Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“Of course, dude,” Gannon said. “Go talk to your wife. Take your time.”
I hit my brother on the side of his arm. “Thanks, Gannon, for keeping our heads in the right place.”
Braxton smiled, but I could tell he still wanted to pay a visit to Jack. I’d leave that up to him, but I wouldn’t have any part in it. Gannon was right. I needed to focus on Sutton. Now more than ever.
“I’m going to head on back,” I said. “I’ll come out and let you guys know when you can see her.”
Gannon nodded and motioned for Braxton to follow him, and they headed back toward the waiting room.
Drawing in a deep breath, I returned to Sutton’s room. When I opened the door, she looked over at me sleepily and smiled.
“Hey, you’re awake,” I said, moving toward her. “How do you feel?”
She gifted me with a soft smile. “I feel better. Whatever they gave me is taking the headache away. Thank goodness.”
I sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand in mine. “Do you want anything? Are you hungry or thirsty?”
“Maybe something to drink. A chocolate milkshake?”
Laughing, I lifted her hand to my mouth and kissed the back of it. “You’re craving a milkshake, huh?”
She nodded. “Oh, a cheeseburger sounds good, too, if you don’t mind.”
I pulled out my phone and sent Braxton a text asking if he could go get Sutton what she wanted. “Mind if I slide in next to you and hold you?”
Sutton scooted over some, and I lay down next to her. She reached for my hand, and we laced our fingers together.
“I’m so sorry this happened,” she said softly, resting her head on my chest.
“Sutton, none of this was your fault. I just wish we’d known for sure that he was still in town.”
“I don’t even know how this could’ve happened.”
I ran my thumb over her hand as I cleared my throat. “Earlier this afternoon, someone stole my phone. Turns out it was Jack. He pretended to be me and texted you. You replied, telling him you were going to the spa. I’m not sure if he already knew, or just got there before you did. There’s a back door, and we assume that’s how he got in. He snuck into the locker room and waited for you.”
She frowned. “Yes…I remember walking into the locker room and going over to a locker. Someone grabbed me from behind. I tried to fight them off, but they put something over my mouth, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in the fishing hut. I saw Jack sitting there at the table. He had a gun…and then I heard the doors crash open and saw you and Braxton. I don’t really remember much after that.”
I kissed the top of her head. “That about sums it up. The police are pretty sure Jack is the one who started the fire at the beach house. We were able to find video from some security cameras that show him walking away from the property after it was set on fire.”
She covered her mouth with her hand. “Why would he do that? And why would he take me?”
I shook my head. “That part, I don’t know.”
“And why bring me to the fishing hut?”
That bothered me as well. It was as if Jack knew about Sutton being there with me in the past. “Sutton, did you ever tell Jack about us? About our night at the fishing hut?”
She shook her head, then quickly stopped. “Okay, so my headache isn’t all the way gone.”
I held her closer. “He didn’t touch you though, right?”
“No. I do remember him saying something in the locker room about he just wanted to talk. I have no idea what he really wanted.”
“Considering he’ll be charged with arson and kidnapping, I don’t think Jack is going to be a problem for you any longer.” She looked up at me, and I could see the worry in her eyes. “I swear to you, Sutton. As God is my witness, he will never be able to hurt you again. Never.”
Snuggling into my chest, she sighed. “I believe you.”
“There is something we do need to talk about though, sweetheart.” My heart started to beat faster in my chest as I prepared to tell her what I’d learned earlier.
“You sound serious. Is everything okay?” Sutton pulled back and looked up at me.
Smiling, I leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “While you were still sleeping, the doctor came in to talk to me. They ran some tests just to make sure you were okay.”
Sutton’s brows slowly drew down, and her expression turned to one of worry. “Is everything all right? Did they find something wrong?”
“No, they didn’t find anything wrong. Just the opposite. I guess one of the things they checked for were hormones—pregnancy hormones.”