Ward
This was exactly the moment I'd dreaded for months now. Bella's face, pale white, as she explained there were cops at her store asking for me. If they knew to look for me there, she and I were far past intricately linked. Not that I had a choice, but nothing in the world could convince me it was a good idea to speak to law enforcement for any reason, tangling the two of us up into some sort of fucked up web of lies by omission.
Bella’s voice was gentle near my ear. "Breathe, Ward. It'll be okay."
I tried to obey, and focused on breathing slowly in and out. "They could be looking for me because the drug runners found my location. That's not an okay scenario."
She took my hand, clasping it in her much smaller one. "I'll go with you, of course. Me and Mama will be by your side."
If only I'd been able to make her understand the last hundred times I'd said it. Our lives were in danger, hers much more so if bad people knew we were intertwined.
"If I have to leave town—if they make me leave—" I couldn't finish my sentence. Now that I'd chosen happiness with her, it could be ripped away all too easily. "I don't want that. It would be too difficult."
I let go of her hand and turned, unable to withstand looking at such deep understanding in her eyes. If she had to leave her community behind because of me, she'd only resent me in the future. Probably sooner rather than later.
“We’ll figure it out one way or another.”
My head pounded, and I tried to think, to be prepared for the worst probable scenario just in case. "I'm bringing Heidi. Do you think . . . would Riley . . ."
"Absolutely. Mama has a fenced yard overlooking the bay. She and Jay would look after your girl in a heartbeat."
Walking back to the store was like walking that last, long mile to the death chamber. My newfound peace could come crashing down today, ripping Bella from my grasp. I did my best to push those thoughts aside so I didn't have a public meltdown. Bella matched my pace the entire time, and soon we were standing in the open doorway of Bookish.
A female officer stood near the checkout counter chatting with Riley. A customer roamed the aisle visible from the front doors, and another officer helped himself to the snickerdoodles. Part of me wanted to scream at him to back off because the cookies weren't for him, but that stemmed from my innate dislike for cops.
As we stepped inside, Bella spoke first. "Afternoon, everyone. This is Ward Cullen. Ward, this is Officer Victoria White, and that's Deputy Eric Chung. How are you both?"
The female officer greeted Bella as an old friend. "I'm great, Bella, how about you?"
"Can't complain, except we're a mite confused about your visit."
Dumbfounded, I listened to them acting so casually as Heidi plopped her butt near my foot, waiting for her next instructions. Vastly opposed to my personal encounters with the police back home, I couldn't imagine why Bella was so cordial with these two. Then again, I was a criminal in my hometown, and Bella knew everyone here by name.
Officer White answered, "Oh, we're hoping to collect statements about Larry and Briana."
All the air left my lungs in a giant sigh of relief. This, I could handle. Maybe.
"And who is this adorable doggy?" Deputy Chung asked, joining the group and holding out his fist for her to sniff.
"This is Heidi," I managed to croak. “It’s okay to pet her; she’s friendly.” My world wasn't coming to an abrupt end, and I forced myself to breathe normally as that thought circulated in my head.
"She's very well behaved," he said, opening his palm to rub over the top of her head.
"Thanks."
"So, we're sorry about tracking you down in this manner, but we tried your residence earlier."
My shoulder blades itched, but I replied to him calmly. "I was out having lunch."
Officer White smiled, and it seemed genuine. "Luckily for us, we heard you might be here if you weren't at work or at home."
I smiled in return, hoping it didn't come across as a grimace. "Well, you found me."
She pulled a pen from her breast pocket. "Briana Marsh pressed charges against Larry Barber. During our investigation, your name came up."
Somehow, I wasn't surprised Briana knew my name, despite me never giving it to either of them. "In what capacity?" I asked. After all, there was no harm in being cautious.
Chung checked his notes. "On Friday, April 10th, at approximately fourteen hundred hours, you encountered the two at Hudson Park."
"Sounds about right."
White held her pen poised over a small notebook. "Tell us your version of what happened next."
I spent another fifteen minutes reciting what I did that day, though I was lenient with the truth, leaving out the part where I assaulted Larry with Heidi's leash. If they didn't already know, I didn't need to volunteer the information. Bella corroborated my story, revealing she'd seen the entire thing. Somehow, I’d been under the impression she'd only seen the end of the altercation.
"We might have a few follow-up questions later, but for now, that'll do." Deputy Chung held out his hand, and I shook it gladly. It meant our business was concluded, and I could relax.
They left after White snagged a cookie, and I moved to the chair by the window, sitting heavily and letting Heidi put her head in my lap. Bella set down the bag of Heidi’s things she still held and kneeled next to my dog, scratching her head subconsciously.
"Are you okay?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the customer who'd stuck around. "Bella, please get up. I'm fine."
Riley moved from behind the counter, intercepting the nosy woman who kept edging closer to us.
Bella straightened and held her hand out, pulling me from the chair. "Mama said Jay is coming. They'll take care of Heidi for a few minutes."
I frowned. "Okay?"
"Come next door with me."
Oh. "Heidi—"
"Will be no trouble," Riley interrupted.
Indeed, Heidi leaned against Riley's leg. She didn't hesitate to pet her, rubbing briskly down her side until I thought Heidi's eyes would roll back in her head. The customer had moved further into the depths of the store, but I figured she was still eavesdropping.
"And you're not imposing, so don't worry about that."
