Page 20 of Peach

Haisley felt guilty. She was the thing that happened. After being attacked, Peach had stuck by her, probably not getting as much done as he’d hoped. They had eaten most of their meals at the house, but they were sleeping at the hotel. He said he just didn’t trust the people in this town. They’d already broken in once, and he didn’t doubt that they would try something again if they were sleeping there.

Peach and Allen worked out a deal, and Peach signed papers. Allen said he would call if something happened, and Peach seemed satisfied. Haisley thought Peach would want to stick around for a while, but Peach was ready to go after walking through the house one more time.

Clothes, furniture, and all the kitchen stuff were still in their places, but the house seemed totally empty. She wondered what made a house feel lived in. The last week, while Ellen and John had been gone, before she knew they had passed away, the house had felt alive with their happiness. Now even that was gone.

It was weird leaving the house that wasn't really her home, but it kind of was home. Sadness for Ellen and John filled her. Something had gone wrong in Colombia. She had nothing to do with them going there, but a part of her felt the twist of guilt. Maybe if she'd done something to stop them, they would still be alive. Hopefully, Peach could figure out what really happened and make things right.

Chapter 14

Peach senta note to the guys, informing them what was going on. More than once, he thought he was losing it for bringing Haisley back home, but she needed a safe place to live, and he didn't trust anyone in Georgia.

The entire time he'd known Haisley, he'd only seen her in baggy clothes. He understood that in Georgia, she'd wanted to keep her pregnancy hidden. The men who'd drugged and attacked her didn't need to know that she was carrying a baby.

Now that they'd landed in California and the temperature was a little warmer than it had been in Georgia, Haisley peeled off her sweatshirt. He didn't mean to stare, but she had a great body and only a little pooch showing her pregnancy. Living with her would be much harder than he'd assumed, but he could do this. He would behave and treat her with respect.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Haisley asked as he carried her bag to his car.

"Yes. I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't want this." He would think of her as a sister. She stepped in front ofhim to stand next to the bumper of his vehicle, and the most un-sibling-like thoughts swirled through his head. Nope, that wasn't going to work. He would have to come up with another tactic to get through this.

“Do you need help?” Haisley asked as he lifted her bag into the back of his SUV.

“I’ve got it. You ready?”

She shook her head and then nodded. "I'm nervous."

“Don’t be.”

“What about your friends? Won’t they think you’re crazy for doing this? A normal person wouldn’t invite a total stranger into their lives like this.”

Peach paused and leaned against the bumper after he closed the back of the car. “Listen, I’m not normal at all. You can’t be to do my job. I know this is the right thing to do.”

“What if I’m psycho and do something awful?”

He met her gaze and held it. “Are you planning on doing something terrible?”

She shook her head, answering the way he thought she would. Most people wouldn’t do this, but he wasn’t most people.

“I know you may think you’re awful, or maybe a pain or something else negative, but in addition to being able to read people, I have resources. I did look up your name to make sure you weren’t a serial killer or had a string of dead husbands. I know you’re just a normal person who has fallen on hard times.”

“What if those hard times come out here to get us?”

"They've tried attacking you once while I was there. We were on their turf. Here, they will be on my turf. I have a security system and friends."

"Speaking of your friends," Haisley said as he openedthe passenger door for her. "What are they going to think about me moving in with you?"

He shrugged, thinking about his friends and how they'd all ended up living with their girlfriends and now wives before they were really involved.

“None of them are going to think it’s odd. Trust me, they won’t think anything of this.”

She didn't look convinced, but hopefully, after meeting the gang, she would understand that they were a different breed. Not that Haisley was his woman, though he wouldn't mind if she was.

Peach blew out a breath as frustration swirled. He needed to find a way to blow off steam or the lust he felt for her would show itself. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was taking advantage of her. She needed to feel safe, and he was willing to put his desires on the back burner if it meant Haisley could be happy and safe.

Chapter 15

Movingto California was something she never thought she would do. Heck, moving out of Georgia wasn’t something she really thought would happen. Money and resources were always tight. She didn’t know how to escape the area where she’d grown up. Even with Atlanta close, she couldn’t get together everything she needed to move to the north side of the city.

Being in California was like a dream come true. When Peach drove out of the parking garage, she gasped. "They really have palm trees here?"

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