Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 116760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
“You’re doing an amazing job.”
“You don’t know that. I’m pretty sure I’m holding on by a thread.”
“I think most moms of toddlers would say the same,” Bebe told her earnestly.
“Yes, but would they be running around with weird stains on their clothes, unwashed hair, and desperately chugging down chocolate milk like it’s whiskey?”
“Yep!” Bebe told her.
Abby laughed, shaking her head. “Thanks for the support, but I still don’t feel like I’ve cracked this mom stuff.”
“Well, I can tell you’re a great mom. They’re both so happy. Look at them.”
Asher had climbed back down and was lying on the floor. Digger had his head on Asher’s belly, and both of them had their eyes closed.
“Dear Lord, they’re asleep. I try to put Asher down for a nap, but he won’t have a bar of it, yet he’ll fall asleep on the floor. Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong.”
“You’re not doing anything wrong, Abby. Trust me, I have first-hand knowledge of what a bad mom looks like, and you’re so far from it that it’s not even funny.”
Abby sniffled. “Aww, thanks, Bebe.” Reaching over, she grasped Bebe’s hand. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Thanks.”
They chatted for fifteen minutes until Abby picked Asher up. She waved off Bebe’s offers to help, pausing at the door to look back at her. “I’m glad Corbin found you, Bebe. But I’m even more glad you found him. Because I think you needed a home and you have one here.”
Bebe was still rocking from those words when Corbin walked in a few minutes later to find her sitting in a chair.
“You okay, baby?”
He crouched down beside her. He brushed his hands down her arms, then enveloped her hands in his.
“Yeah. I just saw Abby.” She told him what the other woman had said.
“I’m glad you’re here too,” he told her, leaning in to kiss her lightly. “Otherwise, are you doing all right here? Bit bored?
“Yeah, a bit.”
“Are you doing your exercises?”
She groaned. She hated her exercises.
His face grew stern. “Darling girl, you know you’ve got to do your exercises.” He leaned in. “Do I have to start spanking you to get you to remember?”
Maybe. A shiver ran through her. He’d given her a few slaps while they were having sex, and it only heightened her pleasure.
“You like that idea? I know you’ve enjoyed the smacks I’ve given you so far, but you might not like a punishment spanking. So I want those exercises done before we leave here in an hour, or someone is going over my lap when we get home.”
Home.
She liked the sound of that. But it didn’t quite feel like home yet. Maybe because she couldn’t settle in with everything hanging over her.
The stalker.
Her home in San Francisco.
Her parents and the TV ad for The Benner Life. She’d dipped into her public email and seen so many messages to her about it. The panic had made her pull back out immediately.
When she’d told Corbin, he’d forbidden her from checking that email again or any social media unless he was with her.
Pretty high-handed of him, but he hadn’t been thrilled with how upset she’d gotten, so she’d agreed.
“What’s wrong?” Corbin asked.
“Tried to call my dad again. Left another message.” She rubbed her forehead. “I can’t believe they’re ghosting me. I’m not calling again. Screw them. They’ll return and find I’m not there in a few days. If they even care to contact me.”
“I’m sorry they’re such shitheads, baby.”
She gave a humorless laugh. “Yeah, shitheads is right. I wonder if they’ll even care that I was attacked. That you were hurt.”
His knife wound was healed, although it still looked red. Doc had checked it a few times and was happy with it.
But she still felt awful when she saw it.
“Hey, what happened wasn’t your fault.”
“Maybe not.”
“Definitely not,” he said firmly, reaching out to grasp hold of her chin. “My job is to protect you. And I’m not talking about the job where I get paid, understand? I can take look after myself and you.”
Bebe nodded. “I know you can. You’d think my parents might want an update, though.”
“Hmm, well, Kent is pretty damn angry that they aren’t answering his calls. I have to go to a meeting, and then I thought I’d cook us spaghetti bolognaise for dinner.”
She sighed happily. “A man who knows the key to my heart.”
“What? Pasta?” he asked, grinning.
“You got it.”
Corbin lost his grin as he walked into the meeting room where Hayes and Kent were sitting already.
He sighed as he sat, setting a folder down.
“This doesn’t seem like it’s going to be good news,” Kent said.
“It is and it isn’t. I think I’ve worked out who the stalker is.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Hayes said.
“Yeah, well, but wait until you find out who it is first. I tracked the IP address to the San Francisco Public Library, as you know.” He’d managed that a while ago. “They don’t keep their camera footage for longer than seventy-two hours, so I couldn’t get hold of that to find who might have used their computer. I tried to look into records of who had signed into their library accounts on the day the threats were made. That took a long time and ended up fruitless because when people didn’t have their details, the librarians would use a generic sign-in.”