Page 31 of Stay With Me (Griffin’s Den #2)

THIRTY-ONE

Noah

Exhaustion hits me as I climb into my truck after my shift. It wasn’t a bad day, but we’ve been oddly busy lately.

The farmers’ market has brought in people from all over, and they tend to stay for long weekends. It’s good for the town, but days like today are rough.

On top of that, we received two reports stating squatters were seen in town at two separate run-down barns. We went to investigate both locations, but they weren’t there, and the barns were trashed. Broken windows, doors, and some things have gone missing.

Afterward, we had our monthly conference call with the other two cities in our area that make up our little corner of New Mexico, just touching base.

Because of this, I’m running late, and Farmer Joe had to bring Luna and Jess back to the house.

I hate that I feel like I let her down since I couldn’t pick them up.

She’s been doing a lot at work lately since the bed-and-breakfast is just as busy as I’ve been. Between Jess coming to town and us building our relationship, I feel like she hasn’t had a lot of time with the girls, and I know how important it is for her to make time for that as well.

Maybe the guys will want to hang out with Jess and me.

Running with my idea, I press the call button on the steering wheel and tell my phone to call Luke.

He picks up by the third ring. “Sup, dude? You aren’t sick of me after the two calls we had for car accidents today?”

“Were you guys just as busy as us today? I swear, traffic has picked up with the expansion of the market and more people coming into town early for it.”

“Yeah, but I’m not mad because my girl is super successful.”

“Oh, I’m not mad either. It’s good for the town. I just wish the idiots stayed home.”

“Preach. What’s this about squatters that I heard you got calls about?”

I tell him the little information I have.

“Do you think it was some punk kids just partying? I grew up in the city, so we didn’t have that, but I imagine kids from here wouldn’t think twice about it.”

“Yeah, we used to do it all the time in high school, but we didn’t steal or break anything.”

“Can’t be too careful,” he says, and I know he’s thinking about what happened late last year with Am.

“Anyway, I didn’t call to talk about work,” I tell him as I turn onto my street.

“What’s up?”

“Want to do a guys’ night this weekend? I’ll have Jess, but I’m hoping to convince Luna to talk the girls into going out. She’s been working hard and stressing about the cult and Jess. She needs it.”

“Funny, Am was just talking about getting the girls together. I’ll have Am reach out, and I’ll talk to Sam about it, but I’m sure he’ll be down.”

“Perfect, I’ll call Carter and invite him too.”

“Cool, I’ll text Sam now. Oh, before we get off the phone. Have you heard from the FBI agent guy?”

I sigh because that’s what I need to talk to Luna about. “Yeah, he sent me a text that he’ll be down here within the next week. He had some delays but gave me their flight information.”

“Let us know if you need anything. You guys don’t have to deal with it alone.”

As I pull into my driveway, I take a deep breath. “I know, man. Thanks.”

“No problem. Now go see your girls, and I’ll coordinate the guys’ night with the others in the group chat. Have a good night.”

“Thanks, man. Night.” Hitting end, I hang up the phone and turn the car off.

I walk to the front door but pause when voices float on the air from around back.

Turning, I follow the wraparound porch to the backyard and stop when I see Luna with a book in her lap, sitting on the chair I have back here, while Jess sits on the top porch stair with a coloring book open and the biggest box of crayons I’ve ever seen.

“What are you hungry for tonight?” Luna asks Jess.

“I think chicken and mashed potatoes sound good. What are you thinking?” Jess says without looking up.

“That sounds good. What do you want as a veggie?” Luna laughs because while Jess has been pretty good about trying new foods, like any kid, she tries to avoid her vegetables if possible.

“Potatoes are a veggie,” Jess states, and I have to fight back a laugh.

With a sigh, Luna leans forward and rests her elbow on her knee. “Okay, pick a different colored veggie.”

“Maybe we can skip a different colored one? I did well with my school work and helping Farmer Joe today.”

I should let them know I’m here, but I love watching their interactions as they figure out their relationship.

“Or we can just have broccoli since it’s Noah’s favorite and goes well with mashed potatoes. We have to hurry and start cooking because he’ll be here soon,” Luna says to her.

“Or we can have pizza for dinner? How does that sound?” I say, alerting them to my presence.

They whip their heads to the side, and Luna yells as she drops her book, “Holy crap, Noah! You scared me! How long have you been there?”

I look down at Jess, and her eyes are wide and darting around.

Before I can question it, she looks at me and laughs.

“Long enough to know that Jess doesn’t want another veggie other than mashed potatoes for dinner, and since I’m the one running late, my vote is pizza for dinner.”

“I think pizza is a good choice,” Jess says as she starts to pack up her crayons.

“Well, it looks like I’m outvoted. Pizza it is.” Luna locks eyes with me and smiles.

“Perfect. I’ll order it and go change. The usual?” I ask because our one go-to fast food has been pizza since Jess seems to like it.

“I’m good with the usual. How about you, Jess?” Luna asks and bends to pick up the book she dropped.

I can’t help but groan as images of taking her from behind, bent over the porch swing, fill my mind.

When she flashes me a smile as she stands up, I realize I wasn’t as quiet as I thought I was.

“You must be hungry, Noah. I think your stomach is making funny noises,” Jess says as I walk by.

“Yeah, kiddo, I’m starved,” I say without breaking eye contact with Luna, who blushes. Jess goes into the house to wash her hands, and I walk over to Luna, pull her into my arms, and kiss her. “Hey, baby.”

“Hey.”

“I’ll call in the pizza now so we can eat before it gets too late.”

