Lucy laughed. Hannah would definitely make sure that a baby shower happened, and she would also invite the whole town. There were women in Summer Hollow who would be terribly disappointed if she didn’t have one. Especially the older women. Those ladies loved a reason to get together with food and gifts.

  Though Lucy would have preferred not to have a shower, she knew that she did need to have one because, to be perfectly honest, they were on a serious budget and couldn’t afford to get much of the larger stuff that they needed for the baby. Plus, it would be impossible to talk Hannah out of it. Liv would be on board with the party, too, that was for sure.

  “Okay,” Lucy told Hannah. “You’re in charge of planning that. I don’t want to do it.”

  Hannah smiled mischievously. “I got this. Don’t worry.”

  And she wouldn’t worry about it. She had complete faith that her sister would take care of everything. “Thanks.” She smiled at Hannah. “You guys are the best.”

  “Of course we are.” Steph grinned. “Okay, now going back to a Reaper spying on us, what are we going to do about that?”

  “Well.” Hannah looked around as if searching for something … or someone. “We should probably start by checking all the windows and doors. Make sure everything that we aren’t using is locked.” She began to look a little stressed, the calm on her face slowly changing to panicked. “I … I’m not sure what else we can do except those things.”

  “I know!” Steph agreed. “I hate waiting for them to make a move. I cannot wait for the day that we don’t have to constantly watch our backs. This is such bullshit. I wish we could just catch him, or them. Then we wouldn’t have this uncomfortable feeling that we are being watched.”

  Lucy nodded her head but didn’t voice her agreement. She didn’t say anything, but she really hoped that they would catch the Reaper who was spying on them. She didn’t know what they would do with him if that happened, but he definitely wouldn’t be reporting back to the Empress anymore.

  “I’m going back into the cemetery,” Ethan told her. “Did you want to come with so you can fill your dad in on this, or do you just want me to do it?”

  “Oh.” Lucy realized it would probably be a good idea to tell their father what was going on. “Yes. I’ll come with you.”

  “We’re going to finish planning this plot. Let one of us know when you get back here and we’ll go in the house with you.”

  Lucy nodded acknowledgement, hating that she had to be babysat, again, by her family. However, unlike last time, she was okay with it because the life of her child was on the line, it wasn’t just her anymore.

  She walked with Ethan up the path into the graveyard. He was silent, which wasn’t uncharacteristic for him, but somehow it still seemed uncomfortable ever since she and Jack met. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I’m good.”

  “I miss you, you know.”

  She could only see the side of his face, but it appeared to remain stoic. “I’m still here. I’m always here,” he told her.

  She knew what he meant. He was always there for her, no matter what. He loved her and she didn’t love him back in the way that she loved Jack. Now that there was a baby on the way, everything seemed far more permanent. But no matter what, he would always be there for her. “I know,” she whispered. “I just don’t know how to make things better for you. We can’t go back to how it was before.”

  Ethan shrugged. “I know and I’m okay with it. As long as you are happy.”

  “But, I want you to be happy, too.”

  “It will come. Time heals all, Luce.”

  She hated that she broke his heart. It was never her intention, but the moment she met Jack, her own heart belonged to him. That didn’t mean that she didn’t have a connection with Ethan, but he saw that connection in a different way than she did. “I’m sorry.” It was all she could think to say. It wasn’t the first time she told him and she was certain that it wouldn’t be the last.

  He halted, coming to a complete stop and almost tripping her in the process. He turned to her, his gaze piercing into hers. “Listen, you don’t need to be sorry. Ever. I love you, Lucy. I will always love you and I am happy that you are in my life. We are connected in ways that most people will never find. I’m family, I’m your friend and we have a relationship that I will cherish forever. It doesn’t matter that we aren’t together romantically. I wish you felt the same way about me as I do about you, but you have a different connection to Jack. You have a fucking storybook love connection that everyone wants and I’m happy that you have that. Of all the people I know, I would wish that for you because all I want is for you to have everything that you want in life. Now, stop telling me you’re sorry. I’m okay. I am still part of your life and you can talk to me whenever you need to. I’m not going anywhere. Got it?”

  Shock at his harsh but loving words washed over her and tears stung at the corners of her eyes. “Got it.” She choked out in response, praying that she wouldn’t cry. “I know things will never be the same as they used to be. But I miss my friend.”

  For few seconds, he merely stood there, staring down at her with an unreadable expression. “I miss you, too.” And then, he opened his arms and she lunged forward, letting him embrace her while she clung to him. The dam that had held back her tears broke open and she felt the moisture soak into his shirt as her face pressed into his chest.

  After a moment, he released her and she stepped backward, wiping her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she told him.

  “I told you to stop saying that,” he said in a gentle voice. “It’s okay. We’re going to be okay.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I know so,” he responded. “Now let’s find your dad and fill him in on the latest news.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  EMILY

  Since having the vision, Emily found herself exhausted and she really did not want to be around anyone, so she hid in the bedroom area at the back of the motorhome.

