Page 7 of Johnathan

“Or scared.” Her mother pulled her into a hug.

“Or scared. You always have a place out there with us.”

“I’m going to be fine.” She stepped out of her mother’s hug. “I lived on my own in college. I’m just used to that now, you guys. It’s for the best. But I appreciate it.”

“I know you’re not a little kid anymore, sweetie, and the last six months have probably been hard on you, having to come back home after having your independence, but you never need to ask. The door is always open, little dove.”

“I know, Mom.”

“I expect you to call me if you need help.” Sam lowered the tailgate on his truck and hopped up, pushing her boxes towards the edge.

“What am I going to need help with? Emma told me they have a property manager. Anything that goes wrong here will be handled by them.”

Sam pulled a canister out of his pocket and handed it to her.

“What the hell is this for?”

“I’m the man of this family now, and as such, your safety falls to me.”

“Do you know how old you just sounded? Do you need me to fetch your walker? Maybe get you a cup of coffee to dip some cookies into so they don’t break your teeth.”

“Abby…”

“Sam, knock it off. I mean, I’ll take the pepper spray for when I run, but you really need to chill.”

“We almost lost you.”

“You’re being dramatic. I was fine. I am fine.”

“But you’re still healing. It hasn’t been that long since the attack, and how am I supposed to protect you if I’m all the way out at the ranch and you’re all the way here in town?”

“I’m ready. And you don’t have to protect me. Besides, when you help me carry all my stuff into the apartment, you’ll see all the security that’s in place. Seb and Emma had a system put in when she was going through everything, but even since agreeing to rent to me, they’ve put in more. There’s not a safer, or more secure, place for me to live. I promise. Now, grab that box and help me start hauling things upstairs.”

Two trips up and down the stairs was all it took for her things to find their way into her apartment.Her apartment.God, that felt amazing. She finally had her own space, where she could be a couch potato all day without having her mother hover and worry. Where she could go running and not have her brother try to have a heart to heart with her when she came back.

“Do you want help unpacking, honey?”

Abby shook her head. “I’m good. I need to do some cleaning and pop over to the grocery store to get a few things. You guys should head back to the ranch.”

“I’m so proud of you, Abby.” Her mom pulled her into another embrace, this time pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Here. I want you to have this. Sleep with it under your pillow and wear it in your bra when you go out.”

“Mom…”

“It’s rose quartz. This will help you heal, honey, especially the emotional side of things. It might also help attract a certain special someone into your life.”

Abby laughed. “Well, how can I say no to that? Thanks, Mom.”

“I’ll go through my stash at home and see what else I can bring over here. I wanted to see the space first. But I think with a few plants in that front window, a nice carnelian flame or a clear quartz pillar would really help anchor the energy of the space.”

Abby looked at Sam, whose eyes were as wide as his smile while he shook his head. Their mother was eccentric, no doubt about that. And while Sam had the tolerance of a saint when it came to dealing with her quirky personality, Abby did not. Just another reason why she was so desperate to get back on her own two feet.

“Deputy Boone, how lovely to see you this morning.” Emma’s shit-eating grin was directed right at Abby. Jesus, her friend really was a piece of work. She’d been hiding away nearly all weekend getting her apartment set up, but Monday morning meant heading back to work. At least living above the bakery meant she didn’t have to make her own coffee or breakfast anymore. And she loved that, except for the very obvious way Emma was trying to embarrass her.

“Deputy? What the hell is with the formality, Emma?” he asked.

“It’s just a sexy title. Why wouldn’t you want it advertised everywhere that you dress in a uniform for work and take down bad guys every day. You’re single, I’m sure the lovely single ladies around here wouldn’t mind that reminder.”

John’s laugh filled the bakery, and Abby couldn’t help but look up at him. Yup. Those same damn butterflies were fluttering around her stomach, just like they did every time she was near him.

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