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I thought of the new nanny and the boys. It wouldn't make sense if I was here, too.
“Kate doesn’t mind me staying with her. There's enough room for me there.”
“I mind, Violet.” He pinned with an unyielding look. “Eric is getting bolder. Grabbing you in the street. What will he do next?”
My heart clutched. “I don't want to impose.”
"You won't be imposing." Shawn leaned forward, his eyes shining. "You'll be my guest here, and you're always welcome. The penthouse is secure, and you'll be safe as long as you're inside. And you wouldn't have to walk or take the bus. You can just use one of the cars."
I bit my lip, thinking. It should be so easy to say yes. Then I'd be back here—the place I felt safest since I came to Cape Worth. Shawn and the boys had become an integral part of my life, and being without them for the past few days had been hard. I just didn't know if I wanted to come back here. Eric was still out there. Who knew what lengths he'd go to, especially now that Shawn had punched him.
“I want you to see this.” Shawn flipped open his laptop and typed quickly. He turned it to face me. “Read that.”
“The case against...” I squinted at the screen. “Eric Kelley?”
Heart racing, I pulled the laptop closer to me and read through the document. It was a detailed analysis of Eric's behavior toward me. From my former home to Cape Worth. Everything he'd done since I’d been here.
My eyes coasted up to Shawn's. “What... What is this?”
His blue eyes held mine. "That first day you told me about Eric, I asked my lawyer if you have a case against him. My lawyer has been investigating him, and it turns out you do have a case. Just a few more solid pieces of evidence, and Eric will be out of your life forever. Today's confrontation was pretty incriminating, and I'll inform him as such."
Tears gathered in my eyes. “You've been on this since the first day I confided in you?”
He nodded solemnly. “I don't want anything to happen to you, Violet. And I don't want you to live in fear, either. So you can stay here until we're through with him.”
I remembered all the sleepless nights I tossed and turned, peering out the window of Kate's house to look into the darkness, scared that Eric was watching me. My fear that Eric would hurt Kate because of me.
I wiped my eyes, touched that Shawn cared this much right from the start. “I don't know what to say.”
His mouth ticked up, the only positive emotion he'd shown since he wrestled me away from Eric. Somehow, it made me smile. I knew now that his outward expression was an unmoving mask and didn't reflect the man underneath.
“Say you'll come back and stay here. For as long as you need. Until this mess blows over.”
I’d never before dared hope I’d be free of Eric. But the laptop screen staring at me grew my resolve. “Okay.”
“Great.”
“Thank you so much, Shawn... I didn't think I'd ever find a way to escape from Eric and...”
“Violet, you don't need to thank me. Anyone would have done this.”
I doubted that, but it was clear Shawn was done talking. He pulled his laptop back and clicked at the keyboard. A part of me knew he was trying to hide his emotions. I had missed him.
“You can, um, go up to your room.”
Which was Shawn’s way of indicating, ‘This has become awkward. I need a break.’
I smiled. “Sure. I'll do that.”
I left his office with my heart in my throat. In a good way. For the past several months, all I'd known was Eric's stalking. Now, there was hope that it'd all go away. And not the fleeting hope that I'd escaped him, but something more permanent. All thanks to Shawn.
He usually was a serious man, and when he did smile, it was brief. But under all of that brusque gruffness, he had a heart of gold. And that made him all the more attractive to me.
As I went up the stairs, a sense of foreboding replaced my relief. Shawn hadn't broached the subject of our relationship. Eric's issue dominated the conversation, and it didn’t seem the right time to discuss our feelings for each other.
I sighed and made my way up to my room. Shawn had already gone above and beyond. I should probably just appreciate that and not worry about wanting more from him. I opened my door and walked in. It looked the same way I had left it. I shut the door.
Welcome back, Violet.
