Page 124 of Home Town Advantage
Daylen gasps. “She wanted to sing good morning to UncleVance. She thought she needed to cheer you up, but apparently, Sulley hasbeatenher to it. Literally.”
I let out a laugh. “Are you telling me your dog can sing?”
Vance moans. “Oh god, don’t get Simon and Garfunkel going.”
I hear Daylen chuckle before he yells, “TLC!”
BJ starts singing. She’s belting out an unknown tune like she owns the joint, all from the end of Vance’s bed. And then Daylen joins her. He holds out his arms, and she jumps off the bed and onto her hind legs. With her paws in his hands, they dance together as though they’ve done it a thousand times before.
I look at Vance in a bit of shock, and he shakes his head. “Don’t get me started on the insanity of their relationship.”
Daylen rolls his eyes. “I didn’t know Sulley was here. You’re lucky BJ likes you,Sullivan. She hates all women.Allof them…except my sister.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Because she thinks they’re her competition for my love and affection.” He then rubs behind her ear, and in a weird baby voice says, “But no one could ever pull me away from my beautiful, perfect baby girl.”
Vance snorts in annoyance, and Daylen looks at me. “I honestly can’t bring women to my house. She gets bizarrely territorial.” He mumbles, “That and I don’t want them to know where I live.”
Vance sits up in bed and scowls at Daylen. “You and your mutt need to leave. Now.”
Daylen covers BJ’s ears. “Stop calling her a mutt. She gets very upset when Uncle Vance is mean to her.”
I’m wildly amused by this conversation until I get a notification on my phone that someone is at my front door. It’s not the doorbell; it’s the motion sensor. I had it installed when Reagan grew concerned for my safety and Keith came into the picture.
Vance notices the screen. “Is that a delivery?”
Examining it carefully, I answer, “I think it’s flowers.” I zoom in on the screen and look up at him again with a smile. “Chocolate Cosmos.”
His eyes widen. “Not from me.”
I quickly zoom in further and realize exactly who is delivering flowers to my house.
THIRTY
SULLEY
Kennedy shakes her head. “All this time, and it’s been creepy Noah stalking you? Why am I not surprised?”
We’re sitting in a club box at the Camels game. It’s Reagan Daulton’s box, and she offered me access to it for every remaining home game. I think she bought it as her way of looking out for me, knowing I’d be at their games for the rest of the season and not wanting me out in the open crowd.
I sigh. “The police aren’t doing anything about it. All they can prove is that he left flowers on my doorstep. It’s hardly a crime.”
“What about the photos taken of you and Vance?”
I shake my head. “They didn’t find anything when they searched his laptop, and they didn’t find any money when they reviewed his bank accounts. I was granted a temporary restraining order because he stole my address from company records, but he hasn’t otherwise technically committed a crime. He’s out there roaming free, and I’m freaked out by it. The thought of him knowing where I live and coming to my house gives me the chills.”
Layla blows out a breath. “Wow. That’s crazy. The only people who come to my house are Amazon delivery men.” A small smile forms on her lips. “Oh wait, I had a solicitor come the other day. He asked for donations to an old-age home. I offered him my mother-in-law.”
I let out a laugh, appreciating her attempt to lighten the conversation. I’m sick of talking about this, and Layla knows it. The second the heavy stuff for Vance and me went away, this happened, and I’ve been tied up with lawyers and the police for the past two weeks. When will life slow down? When can I feel comfortable walking around without a bodyguard always lurking in the shadows? When can Vance and I be together without worrying about other things?
The worst part is that, because no photos were found in Noah’s possession and there’s no evidence the hush money went to him, we still don’t know if he’s the one who took those intrusive photos of Vance and me. Though unlikely, the possibility exists that there’s a second person out there stalking me.
I’m trying to shake all thoughts of having a stalker, but it’s made it so that I hate being at my own house. Maybe Reagan was right and I should have lived somewhere a little more secure. I haven’t slept at my house since I found Noah there. I’ve been at Vance’s every night he’s been home. He’s my safe place. I sleep better with him. He had a road trip last week, and I slept at Kennedy’s because I didn’t want to be alone.
The game is about to begin. It will be a welcome distraction. Number nineteen emerges from the tunnel, and my heart pitter-patters like it always has when I see him in his uniform. From the time I was a little girl until now, it’s never wavered.
He looks up this way. Our eyes meet, and he taps his heart a few times. Things are totally different between us since the big reveal in Montana. We’re in love. It’s real and it’s beautiful. The guilt has been lifted. I’m free to be with him, and he’s free to be with me.
