Takeoff Read online

  By the time he had the kids cleaned up and dressed, he was exhausted. He’d taken care of them before, many times, but the weight of his responsibility was now heavier. He’d probably be falling apart if he didn’t know he had backup in the house.

  Raeann emerged from the bedroom completely put together—dressed, hair fixed, makeup in place. The only thing wrong was that she was holding her phone in her hand and frowning at it. “Shit,” she muttered before jerking her gaze toward the kids.

  The two of them were sitting in the middle of the living room watching cartoons. Probably not the best idea on day one, but Deacon had settled them down with the forbidden babysitter anyway.

  “Sorry. I’m going to have to learn to curb my language around them,” Raeann stated. She sighed. “Two texts and a missed call from Hendrix.” She held up the phone. “Need to call her back.”

  Deacon shoved off the couch and came to her, following her into the attached kitchen. He could still see the kids, but wanted to know what was going on with the cop also.

  Raeann placed the call, putting it on speaker so Deacon could hear.

  “Raeann?” Hendrix asked.

  “Yes. Deacon’s with me. What’s going on?”

  Deacon could feel the tension wafting from Raeann’s body. She had set the phone on the island and flattened her palms next to his. Her fingertips were white from pressing against the surface.

  “I’ve been piecing together a long line of crimes these Venatori folks have committed. They’re stalking about a dozen people besides yourself.”

  “I figured.”

  “I’ve gotten a few IDs but they aren’t worth much. Most of them go by one name and have for many years. Doesn’t do much good to know what name is on their birth certificates. Certainly doesn’t help track them down. They tend to move in pairs and pay for things in cash and leave very little in the way of a trail.”

  Raeann nodded. She knew all of this. It was obvious. Her brow was furrowed. Deacon suspected she was waiting for Hendrix to tell her something she didn’t know.

  “Anyway, the reason I’m calling is because someone reported a vandalized car parked in front of your condo. I ran the plates. It’s yours.”

  Raeann groaned.

  “Dammit,” Deacon muttered. He’d forgotten all about her car. He’d driven her here in his car and left hers behind.

  “Tires are slashed. Those damn stars are spray-painted on the windows.”

  Raeann ran a hand down her face. “I haven’t gone back there since they threw the rock through the window.”

  “That’s good. I assume they have not tracked you down.”

  Raeann’s jaw went tight as her gaze landed on the kids. “Not yet.”

  He wanted to grab her and shake her and tell her to stop thinking whatever thoughts were running through her mind. He knew her. She was plotting her escape. Worrying about everyone but herself.

  She drew in a breath. “I guess I better go have it towed.”

  “I already did. I’ll text you the location.”

  “Bless you.” Raeann sighed.

  “I’ve got people driving by your condo periodically, but we haven’t caught anyone loitering around. These people are good.”

  “Yes. Trust me. I’ve dealt with them my entire life. They’re like ghosts.”

  “I can’t imagine your frustration. Stay safe. At least they haven’t found you this time.”

  “Thank you.” Raeann ended the call and dropped her forehead to her hands over the counter.

  Deacon rubbed her back. “I’m sorry.” He wasn’t sure what else to say.

  Eventually, she lifted her head. “I need to call my lawyer and see if he’s gotten a court date yet to change my name.”

  Deacon nodded, a lump forming in his throat.

  While they were staring at each other, Katia twisted her head around and shouted, “Rain, come watch cartoons with me.”

  Deacon started chuckling.

  Raeann shot him a confused look.

  “Rain. Or how about Raine. R. A. I. N. E.”

  “For my name?”

  “Yes. It’s easy to remember, and Katia already renamed you.”

  She smiled. “I guess it’s okay. Less weird if you add the E to the end.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Shall I go with Smith for a last name? Make it hard to find me,” she joked.

  You should go with Matthews for the last name. Make it hard for you to leave me. He didn’t say any of that though.

  “Rain,” Katia squealed.

