Chapter 16

Grace

How in the hell did this happen?

I didn't know how many times I asked myself that question after we arrived at Maverick's small bungalow style home. It was the perfect home for a bachelor, with two bedrooms, an office stroke guest room, a spacious living room, an efficient if sparse kitchen, and a yard just big enough for barbecues.

"The bedrooms are this way, I'll take the sofa tonight. Mabel you can take my room, and Ruby can have the other one. The guestroom has a pull-out bed that Sophie can use." His voice cut through my thoughts, and when I looked at him, there was a wariness in his gaze that matched the feeling deep in my belly.

"Right. Okay." Sophie slept in my arms and her weight grew heavier by the second, so I followed him down the hall while Mable headed to his room after saying goodnight. The dark pine floors were shiny as if they were brand new or at least newly polished, each plank cut on a perfect bias. There was a bathroom on the right decorated in shades of blue. To the left was a small guestroom with a fold out bed, a nightstand, and a wooden wardrobe.

"This is it." Maverick stepped inside and dropped the bag in his hand and started pulling out the bed. "Is it all right for Sophie? You can take the room next to it."

I nodded. "This is perfect, thank you." I moved inside and lay Sophie down with a grunt. "I'll just get her settled." The weight of his stare was on me, and I felt it viscerally for so long that I didn't know how long he watched while I removed Sophie's coat, shoes, and socks before tucking her under the gray comforter.

Wanting to give her some sense of normalcy since I'd uprooted her life—again—I unpacked her clothes and put them away in the wardrobe, tucking her favorite stuffed animal under her arm. She slept peacefully, and though I envied that, I was also happy she hadn't been too traumatized by the middle of the night relocation. "Good night, sweet girl." I'm doing this for you.

That's what I told myself, but sometimes I wasn't sure if this was the right path for a child. I had to get away from Trent, it was the only way to save myself, but was this better for Sophie than the alternative? I didn't know, and it was that thought that plagued me throughout the night. It, among other things, kept me up late into the night.

I lay on the bed in my room, enjoying the comfort provided by the pillows that almost hugged me. I kept my gaze trained on the large window, illuminated by the oversized moon, searching for any shadows or sounds that might be Trent. If that had been him tonight, he could've been watching us, could still be watching. This time, I would be prepared.

I hoped.

I couldn't be sure that it was Trent and not just some random burglar, but my mind was set on the fact that Trent had found us. It's a good thing we were planning on leaving anyway.

***

After tossing and turning I found I couldn't sleep, so I decided to sneak to the kitchen and get a drink. Sometimes herbal tea helped, though I wasn't sure that Maverick had any.

"You okay?" Maverick's deep voice was low in the late night quiet. And close.

Very close. His voice startled a shriek out of me, and I put my hand to my racing heart. "Yeah," I nodded, "I'm fine, I'm sorry if I woke you." As fine as I could possibly after everything that happened tonight.

Maverick laughed, a deep and rumbly chuckle that would've made me smile if my thoughts weren't so jumbled with fear and the urge to flee, he clicked the table light on. "You don't look fine."

"How do you know?" I shot back as I glanced out the living room window. "You don't know me. For all you know this is how I spend every evening."

"For one, you're pale as fuck. Your eyes are glued to the window like you think there's a goddamn boogeyman on the other side of it."

"No shadows mean no boogeymen. Everyone knows that."

A huff of laughter escaped before the sofa shifted under his weight. "So it could be vampires?"

"Worse. Much worse." I'd rather go toe-to-toe with vampires, werewolves, or boogeymen than my ex. Or soon-to-be ex-husband.

Silence settled around us for a while, and though it shouldn't have been, it was peaceful. Calming, even. Maverick had a steady presence that surprised me, especially since he was the only man who'd ever stirred these chaotic feelings in me. "You ready to tell me who or what you're running from?"

I wasn't ready and I wasn't sure I would ever be ready to admit the truth about my marriage out loud. It was embarrassing to admit that I'd been his punching bag, that I'd allowed that abuse to continue for as long as I did. "Not really," I whispered softly without looking at him, even though I felt his gaze on the side of my face. "But I will tell you that my name is Grace, not Ruby."

"Grace." He said my name like he was testing it on his tongue to see how it felt, and that caused all kinds of other feelings that I didn't have the time or energy to deal with at the moment. "It suits you."

"Thanks, I think." What did that even mean, anyway? "I'm not ready to tell you everything, but since you're keeping Sophie safe, it's the least I can offer you."

"I'm not just keeping Sophie safe, Grace."

I shook my head. That's not what I wanted to hear. "That's all I want you to do, Maverick, keep Sophie safe no matter what. Don't worry about me at all, just her. If anything happens to me, just promise that you'll make sure nothing happens to her. She's all that matters." The last thing I wanted to think about was Sophie growing up without me, but I wouldn't survive without her. "Just promise."

"I'm sorry, but I can't make that promise. My MC and I will keep you both safe."

"I can't ask you to do that." The last thing I wanted was more people caught in my mess.

"You're not asking. I'm betting you haven't asked for a thing since you left wherever you were. How long have you been gone?"

"You mean how long has it been since I ran away? Not too long, less than a year." It felt like an eternity since we fled Ohio. "Not too long yet." Mabel's words came back to me, and a sob escaped. I couldn't run forever, not with a kid. At some point I would have to enroll Sophie in school, which I couldn't do without Trent finding out. "It's a mess."

"Just do me a favor, will you, Grace?"

"What's that?" I asked.

"Don't do anything stupid like run off without telling me." His blue gaze was gravely serious as if he was truly worried.

"Yes. Okay. I can do that," I said quietly, as I rummaged through his kitchen cupboards for tea bags. I really wanted to leave town now, but I had to find somewhere safe for us to go.

One week. All I needed to do was make it through the next seven days—or less—and everything would be fine.