Page 29 of Prairie Nights

“You’re welcome.” she replied, happily.

“Now I want you to open yours,” he said, gesturing to the box in her hand. “It is not nearly as generous as your gift, but I hope you like it.”

Whitney looked down, untied the bow at the top of the box, and lifted the lid. She gasped in surprise. “Oh, Hayden, it’s exquisite.” She lifted his gift out of the box. Inside was a wooden box, carved intricately with a large star in the middle and bursts in the corners. The sides were carved as well, with stars in a unique pattern. She ran her hand over it, feeling the smoothness of the wood and the details carved into each star. The design was stunning.

“Did you make this?” she asked, searching his eyes.

“I did. I wanted to give you something handmade from me, to remind you of the night I told you I loved you,” he confessed sweetly.

Her heart leaped out of her chest at his words, and tears filled her eyes.

“It’s a treasure box,” he explained, motioning for her to open it. “I figured you could put memories in there. It can be trinkets, photos, whatever you want,” he continued. “I also put a message in there for you.” He pointed to a wooden plaque inside the lid that said. “Because I love you. Hays.”

She looked up at him, meeting his gaze, blinking through the tears now spilling over onto her cheeks.

“Do you not like it?” he asked, his brows knit together in question.

She nodded her head vigorously and swiped at the wetness on her cheeks with her hand. “I love it, Hayden. It is the most beautiful gift anyone has ever given me.”

He breathed out in relief and smiled at her lovingly, his eyes full of raw emotion.

She set down the box and climbed into his lap, straddling his hips, and took his face into her hands. “You are the best gift I could ever ask for,” she professed, then kissed him passionately, washing away any lingering doubt she had left.

Hayden Hastings was her forever.

CHAPTER 11

The new year passed with Hayden and Whitney riding the bliss of their new life together. Whitney, having gained several new clients, was working from home on her laptop. Her phone buzzed with a text. Thinking it was Hayden, she picked it up, a smile on her face. Her smile quickly disappeared.

"Where are you, Whitney? Bitch, are you with him? I know you’re with someone new. Slut. Always screwing around on me. You belong to me. Don’t you know you have always been mine? No one else can love you like I love you."

Whitney read the text again, her face turning pale, her stomach falling to the floor. Feeling her lunch coming up, she scrambled to the sink and threw up, her body retching painfully as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the sink. Running the water, she washed away all evidence of her sickness and reached for a paper towel to wipe her mouth. How can Paul still affect me this way?

Since her move to Primrose, she hadn’t so much as heard a peep from Paul. And now this. Her head started to ache, and she walked over to the couch and sunk into the cushions. Closing her eyes, she tried to ward off the anxiety attack, which was rapidly building inside her. Does Paul know about Hayden? If so, how does he know? All my social media is private, only friends can see my posts. Perhaps I need to double check my settings. A mental checklist rapid firing in her mind.

Just then, her phone rang, startling her and causing her to drop it onto the cushion next to her. Recognizing the number as the property manager for her apartment building in Toronto, she answered it.

“Hi James! How are you?” she greeted, trying to steady her building anxiety.

“I’m fine, but I’m so sorry to tell you that your apartment was broken into last night.”

“What?” Whitney asked in disbelief as she rose from the couch and started pacing, her stomach aching painfully again.

“Yeah, one of your neighbours noticed your door unlatched this morning. It was scraped up, looking like it was pried open. She reported it to me, and I called the police. They’re up there right now. Are you at work right now? Were you gone over the holidays? I haven’t seen you around the apartment for a while.”

“I’ve been in Manitoba for the past two months,” Whitney answered.

“Oh, that explains it. Whitney, this is a secure building, so I have no idea how someone could just break in. I’m going to go through the surveillance cameras with the police.”

“Okay, I will fly out as soon as I can.”

“It’s not good Whitney, the apartment is trashed,” he answered with sincere sadness in his voice. “Let me know when you’re coming.”

Whitney hung up the phone and stood there, holding it in shock. First the text, then the call about her apartment. Without question, Paul had something to do with the break in. She felt it in her gut. She needed to get to Toronto as soon as possible. With shaking hands, she dialed Hayden’s number at work.

“Hastings Hardware.”

“Hayden?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion. “It’s Whitney. I need to fly to Toronto. Something bad has happened.”

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