Page 91 of Unraveled Love

The work had been hard all week long, but thankfully the weather had cooperated. Now, it was a beautiful eighty degrees, and I was staring out Sue’s kitchen window, in awe of the beauty of the land.

“I never get tired of seeing it either,” she said, walking in with a bag of potatoes she’d grabbed from her pantry. “I thank God every morning when I see that sun rise and every night at sunset.”

“It feels majestic,” I admitted, pulling my gaze from her reflection in the window to where she was setting everything out for dinner.

My mom came in behind her, wiping her hands on the towel she’d just used to wipe down the dining table.

After everything that happened, I convinced Mom to move up to Raleigh. She moved into Shawn’s townhome, and he purchased a home a few miles away, but in the same neighborhood. It’d been an adjustment at first. My mom, used to having a massive home and status in the community, had lost a lot with my dad’s death. Since it was ruled a suicide and he was posthumously found guilty of embezzlement, she lost a lot of the wealth she was used to. She could still live comfortably, but not nearly to the extent she’d been accustomed to her entire life. That was difficult for her, but slowly, she was becoming settled.

As far as Shawn and me, we moved into the home he bought, and I went back to my job at Dreammaker’s as soon as I could. Now, I was the daytime manager, waiting tables and working behind the bar when it was necessary, and I loved every moment of it.

As far as Matthew, his trial was still months away, but evidence against him continued to be revealed. He was facing the rest of his life in prison due to the charges against him, and I tried not to think of him at all anymore unless his name showed up on the television. Even then, I changed the channel as fast as possible. He’d taken enough of my emotions and mental energy, and I was determined not to give him any more. MaryAnne was still in New York, still being evil, but she’d held to the word she’d given Luca months ago, and now that Daniel wasn’t alive, I figured there was no reason for her to want anything to do with me anyway.

“What else can I do to help?” Mom asked Sue, draping the towel over her shoulder.

“I was planning on a roast for dinner, so I need to get these vegetables peeled and diced up, and there are desserts to be made for the party tonight.”

It had taken me three minutes into my first video call with Sue to believe she was the kindest woman who ever lived. Maybe it was because she was used to the danger of Shawn’s job, but after everything was done and he explained what had happened and how we met, his mom took us both under her wing. She’d already been out to Raleigh, and she and my mom, despite living such different lives, had become instant friends.

I suspected it was because Sue could befriend the cruelest people on the planet with little effort.

My mom grabbed a potato peeler, I grabbed a pot of water, and we all got to work. The men were outside, moving tables, stringing lights. Shawn had decided since it was our last night there, he wanted all of his friends to come over. I’d met most at The Tavern earlier in the week when we’d gone there for dinner, including Andrew and Brooke, and Kelly and her husband Ryan, who used to work with Shawn. There’d been Jordan Marx and his wife Destiny, and, to my surprise, even though he’d told me, Cooper Hawke, one of the hottest male movie stars of all time, who was married to Rebecca. They ran a farm nearby to Shawn’s family. All of them treated me like I’d grown up with them, instantly welcoming me into the fold.

I was excited to see them one more time, and sad to leave them in equal measure.

This week in Kansas had been one of the best weeks of my life. It was going to be hard to say goodbye to them, knowing we wouldn’t see them for several months.

The screen door slammed behind us, and without looking, I knew it was Shawn. His presence sent excited goose bumps dancing down my spine every time he walked into a room.

“Hey beautiful,” he murmured, coming up behind me and brushing hair off my shoulder. “Are you busy? Or can I steal you for a few minutes?”

He glanced at his mom, propping his chin on my shoulder.

“Go.” Sue waved her hand toward the door. “Take her for as long as you need. We’re good here.”

“You sure?” There was so much work to be done.

“Of course, honey,” my mom said. “Go have fun. Sue and I can take care of the cooking.”

For a woman who’d barely cooked in years and hadn’t baked since I was a kid, it still surprised me when I saw her working in the kitchen, and more surprising was seeing her doing it happily. She was returning to becoming the mom I remembered in my childhood.

“Okay then.” I wiped my hands on a towel and turned to Shawn. “Where are we headed?”

“It’s a gorgeous morning. I thought we’d take Pineapple out for a ride.”

A morning horse ride with the man I loved that would probably end in making out—or more—where we could be hidden, something we’d done several times already? No way would I refuse.

* * *

Shawn helpedme off Sloane and dug into her saddlebags, pulling out a blanket that he tossed to the ground. There was a nearby creek Sloane headed toward, dropping her muzzle to drink the water. The sun was bright, the weather perfect. The creek babbled as it rolled gently over stone and through weeds. Tress rustled from the breeze, and birds chirped in the air. All of it created the most beautiful, peaceful melody. I stood at the edge of the blanket and inhaled a deep breath. The air was fresh, and as I exhaled, I closed my eyes and reveled in all of this.

It never ceased to amaze me. This view, this life—it was so different from how I was raised and yet so fairytale perfect. Sometimes I wondered how Shawn could have wanted to leave it all for the city of Raleigh.

“Come and sit,” he said, gesturing toward the blanket.

I kicked off my sandals and joined him where he was already sitting and arranging a small cooler I hadn’t seen.

“What’s this?”

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