Page 3 of Sam
Alec takes over and arranges for me to go with him to the States. He booked me on a course and got my mentor to take over my business for six months.
After the first month, I started to lose the numb feeling and began living again.
It took me three months to admit that my childhood dream of marrying Bella, having babies with her, and building a life with her would never happen and that I needed to decide what I wanted to do with my life.
The only plus to all this was that I spent time with Cash and his family, although we never talked about anything deep. I wasn’t in the right place for that.
Then Bren arrived, and both our worlds changed again. I’ve never been so angry with Alec in my life. I hadn’t thought that anything could come between us. But the way he’d treated my sister? Yeah, that would not fly.
Losing my friendship with him hurt as much as losing Bella, but my niece made it all worthwhile. I’d moved into the manor with Bren, and I’d expected it to be hard knowing that I’d see Bella every day, but she’d disappeared from everyone’s life and had gone travelling, according to Beau.
Nobody seemed to know where she was. Although she kept in contact with Maggie and Dog, so we all knew she was alive. I could see that everyone had questions, but nobody asked. And honestly, I’d have no idea how to answer them. I still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what had happened, and I’d been there.
I’d told Mum and Dad what had gone down when I got back. Mum had been pissed, and Dad had been upset with Bella when I told them the complete story.
“It’s for the best, son. Better now than years down the line. It would have been even harder if kids were involved. I’m sorry that you got hurt. I hate that you and Bren have had your hearts broken. As a parent, it guts me,” he’d told me.
And I knew it did. Even if only KJ was his biological child, he’d never made the rest of us feel any less like his.
When Alec and Bren had got together, I’d moved out of the main house but hadn’t wanted to stay at the cottage. I’d wanted a fresh start away from all the memories. Instead, I’d moved back into the flat above the electrical business. The same flat I’d grown up in. Mum’s last tenants had moved out, and I’d asked if I could rent it instead.
“You’re not renting your own home, Sam.” Mum glared at me and smacked my arm. “But yes, you can move in.”
“Thanks,” I said, kissing her cheek. “It’s better for me anyway, with the workshop being here.”
“Don’t work too hard. It’s easy to do when you live on the premises,” she told me.
“I’ll do my best,” I assured her.
It was strange living in the flat by myself. I’d not ever lived alone, and it took some getting used to. I knew I’d never keep the place clean, so I’d hired a cleaning lady, someone Ben knew who needed extra money. Emilia was an older lady, and she was a godsend. Not only did she clean, but she also made me meals and left them in the freezer.
It took a few months to get used to it, but once I did, I found I enjoyed my own company. The woodworking business was picking up and, for the first time in over a year, I felt like I’d found my balance.
CHAPTER 2
ALLY
‘God, I couldn’t wait for this year to be over,’I think to myself as I walk into the café in the university food court. Why the hell I’d chosen to come all the way to Edinburgh for university for Business Studies is a question I ask myself constantly. I hate being so far away from my family. I’d thought it would be a good thing, make me learn independence and all that jazz. It’s been the hardest three years of my life. I can’t wait to be finished. I was in such a hurry I’d told Mum and Dad that I wasn’t going to graduation and that they could post my certificate.
They’d been disappointed, but I’d told them I wanted to come home sooner rather than later. Dad had, of course, been thrilled with that option. I’m not sure who had found these last years harder, me or him. Thankfully, Jeannie had stayed close to home and had gone to university in Southampton.
Only a few more days and I’d be going home. The last few months have been stressful. At first, I’d thought that someone had got me confused with someone else when I’d found the first note taped to my front door. A few weeks later, there was another one.
I’d ignored the first few because I was sure it was a mistake. Not only had I not had any relationships while here, but I didn’t have many friends either.
And those that I classed as friends weren’t that either, more like acquaintances. They’d given up after the first month asking me if I wanted to join them on nights out. I wasn’t a partier and would rather spend time at home. Aunt JoJo had insisted that I stay in a house that she owned rather than renting student accommodation. I’d been grateful, especially when I heard about how filthy and drama-filled some of the houses were that my classmates lived in.
That wasn’t me. I hated drama, and I hated untidiness. It wasn’t in me to live like that.
Living alone and off campus meant I didn’t get involved in much, and that suited me down to the ground. My best friend was my sister Jeannie, and we spoke daily. She was the only one I’d talked to about the notes because I knew Dad would hit the roof, and then I’d have a houseful of overprotective uncles and aunts all up in my business.
A pattern of escalating notes and gifts ignited my curiosity. The last present had been a set of lingerie I’d been looking at in town last week. And that had made me pause and take stock. Up until then, I’d thought that whoever it was had the wrong person.
But it was starting to get creepy now. I’d phoned Jeannie to let her know and then had gone straight to the police.
Unfortunately, they were unable to do anything without further evidence. They’d taken the lingerie and the notes I’d kept. They’d told me to start documenting any further contact, and I had. I’d also started using the security system as I should have from the beginning. I knew better than not to. And I was glad that I had. It had caught whoever it was leaving me packages several times. We never saw a face, but we’d assumed it was a man because of the build and the way he moved.
The police have questioned me extensively about who it could be, but I have no idea. I haven’t had a boyfriend since college, and that hadn’t been serious. He has a girlfriend now and lives six hours away. It wasn’t the sort of thing he’d do, anyway. I’d called him after the police had spoken to him, and he’d told me I needed to let my dad know. And maybe I did, especially after the last gift had been left. The handcuffs were bad enough, but the video he’d left of a strange woman tied up and having sex had been the last straw. The police assured me it came from a porn site, but the image horrified me. It had sent shivers down my spine when I’d seen it because of how much the woman resembled me.