  She was embarrassed. She hated having visions in front of others, especially because she didn’t know what happened during or what she looked like when it was happening.

  She wanted to sleep and it should have been easy to do, since the rolling motion of the RV would normally have lulled her off into dreamland. But no, she lay there in the darkness, thinking about anything and everything.

  As stressful and crazy as things had been ever since her first vision about Jack, she didn’t regret coming to the Estmond family. She was happy to help. If her gift was good for anything, it had to be for helping people. Otherwise, what good was having foresight at all.

  A soft knock sounded at the door.

  Emily sat up just as Greg opened the thin door and peeked in. “Hey, are you awake?”

  She nodded and then realized that he couldn’t see her. “Yes, I am. Please, come in.”

  Greg entered the tiny room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Is it okay if I lay down in here for a little bit? I won’t bother you or anything. I’d just like to get a couple hours of sleep and it’s a pain in the ass sleeping sitting up.”

  “Oh, of course.” She agreed before really considering that she could also say no.

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

  “Yeah, it’s no problem.” Emily scooted over and patted the bed beside her. She had all her clothes on, so it wasn’t inappropriate. Even if she had been wearing less, she trusted Greg enough to know that he wouldn’t try anything she didn’t want him to.

  And there was another thing to consider … maybe she wanted him to make some moves on her. She certainly wouldn’t be sad about it.

  Greg moved through the small space between the walls and the bed and crawled on top of the covers beside her. He stretched out with his hands behind his head on the pillow. “Ahh,” he moaned. “It feels good to actually lay down.”

  Emily relaxed and returned her head to the pillows again. It was too dark to see much, but she stared up at the ceiling of the motorhome, wondering if she should start conversation or if she should be quiet and let him rest.

  Why did she have to overthink every single thing she did. She knew full well that this was one of her problems, but it didn’t stop her from doing it.

  “You okay?” Greg asked, his voice so low it was almost a whisper.

  “Yes.”

  “Are your visons always like that?”

  She nodded, again forgetting that he couldn’t see her. “Yeah … well, I think so. All I know of it is how I feel afterward and what I saw during.”

  “It’s a little scary to watch.”

  “I’m sorry for that. I don’t want to scare anyone.”

  “I know. We all know that you don’t like to have visions in front of people. We … I, was more worried about your wellbeing than anything else. That was the scary part, not knowing if we should do anything.”

  “Yeah. The best thing to do is just let me ride it out. They always come to an end.”

  She felt Greg shift and mattress move underneath her. He was silent for a moment and then spoke again. “Thank you.”

  She let out a short laugh. What in the world would he be thanking her for? “For what?” She voiced her thought.

  “For coming here,” he whispered. “For taking a chance after you had that first vision and coming to help us save Jack. And now, after this vision, we have a look into what the Empress is planning. Without that, we wouldn’t have a clue that she knew about Lucy being pregnant. Now we can protect my sister and her baby better than if we hadn’t known. So … thank you.”

  Those words made it all worth it. Just the simple fact that her visions had helped in some way, even the slightest bit, validated her and drove out every negative thought that she had about herself. Even with the doubt that plagued her on a daily basis, she needed to hear that she was needed and her gift appreciated.

  Greg made her feel both.

  Instead of answering, she reached over in the darkness and her fingers found his. He didn’t pull away or even jerk at the shock of her touch. He simply turned his hand so that his palm could connect with hers and their fingers laced together.

  Still silent, Emily closed her eyes and basked in the comfort of the simple act of touch. It was comforting to lay there, holding hands with no expectation and no words. Their breathing and the sound of the traffic outside of the vehicle were the only things she could hear, and even that faded away as she closed her eyes and drifted off into a deep slumber.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  GREG

  That first night he slept beside Emily, he didn’t get as much sleep as he would have liked because, like a fucking creeper, he lay there watching her sleep. Yeah, it was super weird, but she was beautiful and while she was sleeping, he could really look at her without making her feel awkward.

  He woke in the middle of the night on the third night feeling well rested and also kind of hungry. Beside him, Emily lay as they had that first night, sleeping soundly with her hand clasped in his.

  Carefully, so as not to wake her, he slowly slid his fingers away from hers. After pausing a moment to be sure she hadn’t stirred, he rolled the other way and stealthily rose from the bed, then slipped out of the little bedroom.

  He moved quietly through the belly of the motorhome. Liv and Aiden were cuddled up on one of the couches. She was asleep, her head resting on his shoulder, but the Reaper was wide awake and gave him a nod as he passed by.

  He still wasn’t sure exactly how he felt about Aiden and his sister. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust Aiden. By now, the Reaper had definitely earned his trust. It was more of a, ‘what if things don’t work out between them,’ kind of worry. They were definitely good for each other, but the fact that their skin couldn’t touch concerned him. How long would either of them be able to work through that? For now, they made it work, but touch was such a huge part of relationships. He knew that he couldn’t be with someone if he couldn’t touch her face or hold her hand.

  Hopefully they would last. They were a good pair.

