Lauren was subdued, her expression troubled the next morning when Annie and Chase visited her. “Travis? All this time, it’s been Travis? I can’t believe it. My God, I can’t believe it. This will devastate Charity.”
Charlie laid the sleeping baby in her bassinette and moved to Lauren’s side. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry.”
Lauren let him hold her. “I’m okay. I’ll deal with it later. I’m so glad you’re okay and this whole mess is over,” she told Annie. “I only wish it had turned out to be someone else.”
Annie leaned into Chase. “I know. I hate that it happened now. I don’t want this to mar the joy of her arrival.” She gazed down at the baby, little Katy Grace Clark, who’d arrived yesterday afternoon in the midst of all the drama, though Lauren and Charlie hadn’t known it at the time. “She’s so precious, you guys. Congratulations.”
After the dust had settled at Travis’s house, Annie had gone to the sheriff’s department in Madison to be debriefed. It had been a grueling, hours-long process that had worn her to a nubbin, and she’d not been up to visiting her niece and Lauren yesterday. She’d gone straight back to Chase’s condo and fallen into a sleep so hard it felt like a stupor, no doubt a leftover effect from the drug Travis had given her.
As more and more information came to light, the scope and depravity of Travis’s crimes grew more horrifying. He was still clinging to life in a hospital in Cincinnati, and his doctors were cautiously optimistic he’d pull through, though they expected him to be paralyzed.
Annie was glad she hadn’t taken his life. That was something she’d have had a hard time dealing with, though his actions certainly would have alleviated some of that guilt.
Charlie held out his hand, and she took it. “That man won’t steal a bit of our joy. He’s not worth another thought from any of us. Agreed?”
Annie nodded. “Agreed. That’s easier said than done, but I’ll try.”
Lauren smiled. “So will I. We can help each other.”
As much as Annie wanted to stay and visit, she could see that Lauren was tired. So was Charlie for that matter. “We’re going to head out for now, kids.”
“When do you leave for Virginia?”
“Late this evening. I fly out from Louisville.”
When her mother and stepfather found out about the kidnapping, they’d been frantic with worry. As it was hard on Carly to travel, Annie had cleared leaving town with the state police detective handling the investigation, and she was going to go to them for a few days to calm their fears.
“Text and let us know you made it, all right?” Charlie pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I didn’t just find you in order to lose you again, little sister.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she grabbed him tight. “Love you, you know.”
He laughed, though the sound was a bit soggy. “I love you too.”
After they left and were heading back to Richard and Jackie’s, Annie couldn’t bring herself to say more than a few words. So much was going through her head, so many thoughts, so many emotions. When they pulled up in front of the garage, Chase turned off the engine but didn’t get out. Instead, he watched her.
“What are you thinking?” he asked softly.
She shook her head slowly as she stared at the yard beyond the garage. “Too much. I… so much has happened in such a short amount of time. I think I’m having trouble processing it all.”
“Do you mean us?”
With a sigh, she faced him. “No.”
He narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t sound too convincing.”
She touched his cheek. “I love you. But I’m overwhelmed right now. I need some space. And no,” she rushed to say, “that isn’t girl-speak for me wanting to break up with you. I think this visit to Mom and Ralph is what I need. I won’t have to think or worry or be in charge of anything while I’m out there, and I need that right now.”
“Will you call me?”
“Oh, yes. Will you call me?”
He picked up her hand and kissed it. “Oh, yes. So… how can I help you get ready to go?”
“Come inside and help me pack?”
“Sure.”
As she met him in front of the car and took his hand, she gave him a shy smile. “Maybe you can hold me for a little while too. I’m going to miss you, you know. I wish you could go with me, but I need to do this alone.”
She knew he didn’t understand why, but he’d not pushed her about it. He wasn’t happy, and they’d had a few words about her leaving. If the last few weeks hadn’t been so stressful, they probably would have fought about it. But neither of them wanted to start down that road, not on top of having almost lost each other permanently.
He kissed her right then and there. “I’ll be counting the minutes until you return to me, Annie Tucker. Don’t you go breaking my heart.”
She touched his lips. “If I did that, I’d be breaking my own heart too. Love me?”
Chase smiled. “Always.”
When they kissed again, she leaned into him and let herself relax. She had a lot of doubts right now that she wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about, but the amazing thing—at least to her—was that Chase’s love for her wasn’t one of the things she was questioning, and that felt wonderful.