Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89758 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
The knock on the door, however, kept me from falling apart. Tonight was not the time to let Cullen answer the door. I had no idea who might be on the other side. There was the fear that Tory might owe someone also haunting me. The fact that Cullen could be in any path of danger terrified me more than anything else.
I stopped in the kitchen on my way to the door and glanced at the block of knives by the stove. Should I take the big one with me? Had our life really come to this?
“Someone knocked on the door,” Cullen said from his spot on the sofa.
I jerked my gaze off the knives and looked at him, hoping the panic inside me didn’t reflect in my eyes. “I heard it, honey. Just watch your show. I’ll handle it.”
I put 911 in my phone and had my finger hover above the Call button. Then, I walked to the door to slightly pull back the curtain covering the window beside it and peeked out. The first thing I saw was Rio’s profile. I paused, unsure if I was willing to deal with him tonight, but I was relieved I wasn’t about to get held up at gunpoint. Then, I noticed the figure beside him. It was Henley. With a sigh, I cleared my phone, so I didn’t accidentally call for help, then put it in my pocket.
As much as I didn’t want to see Rio or ever talk to him again, he wasn’t someone I feared. We would be safe while he and Henley were here. Or at least, we wouldn’t be alone. There was an ease that came with that knowledge, and right now, I needed some peace of mind, if just for a moment.
I opened the door and stepped back. “Come in,” I said, glancing behind them, suddenly thinking how it could be dangerous for them to be here and they didn’t realize it.
Henley walked inside first, and then Rio followed. His gaze immediately went to Cullen, who was on the sofa, looking at them with a curious expression. I closed the door and bolted it behind them.
“Hello,” I finally said in greeting now that everyone was inside and safe.
Henley hesitated a minute, and then she moved quickly and threw her arms around me, hugging me. “I am so sorry,” she said.
I wasn’t good with affection of any kind. I had experienced very little, if any, in my lifetime. Feeling awkward, I patted her back and stared up at Rio, who was now looking at me, amused. He seemed to know how out of place I felt.
“Uh, thanks,” I replied, not sure what else one could say.
Henley pulled back but held on to my arms. “I want to help. Whatever I can do. Watch Cullen while you work. He can come to the shop if you need to work days or stay at my house, and we can have a sleepover and bake things the nights you work. I want to help.”
I was at a loss for words. I couldn’t think of one time in my adult life that someone had offered to help me—or us. Not once. I had always had to figure things out and make it work. There was never someone I could call up for help. I barely knew this girl, and here she was, offering to do something as big as keeping Cullen while I worked.
Where had she come from? Were there more people like her in the world, or was she unique?
My gaze shifted to Rio, and the memory of him showing up at my aunt’s countless times to help me clean and do the chores she’d left for me came back to me. I quickly pushed them away, far back in my thoughts. That was a time when he had been different. I didn’t need to get that Rio confused with this one.
“I-I, uh … I don’t know what to s-s-s-say.” I stuttered on the last word, unable to control my speech with so much emotion whirling around inside me. I wanted to say so much more, but I was afraid I would stammer over every word, making it impossible to get a sentence out.
“Can we bake cupcakes?” Cullen’s small voice asked, and he was there beside me then. Reaching up and taking my hand.
Henley bent down in front of him. “Absolutely. We can make cupcakes, cookies, doughnuts, whatever you want. I also have another little friend who likes to come over and bake. I think you would like her. She’s about your age,” she told him.
Cullen thought about that for a moment. He had never had a friend come over from preschool, nor had he been invited to anyone’s house. The idea of having someone his age to play with would either be exciting or intimidating to him.