Page 63 of Hiding for the Holidays
“You don’t have to be strong with us. We’ve got you,” Leo tells me as he rubs his hand up and down my leg in comfort.
The dream has my emotions heightened, and his reassuring words make a few tears run down my cheek. “I’m sorry,” I mumble, wiping them away quickly. “I’m a mess.”
“Hey,” Leo says, grabbing my hand and stopping me. “You could fall apart right here, and I’d still think you’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met.”
I nod in thanks and after a few minutes of them reassuring me, Grant tugs me down under the covers and the other two leave. I kind of want all of them to stay, but I get how that could be difficult. I have only two sides to snuggle and I wouldn’t want one of them to feel left out. So I decide to embrace this time alone with Grant as he wraps his large arms around me and I rest my head on his chest.
His heart beats steadily in my ear, and it soothes me as my heightened nerves start to calm down. My fingers dig into his bare chest as I whisper, “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course, we’ll always come for you, Rosalie.” He kisses the top of my head, and I let out a long breath.
“I’m glad I’m here.”
“Me too.”
Chapter 20
Grant
“Alright, I’ll get in contact with the local office in Parker Heights, and we will bring Scott in for questioning. But if he isn’t there, like you said, it could get tricky trying to locate him.” Callum’s friend, Detective Barron, tells Rosalie.
We arranged for him to come speak to us at Iron Oaks today, wanting to get started immediately on reporting his abuse. After everything she told us last night, I’m surprised at how well she’s handling it all right now.
Barron has asked for specific details, and I held her to my side as she recited the worst of it. Asher paced back and forth behind us, his hands clenching in and out of fists.
“Once I’ve spoken to them and they confirm they can’t get a hold of Scott, I can put an APB out for him, so the local officers will know to watch out for him in town.”
“Thank you,” she says, her right hand reaching up to grip mine hanging over her shoulder.
“Here’s my card. Reach out if you have any questions or ifhe comes into contact with you again.” She takes the card but I feel her body tense up.
Leo walks him out and I pull her into a full hug. “You did great, Rosie.”
I kiss the top of her head as she mumbles, “Thanks,” against my chest.
“I know that couldn’t have been easy.”
“You helped.”
I squeeze her tighter and kiss her head again. “I’m glad.”
She pushes back and wipes under her eyes as she clears her throat and straightens her Iron Oaks t-shirt. “Okay, let’s get back to work, I need to focus on something else right now.”
“Is everything ready for the Christmas Open House? That’s coming up fast now.”
She nods as she brushes her fingers through her long, brown hair. She’s wearing it loose today, and it makes her look even more beautiful.
“Yeah, we just need to get the word out more.”
“Well, how about you and I go pass out some flyers around town?”
“Could we do that tomorrow? After yesterday, I kind of want to stay here today.”
“Of course.” I hate that she’s scared to go out in public, the sooner the police could find Scott, the better.
She looks around the gym, and I follow her gaze. There’s over a dozen people in here today, all her hard work is definitely paying off. The place looks great; the customers look happy and we’re actually starting to bring in some money.
“I have some more Christmas lights to hang up, do you want to help me?”
