Page 37 of Waiting For A Girl Like You (Haven House #4)

G laring at her phone, Jamison resisted the urge to text Liam again once Taylor took off to do her father’s bidding. It had been twenty minutes, and he had yet to respond, making her more frustrated with each passing second.

No, screw that. She wasn’t frustrated.

She was pissed.

Mainly because she was worried, but still pissed.

Why would he go to Samuel and Evie’s place and not tell her? She was sure there was a reason. There was always a reason with Liam, but it annoyed her that she was being left out.

Again.

“Why are you giving your phone a death glare?” Rowan asked with a yawn. Stretching his arms overhead, he rose from the couch. “And where’s Annabeth?”

“She’s making you food.”

Rowan grinned stupidly. “Really?”

“Stop looking so happy, you Neanderthal. She’s just as tired as you, but is in there cooking.”

The goofy smile on his face dropped mid-stretch. “Oh, shit.”

Would she ever get used to seeing Rowan like this? Probably not. Annabeth had him soundly wrapped around her dainty finger, and Jamison was pretty sure he was in it for the long haul.

“Care to tell me why Liam went to my brother and sister’s house and didn’t tell me? ”

“You know, it’s weird when you refer to a married couple as ‘ my brother and sister ,’ right?”

Jamison didn't miss a beat. “You know it’s weird that you watched Annabeth use her masturbation station through our security cameras instead of asking her out like a normal person, right? Now stop avoiding the question.”

Rowan dropped into a folding chair in front of his many laptops, the thing nearly buckling under his weight. “I didn’t know he was going, let alone why he went.”

With her eyes narrowing into slits, she tried to mimic Simone’s expression when she thought someone wasn’t telling the truth. “You’re lying.”

“Shit, this scan finished thirty minutes ago,” Rowan mumbled, his fingers flying deftly over the keyboard. “Did you text Liam?”

“Like a bazillion times, but he hasn’t responded.”

“He’ll answer.”

“But he hasn’t.”

Rowan rolled his eyes. “Probably because they had to go to the hospital. You know how shitty the cell service is there.”

“That’s a crap excuse.” She slouched in her chair with her arms crossed. “I could’ve taken him.”

“You’re a target. He’s injured. If something went down, he’d throw himself at it even if he’s half-functioning.”

“I’m texting him again.” She sent another message and waited while her foot tapped rapidly on the hardwood. Five minutes in, Rowan’s left eye started to twitch.

“That is super fucking annoying. Don’t you have something to do? Elsewhere? On the other side of the house?”

“I just need to know he’s okay.”

That last line cracked something in her voice. Getting over what happened at Emmett’s cottage would take time, and not having him near made her feel as if she were choking on the what-ifs . What if they came after Liam again? What if this was another ambush?

“Hey. Look at me.” Rowan turned his laptop toward her. A map glowed on the screen, two tiny dots moving along a road. “That’s the road from Samuel’s place. That’s Liam. And Izzy. ”

Phone in hand, she texted Liam again. This time, putting a little less crazy in her language. “Thanks, Rowan.” Hitting send, she set the phone down. “I didn’t mean to go all psycho there.”

“You’re pretty psycho all the time, but good for you on becoming self-aware.” He spun the laptop back around with a smirk. “And it looks like he’s almost here.”

Her phone rang, and she snatched the phone back up. “Are you okay?”

Liam’s laugh rumbled through the speaker. “I missed you too.”

“What’s taking so long?”

“I had to talk to Holden.”

“About what?”

“We were discussing next weekend.”

His tone suggested that whatever he and Holden had talked about was a not-on-the-phone topic, and she let it go.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” she asked. “With Madison still out there and Claudia MIA.”

“We’ll talk when I get there. We’re pulling onto the drive now.”

She hung up, the adrenaline still buzzing in her limbs.

“Feel better?” Rowan asked, watching her.

“Yes.” Her hands shook, a sign of the adrenaline attempting to even out. It happened so much these days that she hardly noticed anymore. “I’m just on edge.”

“We all are.” Rowan rose and shut the media room door. “Can I ask you something?”

Frowning over how he suddenly seemed nervous, Jamison’s eyes slid between Rowan and the closed door. “Uh, yeah?”

“It’s kind of personal.”

“Dear God, what?”

Rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, he spoke to the floor. “If I give you and Liam twenty minutes, will you return the favor?”

“I’m not following, Rowan.”

“We all need to focus, but we’re so high strung that we can’t.” He winced over what he was saying, confusing her even more. “Izzy and Abe are supposed to bring the boat back here this afternoon, and there’s a little cabin in it.”

