Reclaimed (Powell Sanctuary #5)

Chapter 27

27

Aiden

“This is a good idea.”

The apprehension in Isla’s voice stops me in my tracks. Last night was rough. Despite Silas and Sutton’s reassurance that the murders aren’t related, Isla couldn’t settle down. We read a chapter of the baby book together, and once the lights went out, I spent the rest of the night holding her as she drifted in and out of a restless sleep.

“I think taking Remy for a walk is the perfect distraction.” The tired purple rings around her eyes have me second guessing, though. “But if you’d rather nap, we can stay home.”

She shakes herself out of it. “No. I want to take my boy for a walk. I just can’t let it get into my head.” Her soft smile doesn’t reach her eyes.

Stepping forward, I cup her cheeks. Her flowery scent swirls between us as I tuck her hair behind her ear. “I won’t let anything happen to you, starshine. I promise.”

Water wells on her lash line. “I just can’t stop thinking about that poor girl.” She covers my hands with her own, putting up an admirable fight to stay strong.

“I know.”

“How can they be sure?” She searches my eyes for answers.

“Sutton said the girl didn’t fit the profile. The girl was only twenty-one. She had a boyfriend. She had brown hair. She was attacked outside. From what they could tell, he used his hands to take her life rather than a cord. But the biggest sign is there was no calling card.”

“Show me the paper again?”

My shoulders tense as I dig out the piece of ripped lined paper Silas gave me that day at the bar from my coat pocket. She studies the symbol for the second time. “I feel like I should know what this is.”

“No you shouldn’t. You have nothing to do with what’s happening to those women.” I speak the words as if I’m willing them into existence.

Isla jams the heels of her palms into her eyes. “This is making me feel crazy. I shouldn’t be this scared.”

She doesn’t fight as I circle her wrists and pull her hands from her face. “Don’t judge yourself for your feelings. They’re valid and normal.”

“Then why aren’t you freaking out?”

“You think I’m not freaking out?” I run a hand through my hair, tension spilling out. “Fuck, Isla, I feel like I’m replaying the scenario from a few months ago except now the person I’m trying to protect is the person I love.”

I don’t immediately register the way her face changes. How the self-judgment transforms into confusion, and then hope.

“You love me?”

A breath escapes me, sharp and unexpected. The words tumbled out, liberating me. A weight floats off my shoulders. I drop my forehead against hers and lace our fingers. Bracing. Hoping along with her.

“Didn’t you notice I was falling?”

“No,” she whispers. “No, I didn’t. I was too busy falling for you .”

My heart races as I pull back to look at her. “Tell me.”

She doesn’t make me wait for it.

“I love you, Aiden Powell.”

I crash my lips against hers. “Say it again,” I plead against them, my voice filled with urgency.

“I love you.”

Releasing her hands, I crush her against me, the warmth of her igniting me like a bonfire on a cold, dark night. “I love you too, starshine. I love you more than I know how to put into words.”

“Not just because I stole your virginity?”

A smirk plays on my lips. “There is that.” I tease. “But I love you because you’re independent and strong. You’re tenacious. You’re a fighter, and even when you’re scared, you still make logical decisions. I love you because you let me in when you didn’t have to. You lowered your walls down so that I could help you. I love you because you brought me back. You helped me reclaim my life.”

She flattens her fingers on my chest. The beat of my heart is a gallop beneath her palm. “You did that, Aiden.”

“I didn’t know how to without you. I was a shell of who I am now.”

Her teeth catch her bottom lip. “You don’t think I’m trapping you?”

“How so?”

“With this baby?”

“Hard to trap someone who’s willing, but let me make this absolutely clear. I want you . However you come today, tomorrow, the next. I want you just as you are. That means pregnant, or as a mother. I want you, and if you’ll have me for long enough, I want to be in his life too.”

“You’re going to make me cry, and I just did my makeup,” Isla swipes her fingers beneath her eyes.

“I’ll take you with mascara running down your face, starshine. It just means I get to be the one to dry your eyes.” I press a tender kiss to her forehead.

“You and your charm really caught me off guard.” She nuzzles into my neck, and I wish I could keep us like this. Fuck the outside world. “Slipped past my defenses.”

“I’m lucky you let me.”

The sound of a hiss interrupts our heartfelt conversation.

“He’s still not liking his temporary living arrangement, is he?”

“Well if he didn’t swat Remy on the nose, he wouldn’t be in timeout.” Isla gives a motherly huff.

Releasing her, I slip the harness over Remy’s head. “I hardly call an entire room to himself a timeout.”

