Chapter 12

CHAPTERTWELVE

“You’re smothering me!” Finley told Brock in frustration.

He ran a hand through his hair, obviously just as frustrated as she was. “I’m trying to keep you safe,” he returned.

Finley took a deep breath. “I know, and I appreciate it. But it’s been a month. We’ve talked to Simon multiple times, he’s still working with the Roanoke Police Department to track down whoever stole that truck. Pete’s car was tracked by a toll booth camera in New York, and Cory was in Georgia when he got that speeding ticket. They’re nowhere near me. It’s all good. I’m fine. Nothing’s happened.”

“Yes, but Pete and Cory are still out there somewhere. Just because they were last seen in other states doesn’t mean they can’t come back. I just want to make sure nothing happens to you.”

“And I love you for that, but I can’t live the rest of my life in a bubble,” Finley said. “I can’t.”

Brock pressed his lips together and stared at her. He wasn’t happy, but Finley wouldn’t let this go.

“Please. I actually feel more worried with you hovering and your friends following me around. It makes me feel as if there’s something I have to be afraid of. And I can’t live my life like this.”

“I can’t…I just…” Brock stuttered.

Finley walked up to him and hugged him hard. “I know. If something happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do either. But this isn’t living, Brock. Constantly looking over my shoulder, questioning everyone who walks into The Sweet Tooth. It’s stifling.”

Brock stared down at her for a full minute before he sighed. “Okay.”

“Okay what?”

“I’ll try to stop being so paranoid.”

“Good. And?”

Brock’s lips twitched. “I’ll call off the guys.”

“Thank you,” Finley said, satisfied. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate everyone looking out for her, she just needed to at least attempt to live her life, and that was hard to do when she knew everyone expected the boogeyman to jump out from around every corner. She trusted Simon and Brock to keep her safe. And to tell her if there was any proof she was actually in danger. Pete and Cory were out of the picture as far as she was concerned, there was no way they’d come back to Fallport. Not with everyone looking for them. And even though that truck had been stolen, leaving them with no clues about the unknown driver, Finley wasn’t worried about him either. It would be stupid of him to resume deliveries with the police on the alert.

She needed to move on. Couldn’t spend the next weeks or months, however long it took for the police to figure out who was involved in the drug drop-off, living in fear.

“Maybe I can give you something else to think about,” she told Brock. This wasn’t the time or place she’d planned on doing this, a picnic in The Circle in the middle of the town square wasn’t exactly private, but when Brock had shown up to take her to lunch, she hadn’t been able to deny him.

“Yeah?” he asked.

Finley nodded and didn’t beat around the bush. “I’m pregnant.”

Brock stared at her for a full ten seconds, before grinning. Huge. “I know.”

“What? How?”

“Fin, you’ve been living with me for a while, and you haven’t had your period even once. And I know your body better than you do by now. If you think I haven’t noticed the subtle changes, you’re crazy.”

“Like what?” she asked, shocked that he somehow knew she was pregnant before she did.

Brock leaned into her. They were sitting next to each other at the picnic table in the middle of the gazebo. He wrapped his arm around her hips and lowered his head to nuzzle at her ear. “Your breasts are way more sensitive. Remember the other night? I made you come with just my mouth on your nipples and my fingers in your pussy.”

Finley blushed. He so had. And the way he’d taken her hard and fast afterward had been hot as hell.

“And given how many times I’ve filled you with my come, I’m actually surprised it’s taken this long. How far along are you?”

“Not far enough to tell everyone yet,” she pouted.

“Right,” Brock said, sobering. “The chances of a miscarriage are higher in the first three months than any other time. And you’re almost forty. Maybe you should consider taking some time off—”

“No,” Finley said, trying to stay calm.

“You don’t know what I was going to say,” Brock protested.

“Of course I do. You want me to stay home, sitting on my ass for the next eight and a half months. Not going to happen. First of all, I’d be bored out of my head. Secondly, you’d drive me crazy hovering over me, and third—no. Just no.”

Brock frowned. “I just want you and Little Bean to be healthy.”