“What does that have to do with twenty minutes? ”

Rowan didn’t reply, merely staring at her as if she were an idiot, and when the realization of what he was asking finally struck, she snorted. “Only twenty minutes? Poor Annabeth. That’s so sad.”

It was sad for all of them, actually. Twenty minutes here. Thirty minutes there. Moments together reduced to small increments of time.

“Shut up.”

An honest to God blush covered his face, and Jamison couldn’t hold in her laughter. “You could’ve at least asked for a half hour.”

Returning to his laptop, Rowan hunched over the keyboard like he wanted to disappear into it. “Forget I asked.”

“Why?” Jamison folded her legs under her, settling into the chair. “We’re in the middle of this insane crap, but you’re focused on getting laid. Why? That’s not like you.”

“I’m sorry, but what were you two doing when Will called to tell you guys Watson was at his shack?” Rowan held up his hand to stop her from answering. “That was a rhetorical question. A response is not needed.”

“Our party was just getting started,” she grumbled. “But then Liam had to go rush off and almost die.”

“That’s my point. I’m not the only one with their mind in the gutter.”

But there was more to it. She could see it in the way he moved and how tense he was over this discussion. “Spill it, Rowan,” she pushed. “Why is getting Annabeth naked on your mind?”

It was his turn to snort. “A naked Annabeth is always on my mind.”

“Okay, that’s fair, but what else is going on in that head of yours?”

He didn’t answer at first, his fingers tapping at the keys. But then he stopped, refusing to look at her when he spoke. “I think Annabeth is getting skittish about us. My family scared her yesterday. McIntyre women are a bit much—”

“A bit much?” Jamison echoed, scoffing. “I was at an event where your sister was in attendance. I’m not a pushover, but Caitlin McIntyre gives even me pause.”

A genuine smile spread across Rowan’s face. “Cait’s not one to mess with.”

“Yeah, the guy who grabbed her ass learned that the hard way.”

“Did she break his hand?”

“I heard it was two fingers. ”

“That’s my girl.” Rowan’s grin grew. “Killian and I taught her not to take shit from any man.”

“I can assure you, no shit was being taken. And yeah, that little flex your Aunt Vivian pulled yesterday was over the top, but Annabeth can hold her own.”

“My aunt didn’t flex anything.”

Jamison cocked her head to the side. “She sounded disappointed my dad was still alive.”

“She wasn’t disappointed,” he said flatly. “Viv already knew Ben was alive. She was just being…”

“Insane? Over the top?” She sneered at him, knowing she was right. “Pick an adjective, Rowan.”

Propping his hands on top of his head, he studied her for a second. “What do you know about it?”

“About what?”

“Charlie and Vivian.”

The truth was not much. No one talked about it. Selah told her a little, but even he was tight-lipped over the entire thing. “They were married. He cheated. And in doing so, destroyed lives.”

“That’s a very Fairweather way of putting it.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that’s not the meat of it. That explanation leaves a shit ton of wiggle room for the blame to be shifted.” His hands dropped to the keyboard, typing harder than before. “Your uncle—”

“Whom I’ve never met,” she interrupted.

“—swept Vivian off her feet, making her believe he truly loved her. My mom and Bianca said it was like a damn fairytale.”

Jamison stiffened at the word. Fairytale .

People had said that her relationship with Liam had been like a fairytale and that she had ruined it.

She knew the day would come when their time apart would have to be addressed in depth.

They had touched on the subject, but she needed to sit and listen to what he had to say.

Liam deserved that from her. He deserved to be able to tell her how much she hurt him.

Maybe Rowan was right, and a little private time was needed.

Not only to connect, but also to talk and not have to whisper so the security cameras wouldn’t hear.

Liam wanted to marry her in less than a week, and she knew why he was rushing.

They were both afraid. Her fear was simple.

She was scared he might never truly forgive her, and marrying her so quickly was his way of reassuring her that he would.

His fears were just as simple. Liam was afraid she would change her mind.

She could see it in his eyes. That undercurrent of unsureness that had never been there before.

It broke her heart, shattering it into a thousand pieces whenever the slightest hint of doubt came over him.

And while she wanted nothing more than to be his wife, she needed him to want this for the right reasons and not just to make her happy.

Rowan’s voice cut through her thoughts. “A year after Viv married Charlie, he started an affair with a child. A child, Jamison. Rebecca Miller was seventeen. And not only did Charlie hide it, but your dad did, too. Ben is just as guilty, and he knows it.”