Page 85 of Erik's Redemption
Henry stepped outside while Hannah moved toward the stairs. “Let me show you upstairs. Although, I should warn you, it’s just as grand as downstairs. Plus, there’s an attic, which is basically like a third floor.”
She moved upstairs and turned left down a long hallway.
“I’ll show you the master bedroom first,” Hannah said over her shoulder. “It’s got a spectacular view.”
They stepped into the room. It was huge, with beautiful original colonial windows overlooking the property and an old bed in the middle of the room, although it was covered in a blanket that had itsowncovering of dust.
Owen nodded. “I like it.”
The man gave very little away.
When both Hannah and Owen’s phones beeped with a text, they each looked down.
Henry: I somehow locked myself out and need someone to come let me in before I make Erik break the door down.
Hannah chuckled. How the man had managed that, she had no idea. She took a step toward the door, but Owen shook his head. “I’ll get it.”
Owen headed back downstairs just as Hannah’s phone beeped again, but this time it was her Dexcom. She wasn’t low yet but would be soon. With the nausea, she hadn’t been eating as much as she should.
Her mind flicked back to her conversation with Erik in the car. She just needed to take a test and be done with it. Then she’d know for sure.
Even though she was scared the test would be positive, there was another part of her—a part she barely wanted to acknowledge—that was equally scared it would be negative. She loved Erik so much, but all this wondering whether she was pregnant had ignited something inside her. A deep need to have a baby.
When Erik had first told her that he didn’t want kids, she’d convinced herself she could give up that part of her life for him. But now, she wondered if that was true.
At the sound of footsteps in the hall, Hannah forced it all to the back of her mind.
Owen stepped back into the room, but he was alone.
Hannah frowned. “Where’s Henry?”
“He’s measuring the kitchen wall. Probably a bunch of others too.”
She grinned. “He’s probably knocking on a bunch of walls, as well. Come on, let me show you the bathroom.” She headed to the attached bath. “There are many in this house and they’re all quite old, but nothing some renovations can’t fix.”
Owen nodded as he moved around the small space. “There’s a lot of potential here.”
“There definitely is. Did you own your own home in Georgia?”
He shook his head. “No. I’ve never owned my own home. I’ve never had much at all. Growing up, I had a single mother and a lot of siblings.”
Her brows furrowed. “I’m sorry to hear that. Henry may have told you that I grew up in foster care, so I understand not having much.”
He ran a finger over the vanity. “My mother always had different boyfriends. Every one of them was an asshole. For most of my childhood, all I wanted was to get out of that house. And I almost did.”
Hannah studied him, surprised Owen was sharing something so personal with her. “Almost?” she asked.
They both moved back into the bedroom as Owen continued. “I was close to my uncle. He was actually the closest thing to a father I’d ever known. He told me I could move in with him and my aunt.”
“Why didn’t you move in with him?”
“He died.” There was a new hardness to his voice. “And my auntie was an alcoholic, so I was stuck in a house wherestepfathers beat the shit out of me, and my mother didn’t give a fuck.”
Hannah frowned, a dread she didn’t understand unraveling in her belly. “How did he die?”
Something flashed in Owen’s eyes—an emotion she couldn’t quite place. “Well, the official story is that he just disappeared. Of course, the police barely looked into it because he was out of jail on bail, so they just assumed he ran to avoid the trial.”
Her vision grew fuzzy at the edges, nails digging into her palms, almost breaking skin.
