Page 33 of Waiting For A Girl Like You (Haven House #4)

Rowan filled her in while Ben stayed silent.

With every new detail, Simone’s horror grew over what she was hearing.

“I don’t care for Claudia. I know she and Evie have struck up this odd acquaintance, but I haven’t quite decided how I feel about it.

That said, she would never become one of those people. That’s just not who she is.”

“I hope not, and I plan to operate as if Claudia is in imminent danger and not an associate of the group. Klausen is chasing down Bruce, while Anderson leads the team going after Emmett and Parker, and, from my understanding, we’re all tackling this development the same way.

The focus is to retrieve Madison and find Claudia,” Rowan replied before turning to Ben. “You need to talk to your brother.”

“There’s no service out here.” Ben frowned at an officer approaching, and the woman promptly turned and went the other way. “I know he’ll want to stay, but Liam needs to rest. I’ll call Trevor once we get him back to the house.”

Rowan agreed, not liking them exposed like this.

“We all need to get back to the house and let Klausen and Anderson follow up on things here. I would stay, but honestly, there’s not much I can do, and I want to focus on tracking down Damon.

He and Emily haven’t been in communication since before the raid. ”

Over at the ambulance, Liam attempted to stand on shaky legs.

With his good arm slung across Jamison’s shoulders, they tried to stumble their way over.

Bernie followed with her hands out as if she could catch Liam if he fell.

Dr. Cohen had disappeared into the chaos of the search, the best out of everyone to handle the feds and police.

“Do you have any idea where Damon might have gone?” Simone asked.

Rowan had a few places in mind, but he wanted to be sure before saying anything. “Damon would never try to hide somewhere he hadn’t been before. I’ll take a deep dive into his travel records to see what pops up.”

“That’s going to take forever,” Ben said, helping Jamison keep Liam upright when they reached them. “Damon travels constantly.”

“Passport. He wouldn’t ping it. He’d stay stateside,” Liam said, struggling to get the words out and have them make sense. “Stick to the dirt. Ground! Travel by car. Not air. Train. No ticket. No trace. Forty-eight.”

Ben glanced at Rowan. “Forty-eight states? ”

“Yeah.” Rowan rolled his shoulders, easing the tension as he mentally organized the search. “Are we ready? They won’t find Bruce, and I can do more damage at home.”

Dr. Cohen came up behind them, leaving the group of cops disappearing into the forest. “Anderson says it’s a dead chase, but he’s following through just to confirm. I’m with Rowan. Let’s get back. We’ll monitor the situation from Haven.”

“Then let’s get the hell out of here,” Ben grumbled as he went over to relieve Jamison of Liam while Dr. Cohen braced his son’s injured arm.

Liam’s head started to dip as if he were falling asleep, but he caught himself in time, the usual sharp edge in his gaze returning for a nanosecond. “I don’t like this.”

If he was already becoming aware of his drugged state, that meant the Special-K gift from Holly had been a small dose. Then again, Rowan had learned Liam was too stubborn to let something as minor as a drugging get in his way.

“We have to find those fu…ck…ers,” Liam growled. “Why am I talking like this?”

“You’ll be okay in about two hours,” Dr. Cohen grunted as they turned Liam around. “A nice long nap is what you need. Then we can hunt the fuckers down.”

“That’s what I just said,” Liam insisted as Bernie led the way to where they had parked the cars. “Isn’t that what I said?”

Jamison tried to follow as her father and Liam’s parents led Liam away, but Simone grabbed her arm, stopping her in place.

“Not so fast.”

Holding Jamison by the shoulders, Simone attempted to level her with a motherly stare. It reminded Rowan of how Annabeth would try to do the same with him, but instead of being adorable, Simone remained her usual terrifying self.

“Are you okay?”

Jamison’s bottom lip trembled, and she nodded, making Simone cluck her tongue.

It amazed Rowan how she could always convey the smallest of messages by the mere clucking of her tongue.

That little sound held a variety of emotions, from issuing a warning to casting judgment, depending on the situation .

