Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 24016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
“Okay” is all I say back before Roy ends the call.
Maybe it’s nothing or maybe it’s not. Either way, I know I’ve got to protect these two precious souls.
CHAPTER 15
NYAH
I can tell something is wrong when Fraser gives me a smile that doesn’t meet his eyes. The tension in his body is visible, and all of a sudden, his mood has shifted. He shoves his phone into his pocket, and I want to ask him about it, but I don’t. We promised Mina we’d watch a movie once she was done with her bath. Maybe I can steal him away for a few minutes because I’ll never make it through a whole movie if I don’t figure out what’s going on.
“Why don’t you go get comfy,” I say and put Mina down.
“I pick somethin’ out?” she asks, and it’s followed by a yawn. With all the fun and excitement, there wasn’t time to nap today. I have a feeling she might nod off early.
“Yeah, let me pull it up for you.” Fraser grabs the remote, then a screen full of Christmas movies pops up.
“When is Christmas?” Mina takes the remote from him then climbs up on the sofa.
“Two more sleeps,” I tell her.
“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.” Fraser leans down to pull the blanket over her lap. “You can scroll through them with this button back and forth.” He shows her on the remote, but she’s already got the hang of it.
“We make cookies tomorrow for Santa?” she asks.
“We can.” I nod, and Fraser agrees.
“That sounds like fun.” Fraser runs his hand through her hair and pushes one of her curls out of her face. While I watch, a smile tugs at my lips. It’s a small thing, but it’s sweet how quickly the two of them are growing close.
I can’t lose this. I’m not sure my heart could bear it. This isn’t something I only want for myself but Mina too. Today was a glimpse into the life we could have. We got to see what it’s like to have a normal happy family that all loves each other.
“Can AJ make them with us?” She hasn’t stopped talking about him since he left. The two of them were adorable together, and AJ followed her everywhere. No matter how many snowballs she threw his way, he never threw one back. To be fair, it’s not like Mina ever hit her target.
“I’ll ask my mom,” Fraser tells her.
“Grandma,” Mina corrects him, making Fraser chuckle.
“I’ll make some popcorn. Will you help me, Fraser?” I ask, wanting to steal him away while Mina is distracted with picking a movie.
“Yeah.” He follows me into the kitchen, and as soon as we’re there, I turn to him.
“What’s wrong?” I glance over toward the living room to make sure Mina isn’t listening to us.
“Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Fraser,” I sigh and then place my hands on his chest. “Please.”
“I don’t want to get you worked up over something that might be nothing.”
“So it is about him.” The chill from the snow I washed away in the shower starts to return. Only this one can’t be rinsed off. Fraser holds me close and pulls me into the heat of his body. I bury my face in his chest, and it somehow manages to take away the cold. He’s always so damn warm that I melt into him anytime he’s close.
“Someone was asking about buying your car. It could be nothing or it could be something,” he finally tells me and then shrugs.
“It’s him.” I drop my head back to look up at Fraser. “How did he find me? I thought I’d covered my tracks.”
“It’s not impossible to disappear, but it's not convenient either. All technology has to go.”
“I didn’t take my phone. I used cash to buy a crap one.”
“That doesn’t make it impossible, but...” He trails off, and I hear him mutter a curse under his breath.
“What?”
“Your car.”
“I didn’t use the security system or the navigation. I kept them off.” I thought maybe they could be tracked, so I wanted to play it safe.
“It doesn’t matter. The car company can still track it.”
Oh god. Then it has to be Cole.
“I have to get us out of here.” I try to wiggle from Fraser’s hold, but he only tightens his arms.
“It’s snowing out, and it’s already dark. It’s not safe for us to leave.”
“You’ve got that big truck. I could borrow it.”
“Do you really think that if I did let you leave here it would be without me?” I can tell he’s irritated at me even thinking of going on my own.
“You don’t understand. I’m not sure what he’s capable of.” My voice cracks, and Fraser’s jaw hardens.
“Do you know what I’m capable of?” A dark expression takes over his face, and I remember the night I woke up to him cleaning his guns.