Page 91 of Fire

“Yeah.” His eyes opened. “Come with me.”

She knew that was a big step for him—sharing yet another piece of his past. “Are you sure? I don’t mind waiting here for you.” And she didn’t. Knowledge was power. And now that the mystery phone calls were no longer a mystery, she no longer felt threatened by them.

He kissed her palm again. “I’m sure. I want you there. I want you in every part of my life.”

She smiled. “Then I guess I better go find my shoe.”

He grinned down at her. “And your bra and your blouse,” his fingers slipped through her folds, and she shivered. “And your panties.”

She arched into his fingers, “Yeah, I definitely need to find those.”

Chapter 24

They pulled around a circular drive, stopping at the front steps of a ginormous house, proving that Blake not only made his own wealth but had come from it, too.

Blake took the stairs two at a time, Gwen falling a little behind, but she caught up with him as he knocked on the door.

“Blake, I’m so glad you’re here.”

Blake stepped over the threshold.

“We’ve tried everything to get her to calm down but nothing’s working. Not even the—”

An older woman with a shoulder-length, gray bob and classical features softened with age stopped talking abruptly as soon as Gwen appeared at Blake’s side.

“Oh.” Her hand flew to her throat. “Hello.” She looked confused, the wrinkles around her eyes and on her forehead growing more pronounced.

Gwen tipped her head forward. “Ma’am.”

“Gram, this is Gwen. Gwen, my grandmother, Carol.”

“Is she your… your girlfriend?”

Blake shook his head, but before Gwen’s heart had a chance to sink, he was saying, “She’s so much more than that. She’s my everything.” His eyes locked with hers, and he gave her a butterfly-inducing smile.

Tears filled the woman’s eyes, and the hand at her throat moved up to cover her mouth. “Oh, my. I never thought I’d see the day.” Carol walked over and took her by the shoulders, pulling her in for a hug and Gwen was engulfed in the scent of baby powder and lilacs. “I never thought I’d see the day,” she repeated, her voice thick with tears.

Gwen wrapped her arms around the woman’s frail body.

Carol squeezed her tighter, turning her head into Gwen’s hair. “Thank you. Thank you for finding my boy and bringing him happiness. I’ve never seen him smile like that.”

Gwen closed her eyes against the threat of tears, and whispered, “He deserves it.”

After a long moment, she finally stepped away and Gwen, having lost the battle, had to swipe at the tears that had fallen down her cheeks.

Blake’s arms materialized around her, and she buried her face in his chest to get herself under control.

Loud grunting filled the air, and everyone’s eyes flew to the top of the stairs. A woman, clearly Blake’s sister, stood on the second stair from the top. She was beautiful with a pale complexion and long, dark hair, but she was too thin. Her clothes—a light-pink zippered hoodie and matching sweatpants—hung loosely off long, lanky limbs, making her appear skinnier than she already was.

A nurse, dressed in pale yellow scrubs with a dark print, appeared behind Sissy, placing a hand on her shoulder. Sissy shrugged it off, taking another step down. Making another grunting noise, her arm lifted Blake’s direction, her hand making a grabbing motion.

“Gram, take care of Gwen.” Blake turned back to Gwen, worry lining his face. “I’ll be back.” He kissed her forehead and then he was off, jogging up the stairs at a fast clip. He scooped Sissy in for a hug before leading her back down the hall.

Carol gave her a wistful smile. “Let’s go into the kitchen, and I’ll make us some tea.”

Sitting at a wooden table in a homey kitchen that contradicted the outside appearance of the house, Gwen sipped her black tea with honey and listened to Carol tell stories of Blake’s mother when she was a little girl.

“I’m not sure exactly where we went wrong.” Carol stared off into space. “When we stopped paying attention.” Gwen covered her hand that rested on the table, and she got Carol’s eyes back and a weak smile before she said, “She was always such a good girl. Perfect grades. Applied to the best universities. We never thought something like that could happen. She was just gone one day. Disappeared.

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