Page 29 of Blame It On The Carols

Nineteen

Aiden

“You can’t keep missingwork because of me,” Makayla objected as I checked the doors one last time to make sure everything was locked up and secure.

Curtis had sent over extra security, and I’d talked to Jackie to let her know I wasn’t going to be there tonight. She touched base with those in town who were aware of what was going on and asked them to be extra vigilant. Kevin was in town, which meant he should be easy to spot—more or less. Unfortunately, there was always a lot of traffic from neighboring towns, especially the closer we got to Christmas.

“It’s fine. Your safety is the only thing that matters right now.”

I felt a little better after Tony insisted on having my house swept to make sure there were no cameras or tracking devices inside. Thankfully, everything was clean, and they were pretty confident that Kevin didn’t know where Makayla was right now. He obviously knew she was in Sugarplum Falls, but he wasn’t lurking outside of my house or the bar looking for her. We now had security monitoring both, just to be sure, as well as a team assigned to her mom. No one was taking any chances with this guy.

Tony was currently sitting outside, watching the house, while Patrick went to the mall to locate Kevin. More security detail had been sent in, but I didn’t bother trying to keep up with who was who at this point. Tony and Patrick were our main points of contact, and that was all we needed to know.

“I hate that this is even happening,” she said with a sigh. “I should be with my mom and the choir while they rehearse for tomorrow. Instead, I’m stuck hiding out at your house while they try to find this creep.”

I arched an eyebrow as I walked past the couch, stopping right in front of her.

“And being stuck at my place is such a bad thing?”

“You know what I mean.” She swatted my arm as a smile graced her lips for a split second.

I could see the worry on her face as I came around and sat next to her.

“It’s going to be okay, Mak. I promise. They will catch this bastard.”

She nodded, her lower lip trembled as she looked away.

I reached over and grabbed her, pulling her into my arms as she quickly fell apart. She cried against my chest, her body shaking as she finally let go. I rubbed my hand soothingly across her back until I felt her start to relax in my embrace.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, tilting her head up to look at me. “I shouldn’t have come here. I brought this mess with me and put everyone I love in danger.”

“Shhh,” I whispered, continuing to rub her back. “You didn’t put anyone in danger, Mak. It’s fine. We have people watching all over town to make sure this prick doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“I did,” she objected, pushing away from me just enough to force me to stop touching her. “My mom. The ladies in the choir. Anyone in this town who gets in his way. You.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. We’re all fine. And you definitely don’t have to worry about me. I’m more than—”

I stopped the moment her words hit my brain. Did she just confess she loved me?

I tilted my head and looked at her, watching the crimson wash over her face as she realized I just figured out what she hadn’t meant to say.

“Are you saying you love me, Makayla?”

She rubbed her lips and looked up at the ceiling as she pulled a slow, deep breath in.

---