Riley was even more pleasantly persistent than Bella. "Um, okay. I don't have a cell phone, so call Bella if there's an issue. Uh, please."
Riley patted my shoulder. "Of course, dear."
Silently, Bella led me next door to the bakery. As we entered, she shook her head sharply when Alice opened her mouth. I saw Alice purse her lips, but then she focused on cleaning off a table instead of watching us walk down the hall and climb the stairs.
After unlocking her door, Bella pulled me further into the apartment. I didn't see Charlie anywhere, so either he was hiding well or I’d missed him at the store. Finally, I realized Bella was headed to the bedroom, and I resisted her tug on my hand.
“What?” she said when we stopped in the doorway.
“Now isn't the time for this.”
Frowning, Bella looked at me and then looked at her bed. “Oh, honey, as much as I want that, it’s not what I was thinking.”
“Then what were you thinking?”
“I need this.” Leaning into me, Bella hugged me tightly, her head resting on my chest. “And I thought maybe you did, too.”
There they were again, my emotions softening and threatening to drown me. Since she was there—and she was right—I held on. Burying my face in her hair, I inhaled the scent of cinnamon and vanilla. Clinging, letting her hold me and comfort me, felt perfect.
“Want to try this over there?” she suggested, pointing to the bed.
“Are you certain?” Granted, we’d been headed in that direction less than an hour ago, but something told me things had changed.
“Yes, I’m certain, Ward.”
Her bedding was colorful, happy, just like she was. I noticed her apartment held all the spirit of the woman who lived there, whereas my place was a lifeless box. Here, I felt more at home, more subdued, and less anxious.
“You’re right about one thing,” I said as I sat on her bed and then lay next to her.
“What’s that?” Rolling to face me, Bella pillowed her hands under her cheek.
“My anxiety lessens here.” As close as we were, I could see all the shades of brown in her eyes. Lighter like whiskey, darker like chocolate, and even her favorite cinnamon. Her lashes fluttered when I reached out to brush her hair from her face.
“I’m glad.”
Turning her cheek into my palm, she rubbed against me like a kitten. I kissed each of her eyelids, then her forehead, feeling more at peace with myself than I could remember in a very long time. Her handling of the earlier situation was not lost on me, and I knew it was the reason I hadn't completely lost my shit in the middle of her store. Which reminded me I wanted to ask her about how well she knew the officer and the deputy.
“You know the police in this town pretty well, huh?” I asked.
“Yeah, but not because I’ve had any reason to be at the police station. It’s only because I know everyone in Port Townsend. As a matter of fact, I went to school with Victoria from elementary all the way through high school. Eric is older, so I don't know him quite as well, but he frequents the bakery enough that I can say we’re acquaintances. His partner, Laurent, comes into Bookish pretty often. He likes nonfiction science books the most since he teaches it at the middle school.”
Leave it to her to have everyone’s book preferences memorized. “Something about the way you dealt with them gave me a sense of security.” I sighed softly when she traced her fingertip over my eyebrows. “I knew they weren't going to throw me to the ground and arrest me while you were there chatting them up.”
“You have no reason to be arrested, Ward.”
“Easy for you to say. You’ve always walked on the right side of the law.”
“I might have stolen a piece of bubble gum from my teacher’s desk once in the third grade.”
That made me chuckle. “You bad, bad girl.”
Bella scooted closer, barely leaving a breath of air between us. “Oh, I like the way you say that.”
“Mm.” Her hand had wandered to my neckline, so I found her waist and pulled until she fit snugly against my body. “Naughty girl.”
Her eyes closed, and I took the opportunity to kiss her. A small moan escaped her when I touched her lips, and she shifted her legs to tangle them with mine. This was farther than we’d gone before, merely from the intimacy of being in a bed together. Angling my head to avoid bumping her nose, I deepened the contact until I could sweep my tongue along hers. She clutched the pillow under my head with one hand and my shoulder with the other. When she broke away to breathe, I sucked in air until my lungs wanted to burst.
“I was so scared, Ward,” she whispered into the skin of my throat, and I finally exhaled.
Though my temperature had risen, I answered her. “Me too.”
“If you had to leave town, I don’t know what I would do.” Creeping further down, Bella found the pulse in my neck with her mouth. “It’s easy to claim I would go with you, but it wouldn't be easy in reality.”
“No, it wouldn't.” And yet, she seemed determined to show me she would follow me anywhere.
One hand moved to caress my ass through my jeans. She knew exactly what to do and when, I was sure of it. Maybe she’d written the Teasing Ward Manual. I’d grown hard the minute she touched me on her bed, but I knew I needed to ground myself first. I needed to get out of my head and all the scenarios of what could have happened today. The what-ifs continued to plague me, mostly because the chance always lingered.
“What would you do about your store? About your family and friends?”
Moving back until she could meet my gaze, Bella bit her bottom lip. The torture in her eyes was evident, tears shimmering just below the surface. She was strong enough to blink them back, to refuse to let them fall. Then again, she was stronger than anyone I knew, other than my sister.
“I don't have those answers. I’m afraid of the future too, Ward.”
Staring down into her face, I asked, “Will you call me Tony, just once?”
That was what it took for the tears to fall, and I felt horrible for causing it. Gathering her close, I held her against me and said nothing else for several minutes.
“I’m falling in love with you, Tony Masen.”
My heart thudded painfully in my ears. “I’m already there, Isabella Swan.”
Lovely pics. Love the bed.
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