Blame It On The Carols (Sugarplum Falls #6)

Thirteen | Aiden

Thirteen

Aiden

“T hank you for covering tonight, Jackie. I really appreciate it.” I held the phone between my ear and neck as I gathered the papers that were coming out of the printer in my office.

“Not a problem. I’ll let you know if anyone out of place shows up, but I think it’s going to be a quiet night.”

I finished the call and then took the papers to the living room while Makayla soaked in a bath. I knew she needed it, even if she refused. Plus, it gave me time to sit down and go over everything Curtis had sent me.

After fighting with Makayla over lunch about the level of security she needed, I got on the phone with Curtis and asked him to give me everything they had on this Kevin guy. I knew he’d already done a background check on me and Jackie and that he would be doing them on the rest of the people I told him would be watching over Makayla while she was here. The nice thing was that he didn’t try to act like a pompous ass, and his focus was the same as mine—keeping her safe.

Her security team had landed half an hour ago and had to drive the rest of the way into Sugarplum Falls, so I expected them to arrive shortly. They were to go directly to the hotel and appear to be regular tourists until we could get a handle on what was going on. He had sent me images of the letters and gifts that had been sent to her, which was what I was now going through.

My jaw tensed as I flipped through the pages, reading the letters and notes from someone clearly obsessed with her. Why they hadn’t taken more action on this sooner was beyond me. This guy was clearly a threat to her safety, and the fact he had gotten into her house had my blood boiling.

I heard footsteps and gathered the papers before Makayla walked into the living room.

“What all did he send you?” she asked, pointing at the stack I was trying to hide.

I tried to ignore the soft lavender scent that floated around her as she sat on the couch and tucked her legs beneath her.

I pulled my shoulders back and turned to face her, deciding to be honest with her.

“Everything I asked for. Information on your security team, how long everyone has worked there, what they do. Information on the studio you use, people you’ve worked with, people you might have had conflict with.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “And everything he has on Kevin.”

She nodded but didn’t appear to be as angry as I imagined she would be.

“He was in my bedroom. My assistant found him sniffing my underwear.” She reached forward and grabbed a photo from the floor I hadn’t realized had dropped from the stack. “I wasn’t home, thank goodness. I was out of state at the time. But I haven’t felt comfortable going back ever since. It’s like he took something from me by being there. I travel as often as I can and renewed my tour, just so I didn’t have to go home.”

I shook my head in frustration for her and the shitty situation someone else put her in.

“I’m so sorry.”

She shrugged and set the photo on the table before looking at me.

“I try to protect myself the best I can. I constantly pay attention to my surroundings. I don’t go anywhere without checking in with Curtis to let him know where I’m going and when I plan to be back. I play by the book, yet this guy thinks the rules don’t apply to him. It drives me crazy.”

“I can imagine. But what I don’t get is why you didn’t tell me this was happening?”

“Why would I?”

“Because I can protect you, Makayla,” I said, aggravated that she didn’t understand how much this bothered me.

“As much as I love that you want to, it’s not that easy.”

“Why not?”

“Because we live two very different lives, Aiden. You can’t just drop everything every time something happens to me. Your life is here, and I love that for you. But my life is very different. I travel a lot and spend the majority of my time on tour when I’m not stuck in the studio for hours recording new albums. Add in press conferences and social obligations, and there’s very little time for me to do anything else. That wouldn’t be fair to you, and I would never ask you to give up or sacrifice the things that bring you happiness.”

“ You bring me happiness. Knowing that you’re safe brings me happiness,” I countered, even though I knew it didn’t matter.

She inhaled slowly and then released it through pursed lips.

“You deserve more than I could ever give you, Aiden. If you can’t see that, that’s fine. But I know it, and I won’t allow you to sell yourself short, even if it’s for me. I appreciate you letting me stay with you while we figure out my next step, but you don’t have to do all this extra work to protect me. My security team is in place, so they can take it from here.”

She got up and walked away, leaving me alone and frustrated.