  Raeann righted herself. “You go shower. I’ll watch the kids.”

  He slid his hand up her back to cup her neck. “Thank you.” His voice was choked up. “I’m not sure I would have lived through the first morning without you.”

  “You would have. Don’t be silly. I just made it easier.” She spun free of him and hurried over to sit on the floor with the kids.

  Teddy climbed into her lap and sucked his thumb. Katia leaned her head against Raeann’s arm. The two of them were like little zombies in front of that television. He was going to have to make sure he didn’t let them watch too often. Their little brains were going to rot.

  Chapter 24

  Raeann thought the weekend went as smoothly as possible. It was surreal staying in this house with this family who wasn’t hers. She grew more comfortable with every passing hour, which unnerved her. She had to extricate herself from this situation before it got even harder to leave them. Already, Katia thought Raeann was part of the package, and Teddy wouldn’t go to sleep without her rocking him.

  Raeann was worried she was making it harder and harder for Deacon to regain control after she left. But she couldn’t bring herself to walk away. Every time she looked at Deacon when he didn’t know it, her heart raced. She was in love with him. She was in love with his kids too. Dammit. He’d inadvertently given her a taste of a life she’d never envisioned.

  But it needed to stop. Already it was going to hurt beyond measure when she left.

  Monday morning was a scramble that started early. Deacon got up first and took a quick shower while Raeann got the kids up and fed them. She handed Deacon a cup of coffee when he entered the kitchen. Then the two of them split up, each taking a kid to get them dressed for the day.

  Deacon looked nervous and exhausted by the time he was ready to leave for work. He was running late too. On day one. Knowing by the time he dropped them at daycare he would not be in his office as early as he’d wanted.

  He’d spoken to Jake many times over the weekend. His boss found it all rather humorous. He wouldn’t be mad, but Deacon had a work ethic that was stressing him out.

  On top of all that, it was important to note that when Deacon finally left the house with the kids, Raeann had not showered or eaten, or even had coffee. If they were a regular family, they would have needed to start even earlier. She couldn’t possibly have also walked out the door at the same time in her uniform ready to hit the skies.

  She enjoyed the silence as she cleaned up the breakfast mess, then wandered to each of the kids’ rooms to gather their clothes and tidy up from the night. By the time she ducked into the shower, half the morning was over.

  As she stood under the running water, eyes closed, luxuriating in the hot spray, an overwhelming sense of nostalgia washed through her. This. This was the dream. A home. A man. Two kids. A foundation where things were stable and could be counted on.

  Sure, she knew Deacon was going to buy a larger house and move one day soon, but in theory, only once. The kids would grow up in a neighborhood on a street where they could ride their bikes and play with other kids, year after year.

  They wouldn’t have to move every few months to escape a group of lunatics. Jealousy shook Raeann to the core. She wanted that package. It was all she’d ever wanted really.

  And now she was being teased with a taste of something she would never have. It was unfair. She considered letting herself have a good cry, but then sucked it up. She n
eeded to shake out of it. Deal.

  As soon as she was fully human, she called Heather.

  “Hey. How’s it going?” Heather asked.

  “I’m exhausted from playing house.”

  She chuckled. “I bet. Can’t even imagine. You free? How about coffee? I’ll come pick you up.”

  “That sounds amazing.” Raeann glanced at her watch. “Might have to be lunch. Where did the day go already?”

  “True. I’ll be there at noon. Sound good? I’ll see if anyone else is free today.”

  “Thank you.” Raeann dropped onto the couch and tipped her head back to stare at the ceiling. She was indeed exhausted but in a good way. Who knew she could be maternal? She’d never thought about it for a single second. It wasn’t in the cards for her. None of this was.

  She glanced around, thinking of all the things she could and should probably be doing to help Deacon out for as long as she was here. They would need to eat dinner. She should figure something out to ease his load. The trash needed to go out. It would need to go out every day since it would be filled with diapers.

  Shit. She needed to start a load of laundry. Katia’s sheets were in the hamper.