We turned the other spare bedroom into a temporary cat’s paradise, complete with a huge cat tree, a low-lying window perch, and an abundance of toys to play with. The boy is spoiled.

But what I didn’t tell Isla while we brought in Chevy’s toys is that I plan to make that room a nursery.

“I’ll give him some extra pets when we get back.”

“He’ll love the attention. Come on. Let’s get Remy some exercise.”

Walking this dog together is probably the most domestic thing we’ve done. After the craziness of the last couple of months, it’s mundane. Surprisingly normal. We step out into a chilly November morning, the sun a bright heat across our skin. Only a few blocks from Main Street, we hold hands and let Remy lead us toward town.

A few lingering birds chirp; those that haven’t yet left for the upcoming long winter. Remy absorbs the new environment around him. He’s been on the Sanctuary for at least a year, so this trip across the pavement brings about something new for the three-year-old Heeler.

“So…” Isla hums, cutting herself short from speaking her mind.

“A needle pulling thread?”

The back of her arm lands horizontal across my chest. I grab it and kiss her knuckles.

“I’ve been thinking we need to come clean to your family. I don’t like lying to them, but especially Juniper. She’s my best friend, and she deserves to know the truth.”

Remy takes interest in a stop sign. The delay provides time to face Isla head-on.

“If you want to tell them, we can tell them. It doesn’t matter anymore. This is real.”

She wraps her arms around me, kissing me softly. Featherlight fingertips play with the hair at my neck. “It’s real for me too.”

The leash pulls taut. Remy’s warning bark cuts through the tranquil air like a knife.

“Hey, boy.” I tug him back from a man passing in the opposite direction. His wire-rimmed glasses reflect the morning sun, contrasting the scowl on his face. He tucks his hands in his pockets as he stares us down.

“Control that thing,” he mutters.

“He is under control.” Our gazes collide, holding until he passes.

Isla scratches Remy beneath his chin, and he immediately relaxes. “That was strange. I haven’t seen him have that reaction before.”

I shrug, setting off on our walk again. “It’s not unusual. We haven’t seen him interact much outside of the Sanctuary. It could have been his glasses. Or the fact he’s a man.”

“He didn’t react that way with you or Jude.”

“He’s much more familiar with us. After what happened during the spring, maybe he’s hesitant around strange men.”

“Poor thing.” Isla frowns.

We round the corner onto Main Street, and nearly bump into a couple. Remy barks again, pulling slightly in my grip.

“Sorry,” I apologize. “We’re working on his socialization.”

“That’s okay.” The young woman smiles. “He’s a beautiful dog.”

Her partner gives me a chin lift, and they provide a wide berth for us to pass.

“Now that’s how you interact with your neighbors.”

Isla grins up at me. “Get rubbed a little the wrong way, did you?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Not at all,” Isla singsongs, looping her hand in the crook of my elbow. “Back to the conversation…”

“I think we should tell them tonight.”

“At dinner?”

“Why not? Get it all over with in one go.” Remy sticks his nose into a dried-out flowerpot near the bakery, halting our progress.

Isla shades her eyes and tilts her chin. “I think we’ve had this conversation before.”

I lean down and touch my mouth to hers. “There’s a good chance we’ll have another one in the future too.”

“I have to pick up my last check from XO’s first. Then I can close that door for good.”

A stray lock of hair sticks to her cheek. I retrieve it with my thumb. “Are you happy?” My heart trips over itself.

Adoration flashes in her eyes, and her smile blinds me. “I can’t imagine a scenario where I’ve been happier.”

I waste no time covering her mouth again with mine.

One hand on the wall for support, I press her back against the brick building. Her tongue dances with mine. My hips thrust my erection into her soft hip as we make-out in public like two randy teens who can’t keep their hands off each other.

“I could arrest you for PDA, you know,” Silas drawls from behind me.

“Go away.” Intent on continuing this exploration, I don’t even bother to open my eyes.

“I’m just getting a muffin, muffin. ”

Wrenching away, I scowl over my shoulder as Isla giggles. “How much time would I spend in jail if I clocked you right now?”

Isla twists her fist in the front of my jacket.

“Half a day before bail. It’s the assault charge that’ll get ya in the long run.” He winks and saunters inside.

I chuckle and shake my head. “One day, Silas Stone is going to get what’s coming to him, and it’s going to be my pleasure to watch him fall.”

“What, like he’ll get his ass kicked?”

I quirk a brow and kiss her forehead. “Not an ass kicking, starshine. A woman.”