  Jack was at the little kitchen bar, staring down at a pot of water.

  “You know what they say about watching water boil, right?”

  Jack glanced up at the sound of his voice. Greg could clearly see distress in his dark eyes. “Yeah, and they can kiss my ass. You want some coffee?” Jack gestured to the French press, already prepared with grounds.

  “Please.” Greg nodded. “That would be great right about now.”

  Jack reached up and opened the cabinet above him, extracting another mug and setting it beside the one already on the counter. “We’re almost there,” he told Greg, his voice flat and emotionless.

  “Nervous?”

  “Hell yeah, I’m nervous.” Jack nodded. “If this was me before meeting Lucy, I’d never admit to being nervous about something like this, but now that I have a family to worry about, it’s different. Plus, the fact that this is my mother … this isn’t something I thought I’d ever have to do.”

  “I wish I could tell you this is all going to be fine. Even if we make it out with all of us alive, change Emily’s vision and save your life, you are probably going to have to deal with a massive mind fuck because of your mom. I don’t know how you are holding it together, man.”

  “I don’t know either,” Jack told him as he poured coffee into the mug and handed it to Greg. “I don’t know.”

  “I’ve got your back, no matter what. I don’t know how much consolation that is.”

  Jack began to fill his own mug. “Listen, I need you to do me a favor.”

  “What’s up?”

  He set the carafe on the counter and turned to face Greg. “If Emily’s vision comes true … if I die, I need you to make sure that my baby is taken care of.”

  Surprised, Greg nodded. “That is pretty much a given, your child is my niece … or nephew. The whole family would make sure that Lucy and the baby are okay.”

  “I know that.” Jack’s eyes glittered intensely. “I just want you to say it. I want to know that you will personally raise my kid if … I don’t know, if something happens to Lucy or … shit I don’t know. I just need to know that they are going to be okay.”

  “I think you already know that I’d kill before I let anything happen to Lucy or the baby. We’re doing that for you right now … for you, but mainly for Lucy and the child. Lucy is my sister we are going to fight like hell to save you. But I swear, if anything happens to you, our entire family will protect them.”

  Jack said nothing in response, but Greg could see the gratitude reflected in his face. “We got this,” he told him. “We are all going to go home after it’s done.”

  The Reaper lifted his mug to his lips and sipped before answering, “Nothing is certain. But I appreciate the positivity.”

  “Anytime.” Greg clapped him on the shoulder.

  “All right, let’s head up to the front and give Dan directions.” Carrying his coffee with him, Jack moved ahead toward the front.

  Before they left Summer Hollow, Jack had made a call to a friend and arranged for a place where they could park the motorhome and lay low. It made sense, being that they had this giant mode of transportation. They stood out like a sore thumb and sneaking up on anyone, not to mention getting away, would be a complete disaster if they showed up in a freaking RV.

  That being said, he did have his reservations about trusting anyone who wasn’t in their circle. He could only hope, for the sake of the mission and his family, that this friend was not on the inside with the Empress.

  Jack moved into the passenger seat and Greg sat down in the swivel chair behind Dan. “Take the exit after this next one,” Jack instructed.

  Dan nodded and did as he was told. Once they made the exit, Jack continued to direct him until eventually they were off the main roads and traveling down a paved, though small and desolate, road that ran along a swampy body of water on one side and a forest of trees on the other.

  “Where the hell are we?” Dan mumbled from behind the wheel.

  “About thirty minutes from my mother.”

  Greg nodded, approving of Jack’s answer. It was far enough away that they could get back here and lay low afterward. It was smart. He really shouldn’t have expected anything less of Jack, especially with Aiden at his back.

  “Turn there.” Jack pointed to the left.

  “Where?” Dan squinted his eyes, trying to see whatever Jack was seeing beyond the headlights.

  “The driveway, dumbass. Right there.”

  “Oh shit!” Dan braked and began the turn. “I see it now.”

  The drive was barely big enough for the RV. It was dirt and full of deep holes where puddles likely accumulated when it rained. For a moment, Greg wondered if they were actually going to make it or if they would get stuck in the trees.

  The bumpy terrain caused the rest of the group to wake. Silently, they wandered up to the front so that they could stand behind them and stare through the massive windshield at what lay in the darkness beyond the headlights.

  Finally, the drive opened way and light washed over the front of a small cabin. Admittedly, Greg had been expecting something rundown with tall grass and appliances in the front yard, but the home they were looking at was made of wood siding and had a little wrap-around porch with flower pots on the steps and a couple of rocking chairs to the left of the door.

  The yard was well maintained as well. A lawn that appeared freshly mowed spread out in front of the cabin. A fenced area, that looked like it might be a garden, was off to the right of the home and a large shop dominated the left side of the property.

  Greg, along with several others, let out a long sigh of relief. Boy, they all must have been expecting something that could have had a banjo soundtrack to accompany it.

  “Park there.” Jack pointed to the right where a white pickup truck was parked. “Just don’t block the truck.”

  Dan rolled the RV up alongside the truck and shifted into park.

 

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