  Why the fuck was she smiling? It was all so domestic, and it felt so fucking good.

  She forced herself to stick to the bare minimum, starting the laundry, taking out the trash, and setting some frozen hamburger on the counter.

  She was grateful for the escape when Heather showed up.

  “I saw your car. Jesus, those people are deranged.”

  “Yeah.” Raeann sighed as she put her seatbelt on. “Tell me about it.”

  Heather stared at her.

  Raeann glanced down at herself. “What? Do I have syrup on me?”

  Heather smiled. “No. But you look happy.”

  Raeann shrugged. “I shouldn’t be.”

  “But you are,” Heather pressed.

  “Yeah. For all the good it does.”

  Heather reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You’re entitled to be happy, Rae.”

  “Am I? It’s not really in the cards for me.”

  “So, change the deck.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “Let’s find a way to simplify it.”

  Thirty minutes later, they were seated at a sandwich shop. Bex and Shayla had managed to join them.

  Bex could barely fit in the booth, and she looked like she was going to pop any moment. She’d grown much larger since the last time Raeann had seen her.

  Raeann kissed them both on the cheek and addressed Bex. “What is your due date?”

  “Ugh. Let’s not discuss it. Tomorrow.”

  Raeann cringed.

  Shayla set her elbows on the table. “Tell us about you though. I heard the move went well. What’s it like having two small kids in the house?”

  Raeann smiled. Why on earth did she keep grinning like that? She tried to school her face and gave a nonchalant shrug. “It’s different. I’m wondering when parents have sex.”

  Bex groaned. “Don’t say that. I’m already worried.”

  Shayla kept smiling. “You look…”

  Heather broke in. “Happy, right? She looks so happy. I told her that.”

  “Yeah. That’s it. I guess things are going well with Deacon even though he came with an insta-family.” Shayla took a sip of her water.

  Raeann sighed. “Let’s not make a big deal out of it. It’s temporary. I can’t stay. Hey, we came up with a new name for me though.”

  No one looked excited about this, but Bex spoke. “Yeah? What?”

  “Rain with an E on the end. Katia can’t pronounce Raeann, so she calls me Rain. I think it’s cute.”

  No one said anything. All three faces held a grin.

  “Stop it,” Raeann insisted. “It’s temporary.”

  “You keep saying that,” Heather pointed out. “Who are you trying to convince?”

  Raeann sighed and played with her napkin. “It’s too complicated.”

  “Life is complicated. Trust me,” Bex said. “But you figure it out and make it work.”

  Raeann’s chest tightened. She wished it were that simple. She swallowed back emotions, trying not to cry.

  “Hey,” Heather whispered, setting a hand on her forearm. “Let’s talk this through. You’ll have the new name. Surely they won’t find you.”

  “Yeah, but where the fuck am I going to work?” Raeann asked. “Even if I take Deacon and the kids out of the equation, I think I need to resign from Open Skies. I had this grandiose plan of transferring to Denver with my new name and starting over, but those people know who I work for. All they have to do is start flying around the country until they end up on one of my flights. They are relentless. A name change won’t help.”

  “What about another airline?” Heather suggested.

  Raeann dropped her forehead onto her palm. “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe you don’t need to work at all,” Shayla suggested.

  Raeann glanced at her. “How am I going to pay my bills?”

  Shayla shrugged. “Let Deacon pay them?”

  Raeann flushed. “God, no. That sounds even worse. I haven’t relied on another person since I was about ten. Not even my mom.”

  “Don’t think of it as relying on him. It’s a partnership. People do it all the time. You rely on him for the financial part. He relies on you for the domestic part. If you enjoy that division of labor of course.”

  She cringed. Though she’d envied other people their calm lives on quiet streets with stay-at-home moms and dinners around a table, she’d never once envisioned a life like that for herself. It had only ever been wishful thinking. Never mind that the thought of setting up house with Deacon was incredibly appealing. Not working? Hell, no.

