Reclaimed (Powell Sanctuary #5)

Chapter 23

23

Aiden

Isla holds the roll of black and white pictures in one hand and my palm in the other. Our grip is tight, maybe a little bit with disbelief as we walk out of the clinic together. The sun shines down from a cloudless October sky. Halloween is this weekend. Before we know it, November will be here, and the holidays will follow. I feel like her due date will be here before we know it.

And what that brings along the way? I’m tired of the uncertainty.

We haven’t exactly broached the topic since we started sleeping together, but after today, this is definitely starting to feel more real. She called the baby ours. I wasn’t going to correct her, not with the way it made me feel inside. The way my chest tightened and released like my body was trying to tell me something. That I liked it. That hearing her call him mine doesn’t fill me with fear, but the opposite.

It fills me with hope.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

We stop walking beside her car. Mine is a few spots over. “I was going to figure out how I wanted to share the news with Juniper. I also need to swing by my place to swap out my dance outfits for this weekend.”

At the mention of her place, I rock back on my heels, the earlier events of today knocking the wind from my chest. I fight to keep my face neutral. “Um. There was a break-in at your place today. A couple of kids, nothing more.” I rush to stymie her fears. I hate the immediate look of alarm. I want to snap my fingers and erase it.

Her light brown eyes widen. “What?”

“I was out to lunch with Corjan and Silas was there when he got the call. I recognized your address. I already went with them to check it out. It looks like petty theft. They want you to come back to document anything that’s missing but your neighbor said it was some kids she’s seen hanging around recently.”

She snaps from fearful to outraged. “Oh my god. Julie. Is she all right?”

“She’s fine, starshine. By the time I got there, she was still wielding her wooden spoon and cozying up to the officers.”

Isla’s shoulders relax from her ears. She holds her free arm tight around her growing stomach. “What the hell, Aiden?”

“What?”

Waiting for her gaze to meet mine again feels like an eternity. Eventually, she gives me those gorgeous toffee eyes. “Are we sure this was just kids?”

I cup her shoulders, fighting the urge to drag her tight to my chest. “They hit four houses on your block. That, and Julie’s statement, makes it the most likely scenario.”

She gives a hesitant nod.

“Hey. I know what you’re thinking. If anything, this tells us we’re doing the right thing trying to keep you safe. We’ll just have to keep up this ruse a little longer.”

“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” The corner of her mouth lifts, easing my tension some. “I think you have an ulterior motive here.”

“No,” I gasp, clutching a hand over my heart. “This is all for you, starshine.”

“Mhm. I think you wanted me to fake date you so you could trick me into falling in love.”

I snag her wrist hanging limp at her side and yank her into my torso. Her cute little bump sits between us. “Is it working?” I murmur in her ear.

She rises onto her tiptoes and kisses me softly on the cheek. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Silas got tied up with work, but he sent Officer Nelson back to Isla’s to assist us with a walk-through and statement. Besides a few pieces of cheap jewelry, Isla doesn’t seem to be missing anything. Her house was the least ransacked of the four. The fact that she doesn’t own many possessions, and the ones she does own are baby-related and stored in a closet, might have something to do with it.

Still. The worry on her face reveals she’s shaken and I’m even more grateful we moved her to my place last week, where she’s safe behind an alarm panel and I can keep an eye on her.

I wait by my car with my arms crossed over my chest. The move is vaguely familiar to that very first night when she was scared to be alone. With a small smile, I watch her chat with her neighbor, Julie, and ascertain she’s comfortable being alone.

This girl is so strong. So brave. My chest warms when I think about all the good things wrapped up in Isla. All the good things she’s brought to my life over the last couple of months. Without even trying she singlehandedly helped pull me out from a hovering dark cloud I thought I’d be under forever.

The thought sparks an idea. One that causes my palms to sweat and my returning confidence to deflate just a little.

With a wave to Julie, she departs her front porch. My heartbeat seems to match her steps closing the distance between us.

“Is she good?” Knowing we have an audience, I draw Isla into my arms. Knowing I want her there regardless, I pull her tighter than necessary.

She tilts her chin and the sun catches in the light brown of her eyes. “She’s insulted I even asked her that question. Says the detective gave her his personal cell number to call if there’s any trouble.”

