Page 56 of Love Like Ours

Chapter Seventeen

Knowing that Palmer and Loki would be officially moving in with her in the next few days had her mind whirling long after the man beside her and the beast sleeping at their feet were snoring.

Palmer’s heat seeped into her bones, his heartbeat soothed her, and his steady breathing comforted her.

She’d been nervous to ask him to move in. Since his accident—scratch that, the attack by his parents—she’d been thinking about it.

Every change she made in her home made it feel more like it was hers.

The morning after the last time Palmer had stayed there, she’d moved all of her things into her mother’s old bedroom. Their room now. She’d purchased new sheets, a soft white comforter, and many brightly colored throw pillows.

She smiled and thought about all the other changes they were going to make to their home while she drifted off to sleep.

The sound didn’t register at first. The growl was low enough that it mixed in with the dreams that she was having. Loki’s bark, however, had her sitting straight up.

“I’ll look, see if I can figure out what’s bothering him,” Palmer said, rolling out of bed and pulling on his pants and shoes.

She wanted to argue, but the dog was now at the bedroom door, barking loudly. The way Palmer was acting, it seemed it was a fairly normal occurrence.

Since she was up, she pulled on some clothes and socks and followed them out to the living room. The pair of them were standing at the back door. Loki’s growls turned deeper and more urgent.

“What is it?” she asked, moving to turn on a light.

“No,” Palmer said, stopping her. “Someone’s out there. I was just about to call⁠—”

The rest of what he was going to say dropped away as her back glass door shattered, sending beads of glass all over Palmer and Loki. The dog yapped, but recovered quickly and bolted out of the door, chasing whoever had just broken her door.

“Palmer?” she cried out, rushing over to him.

“No, stay back,” he said, stepping out of the destroyed glass. “Call 911,” he yelled over his shoulder as he disappeared into the darkness.

Her cell phone was still in her bedroom, so she rushed back to grab it. Her hands shook as she unlocked her phone. While she called for help, she ran back out and slid on her shoes, prepared to hurry outside after Loki and Palmer.

She could no longer hear the dog’s barks as she relayed the details to the police. Growing frustrated, she went out the back door in search of them.

The cool night air hit her like a slap as she stepped outside. The shattered glass from the door crunched beneath her shoes, and her heart pounded in her chest. Her yard was dark and, beyond, the beach was eerily quiet, save for the distant crash of waves.

Where were they? She could no longer hear Loki’s bark and feared something had happened to them both.

“Palmer!” she called, her voice carrying into the darkness. “Loki!”

She waited for a response for only a few seconds before taking off across her yard and towards the sand dune separating her yard from the beach.

Her breath came in quick bursts as she scanned the beach, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of the moon. She couldn’t see them, but faint footprints in the sand led away from the house, towards the lighthouse.

Gripping her phone tightly, she rushed after them, her legs trembling with both fear and adrenaline. The salty air stung her eyes as she moved, the sand making each step heavier than the last.

“Palmer!” she yelled again, her voice more urgent this time.

Finally, a bark rang out, faint and pained, from somewhere ahead. Her heart sank, and she quickened her pace, her shoes slipping in the soft sand.

When she crested the next dune, she spotted them. Palmer was crouched next to Loki.

“Palmer!” she cried, stumbling towards them.

He looked up, his face pale but determined. “He’s hurt,” Palmer said, his voice strained.

Sophia dropped to her knees beside them, her hands hovering over Loki as she assessed the situation. It was too dark to see anything, but she could tell something was wrong with Loki, who just moaned and whined.