Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Lulu

School doesn’t last very long. Both Mary and I get distracted the minute I finish the repair. She insists on changing, which then turns into me changing. After all, I did promise.

Her subject books lay abandoned on the table as we sneak to the front door.

Ajax is busy placing plant pots a few feet away.

Weird.

I glance at Mary, but she just shrugs.

“Okay, thirty minutes playing near the stream and then back to math,” I whisper.

Piglet nods her agreement.

Deal.

At the door, Ajax spots us immediately but feigns ignorance. I jump out of the RV over the steps, and Mary quickly copies my actions. Straightening, we walk briskly toward the water, our backs ramrod straight. I hold in my smile as her little arms swing like she’s marching.

She’s so cute.

“Okay, Piglet, shoes and socks off. What are we hunting for first?”

“Fairies,” Mary says in a tone that tells me she thinks that I’m a moron for asking.

We tuck our socks into our sneakers and step onto the large rocks. The shallow stream flows calmly.

Her laughter rings out, and I quickly lose track of time. The heat of her father’s gaze fades the longer we’re out here. He slowly goes back to what he was doing, then settles in a chair with his laptop on his knees.

Happy. I feel happy for the first time in a very long time. I push all thoughts of murder and Cromwell Town away and enjoy the moment.

“Girls! Mary, Lulu!”

I look around when I hear Ajax’s frantic tone calling for us, but all I see are trees. Shit, how did that happen?

“We need to go back, Mary,” I rush, offering my hand.

Please don’t be too mad.

We hurry back to the stream. A worried Ajax stands on the other side. His face relaxes in relief.

“I’m sorry, we were playing,” I explain lamely .

“I know”—he nods—“but it’s time to come in.” He waves at us to cross.

With Mary’s hand still in mine, I reach out a foot for the first stone, only to panic. It’s not there. I twist my head to make sure this is where we crossed earlier, and the same knobby tree is rooted behind us.

So where are the rocks?

Ajax’s eyes drop to my bare foot still frozen above the flowing water. “Where are your shoes?”

I point at the two sets of sneakers close to him. “We used the large rocks to come over, but now they’re gone.”

“That can happen with streams.”

What happened to not being mad?

“I’ll carry Mary and wade across.” I smile like it’s no big deal. It is a big deal. The water isn’t that deep, but the current has picked up, and I can see sharp rocks on the bottom through the clear water.

“You will not,” he snaps, walking toward us and stepping into the water. His foot slips slightly, but he catches himself quickly. “It’s sharp and uneven on the bottom, not to mention slippery,” he grumbles. “Like I’m going to let my girls walk across it.”

I blush at his words. After everything I’ve seen him do, those words shouldn’t make me breathless.

He reaches us quickly. “Okay, hold on tight to Daddy’s neck,” he tells Mary as he crouches to scoop her up into his left arm.

Even with his earlier words, I’m not expecting him to repeat the action with me, so I’m startled and scream, drawing the attention of nearby campers.

The mom of a family watching “aws” loudly, but Ajax remains oblivious, his complete attention on Mary and me.

His feet test the ground before he steps forward, the journey taking much longer than when it was just him.

“You were supposed to be teaching her science,” Ajax reminds me.

“I was.”

He raises a dubious brow.

I struggle to think of something to say. “Environmental science.” I smirk.

Ajax throws his head back and laughs, making my stomach flutter.

His strong arm supports my weight, holding under my ass. Wiggling my toes, I dip them into the cold water.

“Behave,” he warns, but the smile he gives me makes my own lips spread wide.

The three of us are back on dry land in minutes. I sit on the ground and help Mary with her shoes and socks before putting my own back on. I’m almost done when two very wet boots appear. The denim above them is dark blue. He’s completely soaked.

I grimace. “Sorry.”

“Did you have fun?”

I freeze for a second, wide-eyed. I don’t know what to say. Andrew would ask questions, and no answer would be right. Is this the same?

“Yes!” Mary answers for me.

Her father looks at me with a raised brow, waiting.

“Yes,” I whisper with a nod.

“Then that’s all that matters,” he declares, clapping his hands. I flinch at the sound.

“Mary, baby. Would you please go fetch me a towel?”

The little girl runs full force toward the RV, more than happy to help. Once she’s out of hearing distance, Ajax drops down to where I am.

“One day, you’re not gonna flinch around me.”

“You kill people,” I reply, running my finger in the dirt.

His finger turns my face. “I won’t kill you.”

I gulp and lick my lip, my mouth suddenly becoming very dry. “But you will kill again.”

“Yes,” he answers honestly, “and I will teach our sons. Hunting is a part of me. I built a business of it. It’s who I am. The fact that animals aren’t enough for me has nothing to do with the type of father I am or the husband I will be.”

My chin quivers at his words, tears breaking free.

“You feel this, this thing between us, Lulu. You can deny it until your last breath, but if you run, I will hunt you, and I’ll kill anyone who stands in my way, anyone you spoke to, anyone who helps you. They’ll die because of you. ”

I’m openly crying by the time he finishes, but I still lean into our kiss because Ajax is right . . . I do feel it.