Page 69 of Until the End

I can make both of our dreams come true without having to sacrifice my needs in the process. It’s the solution we’ve been moving toward without even realizing it.

I hold Ginny a little tighter, and when she presses kisses to my chest, happiness threatens to overwhelm me.

I movearound the kitchen with ease. Ginny sits at the island, her eyes following my every move. She’s become obsessed with watching me cook. I’d be lying if I said I hated the heated look she gets in her eyes. She helps as much as she can, chopping and prepping the ingredients I need for a recipe, but once that’s done, she loves sitting back and—as she puts it—enjoying the show.

The pregnancy symptoms have been mild so far. Neither of us believes it’ll stay that way, but for now, we’re basking in the little peanut growing inside her. I can’t seem to stop doting on her since we found out. It’s been almost two weeks, and I’ve loved every second of catering to her whims.

We shared the news with her parents and sister before telling the rest of the family. They were all overjoyed with the announcement. She has an appointment with an OB/GYN in Greensboro to check on things soon. It probably would’ve been smarter to wait to tell everyone, but I’m glad things turned out the way they did. She’s already asked Lilly a millionquestions about pregnancy, and I’ve also secretly been texting with Noah about how to best take care of Ginny.

Ginny grabs the stack of mail Daren brought in earlier this week and slides it closer. She sorts through each piece, ending on a manila envelope.

A stack of photos spills out onto the counter, and the silence that ensues makes me glance up.

“Carson.” My name is barely audible on Ginny’s lips.

My stomach drops when the pictures finally register. “Fuck.” I quickly text Daren to come to the kitchen and then start flipping through the photos. Each one is of either Ginny or me and her.

“These are all recent,” I say. There are images of us coming out of Jones’s Diner and walking around Main Street. Whoever took them had to be close to get these shots. How could we not have noticed them?

Ginny’s been silent, her face devoid of any color. It hits me how much she must be freaking out right now. I rub my hand up and down her back to try to reassure her.

Daren comes in, full of authority and taking control of the situation. It allows me to exhale a relieved breath. “Which pieces have you touched?”

“Ginny opened the envelope, but neither of us has touched the images themselves,” I answer.

“Good. I can get some gloves and send this to the lab for fingerprints. They haven’t been stupid enough to leave anything yet, but we could always get lucky.”

“I don’t understand what they want,” Ginny murmurs.

Daren gives her a soft look. “You, Miss Ginny. They want you. In every photo of you and Carson together, they’ve scratched out his face. He’s sending a message that he won’t accept that Carson is a part of your life. He wants you for himself.”

“Why hasn’t he made a move yet? Ginny and I have been together for months.”

“We haven’t given him the opportunity. We’ve taken every step possible to ensure your safety.” Daren makes direct eye contact with Ginny. “And we’ll continue to do so even after this lunatic has been caught.”

“Thank you, Daren. I just wish this nightmare would end.”

“We’ll find the bastard. One way or another, I swear.”

With that declaration, Daren heads back to the security house with the envelope of photos. I’d hoped that being in Sonoma would provide a measure of security, given how small a town it is, but it seems that was misguided. I have no idea how we’ll ever catch this guy, but my gut is telling me he’ll make his move sooner rather than later. He’s just gotten entirely too bold to hold back anymore.

Chapter 41

Ginny

“Are you sure it’s safe to go?” I ask Daren.

“Yes, I’m sure. The three of us will be in the SUV while Reggie drives the moving truck. Between your family helping to sort through your things and our security team, we’ve got you covered.”

I set my coffee cup on the kitchen counter with a clink. “I just worry we’re doing this for no reason.”

Carson runs his hand down my spine. “We have to live our lives, Goose. We can’t let this bastard force us into a hidey-hole. We’ve taken every precaution we can, and besides, we don’t have much of a choice. The lease on the storage unit ends in a few days.”

Unfortunately, he’s right. After my house in LA sold, Chelsea handled getting everything boxed up and shipped out here. We were still in LA then, so Carson and I rented a storage unit here in Sonoma to hold everything until we could go through it. Now, our lease is up on the unit, and we have to get the stuff out of there. The owner would’ve let us extend the lease if he’d had an extra unit, but they were all rented,including ours. He felt really bad about not being able to help us.

I have no idea what Chelsea kept and what she didn’t, so I want to sort through everything to ensure I don’t keep anything of Weasel’s. I refuse to have any of his stuff in my house in Sonoma. “Okay, we better get going, then.” I grab my cup from the counter and put it in the dishwasher. Carson fills two to-go cups with coffee and hands the decaf one to me. I stand on my toes to give him a quick kiss in thanks.

Daren and Reggie are waiting in the SUV. The rest of the security guys are at the storage facility, preparing the area for our arrival. This all feels like overkill, but Daren isn’t taking any chances today.

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