Page 60 of Love Notes & Lifelines
“I did,” she says sadly.
“Good. Good night, Stella.”
I run from the room like I’m chasing my last breath. My feet fly up the stairs two at a time, then I turn down the hall and take the second set of stairs to the third floor.
I can’t go to my room tonight. Is it even my room anymore? Every room in this house has memories haunting it. The only place that’s safe is the bonus room up here. If memories haunt this place now, they won’t be mine.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
STELLA
The sprayof hot water soaks into my tired bones, tempting me to stay for another hour, but reluctantly, I lean forward and turn it off.
The girls will be up soon, and if last night is any indication, their uncle is in no shape to do anything with them right now.
The towel I dry myself with is freaking amazing, thick and luxurious. It’s nicer than any I’ve ever used. Grabbing another, I bend at the waist to wrap it around my hair?—
“You’re awake?” a woman’s voice coos through the baby monitor I have permanently affixed to my side.
Who is that? Blood whooshes in my ears as the face of the evil blond hits me like a sledgehammer, and I forget all about drying off. I secure the towel with my fist and rush out of my room, dashing down the hall to Ruby’s room since her door is the one that’s open.
Tabby sits on the floor in the center of the room next to Ruby, and my knees buckle with relief. Emmy sits in the center of the bed with dolls spread out around her and Daisie across her legs. Not that I think Beck would be overly excited that his cousin’s here, but the girls love this woman. That tells me to give her the benefit of the doubt.
“Tabby?” I gasp. It’s embarrassing that I’m out of breath after running ten feet. “You scared the crap out of me. I wasn’t expecting anyone this morning. Do you have a key?”
“Oh.” She laughs. “Yeah, loads of people have keys.”
“They what?”
“Whenthingswere happening,” she says, nodding toward Ruby, “people needed access for various reasons.”
“They don’t require access anymore,” Beck says from the doorway.
Oh, good lord. My fists clench harder around the towel as water drips down my body. The luxurious piece of cotton feels more like a dishrag against my skin now.
Biting my tongue, I lift my gaze to find Beck doing a lazy perusal up my body, and for one moment, we’re frozen in each other’s sphere.
“Ah, sorry. I heard—well, I thought…” The words spill from my lips in no particular order. “Sorry,” I say again. “I heard Tabby through the monitor, and I thought, well—” One fist lands on my hip. “I wasn’t expecting anyone, okay?”
Beck’s features soften infinitesimally. “No one should have access but us,” he says gently. “That goes for you too, Tabs.”
“Well, technically, that’s not true,” she says conversationally.
A conversation passes between them, but I don’t speak their language.
“What does that mean?” I ask when it becomes apparent neither of them is willing to give me information.
“Danica owns the house,” Tabby blurts. “Beck still owns the land, but it’s kind of a mess, and she’s a witch with a grudge so…” She shrugs and I turn back to Beck, suddenly feeling more naked than I am.
Old insecurities and new fears for the girls snake around my conscience. I never had stability as a kid. We moved from houseto house and town to town while my mom chased fun and, occasionally, work.
Beck must read me easier than a large-print book because he steps forward with his arms open to embrace me but stops short of actually touching me when his gaze skates over the towel again. The vein in his throat pulses, matching the rapid beat in my ears.
We’re both painfully aware that only a rectangle of cotton separates us.
“I don’t know what’s going on yet, but I will,” he promises. The strain in his voice matches the tightly corded muscles in his forearms—they flex with each word. He’s the kind of man who doesn’t make empty promises.
“Cally said she explained some of this. What do you mean you don’t know?” Tabby asks. Her voice is a bucket of cold water that breaks the spell we’re under.