“Pretty sure he didn’t mean for her to use that in lieu of 9-1-1.”

The chorus of her laugh is soothing. “Do you think she listened when I told her that?”

“I doubt it.”

“You’d be correct. Poor Officer Nelson is going to regret giving her his number when she calls him later because she’s lonely.”

I grimace. “Should I warn him?”

“Nah. She’s harmless.”

“It’ll make for an interesting bar story later.”

“You’d be right about that.” Isla smiles warmly, with an infectious happiness I can’t help but return. “What should we do now?”

“I thought maybe we could take a trip to the Sanctuary if you’re up for it.”

“Are you kidding? We can go right now?”

I lift my shoulder in a shrug. “Why not? We both have the rest of the day off. I see no reason to wait until the weekend.”

The press of her lips against my cheek almost convinces me I’m doing the right thing.

Almost .

Because I have to make it through the rest of the evening before I can deliver that final judgement.

“I’ve always wanted to come here.” Isla breaths against the passenger window twenty minutes later.

“You’ve never been?”

“No. By the time Juniper started working here, I was getting ready to move. I never made the trip out. Didn’t have a reason to seeing as I couldn’t take a dog with me.”

“It’s not really the type of place people show up to unless you’re family or make an appointment. We usually hold adoption events in town. We’re having one in a couple weeks to raise some money for Spencer Stone.”

“Do you need any help?”

I glance over at her from the corner of my eye. “I’d love to have you there,” I say, reverting my gaze to the gravel road.

A silver gate up ahead blocks the rest of the long driveway. I hop out to key in the code in order to get moving again. Isla’s excitement in the passenger seat is palpable. Her energy invades the small cab, chasing away my insecurities some.

Her carefree attitude reminds me how I used to feel. Where I hope to get back to. I wish I could harness her positivity to imbue myself during some of those darker days.

Though they’re becoming less and less the more she’s around.

“Here’s my home away from home.”

“There they are!” she squeals and points to the excited dogs pacing around on the front porch.

“That’s Jude’s pack.”

“Those are all his dogs?”

I shift the car into park and kill the ignition. “They are. Those are the ones deemed unadoptable for one reason or another. They’re pretty special. He’s had to rehab most of them and grew pretty attached.”

She turns to me, tears shimmering in her eyes. “That’s so sad.”

“They don’t think so. He, and now Frankie, take really good care of them.” My tone softens.

“I’m just sad they started out in poor conditions.”

“Us Powells understand a thing or two about that.”

“And look at you all thriving now.”

The compliment slips into my heart for safekeeping. “Come on. They’re eager to meet you.”

We hop out. My shoulders tense as I step onto the familiar grounds. I haven’t been here in months. In some ways, nothing has changed. It’s like I’m here dropping off another stray or helping to process some intakes. But in other ways, I don’t even feel like the same person. That version of me doesn’t exist any longer.

As I take Isla’s hand and lead her up to the porch, I hope she can’t feel the sweat in my palms.

The enthusiastic yips and barks greet us on the front steps. The porch is gated to keep the dogs from running off without supervision. I slip the black latch through the hole, and guide Isla in front of me into the group of dogs.

“Down, down.” The gentle reprimand falls on stubborn ears. I block Isla’s belly with my arm. “You good?”

“This is heaven.” Her face flushes with excitement. “I’m okay. They aren’t jumping hard.”

Toyota puts his front paws on her thighs and licks her arm.

“That’s Toyota.”

“Hey, big boy.” She scratches him between his ears. “Another animal found in a vehicle?”

“Close. Dealership,” I laugh. “We have to get creative. Otherwise every dog would wind up named Bear and Cooper and Luna and Bella.”

“I thought you’d see more Busters and Maxes.”

“Oh we have. This is Ramona.” I pick up the small French bulldog. “Ashe is the big white one. She’s Jude’s favorite. That’s Grizz. Loofah. Saint. Dottie. Willow.” I point at each dog as I name them, faltering at the medium sized pepper colored heeler. “Remy.”

Isla clocks the change in my tone. “He’s beautiful.” She crouches and holds out her hand.

The guy is wary after the events earlier this year. He was with me when the gun went off, but thankfully neither he nor Ashe was harmed. With ears pinned flat, he slinks closer, his eyes never leaving Isla’s outstretched fingers.

