Page 46 of Weather the Storm
I unlock the door and hold it open for her. She heads straight to the dining room table and I’m right behind her, pausing only to lock the door behind me.
“Should we open it?” she whispers, even though it’s only the two of us.
“Maybe we should wait for Simon,” I suggest.
“Yeah,” she agrees, “let’s wait.”
We distract ourselves withHart of Dixiereruns until Simon finally walks through the door.
“Well, that’s my cue to head out,” Seraphine says, stretching before standing. “See y’all later.” She walks to the front door, bumping Simon’s shoulder with her own as she passes him. “Oh! And be sure to tell me what’s in the box tomorrow!”
Simon locks the door after her before turning to me. “What box?” I point toward the table and his eyes follow. “The hell is that?”
“I don’t know. Figured I’d wait for you to open it.”
“Good call, pretty girl. Let’s figure it out.”
I stand back as he pulls the paper from the box, discarding it in a crumpled heap on the floor. Slowly, Simon lifts the lid, not daring to peek inside.
“Aren’t you gonna l-look?” I ask, hoping he’s brave enough to do it so I don’t have to.
“Like rippin’ off a Band-Aid,” he murmurs before dumping the contents onto the table.
I look on in horror as it all spills out.Surely, he didn’t…
With unsteady hands, I sift through the items, each one making it harder and harder for me to breathe.
A pregnancy test.
The sonogram from when we found out we were having a son with a big X slashed through it, leaving only my name and the date recognizable.
A busted baby rattle.
The teddy bear I bought for my son, minus the head.
I stumble back, sobbing. With a loud roar, Simon shoves the items back into the box and slams the lid down on it.
He scoops me up and into his arms, carrying me straight to his bed. He lays me down with such softness and pulls the covers up around me, tucking me in. “Just rest, pretty girl. I’m gonna step out into the hall and make a phone call or two.” He brushes my hair away from my face. “I love you. Holler if you need me.”
My eyelids feel weighted as I watch his retreating form. As I drift off to sleep, the sound of Simon’s voice filters in through the crack in the door. I listen as my knight goes to bat for me, reporting Grant’s actions to the police, and probably to Cash and Drake as well.
Chapter Twenty-Three
SIMON
Something tells me that asshole is far from finished. It guts me that my girl had to see the contents of that box, makes me feel murderous to know that someone wants to hurt her like that.
I pace up and down my hallway, trying to calm the anger raging through my veins. I don’t want Magnolia to see me this mad. After about thirty minutes, I’m about as calm as I’m gonna get.
Just as I’m about to head to bed, my phone rings. “Hello?”
A masculine voice sounds over the line. “Simon McAllister?”
“Yes, sir. May I ask who’s calling?”
“Officer Byrnes. Wanted to give you the good news personally.”
“Good news?” I ask. “What good news?”
