Page 103 of Our Lips Are Sealed
“Hmm, sounds like one of the regular morning conversations around here. Oh, and guess what!” She slapped his chest with the back of her hand. “Annabeth met a police officer, and she invited him over for dinner, but then Rowan got here, and well… we’ll have to see about that.”
“I trust Rowan, but be warned, he comes from a messed up family. As in, they make us Fairweathers appear somewhat sane in comparison.”
Evie tucked that information away for later. “Simone let me know she’s ready for a house full of grandchildren.”
Dipping her back, Samuel rained kisses along her jaw. “Ready whenever you are.”
Her heart stumbled, and Evie wondered if they could make this dance last forever.
“I also learned that Cohen has a perfect penis.”
Samuel’s smooth moves faltered, and he nearly dropped her. “What is it with you and ruining the mood, Evangeline?”
“You like him.”
“Not enough to listen to you talk about his penis.”
“I didn’t get the full details, but Jamison said that your talented tongue was probably no match for his prolific penis, and that her single night orgasm count is higher than mine now.”
Samuel visibly shuddered in disgust. “First off, let’s keep our private business away from Jamison’s ears.”
He placed his forehead on hers, careful not to touch the bump there. “And second,” he said with a wicked gleam in his eye. “Challenge accepted.”
Chapter 32
Theyneverwentawayas planned.
Toby’s arrest garnered the attention of more than just the local media. Within a few days the major networks picked up the story, and Cohen warned them early on that once the details of the investigation entered the national stage, the public would sensationalize the crimes and their privacy would become non-existent.
In the beginning, Evie thought she had handled everything pretty well. She went through countless interviews with Cohen, Mathis, and various other officials connected to the investigation. Not once did she fall apart, adopting a strategy to shun the news and steer clear of the internet entirely.
Avoidance worked for a time. She spent her days diving into the pre-planning stages of Annabeth’s bookshop, and meeting with the other store owners to help flush out their business models. Her nights were with Samuel, which left her too exhausted to think about anything except him.
The family and Fairweather Holdings held a firm “no comment” stance on Toby’s arrest, but that didn’t stop people from trying to get a soundbite. When reporters showed up on Haven’s doorstep for an interview, Simone had a fit and demanded that Ben install a fence with a security gate.
Both the gate and the fence were up and ready in less than a week, but the media became even more persistent. Unable to access Haven House via the road, they rented boats out of Port Michaelson to navigate through the inlet and film shots of the house from the water.
She and Samuel constantly tried to get away the entire time, but one thing after another continued to delay them. The aftermath of the fire, the investigation, it all worked against them riding off into the sunset to take a much needed break.
And even then, Evie remained fine. Ignoring the world until the day she couldn’t.
While having lunch with Micah, a man came over to their table. He didn’t look like a reporter, and never introduced himself as one, but his questions were the stuff of tabloid fodder.
“What can you tell me about your mother’s murder?”
Micah stood calmly, forcing the man back while Evie sat with her head lowered over her soup.
“Have you visited Dr. Miller since his arrest?” The man became agitated when she wouldn’t answer, pushing Micah and creating a scene in the restaurant. “Are you in love with him? How long did your sexual relationship with him last? Is it true you’re pregnant with his child?”
The insane rapid-fire questions sent her running to the car like a coward as the other patrons looked on in shock. After the incident, Evie made the mistake of paying attention to the media coverage. When Samuel caught her one morning skimming an article published on a national news station’s social media page, he was against it.
“Reading that stuff is going to hurt more than it’s going to help.”
The warning grated, and she’d snapped at him. “I’m not going to ignore this anymore, and I’m not going to let you bully me into blocking out how the world sees us. This is something I have to face.”
Dark eyebrows shot upward. “I’m not bullying you, and what the world thinks shouldn’t matter.”
“It will matter when Fairweather Holdings suffers,” she replied. “How many companies will do business with a family of freaks?”