The cautious Heeler sniffs her hand, and nudges it with his snout. After a moment, he butts his head underneath in a clear signal for affection.

“I think he likes you.”

She scratches him beneath his chin and he completely melts until his chest touches the ground. “I like him too. Can we take him for a walk?”

My chest tightens with a swiftness that should be alarming. “Of course,” I mumble. “Let me grab a harness.”

I slip inside the building, knowing that I’m walking into Jude’s house without a prior text. As if he were waiting for me, my older brother appears at the gate separating the entrance from the rest of the house.

“Hey.” His arms cross over his chest.

“Just wanted to walk one of the dogs.” I unhook a leash from the wall and pull out a harness. “Frankie around?”

“She’s babysitting for Whitney.” His gaze moves over my head and out the window. “That your girlfriend?”

“Yeah, she wanted to visit.”

“I suspected that was the reason.”

I flip off my ball cap and run my fingers through my hair. Righting it on my head, I twist the bill around to the back. “I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to come by—”

“Don’t mention it.”

“It’s not right. That I haven’t been here for the two of you, it isn’t right.”

Jude gives me a puzzled expression. “You saved Frankie’s life, and by extension saved mine. The only thing that isn’t right is you not letting us be there for you .”

I nod at my feet. “I know.”

“I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad she’s helping you.”

“She doesn’t even know it.”

Jude’s lips twitch. “That’s what makes it even sweeter.”

I follow his line of sight out the window. Isla’s ass is planted fully on the ground with Remy in her lap. His head is angled across her chest almost like he’s giving her a hug. I look back at my brother, noting the softness in his body language and tone. So different from the man he was just a few short months ago. “Love looks good on you.”

“You too.” His chin lifts. “You keep her waiting much longer, she’s going to ditch you for the dog.”

“I think she’s going to do that regardless.”

“She want one?”

“I think that’s why we’re here.”

Jude smirks. “Good luck with that. Check back in before you run off with one of them.”

“Will do.”

Isla glances up as I approach. The harness and leash swing by my waist. “Look at this guy,” she croons, running her fingers over Remy’s neck. “Isn’t he the sweetest?”

The dog cracks an eye, but otherwise remains content in her lap.

I lift an eyebrow. “Getting attached?”

“It’s impossible not to!”

With slow, careful movements, I fit Remy with the harness and clip the leash on the back. “You take him out, and I’ll lock up so no one else follows.”

“I need some help getting up.” Isla’s bashful smile erases some of the doubt lingering for why we’re here. Getting to see her smile like that makes all my discomfort worth it.

I nudge Remy from her lap and wrap the leash around my hand before offering her both of mine. “Grab on, starshine.” With a tug, I assist her to her feet.

“It was a lot easier getting down there.” As she turns through the gate, I put my hand on her stomach to protect her from bumping into the sharp corner. The door clicks shut behind us. “Where to?”

“Wherever you want.” A slight tremble enters my voice. I pray she can’t hear it as we meander down the path leading to the trees on the edge of the meadow.

“There’s a lot of land out here.”

“The property is huge. We mainly stick to the trails except when we’re checking and fixing fences.”

“Do you come out here often?”

I rub a sweaty palm along the thigh of my jeans. “I haven’t been out this way for a while.”

Remy doesn’t seem to have the same problem that I do. His gait is sure and eager as he tucks his nose close to the dirt and leads us along the trail. My feet falter. My strides become unsteady as the path grows long and narrow.

Without a second thought, I wrap my hand around hers and hang on. “Let’s go this way.” Every cell in my body begs me to turn right around the loop, but I know I need to go left. There’s no better time than right now to walk that trail.

Isla doesn’t question my sudden command. With a twitch of the leash, Remy aims left.

“Is this where…” she trails off. I feel her quizzical stare on my face.

“A little up ahead.”

“And you haven’t been here since?”

Words stick in my throat. I shake my head. Swallow over the unmovable lump. “No.”

“Aiden, you don’t have to do this.” Her fingers tighten around mine. I squeeze back.

“I want to.”

“Will you tell me about it?”

My heart skips a beat. I inhale slowly, releasing the breath into the cool October air. It rises like a puff of smoke before vanishing into the sky.

