Page 52 of Waiting For A Girl Like You (Haven House #4)

E vie blinked back tears as she read CeCe’s name. “I think I’m going to vomit.”

“I have theories on the why.” Liam balled the sticky note up and shoved it into his pocket. “But nothing conclusive.”

“So, give us the how.” Samuel gathered Evie’s hair into a ponytail in case she did actually throw up. “As much as I don’t want to believe she’s involved, I know you. You wouldn’t say something like that without proof.”

“Too many coincidences.”

“And you don’t believe in coincidences,” Jamison said, searching for a hair tie to give to Samuel. Her sister looked awful. “But which one convinced you?”

Liam’s gaze cut to Holden. “Come on, man. You’re my logistics guy. You didn’t see it?”

The frown on Holden’s lips deepened as he thought it through. “Locational proximity to one another. Fort Leonard. Sinclair taught at the base before he was discharged, and she was right there.”

“Teaching nursing in St. Louis,” Samuel said, taking the offered hair tie and securing Evie’s hair away from her face. “We always thought that was such an obscure place for her to move to.”

“Then he’s deployed on his final mission overseas,” Liam added. “Which was when she died. ”

“You mean when she was murdered,” Evie heaved, puffing her cheeks to keep her airflow even and steady. “Toby killed her, so why would Sinclair help them?”

St. Louis. The marsh. The manchineel. Around Jamison, the closet spun as the entire thing came together in one dizzying second. “Toby didn’t kill her.”

Liam grinned. “No, he didn’t.”

“What are you talking about?” Evie snapped, guiding Samuel’s hands to massage her belly. “Toby killed her on the marsh.”

“No, Toby didn’t kill her.” Holding Liam’s stare, Jamison smiled back at him. “CeCe killed herself.”

“That’s bullshit,” Evie snarled. “Complete and utter bullshit.”

“But that’s the story Zanmi has maintained.” Samuel worked his hands lower to massage Evie’s hips. “There’s not a single record where Toby admits to killing CeCe. He claims, and continues to claim, that she killed herself.”

“He brought her home.” Holden’s brows pinched together as he watched Evie with concern. “I remember that clearly from the court transcripts and all those damn interviews. He’s always said he had brought her home to try and convince her that it was time to return.”

“Toby drugged her and dumped her in the marsh. He wasn’t trying to convince her of anything.” Evie clutched Samuel’s shirt with clawed hands, twisting the material tight. “She chose to kill herself instead of facing what he’d do to her.”

“And Toby tried to stop it from happening,” Liam countered. “I’m sorry, Evie, but I have to play devil’s advocate. The physical evidence showed he tried to pull the fruit from her mouth.”

“Before he beat her!” Evie shouted. “What is wrong with you, Cohen? How could you even—”

Everyone stared in shock as Evie bent at the waist and let out a scream. “Oh, my God!”

Samuel dropped to his knees to see his wife’s face. “Evangeline, I think we need to go home.”

“I’m fine!” she roared as she panted. “I just don’t want to listen to him defending Toby! ”

Jamison put a hand on Liam’s chest, ready to shove him behind her if her sister went crazy. These pregnancy hormones were insane. “No, really. You need to rest.”

“Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck ,” Evie screeched, holding Samuel’s shoulders, or else she would tip over. “I think the baby’s coming.”

Holden’s cheeks drained of color. “No. Just no. The baby’s got to cook for three more weeks.” The panic in his voice rose with each word. “Tell him to go back inside and take a nap or something.”

Liam grimaced when Evie let out another cry. “Holden, I don’t think it works like that.”

“This isn’t just a set of fake contractions?” Cradling Evie’s face in his big hands, Samuel sounded terrified. “You’ve been having a lot of those.”

“I don’t know,” Evie whimpered. “There’s so much pressure and… ahhh… I think he’s about to fall out.”

It was Samuel’s turn to go an extreme shade of white. “Dear fucking God, don’t say that.”

Liquid trickled down Evie’s leg, and then a sudden gush drenched her lower half, splashing onto Samuel’s pants and all over the shoes strewn about on the floor.

Everyone gasped, and without taking his eyes off the scene, Liam reached high above him to press the button on the security camera.

“Baby on the way. We’re going with Plan A until I say otherwise. ”

The light on the camera clicked on, and Rowan’s shout came through the speaker. “Shit.”

Flinging the door open, Samuel led Evie out. “Sorry about the shoes, Jamison,” Evie mumbled as she hobbled away. “We’ll get you another pair.”

Staring at her soaked wedding shoes, Jamison’s lips parted. Shoes were the farthest thing from her mind now. “O-okay.”

“This is what we’re doing,” Liam ordered as he snapped out of his shocked state, and they all entered the bedroom together. “Carter, you’re with me and the girls. Holden and Izzy are going with Samuel and Evie.”