“You can tell us,” Simone pressed. “It’s better to fall apart with Rowan and me than to do it in front of Liam when he’s so out of his head. Seeing you upset would set him off.”

Rowan schooled his features, keeping a straight face as he waited to hear what Jamison had to say. However, on the inside, he was flying. Simone was including him in this private moment, like she trusted him.

Like he was part of the family.

Convincing Annabeth to trust in the strength of their relationship was one thing. But winning over Simone? That was a different beast entirely.

Jamison sniffed, watching the canine units wrestle with their leashes. “He scared me.”

“Men tend to do that,” Simone said, pulling her into a hug. “It’s so aggravating.”

Rowan remained silent, knowing he wasn’t meant to comment.

Tears streamed down Jamison’s cheeks as she rested her head on Simone’s shoulder, and he gave her a quiet, sympathetic smile.

She rarely showed her vulnerable side—no Fairweather ever did—and seeing her break open not only in front of him but also in front of at least fifty other people meant that what had gone down had done much more than scare her.

“I told him not to go. I begged him, and he went anyway,” Jamison babbled. “Why does he always have to just jump headfirst into the fray? Why does he always have to act like Superman?”

“Because Liam is Superman.” Simone smoothed her hand across Jamison’s back.

“He’s not like us. He’s brave, and he does what’s right.

I remember that first day he walked through our door and how you could just tell he was the type that would be good for us.

You and Annabeth were too busy checking him out to notice, but I did.

I noticed. That’s when I decided to shove him in your path. ”

Jamison let out a watery laugh. “I love that you always take credit for us being together.”

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Simone lifted her chin, daring her to deny it. “Are you questioning my genius?”

“Never. ”

Ahead, Liam’s legs wobbled again, and Ben and Dr. Cohen did an awkward little dance to keep him upright without yanking the stitches. Bernie trailed after them, flapping her hands in mild panic.

“Oh shit,” Jamison hissed and released Simone. “I better go help.”

They watched as she ran off, and after a beat, Rowan spoke. “You’re a good mom.”

It was maybe a weird thing to say, especially since Jamison wasn’t Simone’s daughter by blood. But it felt like something she needed to hear.

“I’ve had plenty of practice.” Simone hooked her arm around his as they started toward the cars together. “I’ll be a good mother-in-law, too.”

Rowan nearly tripped but caught himself.

If she was giving him an opening, he wasn’t about to let it pass. “That’s because you’re not just a good mom. You’re a fierce one.”

Simone leaned on him as they crossed the uneven ground. “You don’t have to be so grandiose when flattering me, Rowan.”

“Oh, but I do ,” he teased her with a grin. “I’m a man of style. Being grandiose is kind of my thing.”

She snorted. “That’s why my baby loves you. You do everything with your whole heart.”

“When it comes to Annabeth? Always and forever.” He looked down at her with full sincerity, not wanting to miss his mark. “And I mean forever, Simone.”

“You scare her.”

“I know.”

“You scare me, too,” she admitted, eyes ahead. “A big man with a motorcycle, tattoos, and piercings isn’t exactly what I expected for my daughter.”

“I only have one piercing left. You made me take out the rest,” he joked. “And what kind of man did you expect?”

“I thought she’d end up with a man like her father.”

“What was he like?”

“Perfect,” she said simply. “My Devon was perfect.”

Even in the dark, the aching sorrow in Simone’s expression struck Rowan. It had been nearly twenty-five years, but when she spoke of Devon Howard, it was with fresh grief and unshakeable love .

“Devon was calm and kind. I was forever running after the kids, and he carried the weight of our family right alongside me.” Her voice turned wistful.

“But he always made time for us. We’d sneak off to watch the sunset on the porch or slow dance in the kitchen before bed. He made the little moments count.”

“I like that.” Rowan held her steady as they walked up the small hill leading to the road. “Slow dancing before bed sounds like the perfect end to a day.”

The unmistakable sound of her clucking her tongue carried through the darkness. “Just keep your dancing out of my kitchen.”

“Yes, ma’am.”