my hold on her, I lean up on my elbow and stay put.
And she doesn’t take her hand off mine either.
“Do you remember that girl name you suggested a while ago before I even knew I was pregnant?” she asks after a few minutes of silence.
“Belladonna?” I tease.
She elbows my chest with a laugh. “Willow. If it’s a girl, that’s what I think I’m gonna name her.”
“It’s a beautiful name.”
“And if it’s a boy, Finn.”
My mouth dips to her shoulder, and I instinctively press a kiss there. “After your dad. He’ll be so honored.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
“But now you know what that means? If you do have a girl, you’ll have to try for a boy so you use that name.”
“You think I’m poppin’ out more than one of these? My vagina’s already been violated by the wand mammoth, and once the baby comes out, it’ll never be the same.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” I argue. “Want me to check?”
“Tripp!” She bursts out laughing, and I do too.
“From a friend to a friend, ya know? Just a little friendly favor.”
“Oh, sure. In that instance, I could ask Landen.”
I tighten my hold, inching closer to her ear. “Landen’s already heard you screamin’ my name through the ceiling and knows if he goes anywhere near your pussy, he’s a dead man. You wanna be responsible for his murder?”
“That seems quite extreme for a friendly medical exam,” she retorts.
“Then I wouldn’t push for it, Sunny.”
I imagine her rolling her eyes at me, but when she doesn’t push me away, I stay snuggled up behind her with my hand on her belly and close my eyes.
Dreaming of the day I get to openly claim her as mine again.