  Luckily, they changed the subject to other things, mostly turning their focus toward Bex and the fact that she was bigger than a house. Her tiny frame could hardly support her.

  She giggled as she glanced at the front of the restaurant, not for the first time.

  “What do you keep looking at?” Heather asked.

  “You think Bracken let me drive here on my own?”

  They all twisted their necks to see Bracken’s SUV parked out front. The man was sitting in his car.

  “Wow, that’s dedication,” Raeann said.

  “I call it overprotection,” Bex joked.

  “I think it’s hot and romantic that he dotes on you like that,” Shayla added.

  “Who’s running the bakery?” Raeann asked. The two of them had opened a bakery several months ago, which was perfect for them.

  “We have amazing staff. Bracken will go back after he drops me off. He won’t even let me enter the store for a single minute this week. And I probably won’t remember what it looks like by the time he lifts my ban on working.”

  They all knew Bex was beyond happy though. She could bitch all she wanted, but the woman was lucky and her man loved her to pieces.

  They chatted for a while longer while they ate, and then everyone needed to get going. They all helped Bex to her car where Bracken took over and practically lifted her into the passenger seat. The man even put her seatbelt on her.

  Raeann felt a twinge of jealousy. He loved her so much.

  There was no reason to feel jealous. She suspected Deacon loved her just as much and that he was afraid to tell her or get overly demonstrative about it for fear she would panic and leave. He wasn’t wrong. She was nervous just thinking about how he felt about her. Never mind how she felt about him.

  “Do you mind if we go by the condo?” Raeann asked Heather, while they waited for Bracken to stop fiddling with his wife and stepped back. Raeann leaned into the front seat to give Bex a last hug.

  Bex looked so uncomfortable, wincing with every move. Surely it wouldn’t be long.

  After Raeann shut the car door, she turned toward Heather, and continued, “You can say no about going by the condo if it makes you nervous. I eventually nee
d to grab a few more things. I hadn’t planned to be gone indefinitely when I packed up to go to Deacon’s last week.”

  “Of course. Let’s do it.”

  “I’m not making you late to anything? I should get a rental car. Or I could call an Uber.”

  Heather reached over and squeezed her hand. “You’re not making me late. I don’t work until tomorrow. And I miss you. It’s lonely in the condo without you.”

  Raeann knew the glass had been repaired, a very bright motion-sensor light had been installed above the front door, and Heather had moved back in several days ago, but she was there alone.

  As they approached the condo, Raeann’s anxiety spiked. She looked all around to make sure no one saw them. She was more worried about someone following them out of the area after she packed some things than being caught arriving, but she was still stressed. She hated bringing this shit show to Heather’s world.

  “Hey,” Heather murmured as she parked. “It’s okay. We’ll be fine.” She must have sensed Raeann’s disconcertment. Or seen the way she was gripping the armrest.

  Raeann nodded. “I’m pretty sure Deacon would freak the fuck out if he knew I was doing this.”

  “Is he worried about these freaky people finding him?”

  “No. Not at all. He couldn’t care less. It’s maddening how uninterested he is in himself. He only cares about me and how it affects me when they harass me.”

  Heather smiled warmly. “He’s a good man. Let’s go.”

  They climbed out of the car and moved quickly into the condo. Raeann didn’t breathe right until they shut the door.

  “Want me to help you pack some stuff?”

  “Nah. I just need some more clothes and toiletries. I’ll just be a few minutes.” Raeann jogged up the stairs, grabbed an unused box from the wall of boxes inside her room, popped it open, and started filling it. She didn’t have more luggage here.

  Ten minutes later, she carried it back downstairs. “I’m sorry this situation is so messy. I promise I’ll keep paying my half of the rent until we can figure something else out.”

  “Actually, if you’re certain you aren’t going to want to move back in, the super is going to let us break the lease. I talked to him a few days ago. I think he’ll be relieved actually. He won’t charge us any penalties and we still get our deposits back.”