Page 40 of Yuletide Hero

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12:13 P.M.

“I am so grateful that your uncle had a sewing machine left here for me,” Hayley said. She loved the sound of the whirring needle, and sewing had worked wonders on her frazzled nerves to be able to spend the morning finishing off the last of her Christmas gifts. Even if she wouldn’t be able to spend Christmas Day with her family, she still wanted to know that all the gifts were finished.

“Uncle Ryan knows you well,” Brian said. She’d been tired and distracted last night and hadn't realized until they got up this morning that Ryan and Brady had brought the box with her Christmas gifts and her sewing machine here before she and Brian arrived.

She had spotted them as soon as she came through to the living room at six this morning, and ever since, she had been practically glued to her machine. Brian had coaxed her away to eat a little breakfast and she suspected he would soon be trying to do it again for lunch.

But she wasn't hungry.

It wasn't that she was nauseous, sick, or anything else she was just enjoying this. It kept her distracted, so she didn't have to think about Jay Turner, and she knew that as soon as she stopped all of those fears and anxieties were going to come rushing back.

“He does,” she agreed, beyond grateful for what Ryan and Brady had done for her. They ran a private security firm, they had both been cops, and their natural instinct was to focus on her safety, that was their priority. Yet they had gone out of their way to make sure she was comfortable and as happy as she could be while stuck here.

“You’re really good,” Brian said, watching her with a little bit of awe on his face. He had been watching her all morning. Maybe it should have made her a little uncomfortable, but it didn't, she just loved being with him too much.

“Thanks.”

“I can’t believe you’ve made one of those for everyone in our family in just twelve months.”

“It was a lot of work.” There were her parents, her sister, two sets of grandparents, her aunt and her family, her two uncles and their families, and that was just the relatives.

Then there was Brian’s family, his parents, two sisters, their husbands, and Elise’s baby daughter. There was Sophie and her little brother and parents, and Brian’s Uncle Jack and his wife and three kids, including their eight-year-old daughter Dotty who had Downs Syndrome, and the two foster kids they had living with them at the moment as well as Xavier and Annabelle Montague and their four kids.

She’d made some for Brady, his wife Aurora, their kids, and her friends Sawyer, his family, and Samara. All in all, that made a total of fifty-four Christmas books she’d had to make this year, which evened out to four and a half a month, or a little over one a week. She had been rushed off her feet trying to find every spare second she could to work on them, but she had loved every moment of it. It was her way of expressing her love for the people in her life that were special to her.

“You’re totally amazing, you know that right?” Brian stood and came to join her at the table.

“It’s nothing.” Hayley brushed off his praise.

“It’s not nothing. These are absolutely gorgeous, you put so much work into them.”

“Once I got the pattern going it wasn't so hard. Most of them are pretty similar, except for Dotty’s, she always gets one a little bit special.” She adored Jack and Laura Xander’s youngest daughter. The little girl was just the sweetest thing, and neither she nor anyone in her family ever let her Down’s Syndrome hold her back.

“Dotty deserves it, she’s such a gem. My mom used to sew when we were younger. I don’t think she did much once we all got older though. Although with a grandchild now and a second one on the way, I think she’ll probably start up again. I always thought being able to take bits of material and turn them into something was pretty cool. Maybe you could teach me.”

“You want to learn to sew?” she asked with a laugh.

“Hey, don’t laugh.” Brian pouted, but his blue eyes twinkled. “I’m never going to be as good as you, but it would be fun to be able to sew teddy bears and things for my little niece and soon-to-be niece or nephew.”

“Okay, I can teach you. All I have to do is finish up Dotty’s Christmas book, and then we can try making something with the leftover material. It’s the perfect time to teach you since we’re going to have a ton of extra time on our hands, and we can't leave this apartment.”

“Perfect.” Brian smiled at her, and the look on his face said he was going to say more, but the burner phone that Brady and Ryan had left here in case they needed to contact them in an emergency began to ring.

Their eyes met, anxiety passing between them.

What had happened?

If Jay Turner was in police custody, someone would have driven here to tell them in person.

Since they were calling instead that implied it was bad news.

Had Jay made a move to try to get his daughter back?

Had Kinsley been hurt? Or worse kidnapped?

Sawyer was watching over the little girl. Had he been hurt?

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