Chapter 16

16

At the Barratt-Finley Creek, the most exclusive hotel in Texas... in a suite. Of her own. With Gene Hiller and his five-year-old son on one side. And her parents on the other.

Chantal hadn’t exactly planned on this.

Charlie had driven her entire family to the hotel and rushed her upstairs to the penthouse level. She wasn’t exactly the kind of woman who did penthouse hotel suites. This was the most luxurious room she had ever stayed in, in her entire life. The owner of the hotel was a friend of her niece Charlotte and Chantal’s sister-in-law Rory. They’d arranged a stay here as a safe house. On a private family floor that required a key code to even access the elevators.

This particular suite belonged to the sheriff of Value and his wife. His extended family owned the hotel. Gene was in the suite owned by the mayor of Finley Creek. Her parents were staying in a suite owned by a man who owned TBFN, an actual TV and movie network.

This was a bit outside her norm.

Someone knocked on her door. Chantal opened it quickly, expecting it to be her mother. Her mother had been hovering since the moment Chantal had opened her eyes. No surprise—her mother always had whenever something had happened to Chantal.

It wasn’t her mother.

Gene stood there in front of her, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

It was the first time they’d been alone. She wasn’t counting those minutes in her hospital room when someone could walk in at any moment.

Chantal’s mouth went dry.

As she remembered what he had promised her out there. When they had been the center of one another’s worlds. When all they had had was each other and the hope that Charlie was coming for them. “Gene... where is Calvin?”

His mini-Gene was around somewhere. And Chantal needed that buffer. She wasn’t ready to face whatever change had happened out there between them just yet.

Just not yet.

“With your mother. There is a giant fish tank in the private family sitting room that takes up an entire wall. Calvin’s fascinated. She’s googling the different types of fish now. I told your parents I needed to talk to you. Alone.”

She was trembling. Why was she trembling? This was Gene. She’d known him her entire life.

So why was her stomach tight, and her palms slick? Her heart was fluttering. Her cheeks were flushed. This was Gene. “What about?”

“I think you know.” Then his hands were on her waist, just below where the waist belt for her new pump rested. And he was pulling her closer. “I just need to do this, Chan. I just need to.”

Her fingers spread across his rock-hard chest. And she just looked up at him.

And waited.

His head lowered. Chantal just knew.

Gene Hiller was about to kiss her.

She pulled back. “What? What exactly are you trying to do?”

“I think you’ll be able to figure it out.”

The door pushed open after a quick knock.

Chantal jumped back.

Before she pressed against him and did something completely insane.