“And me. I’m going with them.” Josie rushed in, nearly colliding with Carter. “Who the hell are you?”

Carter dipped his chin, handing back everyone’s phones. “I’m Carter, ma’am.”

Simone appeared next with Theo and Harper, who ran to their mother. “Ben will drive them,” Simone said. “Evie, is your hospital bag in the car?”

“No,” Evie wailed, the tears coming as Samuel lifted her into his arms. “I just finished packing it but haven’t put it in the car. It’s still at the house.”

“I can get it!” Taylor stuck her head in the room when Annabeth hurried in. “I just need the security passcode, and I can bring it to the hospital.”

“Ben and Will are getting the cars,” Bernie shouted, running in next. “Klausen’s got the escort covered—”

Evie screamed. A blood curdling, heartbreaking scream.

“Move!” Samuel bellowed, pushing through the crowd. “Girls, stay with Unc.”

Harper and Theo rushed to Liam, who scooped up Theo and handed Harper off to Carter. “Okay, people. Let’s go have a baby.”

“It sounds like someone’s singing in the forest.” Carter kept a trained eye on the line of pine beyond the oaks as he waited for Jamison and Liam to secure the girls into their car seats. “You guys hear that, right?”

“What is he talking about?” Jamison’s gaze connected with Liam’s as they tried to figure out the harnesses of the car seats. “This guy’s not crazy, is he? We don’t need crazies, Liam. We have plenty already.”

“I hears hers. She sings all da times, but she’s not Mama’s Mama.” Theo swung her feet back and forth when they finally got her buckled in. “Mama’s Mama don’t sings. She funny doh. She laughs lots.”

“The song is loud today.” Harper arched upward to help Liam adjust her straps. “She must like you, Mr. Anderson.”

Carter grunted and got in, taking the front passenger seat. “This place is weird.”

Once the girls were ready to go, Liam slid behind the wheel while Jamison crawled into the back to squish herself between the car seats. “I likes yous dress,” Theo whispered. “Fancies.”

There had been no time to change, and honestly, she hadn’t even noticed she was still in her mother’s wedding gown until Theo’s comment. The dress was surprisingly comfortable to wear.

Simone’s red sports car shot off in a hurry, carrying her and Josie.

Rowan and Annabeth had already left on his motorcycle while Abe was in his van, following them to the Port Michaelson hospital.

It would take thirty minutes to get there, but probably under twenty for her father, who was driving Evie, Samuel, Izzy, and Holden in his Rover with a whole police escort.

“Okay, listen up,” Liam said, looking at the girls in the rearview mirror as he drove down Haven’s oak tunneled drive leading to the highway. “Say hello to Mr. Carter. He’s here to protect you.”

“Hello.”

“Hiya.”

Carter raised a hand, his attention on the passing forest. “Hello, ladies.”

Theo leaned across Jamison to whisper to Harper. “Hims calls us ladies. Bees a lady, Harper. No farting.”

Harper rolled her eyes. “Do you have a gun, Mr. Carter?”

“A few.”

Harper sat forward with a look on her face that said she didn’t exactly believe him. “I don’t see them.”

“I know how to keep them hidden.”

“Unc usually carries four weapons on him, but today he only has two.” Harper wrinkled her pert nose. “I find that most unfortunate.”

“Most unfortunate?” Carter turned halfway around. “How old are you? ”

“Our Harper has a vast vocabulary, and when you get to know her father more, you’ll understand why,” Liam replied before raising his voice to direct his next statement at the girls.

“You will each hold either my hand or Carter’s hand.

You will never let it go. You will not go to the bathroom, not even with GiGi.

If we tell you to do something, you will do it and not question us. ”

Theo puffed her chest. “I dos my bestest, Unc.”

“Who’s gonna look after Auntie?” Harper asked. “That bad man tried to take her, too. ”

Harper’s concern caused an ache in her chest, and Jamison laid a hand on her niece’s leg. “I’ll be fine.”

“You and me, Harper. We’ll watch over her.” Liam turned onto the main road, catching up with Simone in no time. “Think you can handle that?”

“I might need a weapon, then.” Craning her neck, Harper peered at Carter. “You can let me borrow one of yours. My hands are small, so whatever you give me needs to be lightweight.”

With a stunned expression, Carter turned back around to face forward.

“Liam. Man, I know we haven’t hung out much since that thing with your mom, but I need you to be honest with me.

I reviewed the files last week. I’ve watched the documentaries.

I’ve had Tobias Miller’s interview on loop for the last forty-eight hours.

” He spoke in a low voice, as if he honestly thought the three of them in the back couldn’t hear.

“But seriously, what the hell have you dragged me into?”

“I told you this job wouldn’t be boring.” Liam gunned the engine, shooting them down the long stretch of highway. “Welcome to the family, my friend.”