Page 16 of Hollywood Fairytale

“I’m on it, buddy,” Luke knifed up out of bed and started to head to the door.

“Luke! You need some shoes and a coat. It’s freezing outside.” I called as I watched him walk down the hall barefoot with only sleep pants on. A pair that we bought so that he could sleep in bed with me and Mason wouldn’t get any surprises in the morning if he came in. Luke liked to sleep naked, but that wasn’t always plausible with a seven-year-old in the house who could come in any minute.

Lifting the blankets from the bed, I patted next to me for Mason to get in. I held him tight as I heard shouting coming from next door and then the front door closed.

“Are you okay, sweetie?”

“Yeah, Luke will fix it.” He calmly told me. He was right. Luke wouldn’t let some man yell at a woman.

“Get the hell off my property, Holden! You are not welcome here!” Prue shrieked.

A deep rumble came after, but I couldn’t make out what was said.

“You have no right to be here! I don’t want to talk to you or see you ever again! Leave like you did before, Holden. Leave!”

I could hear Luke and the other man’s voices, but they were further away so it was impossible to understand what they were saying. It was several more minutes before Mason and I heard the front door close again and saw Luke coming back into the bedroom.

Releasing my lip from between my teeth, I asked. “Is everything okay?”

“If you mean that the guy left then yes. If you mean your neighbor, then no she’s not okay. I guess her father passed away and the guy, Holden, showed up out of nowhere.”

“Prue’s dad died?” I asked in shock.

Luke sat down next to us on the bed. Even though he didn’t know Prue, he looked saddened by the thought of her father dying. “Yeah, baby. He died and that… a-hole decided now was the time to talk to her when she’s already upset.”

“I should go over there and talk to her. See if she needs anything. Will you guys be okay if I’m gone for a little while?”

Mason sat up and gave me a quick hug before he hopped down from the bed. “I’ll be fine, mamma. Luke, will you make me pancakes?”

A small grin grew on Luke’s face. “Yeah, buddy. I’ll make you pancakes. Do you want chocolate chips?”

His eyes grew wide. “Do you like pancakes with chocolate chips too?” Mason asked excitedly.

“Is there any other way to have them?” he asked back, knowing that chocolate chip pancakes were Mason’s favorite. I knew Luke would only eat them for Mason because you didn’t eat pancakes and have a body like his.

Mason darted out of the room and I was sure he was headed to the kitchen. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Go. We’ll be fine here. If we need anything you’re right next door.”

“Thanks, handsome.” I gave him a quick kiss and rubbed my thumb over his stubbled cheek. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“No rush. Take care of your friend. While you’re gone I’ll pack up some more boxes so that we’ll be ready to move your stuff tomorrow.”

“It’s going to be weird for the house not to have any of your things in it. How will it seem like it’s your house too? Maybe we should wait.”

“You’re not waiting.” Looking down at me sternly, he took in a deep breath and gritted his teeth. His jaw ticked twice before his face changed back to my sweet Luke. “Your ex-husband is going to find out about us eventually, along with others. I want to know that you and Mason are going to be safe and being in a gated neighborhood and a house with a security system will ease my mind. Ineedto know that your safe when I’m across the country. Please do this for me.” His eyes pleaded with me.

Even though I wasn’t ready for the change without Luke, I gave in. I didn’t want to cause him undue worry. “Of course, I’ll do it for you. I don’t want you to be worried about us and I know Decker will eventually find out. He’s going to blow up even though he has no right to.”

Pulling me into a hug, Luke kissed the top of my head. “All the more reason for you to be somewhere safe so that he can’t get to you.”

“Someday he’ll find me and confront me.” The thought made my heart race knowing it would be ugly. Before I could think on that any longer or get lost in Luke, I stood to get ready. “Go make Mason some pancakes and I’ll check on Prue.”

* * *

Knocking on Prue’s door, I looked back over to my house. I could see Luke’s tall form through the kitchen window as he let Mason help make breakfast.

The front door opened and my head turned to catch Prue’s tear-stricken face. When she saw it was me, she opened the door further and started to walk away. Staying silent, I followed her back to her bedroom and sat down next to her prone form after she laid down and curled up into a ball.

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