“Frankie and I were walking dogs that day. We’d been out for hours taking them two at a time, enjoying the exercise and the fresh air. We were on the final two, Ashe and Remy. We took the left at the fork.”

I close my eyes, hearing the rustle in the distance. They pop open and scan the trees before I remember the sound is only a memory.

Isla’s quiet as we walk. My attention heightens the closer we get to that spot. Just ahead. Through the trees. I tense as a shudder runs through my body, sure she can feel it in my hand.

“A few more feet.” I direct us closer, ignoring the way my chest tightens. My next exhale chases the last, coming quicker. Scanning the ground, I look for signs of a struggle. Blood. Casings. Anything. But a summer of rain would have washed away any evidence the police didn’t collect long ago. The reminder only exists in my memory.

The helplessness comes rushing back. So much that I wish I hadn’t left my gun secured in the car. I don’t need it here. Logically I know that to be true. The man is in jail, and the situation was too unique to repeat. That doesn’t stop my mind from conjuring scenarios. From feeling unsafe out here alone with another woman and one of my brother’s dogs.

I protected Frankie out of sheer fucking luck. But what if that luck runs dry when I need it a second time?

Twigs snap between my shoes as I release Isla’s hand and step forward. X marks the spot.

“Here.” The word is forced out on a breath. Wind pushes my hair around my ears, tickling my already heightened nerves. Rolling my shoulders, the collar on my leather jacket blocks some of the cold air teasing my neck.

I can stand here. I can reclaim this part of my life. My second home. Myself.

A little of the tension leaks from my fingertips.

Without looking, I sense her presence beside me. That warmth from just being near. Isla moves into my side, close but not touching. She leaves the gap just small enough that I’ll have to reach out to eliminate the space between us.

I waste no time doing just that.

I stare ahead, between the trees where the man stepped out with the gun, and close my fingers around her palm. The reciprocating squeeze eases a little more of that tension from around my heart.

“He came from there.” I point out the narrow gap between an old birch and a maple. “And I fell right there,” I rasp. The words scrape through my dry throat. My finger draws a straight line to the spot in the grass.

We both look to our left, and I’m glad. Glad she isn’t watching my face anymore because it rises in me like a sudden tide. The desperation to get Frankie and me out of that situation. The moment I knew I was going to sacrifice myself. It all comes rushing back from the box I haphazardly tucked it into the moment I looked around at my family in that hospital room, the grip of it all a suffocating ring around my throat.

How close I was to failure.

“Aiden.”

A few inches, and I would have died.

“Aiden.”

I don’t realize I’ve shut my eyes until Isla touches my face.

“Aiden!”

They snap open, locking onto her worried ones. “I need you.” Palming the back of her head, I bring our lips together. The second we touch, a fire zips through my veins. “Fuck, Isla. I need you.”

She cups my cheeks, pulling back a fraction to mumble against my lips, “You have me.”

Her words alone extinguish the doubt. Quiet the relentless waves battering at my crumbling shell.

“You have me, Aiden.”

In that same spot I nearly lost my life five months ago, I make a new memory. One that’s golden and impenetrable.

Anchoring her with my hand in her hair, I slip the other between us. My fingers splay against her bump. She gasps into my mouth, opening for me to taste her. The strawberry gloss I love and the mint she chewed in the car on the way over. We kiss so long that our warm breath heats our frozen noses and our lips become numb. Until the riotous feeling is chased away by something only Isla gives me.

Peace.

Isla giggles and drops her forehead against my collarbone. She fingers the buttons on my jacket. I rest my chin on her head, holding her close with my arms around her shoulders until our breathing calms.

“Thank you,” I murmur into her hair.

She hums against my neck. “You never have to say thank you.”

She’s wrong. I’d thank her a million times for the calm she brings to my storm if she’d let me. Knowing she won’t, I vow to get creative. Starting now.

“We should probably head back if you’re still interested in finding a dog. There’s more to look at.”

She traces the loose leash with her eyes, stopping on Remy where he sits calmly a foot away. “I think I like this one.”

Remy’s ears flick forward like he can understand English. His front feet tap happily against the dirt.

“Then we better get back so I can convince Jude to give you one of his dogs.”