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“A man after my own heart.” She smirks, then places the order. “Did you see anything out of the ordinary outside?”

I shake my head. “Everything looked normal. Nothing broken or forced open. No footsteps. Is it possible she got her zoomies and was on the couch and coffee table?”

“I dunno, maybe. But I’ve never seen her act like this. I just have this eerie feeling like someone’s been in here. I could’ve sworn I smelled a perfume that wasn’t mine.”

I wrinkle my nose, trying to smell what she smells, but I don’t notice anything. Since I looked outside, I decide to check around the inside of the house. If anything was moved, I haven’t noticed. However, Everleigh knows her house better than I do.

Fifteen minutes later, there’s a knock on the door, and Everleigh jumps. Sassy lifts her head, then slowly jumps on the couch. I’m happy to see her moving around.

I take the pizza from the delivery driver and hand him a tip. When I turn around, Everleigh is staring at me with a wide-eyed expression.

“Food and then a shower for you,” I order. “You’re tense, and you need to try to relax.”

“After the Escalade and the detectives and Chad’s crazy family, the last thing I can do is relax,” she says. “Maybe I should get a security camera.”

“Couldn’t hurt.”

We sit on the couch and eat slices of greasy pizza with juicy pineapple pieces. It’s exactly what we needed. She puts on a show, and we watch in silence. After we’re done eating, I put the leftovers in the fridge and meet her back in the living room.

Sassy’s lying next to her, still begging for crumbs.

“I think I’m gonna take a shower,” I tell her.

“Not a bad idea,” she says. “I kinda wanna sit in the tub until my skin prunes. Do some meditations or something to calm the hell down before bed.”

I grin. “Good. I’ll be waiting for you.”

After I’ve showered, I wipe down the kitchen counters while I wait for Everleigh. Exhaustion takes over, so I go lie in bed, fighting sleep until she’s in here with me.

Finally, she slides under the sheets, and I exhale. Her soft lavender-scented skin presses against mine as I hold her in my arms. Her closeness is calming, and I don’t know how I’d adjust if she decided to start sleeping in her room again.

“Feel better?” I mutter.

The moon peeks through the blinds, giving me just enough light to see her gorgeous features. “Yeah, a lot.”

I gather up the courage to ask her something that’s been on my mind all day.

“I have a question for you…” I linger, swallowing hard.

She studies my face and patiently waits, but I know she’s ready to explode inside. That’s just how Everleigh is.

“I’d like to go visit Annie and Sadie.”

She makes a face, and I find her reaction adorable. “You don’t need my permission to see your sister and niece.”

I chuckle softly. “Oh, I know that. But I wanted to see if you’d like to join me?”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Well, yeah. She mentioned coming here, but I wasn’t sure it was a good idea with everything going on. Plus, it’s hard for her to travel with her job and Sadie. Then I thought about leaving you here alone and don’t like the idea of that either.”

“So, I’m tagging along like a piece of luggage.”

I roll my eyes because she likes to mess with me every chance she gets. “Yeah, one big pain in the ass luggage.”

She chuckles. “When would you wanna go?”

“Depends on your schedule. Tyler already told me I could have off whenever.”