“Me and Little Bean are healthy,” she told him. “And we’re gonna stay that way too.”

“I’m a worrier,” Brock informed her, as if she didn’t know.

Finley laughed. “Really?” she said sarcastically.

His lips twitched. “You’re just going to have to get used to it.”

“I honestly don’t mind you worrying about me because I worry about you all the time too. But we can’t live our lives in fear, Brock. We have to live. I’ve waited too long to find you, I don’t want to miss out on a second of the life we could have together because I’m afraid of what might happen.”

She could tell she’d finally gotten through to him. He sighed. “You’re right.”

“I know,” she teased.

“But you need to stay alert. Don’t take any chances. If something feels off, trust your instincts. And if you feel sick, listen to your body and get off your feet.”

Finley nodded immediately. “I will.”

Brock stared at her, then said, “I’m going to do my best not to hover, but you’re going to have to cut me some slack. It isn’t every day the woman I love is carrying my child.”

Finley almost melted on her seat. “As long as you’re trying, I’m okay with you being protective.”

“Good. Now, is there any chance I can convince you to head home for the rest of the day?”

She smiled. “Nope. I have four dozen cookies to make for a birthday party tomorrow afternoon and a cake I need to start on for tomorrow as well.”

Brock sighed. “Right. Can I ask something else?”

“Of course.”

“Will you move the rest of your stuff to my house?”

Finley’s eyes widened.

He quickly went on. “I know it’s a big step to move in with me officially, but we’ve already moved most of the stuff from your kitchen to mine, and your plants, and all of your winter clothes. We haven’t spent a night apart since that first night you gave yourself to me. I can’t imagine not coming home to you in my house, or waking up without you by my side. If you don’t like the house, I can find another one. In fact, I should probably do that anyway, since Little Bean will be arriving next year. He or she is going to need their own room because there’s no way I’m making love to you in front of them. It would scar them for life. But I—”

Finley stopped his babbling by putting a finger on his lips. “Yes,” she said simply.

“Yes?”

“Yes,” she confirmed.

Brock lifted her hand from his lips and kissed her palm. “You’re being very agreeable all of a sudden.”

Finley shrugged. “Why would I say no when I’m deliriously happy living with you?”

“Right. I’m not gonna push my luck and ask you to marry me right now, but it’s coming, sweetheart.”

Finley’s heart skipped a beat. She loved Brock and knew he loved her back. All her life, she’d wanted to find someone who could appreciate her exactly how she was, curves and all. There was nothing she wanted more than to marry this man. Make Brock hers officially. She wanted to tell him to ask her. Right this second. But she could wait. She was carrying his baby, and she’d be moving in with him. Her bakery was doing remarkably well, and she had some amazing friends.

Adding one more thing to her “happy” list would probably be pushing her luck.

“All right.”

Brock grinned at her. “When do we get to do an ultrasound so I can meet my Little Bean?” he asked.

“You want to go with me?”

“Hell yes, I want to go! I want to experience every part of the process when it comes to our child.”

She chuckled dryly. “Not sure you want to share in the morning sickness.”

“Wrong. I’ll hold you while you puke, make sure your hair doesn’t get in the yuck. I’ll have a toothbrush ready and waiting, and I’ll rub your belly or back until you feel better.”

Finley frowned and poked him in the arm. Hard.

“Ow, what was that for?” Brock asked, clutching his arm where she’d poked him.

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re real, and not a cyborg or something.”

“I’m real,” he promised. “And I’m sure there will be days when you find me so annoying, you want to smack me. I’m not perfect, but for you, I’m trying to be.”

“I don’t want or need perfect,” she reassured him. “I just need you to accept me the way I am.”

“I do,” he said gruffly. “Just as you accept me.”

Finley tilted her head, studying him for a moment, then said, “You know what? I can probably deal with the cookies and cake tomorrow morning.”

“What?”

“I am feeling a little tired. Maybe I’ll go home and crawl into bed. Naked. Then to help me take the edge off, I might touch myself…give myself an orgasm so I can sleep better.”

