Page 11 of Securing His Family

“Because he threatened and scared you. I need to know who we’re dealing with. He wasn’t happy with anything you or I said. He doesn’t look like the type to give up easily, even if you think he will.”

Lauren looked up at the ceiling before returning her attention back to him. “Patrick was a teenage mistake. We didn’t even really have a relationship. As I said, he wanted nothing to do with me when I told him I was pregnant. He told me to get rid of the baby. I even saw him once, about a month before Charlee was born, and he looked straight through me. He was with another girl at the time. I didn’t think he’d bother me after the way he acted, but a day later he cornered me as I was coming out of the grocery store and told me to not even think about claiming he was the father because he would deny it and tell everyone I was sleeping around on him. That was when I said I didn’t want anything from him and he could give up his rights.” She shook her head as if the memory was one she didn’t want to recall but knew she had to. Reed wanted to tell her that it didn’t matter what happened in the past, that all that mattered was the here and now. “He told me to stay where I was and went into the store. A few minutes later he came out with a notebook and pen and shoved them at me. I wrote that he willingly gave up any claim he had on Charlee and got him to sign it. He threw the paper at me and then walked off. I was sure that was the last I’d see of him.”

Reed didn’t like where this was heading. “But it wasn’t?”

“No. When Charlee was about four he found my number and started to call and message me. I was so stunned that he was trying to make contact. I let the calls go to voicemail and deleted the messages. He was so persistent.” Her fingers were clasped so tightly together he could see the white of her knuckles. “One day I’d had enough and answered his call. He said awful things, even threatened to take Charlee from me. When I reminded him he had no rights, he laughed and hung up. I changed my number and things were quiet for a while, but then he called again and again until I had to get another new number.”

Reed wished Patrick was in the room so that he could grab the guy and remind him of what he’d said and done. “And he never found out where you lived?”

That was something that seemed off about this whole thing. If he could find her number, then he could easily find her address.

“He did, and so I moved. I found this place, and I get everything sent to a post office box. I don’t have a formal lease now, but Sally and Terence are great and are happy I’m here. After I moved, Patrick hadn’t made contact in years, so I thought he’d given up and I was safe. But I was wrong.”

That fucker was going to find out that harassing Lauren was going to cause him a wealth of pain. “How long has he been contacting you this time around?”

“It started a few months ago. At first I didn’t respond and blocked his number. But I guess he kept getting a new number because he kept messaging until I told him to back off and, yet again, told him he had no claim over Charlee. I thought it worked because the messages stopped.”

“Until today, when he turned up at the café,” Reed deduced, and the dread he’d felt before expanded. If Patrick had found out where she worked he had to know where she lived—which is what he’d told Lauren earlier and one of the reasons Reed was sitting on the couch next to her.

“Yes. And I’d be stupid to think that I’m safe here now, right? Even with all the precautions I’ve taken.”

He could hear the pain in her voice at knowing the haven she’d created for her and her daughter wasn’t as safe as it had been twenty-four hours ago.

What could he say? She was right, she wasn’t stupid and she wasn’t safe anymore. “You’re not stupid, and yeah, if he can find your number after you change it, he can find out where you live. The thing is, why is he now facing you in person instead of just over the phone?”

“I don’t know.” Stress was the last thing Lauren needed but it bracketed the lines around her mouth, and Reed wished he could take it away. “I don’t understand why he even cares. It’s not like he wants me. His interest in me died rapidly after I said I was pregnant. And every message is about wanting Charlee, not me. But, today, I saw something in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before.”

“What?” Reed went on alert, every instinct in him wanting to protect her and Charlee.

“After you told him we were engaged, he looked almost jealous. He certainly didn’t believe us, even when you came up with a reason why I wasn’t wearing a ring.” She shook her head as if disregarding that thought. Reed wasn’t going to though. “I must’ve mistaken the look for jealousy when it was really contempt.”

Reed was more inclined to believe Lauren was right with her first assumption—Patrick was jealous. He’d ask Steve if he could look at the footage of their interaction. Zoom in on Patrick’s face and find out if he could interpret what look Lauren was talking about.

“If you think it’s jealousy, then I’m going to trust that. You know him. You spent time with him. You’d know.”

Lauren scoffed, a look of disgust marred her features. “I wouldn’t trust me if I were you. I’m not known for making good decisions or understanding how a person acts.”

Reed hated hearing her talk about herself that way. “Every decision you’ve made since you’ve had Charlee has been good, don’t discount any of that. We’ve all made stupid mistakes as a teenager. I made plenty. We learn and grow from them, and you’ve done that.”

“Did you make a mistake by saying we’re engaged?” she asked quietly. “I know you only said it to get Patrick off my back and weren’t serious.”

What would she say if he told her that the idea of being engaged to her didn’t freak him out as much as it should? If he didn’t feel comfortable with Lauren or wasn’t attracted to her, no way would he have ever said they were engaged. But he couldn’t say that. It had been a highly stressful and emotional afternoon for Lauren and he wasn’t going to pile more on to her right that moment.

“If I had to do it all again, I’d do and say the same thing. I don’t make decisions without knowing what the outcome could be.”

“You can’t seriously mean that you’d marry me. That’s absurd, Reed. You hardly know me.”

He shrugged. “If it keeps Patrick away and you and Charlee safe, then I would.” He held up his hand when it looked like she was going to protest. “Him thinking we’re engaged will give us time to come up with a solid plan to ensure that, in the end, Patrick can’t touch either of you. Ever.”

Lauren got up and paced over to the window. He wanted to go and grab her away from such a vulnerable position. Even though they were behind a large house, it didn’t mean that someone couldn’t sneak down the driveway and attack her. Convincing her to let him put security cameras in would be even harder than the conversation they were having now, but he could always approach the owners of the main house. It was their property after all. That was tomorrow’s problem.

“That’s not going to happen,” she whirled around. “If Patrick turns up again I’ll deal with it. And if he asks about being engaged to you I’m going to tell him…well I don’t know what I’ll tell him, but I’ll think of something.”

Everything in him wanted to revolt at Lauren’s declaration, but he remained where he was. She may think she could get Patrick to listen to her and believe, but after everything she told him about the man, Reed thought her chances of getting Patrick to do anything she wanted was slim.

Reed may not agree with what she was thinking and doing, but he wouldn’t demean her by going all tough alpha male on her. He respected her feelings too much to do that. But he also wasn’t going to stand by and let anything happen to her. Or Charlee. He would be the warrior he’d been trained to be and watch over them, and if Patrick tried to make a move, Reed would be ready and waiting.

ChapterSix

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