Page 85 of Stay Baby Stay

“Starving.” Cal drapes his coat on the back of a chair and washes his hands in the sink.

We finish prepping the nachos, layering beef, cheese, and refried beans with chips on the baking sheet. Austin slides the whole thing into the oven to melt the cheese.

Kenzie shifts restlessly as we wait for the food. She seems to have the hardest time when there’s nothing to do but think. I know exactly how that feels.

“Let’s pour everyone’s tea,” I suggest to her. She doesn’t outright thank me, but I can tell she appreciates the distraction by how focused she is on making sure each glass has the exact same amount of sweet tea.

Austin pulls the bubbling tray out of the oven, dishes out four plates and tops each one with fresh-made salsa and a hefty spoonful of sour cream. We dig in, munching greedily. I’m desperate to ask Cal if they’ve caught Hoyt yet, but I don’t want to put Kenzie off her meal.

I hop in the downstairs shower after dinner to wash the day’s stress off me. I’m on my way upstairs to ask Kenzie if she needs anything before bed, when I overhear her and Austin talking in her room.

I linger on the staircase, not sure if I should keep going or leave them alone. I have noticed Austin looking at her, and not looking at her, which can say more about a person’s intentions than any outward gestures they perform. From Kenzie’s tone, it doesn’t sound like she’s anxious or on the verge of tears. I don’t know Austin well at all, but Cal trusts him, and he’s been nothing but kind and respectful toward us. For one, he’s letting us crash at his house for who knows how long.

Knowing Kenzie’s comfortable talking to someone other than me gives me a twinge of hope that her warm, affable self is still in there somewhere. Rather than disturb them, I head back downstairs to the gym, where I walk in on Cal in the middle of pulling off his slacks.

A warm shiver runs through me as I take in the sight of his naked back. He glances over his shoulder, gaze narrowing on the towel wrapped around my torso.

“Not sure I like the idea of you traipsing around another man’s house dressed like that,” he says.

“Last I checked, the other man was upstairs talking to Kenzie.”

His eyebrows lift. “Interesting...”

“That’s what I thought.” I close the French doors and tiptoe over to Cal, watching him fold his pants and lay them on the weight bench nearby. He turns off the lamp, bathing us in moonlight. He slides his boxers off and then pulls me against his hard body. His mouth captures mine. I whimper softly as he draws me onto his lap on the bed, his erection prodding my belly.

Nothing but the towel rests between us, as he runs his hands all over me.

“I missed you so much today,” I whisper against his lips. “I was so afraid when I saw the barn had burned down. I thought...”

“Shh, it’s all right, sweet girl. Daddy made it home safe.”

This time, I think but don’t say.

I wrap my arms around his shoulders and lean into the security of his body. I nearly drove myself insane worrying about him today. Scared the person who’d set the fire would come after him in an effort to slow down the case.

My mind keeps jumping back to what Teagan said when we were out looking for Kenzie. That she was grateful Jonah wasn’t a cop anymore. These past few days, Cal’s been asking me what I want for the future. I can picture the house I want, and the furniture inside, easily enough. What I can’t imagine is spending all my time alone there, worrying if Cal’s going to come home.

“What happened after we left today?” I ask.

“Aw, baby, we can talk about something nicer than that.” His palms close over my breasts, cupping and squeezing through the towel.

“I’m serious.” I guide his hands away from my nipples. “Did you find out more about the guy who hurt Kenzie?”

He rubs his forehead. “Forensics did find a bloody fingerprint on her necklace. When they ran it through the database, it came back matching a man named Hoyt Renier.”

“Hoyt Renier...” By itself, the name is innocuous. It’s not until I picture the man it belongs to that I shudder. “Who is he?”

“That’s the odd part.” Cal smooths his hands over the goosebumps along my arms. “Beyond an out-of-date driver’s license, the guy’s a virtual ghost. He’s only got one prior on his record for juvenile burglary, and a background check showed his mom used to work for the governor, back when he was a city councilman. She passed on about twelve years ago.”

“You don’t have any pictures of him?”

“Nothing recent,” he says. “But the resemblance is close enough to the description you and McKenzie gave.”

“Do you think you’ll find him?” I rest my forehead on Cal’s shoulder. He runs his fingers through my hair, skimming my nape.

“I do,” he says, like it’s that simple. “Bastard can’t hide forever. It’s only a matter of time before somebody gives him up, or he shows up on a security camera somewhere.”

Cal kneads the tight muscles in my shoulders as I struggle to scrape the memory of Hoyt’s face from my mind’s eye.

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