Page 29 of An Unexpected Home

When she’d first mentioned him, he’d gotten a little jealous, which was of course ridiculous because they weren’t together. Then when he spoke to Detective John Simmons and he realized he was a fifty-eight-year-old married father of two, his jealousy became even more ridiculous.

Detective Simmons had been quite helpful though. Giving him info on the Huntington family and also going to Leah’s previous apartment to talk to the landlord. He found out a man fitting Will’s description had gone by the apartment a couple days before she moved trying to get Leah’s new address. But the landlord didn’t give it to him.

The only way that Brandon could figure out how he knew she was coming there, is that he followed her. That made the most sense especially since the broken window occurred right around the time she would have driven through.

He wasn’t sure what this guy’s plan was but he knew he didn’t like it. While his record was clean as a whistle, the guy seemed to have anger issues. Simmons mentioned that there were several times during the course of the investigation and trial that Will Huntington had lashed out at the media and lawyers. And after his mom killed herself, he went public with it being Leah’s dad’s and uncle’s fault.

He wasn’t sure how Leah had missed hearing about it, but if he had to guess, she had probably stopped watching television and reading newspapers.

Deciding he had done all he could until Huntington showed his face, he made the decision to leave for the day. It was only three o’clock but he hadn’t slept for more than four hours since Logan had shown him the pictures. He needed sleep and he needed it now.

Choosing to walk home rather than getting behind the wheel in his exhausted state, he turned right out of the station. His house was a full mile away from the center of town and sat right on the lake. He’d spent years, seven to be exact, designing and building it. It had been the one thing he’d always wanted and he loved it.

And sure, his family thought he was crazy for building a four-bedroom house when it was just him. Hell, sometimes he’d even thought he was crazy. But now it was all starting to make sense to him.

He hadn’t known it seven years ago or even two weeks ago, but he’d built the house for Leah. And yeah, he knew that sounded crazier than building a huge house, but deep down, he knew it was true.

His feelings for her had gone beyond lust. Did he still want her? God yeah. But it was more. Bigger. He wanted to care for her and console her and listen to her laugh. Fuck, her laugh went straight to his dick and made him hard.

He could picture her, puttering around outside the house and sitting on the dock, dangling her feet in the lake, and she hadn’t even been to his house yet.

But he knew deep down in the same place that he knew he’d never leave this town, and where he knew being a cop was his calling, that she was it for him.

She was his version of home.

Now he just had to find a way to convince her of that while at the same time keeping her safe from what appeared to be a madman.

Turning the corner, his house came into view. He had no idea if Leah would even like it, or for that matter, if she even wanted or planned to stay in Cedarville. That was another thing he would have to deal with down the line.

Entering his house, he bypassed his living room and went straight to his bedroom, stripping off his shirt as he walked. The minute he was horizontal, he knew he’d be out cold. Taking his gun from his holster, he set it in his lockbox that was inside his nightstand. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he plugged it in and made sure it was on before finally laying down.

Once his eyes closed, he was out.

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Startled awake by a loud banging, his instincts had him shooting out of bed. It took him a second to realize it was someone pounding on his front door.

He quickly checked his phone to make sure he hadn’t slept through an important call from the station.

Nothing.

That meant that whoever was at his door, had nothing to do with work.

He was still half out of it when he opened his door and, for a second, he thought he was having deja vu. In front of him stood Leah.

“Oh.” Her eyes widened and she stared at his naked torso. That was the moment he knew this wasn’t a dream.

“Leah,” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

She licked her lips and slowly lifted her eyes to his face. “You never called. All week. I didn’t hear from you.”

“There was no new information.”

“Not about the case. Just,” she paused. “Just you. You. Never. Called.”

His brain was finally beginning to register what she was saying. “Did you want me to call?”

She bit her bottom lip. “I didn't NOT want you to call.”

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