“Okay, I have cash to pay for the pizza,” she tells me.

“I’ll pay over the phone. You’ll just have to answer the door to get it from the delivery driver. Okay?”

“Okay. I’m going to head in and pack our lunches for tomorrow,” she says and goes up on her tiptoes to kiss me.

I want to pull her closer to deepen the kiss, but my uniform gets in the way. “Give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll be out and ready, probably before the pizza guy gets here,” I tell her.

“Take your time, you had a long day,” she says and walks toward the door with me following her. “Was it that busy?”

“Yes, busy and weird,” I tell her as I turn to lock the door behind me.

“Yeah, we had a few guests check in today for the farmers’ market. I’m glad Joe and Am’s hard work is paying off with it.”

“I agree,” I tell her, and before I turn toward my bedroom, I hook my arm around her waist and pull her closer. I bend and kiss her on the side of the neck, and she tilts her head to give me more access. “I’m glad you had a good day.”

“I’m glad you had a good day too,” she says, breathlessly.

“I’m going to go wash up now before I pull you into the shower with me. I’ll be out soon, my Lunabella.” I reluctantly release her.

Her ears redden with her blush as she glances down the hall to see if Jess is there. “Okay,” she says before walking down the hall, and I watch her go.

This woman will be the death of me.

Once she’s out of sight, I order the pizza and shower as quickly as I can.

As I finish packing up the leftovers, Luna comes back into the kitchen after checking on Jess since she went to bed after dinner.

“Everything good?” I furrow my brow.

She walks up to the other side of the island. “Yeah, I thought maybe she wasn’t feeling well since she seemed to just crash after eating.”

“I used to do that all the time as a kid. I think it’s pretty normal.”

“Oh, we had such a strict schedule that there were no naps or going to bed early,” she admits.

“I’m sorry. I wish you didn’t have to go through that.” I sigh and wipe my hands on the towel hanging on the stove.

She shrugs. “It’s okay. I learned a lot. Is the sheriff’s department going to hire more people as the farmers’ market gets bigger?”

I let her change the subject and walk toward her.

Instead of sitting in the chair next to her, I pick her up and put her in my lap.

“It depends on the budget that gets approved, but the market has been bringing in a lot of people now that the tri-county is involved, so we’ll probably pull in other deputies from the surrounding towns to help out on the weekends.

I just hope we don’t keep getting more squatters as people travel through town. ”

“What are squatters?” she asks, laying her head on my shoulder.

“People who stay somewhere abandoned or unoccupied that they don’t own or rent.

We don’t see stuff like that around here normally, so it was weird to have the calls.

Which reminds me, we haven’t been doing it a lot, but I want to teach you how to set my alarm manually and download the app on your phone to do it remotely as well. ”

“Do you think that’s necessary?”

She tenses, and I move my hand rhythmically up and down her thigh to hopefully calm her down.

“I think safety is important, and while yes, Griffin’s Den has a low crime rate, we’re just far enough away from everyone that I think it’s for the best as the town starts to get busier.

I mean, you’re seeing an uptick in reservations at work. ”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she says with a yawn.

I stand and hold her bridal style to carry her to our room.

She giggles, tightening her arms around my neck. “I can walk, you know.”

“I like it when you’re in my arms. It’s where you’re meant to be,” I tell her as I toe open the door and walk to the bathroom. I set her down so we can get ready for bed. “I also talked to Special Agent Hunt today.”

She freezes as she reaches for her toothbrush and slowly turns to look at me. “Is it bad news?”

I shake my head. “If it were bad, I would have told you sooner. He finished up the case he was working on and said he and his team would be here in about a week. He gave me his flight details and will let me know if they are delayed.”

She leans on the counter with her head down. “I’m nervous to talk to him.”

I hate seeing her like this, so defeated.

“It’ll be okay. You just have information they haven’t had access to. It will help them to stop The Family one day.” I wrap my arms around her.

“I’ve been gone for ten years. I don’t know what I can tell them that they don’t already know.”

“You’d be surprised. We can also talk to Jess’s therapist at her appointment this week and see if we can ask her for some information without setting her back.

Even if you tell them nothing that they don’t already know, hearing it from an insider’s perspective gives little details you wouldn’t think about. ”

I feel her nod against my chest. “Okay, but you’ll be there, right?”

I’ll always be with you.

“Let them try and keep me away, Lunabella. I won’t leave unless you want me to.”

“Do you think Sam will watch Jess?”

“Yeah, as long as he isn’t working. Even if he is, I bet he’ll switch shifts with someone.”

“Or Joe and Ann can watch her,” she says, making a babysitting backup plan.

“Or them. Now, let’s get ready for bed because tomorrow, you’re going to call the girls and plan a girls’ night for Friday.”

She looks up at me and smiles, but it feels forced, and I hate that I made her feel even a little sad. “Oh, I am, huh?”

“Yup, I talked to Luke on the way home. The guys and I will watch Jess, and you’re going to relax.”

She stretches onto her tiptoes and kisses the underside of my jaw. “Whatever you say.”

“Damn right, baby.” I kiss her forehead.

We finish our nighttime routine and crawl into bed.

Pulling her close, I breathe her in. I know she’s worried, and I know she’s ready to run with Jess if she feels they’ll be threatened.

While I don’t think it’s her first choice anymore, she keeps that option in her back pocket.

What she doesn’t know is that if she runs, I’m going with her because losing her will destroy me more than anything else ever has.

I can’t live without this woman, and I’m going to do what I can to make sure she knows that.