Page 39 of Stolen Dreams

“I do?”Charlie looks at me confused, and we share a look.“I do.”He nods.“I’ll walk you out, Sheriff.”

“If you find anything else while you are packing,” the sheriff says to her, “let us know.”

“I will,” she replies softly as she watches Charlie and the sheriff go out the door.

I wait for the door to be closed before I look over at her.“What are you leaving out?”I ask, and her neck moves back a bit as if she’s shocked.I saw she was hiding something.“You went white as a ghost when he asked you those questions.”She’s about to tell me she did not, so I hold up my hand.“Then you started fidgeting with your fingers, which means you’re nervous about something.”I raise my eyebrows.“I’ve been watching you a long time, Lilah.”Her eyes look a bit shocked.“So, yeah, I know you.”

“Of course I’m nervous about something!”she shrieks, trying to deflect.“Someone has been in my house”—her hands go up in the air and then come back down—“more than once, apparently.”Her voice rises and falls.“And he hasn’t broken in, so he’s either picking the lock or he’s a fucking ghost.”She yells out the last part.“Which means that this person comes in while I’m not here and goes through my stuff.”She puts one of her hands to her stomach.“Which is creepy as fuck, so that is why my face went white, and my hands started fidgeting.”

I know she isn’t telling me the truth.“Do you need help packing?”

“No, I don’t need help packing,” she snaps.“I can go stay with Courtney.”

“At her parents’ house?”I ask, but then answer for her.“No.”

She rolls her eyes.“I have four bedrooms and an alarm system.So if they want you, they have to go through that and then through me.”I fold my arms over my chest instead of doing what I want to do, and that is charging her and pulling her into my arms, forcing her to tell me what the fuck she is so scared of.“Now, go pack, or I will pack for you.”

She glares at me, and I meet her glare, my jaw tightening as I look at her.The front door opens and neither of us looks back at Charlie.“Oh, good, you two haven’t killed each other yet.”He snickers.“I’m assuming you have this taken care of, and I can go?”

“Yeah.”I still don’t let go of the stare.“I’ve got her.”

“I see that,” he retorts.“Lilah,” he calls, and she has no choice but to turn toward Charlie.“Blink once if you’re okay with going with this guy.”

“It’s silly,” she finally starts.“I can still stay here.I’ll just be more?—”

“That isn’t an option,” Charlie repeats what I just said to her.“It’s either him”—he points at me with his thumb—“or me.”He points at himself, and I’m ready to take her over my shoulder and carry her home to my fucking house.

“You have the baby at your house.The last thing you need is to be worrying about me,” she reasons, her voice soft.“I could maybe just stay in a hotel.”

“With no security?”I snap.“That isn’t going to fucking happen.This has gone on long enough.You are going to pack, and you are going to move in with me and Lucy.”

“I don’t think?—”

“Good.It’s settled,” Charlie says, breaking the tension in the room.“I’m going to get going.I’ll keep Lucy until she’s settled.”

“I’ll come and get her later on,” he says.“She has a sleepover with Saige tonight.”

Charlie tries to hide his smirk as he looks down at his feet.“See you later, then.”

He walks out, and I walk toward her bedroom instead of playing around.“Where do you keep your luggage?”

“Emmett,” she says, almost in frustration.

“Like when you say my name, baby,” I reply softly.“Liked it even more last night.”Her cheeks go pink.“Now where do you keep your luggage?”

“Under the bed.”She points at the bed, and I’m ahead of her by five steps by the time she’s come in.

“Do you want to pack your clothes, and I pack your toiletries?”

“No,” she retorts, “I don’t need you packing my stuff.I can do it.”

“Suit yourself.”I hold up my hands, stepping away from it.“I’ll watch.”

“You are infuriating,” she accuses, not even looking at me.“Why don’t you just go and be pissed at me?”

“Oh, trust me.”I sit on her bed.“I’m plenty pissed at you.”

“What?”She stops mid-step after she opens one of her suitcases and heads to her closet.“Why?”

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