Page 77 of Wicked Devotions

She drops down to the floor at my feet and rests her head on my lap. “It was scary, waking up to the sound of glass crashing. Then reading the threats and seeing Annie’s blanket.” She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. “I thought I was going to get to the stables and find her hurt or worse. I couldn’t face that after just getting her back.”

“Have you thought about moving her to a different facility? Because if this guy got close enough to get her blanket, he was close enough to hurt her. Or you. He could have been there at the same time as you.”

“I know. Where would I send her though? And I just started working at the stables. It’s so convenient.”

“I could look into places around here.” I run my fingers through her long, soft waves. “I’m not a good substitute for you, but I’d go give her treats as often as I could.”

“She’d probably bite you.”

“I think I can win her over.” We sit in silence for a moment, just soaking each other up.

“I’ve been trying to think of people it could be.” She sits back and looks up at me. “Do you think it could be someone close to Dad from church? Maybe a deacon or something?”

“Several of them did give creepy vibes. Have you gone to the police yet?”

“I think that Cillian is going to make a visit to the detectives that were on my dad’s case. Just to see if they think he could be behind any of it.”

“Is your mom getting the same types of letters and threats?”

“No. Cillian told Declan that hers aren’t nearly as bad as mine.”

“I think you need to tell the police at Trinity. Maybe they could at least drive past on patrol.”

“What good is that going to do?” Declan asks from the doorway.

Harper stands up quickly.

“More eyes on the house? Anything’s better than nothing.” I don’t understand his hesitation. “What happens if one of you isn’t there and she gets hurt?”

“One of us is always with her. The police driving past our house once a day isn’t going to do shit for her safety.”

“At least they’re trained.” I stand and close the distance between us. “If you care about her half as much as you claim to, you’d be doing everything possible to keep her safe.”

“Because you’re doing so much.” Declan steps up to me.

If we were to fight, I’d say we’re fairly evenly matched. I’m a few inches taller, but I doubt that’d give me much of an advantage. His injury sure as fuck does though. Before I can take another step Harper slides between us.

“We didn’t come here to fight. Plus, Banks has his first meet tomorrow. We’re not going to mess that up for him.” She pokes her finger in his chest. “Are we?”

“No,” he answers begrudgingly.

“Good.” She turns to me. “What do you want for dinner? Pasta?”

My chest warms, knowing she said that because she knows I like to carb load the night before meets, especially when I’m swimming endurance races like the fifteen hundred tomorrow. I don’t know what I did to deserve having her in my life, but I’m so grateful. I’ve been around so many of my teammates' girlfriends, and none of them even come close to being as thoughtful as Harper is. I just hope the other guys cherish her like I do.

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

HARPER

So many of my memories with Banks revolve around sitting in the stands of our high school aquatic center and watching him dominate every race. I could count on one hand the number of races he lost. It’s even better now, having Declan sitting beside me.

Once I finally got them to settle down last night, I think they actually enjoyed each other’s company. Their conversation stayed on sports for the most part with each of them talking about season expectations. I was actually really surprised when Declanmentioned being apprehensive about Emerson graduating and having to step up next year as a leader on the team. I would have thought that would be natural for him.

I wish I could hold Declan’s hand as I watch Banks step up on the starting block. He bends at the waist and crosses his arms back and forth quickly, one of his pre-race rituals. Before taking his mark, he looks over at me and points with an easy smile. This first race is just a four-hundred-meter freestyle. It’s more of a warmup for him than anything else.

He takes his mark, and as soon as the starting gun sounds, he’s diving into the water. Watching him swim never ceases to amaze me. His strokes are so smooth and powerful. He takes an early lead and is never truly challenged, winning this heat by over two seconds and moving into the finals for at least one event.

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