Plus, I’m by your side in case anything happens. I’m here to catch you.”
His assuring words make me feel better, but deep inside, I know the all-consuming chaos when we make love is what calmed my anxiety and made me forget all my problems. That’s what I need right now.
He smiles and takes my hand. “I’m sorry, but we have to fight the urge.”
Do we really have to?
Chapter Thirty-Six
Leyla
The next day, after my conversation with Pierce, I buy the pink house. It has four rooms, an office, and a big backyard where the kids can run. Since I pay in cash, the transaction doesn’t take long, and we close the next Monday. Pierce handles the legal transaction, and it pisses him off that I don’t let him pay for the house.
On Tuesday afternoon, I convince Blaire, Sophia, and Grace to go to Portland with me. I need to furnish the house. I’m glad Grace is finally warming up to us. Kind of. She’s the quietest person in the world.
I guess that’s why she fits so well with Beacon. He’s the night to her day. She’s the calm to his chaos. He’s her voice, but she’s his entire world. They are so perfect for each other, and it drives me crazy that Beacon always says, “We’re just friends.”
We like her a lot. She’s funny, and the guys are scared of her. Beacon told us she’s a blackbelt and was trained by former rangers. She didn’t confirm but didn’t deny it either.
“Do you have to move out of the house?” Sophia complains as we try mattresses.
I’m pretty sure the salespeople are about to kick us out. We’re going from bed to bed checking the comfort level and chatting while we’re at it.
“If given a choice, I would kick Pierce out of the house and keep you,” Blaire says, patting her small bump as she stares at the ceiling. “We’re back to just two women and a bunch of immature men.”
I lift my head lightly, looking at Grace and saying, “Would you move in?”
She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Classes at the academy begin next Monday. This is my last week visiting. Keep an eye on Beac because he might try to escape again.”
Sophia and I stare at each other. I’m pretty sure she’s thinking what I am. When did he escape?
“No one should leave,” Blaire reminds us.
“Leyla less than anyone,” Sophia agrees. “You know how to control them better than we do.”
“It’s easy. You just have to be assertive,” I offer some advice. “It’s not about yelling but talking with authority.”
They all laugh.
“You treat them like puppies,” Grace concludes.
I shrug, “It’s how I learned to control wild dogs, and those men were like that when we arrived in Baker’s Creek.”
“What’s going to happen with Arden?” Blaire asks.
There are so many things that will change once I leave, and it’s stressing me out in a way I can’t explain. Pierce assured me last night that it was okay. Everyone is going to leave at some point or another. He’s working on Hayes’s request to move into his new house once it’s finished—next March.
If and when Sophia and Henry get pregnant, Henry wants to move to the house he bought for Soph when she moved to Baker’s Creek. They need their space. The rest are going to have to learn to manage. Also, just because we’re moving out doesn’t mean that we’re no longer a part of them.
We still have to look after the kids who are staying in the barn indefinitely. Maybe my anxiety goes back to when I lived in foster care. I never knew how long I would stay, and after I left, it was over.
This isn’t over. They’re still my friends.
“We’ll find someone to keep an eye on Arden,” Grace offers. “If everything else fails, I can check with my aunts and cousins. They know people who might need a nanny job.”
Blaire perks up and asks, “Did you talk to Cat?”
I’m not sure what one thing has to do with the other, but before I respond, Sophia, who hates being out of the loop, asks, “Who is Cat?”
“You know how Blaire has her network of shelters, orphanages, charity goddesses?” I ask, and she nods. “Cat has a shelter for teenagers. I want her to guide me on setting one up either in Portland or Happy Springs.”
“My uncles and aunt have several in the Seattle area. They could give you a hand if you want to,” Grace offers.
“If you can connect