Page 66 of Making Home with You

Sarah continues to stare up at me, an easy smile on her face as she waits for my answer.Swallowing hard, I take a deep breath and say, “I think maybe I was always just looking for you, Sarah,” my voice low as I force myself to say words I never thought I’d be able to admit out loud.

A shy smile tugs at Sarah’s mouth as she slowly slides up my body.“Who knew you were such a romantic,” she whispers, mouth against mine, before silencing any more talk with a deep kiss.

By the time we get back to Rockport, it’s after seven.Dropping Sarah at my place so she can do some more work on the job Kelsey’s passed on to her, I head out to the shops to find something for dinner.

As I pull into the parking lot of the supermarket, I can’t help but notice how relaxed I feel.How this weekend away with her was exactly what I needed.And even though none of the shit I’m dealing with at work or with Carla has disappeared, right now it somehow feels less stressful than before.

Grabbing a basket by the front doors, I wander the aisles, waiting for inspiration to strike about what to make for dinner.My relaxed mood quickly disappears however, as I round the corner of the dairy section and see Carla, maneuvering a cart at me.

“Fuck,” I bite out, quickly turning and walking in the opposite direction.

“Finn!”she calls out, apparently already having seen me.

I ignore her, heading quickly toward the exit so I can get the fuck out here.But I’m not quick enough and as I come to the end of the cereal aisle, a hand grabs my arm, sharp nails digging in through my sweater.

“Finn, wait,” Carla says, breathless and apparently oblivious to the fact I have no desire to speak to her.

“No,” I say sharply, pulling my hand from her grasp.“We can’t do this.”

“But Finn,” she starts, stepping in front of me and blocking my path.“I just want to talk.”

I take a deep breath, force myself to remain calm as I try to figure out the best way to take care of the situation without fucking up the investigation or anything.“We can’t talk, Carla,” I say.“You know that.”

“Oh come on,” she says, a dismissive wave of her hand.“That’s just a suggestion,” she adds as though the fact she’s accused me of sexual assault is all just a minor detail and not something that could potentially ruin my life.“We don’t have to avoid each other, Finn, you know that.”

My jaw clenches and it takes everything I have in me to remain in control.“Yes we do, Carla,” I bite out.“You made damn sure of that when you made up all those lies about me,” I add.“So if you’ll excuse me, I’m leaving before you start dreaming up something else that allegedly happened between us.”

I turn and walk away, ignoring her even as she calls out my name again.

Inside my car, I let out a long exhale, my chest tight as though I’ve been holding in a breath this whole time.“Fucking hell,” I mutter, pulling out my phone so I can document this latest encounter in my notes to email Detective Greenwood tomorrow.

Knowing I can’t possibly risk running into Carla again, I pull out of the parking lot and head over to the one place I know she won’t go anymore, O’Loughlin’s.Inside, I place my order with the young waitress who served us last time we were in here, before grabbing a beer while I wait for it to be prepared.

Beck isn’t working and it allows me a few minutes of peace to calm down before I head home to Sarah.I definitely don’t want to walk in feeling the way I’m currently feeling, not when the bliss of our weekend away still lingers.For her, anyway.

Eventually our dinner is ready, so taking a deep breath, I finish my beer and head home, determined not to let my recent encounter fuck up the rest of the night.

The next morning, Sarah leaves at the ass crack of dawn to head down to Boston, something about her boss needing her in early for a meeting that my sleep-deprived brain only half makes sense of.

I drift back to sleep until my alarm rings out, dragging me from bed and into the kitchen for coffee.After a quick shower, I dress, grabbing my gun and cuffs from the safe before heading out to the garage.Just as I start up the car though, my phone pings out with a text message.

Frowning at the unknown number that flashes up on my screen, I open the message and discover a video attachment, the image masked by the large arrow that starts the playback.

Instinctively I look around, even though my car is still inside the garage and it’s only a text video.Swallowing hard, I hit the play button and watch as my living room comes into the focus, the image now turning into a silent movie in front of me.

A movie starring me.

And Sarah.

Fucking in my living room after she came home from dinner the other night.

“Fucking hell,” I yell, punching the steering wheel in frustration.

Chapter Nineteen

Sarah

It’s insanely early when I step off the train and onto the platform, so early in fact, that most normal people are still in bed.