“Right. And I’m thinking I need to make sure you get home and settled in our bed, safe and sound.”

Finley nodded. “Yeah, I agree.” She brought his hand to her belly and smiled. “I’m also thinking we should celebrate your super-sperm making this Little Bean.”

His pupils dilated and he was on his feet, cleaning up what was left of their lunch, before she said another word. Satisfaction and anticipation coursed through Finley’s veins. There were some downsides to having an alpha boyfriend, but there were way more positives. Including midday sex whenever she wanted it. Like today. Right now.

He grabbed hold of her hand and began towing her toward his truck, parallel parked outside the post office.

“Where’s the fire?” Otto called as they got near.

Finley chuckled but Brock didn’t bother to reply. He simply held open the door for her to climb up and over to her side. He did wave at the three old men, who were laughing as he started the vehicle. She heard Silas call out, “Have fun!” before they were on their way.

“I probably should’ve stopped and told Liam I wasn’t coming back to the store,” she said.

“You’ve got three minutes to text him and let him know,” Brock practically growled. “Then you’re mine.”

Finley didn’t hesitate to pull out her phone.

* * *

The hardest thing Brock had ever done was not yell to the rooftops that he was going to be a father. He was both excited as hell and worried about something going wrong with either Finley or their Little Bean.

The day after he’d learned about the pregnancy, the SAR team was called out to find a hiker who’d gotten separated from the rest of his group. Brock wanted to spill the baby news to his friends the second they reached the trailhead, but he honored Finley’s request to wait.

Duke and Raiden had taken point on the missing hiker, and they found the twenty-eight-year-old tourist within thirty minutes. He was at the bottom of a ravine, where he’d fallen and twisted his ankle.

Other than being a little embarrassed and sore, he was going to be all right. He managed to hobble out of the woods using Ethan and Talon as crutches, and his fellow hikers promised to take him to a twenty-four-hour clinic when they got home.

“Any luck?” Brock asked Talon as they all gathered around to shoot the shit before heading their separate ways.

“Luck with what?” Raid asked.

“Finding the mysterious woman who saved me and Finley,” Brock said.

“I’m not really looking for her,” Talon said with a shrug. But they all knew he was lying.

“Right, so…on that note, I was talking with Silas, Otto, and Art the other day,” Rocky said, “and I mentioned what happened. How this woman appeared out of nowhere and then disappeared just as silently and mysteriously. And Silas said something that was intriguing.”

All eyes were on Rocky as he spoke.

“What’d he say?” Tal asked impatiently.

“Apparently, there was a little girl who went missing. Long before we moved to town, obviously. She was eight at the time. A neighbor said she thought she saw her getting into a green two-door car around the time she was supposed to get home from school. The townspeople and the police searched and searched, but there was never any trace of the little girl or clues to who might have taken her. The parents were beside themselves and ended up getting a divorce because of the stress and moved away.”

“And?” Zeke asked when Rocky paused.

“Heather Brown was her name. She had red hair and was somewhat of a tomboy. Silas said at the time of her disappearance, there was some sort of religious group living on the edge of the woods. Liked to call itself ‘The Community’. The women all wore long dresses and weren’t allowed to talk to anyone outside the group, especially men. The police investigated them at the time, but they didn’t find any evidence of Heather out there, or a green car. The leader of the place died over a year ago, and as far as the locals know, the sect disbanded and everyone left Virginia. The area where they lived is now deserted and falling apart.”

“You think our mystery woman could be this missing little girl?” Brock asked skeptically.

“You said yourself that the woman had red hair and looked as if she was completely comfortable in the woods. What if she was taken by someone in that sect? And when the leader died and everyone left, she stayed behind? She’d be twenty-eight or so now, and probably very comfortable living off the land.”

“If it is her, why wouldn’t she have come forward by now? Eight is old enough to remember her life before she was kidnapped. And it’s not as if there haven’t been hundreds of people in the forest lately,” Raid argued.

“She was probably scared out of her mind when she was taken,” Tal said quietly. “And I’m sure she was threatened. Possibly abused. She might’ve been terrified and confused and did whatever she had to in order to survive. Twenty years…” he said with a shake of his head. “That’s also a long, long time to brainwash a child. She very likely doesn’t know a different life beyond the one she’s had. When everyone up and left, if she was taught to distrust outsiders…maybe she was too scared to come forward to ask for help. So she stayed where she was. Doing what she knew. Sometimes the hell you know is less frightening than taking a chance on the unknown.”

“We don’t know it’s her,” Zeke reminded him.

“We don’t know it’s not her,” Tal countered.

“For the sake of argument—if she’s stayed hidden since the group disbanded, what makes you think you can find her and convince her that she’s safe?” Brock asked.

His friend met his gaze. “She risked being seen, being caught, to help you and Finley. That tells me she knows the difference between right and wrong. And I’m guessing she wants to make a change, but isn’t sure who to trust or how to go about it. She doesn’t have a vehicle. Who knows what kind of education she’s received. Those piece-of-shit cult members, or whatever they were…they probably didn’t bother to teach her a damn thing except how to serve their leader. It’s easier to oppress people if they’re uneducated. But regardless, she still risked herself to help you.”

Brock nodded. “I’ll stay and walk with you,” he said. “It’s the least I can do for what she did for me.”

“What about Finley? You want one of us to watch her for you while you’re out here with Tal?” Drew asked.

Brock wanted to say yes. Wanted to tell his friends to keep an even closer eye on his woman, now that she was pregnant. But he’d promised to try to loosen up. To not be as paranoid about her safety. One of the hardest things he’d ever done was to shake his head. “No. It’s been a month. I talked to Simon just yesterday, and although he knows there’s an issue with drugs in Fallport, he doesn’t think Finley’s in any danger. Not after she gave him the info on what she saw and that license number.”

“They find the truck?” Zeke asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” Brock said with a sigh.

“Damn.”

Brock nodded. “As much as I don’t like it, Finley’s right. I’m smothering her. She’s a grown adult and she’s promised to be careful.”

“Well, then…want me to have Elsie invite her to On the Rocks for dinner when she’s done at the bakery today?” Zeke asked slyly.

Brock smiled. “Yes.”

“And maybe she’d like to come over and check out our wedding pictures Lilly finally got back tomorrow?” Ethan suggested with a grin.

“I’m sure Bristol’s dying to show off the latest stained-glass piece she’s making for a hotshot actress out in Hollywood.”

Brock loved his friends so much. He wouldn’t be breaking his promise to Finley to tell the guys to back off, but if their women wanted to hang out with her in the afternoons before he got off work…who was he to stop them? “Thanks, guys.”

“Not that I think she’s in any danger, but it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Drew agreed.

It was on the tip of his tongue yet again to tell his friends that Finley was pregnant, but he bit the words back at the last moment.

“I’ll see if I can find any pictures or more info about Heather Brown,” Rocky told Tal.

“Appreciate it. Even if the woman isn’t her, I still want to make sure she’s safe. The weather’s getting colder and it’s gonna snow soon. I can’t stand thinking about anyone out here on their own,” Tal said.

“If it is her, she obviously knows how to take care of herself,” Zeke reminded him.

“She was barefoot. And I…” Talon shook his head. “I just need to find her.”

Brock clasped his friend’s shoulder. They all knew Tal’s last mission with the Special Boat Service had gone horribly wrong, and he’d quit as a result. They also knew whatever happened had involved women and children…but he’d never given them details and they hadn’t pushed. “Come on. We can go out to where this ‘Community’ used to live and see if we can get any clues there. If we’re lucky, we’ll find Heather. If not, we’ll go over where you’ve already searched, including where Finley and I were taken by those assholes. See if we can’t find any evidence of a trail, or better yet, where she’s been living or hiding.”

“Thanks,” Tal said.

“Call if you need us,” Ethan said.

“Will do,” Brock told him. Then he and Talon headed back toward the trail they’d recently come down while escorting the young man with the sprained ankle.