Chapter 27

Annie

I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun. Watching Aiden run Jake ragged all over the carnival grounds is quite entertaining. Charlie must think so, too, as she hasn’t stopped smiling either. Once Jake rode the slide with Aiden, Aiden decided that he had to ride all the rides with Jake.

After the slide, Jake takes Aiden on the kiddy rollercoaster, which Jake can barely squeeze into. His legs are way too long for the diminutive cars. Then they ride the merry-go-round twice and the spinning tea cups three times until Aiden says he’s going to vomit. Charlie and I follow along, enjoying watching Jake run ragged by an energetic five-year-old.

“He’ll make a great dad,” Charlie says to me, as we’re watching Jake play the ring toss game as he tries to win a stuffed Panda bear for Aiden.

“Yes, he will.”

“Do you want more kids?”

I hesitate, wondering if she’s asking me a hypothetical question, or if she specifically means me and Jake. “Yes, I want more kids. I’d love for Aiden to have a brother or sister.”

“Or a bunch of them.” She laughs. “Jake comes from a family of seven kids. I somehow don’t think he’ll want to stop at one or two.”

As an only child, I like the idea of us having a big family. Growing up, I always wished I had siblings. “I think I could handle that.”

When Aiden tries to talk Jake into letting him have some cotton candy, Jake looks to me for guidance. I smile and shrug. This is his show. Of course, he acquiesces and buys Aiden a huge bag of rainbow-colored cotton candy.

One hour has come and gone, quickly morphing into two hours, and Jake seems to be having as much fun as Aiden. Twice, I’ve caught glimpses of Cameron and Killian shadowing us at a distance, and they seem equally amused at Jake’s role as Aiden’s new best friend.

Charlie and I are standing off to the side while Jake and Aiden wait in a long line to ride the bumper cars. After downing a large lemonade, I’m in need of a restroom. “I need to pee,” I whisper to Charlie.

Charlie nods and speaks into her wrist mic. “I’m taking mama bear to the ladies’ room.”

Jake glances back at us, his expression suddenly sharp. Then he nods and says, “Make it quick” into his mic.

“The restrooms are inside the school,” I tell Charlie, and she follows me to the main entrance.

There are quite a few people milling about inside the school, looking at student art exhibits and an assortment of class displays posted on the walls. We turn left and follow the main corridor to the restrooms, but the line for the women’s room is down the hall and around a corner.

While we’re waiting, I feel someone tap me on the shoulder. I look back and find Aiden’s preschool teacher smiling at me.

“Mrs. Patterson, hi. The line’s really long. You can use the restroom in my classroom if you’d like,” she says. “It’s unlocked.”

The preschool classrooms are close by, so I thank his teacher and we head down the hall to her classroom. Sure enough, the door’s unlocked, and Charlie and I walk right in.

I flip on the light, and we walk into a room filled with little child-sized tables and chairs.

“Oh, my goodness,” Charlie says, nudging one of the little chairs with her foot. “They’re so tiny.”

“That’s preschool for you.” I head across the room to the restroom, which is located in the back corner. “Be right back.”

I turn on the restroom light and step inside, closing the door behind me. I hurry, not wanting to be away from Aiden for longer than necessary. Just as I’m washing my hands, I hear a loud crash coming from the classroom, followed by a muffled grunt.

I open the door. “Charlie, are you—”

Several of the kids’ desks in the center of the room have been shoved aside, the chairs knocked over. On the floor, Charlie’s grappling with someone—a man—for control of a handgun.

“Get back in the bathroom and lock the door!” Charlie yells, just as she does something painful to the man’s wrist, making him cry out and drop the gun. She slides the gun across the floor, far out of reach, and pins the man to the floor, securing his arms behind his back.

The knit hat on the man’s head slips off, and I stand frozen to the spot, horrified. I can’t see his face, but I recognize that sandy-blond hair. “Ted?”

Charlie glares at me. “Get back in the bathroom and lock the fucking door, now!”

Ted heaves himself up, throwing Charlie off. She immediately moves between us, holding him away from me.

She activates her wrist mic. “We have a fucking situation in the preschool classroom!”

“Annie, we need to talk,” Ted says, trying to get around Charlie.

Charlie intercepts him and motions for me to move back.

My heart is pounding. All I can think about is Aiden and Jake. Are they okay? “Ted, you shouldn’t be here.”

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, you stupid bitch!” he yells. He looks terrible, his face gaunt and pale.

Ted makes an attempt to get past Charlie, and she cuts him off, putting him in a choke hold. Gritting his teeth, he strains against her hold, trying in vain to break free.

The door to the preschool room crashes open, slamming into the wall, as a deep roar fills the air. “Step away from them. Now!”

I look up just as Jake charges into the room, his thunderous gaze locked on Ted. “Charlie, get Annie out of here!”

If Jake is here with us, then where is Aiden?

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Ted growls, turning to face Jake. He scowls at Jake, then turns back to me, an incredulous look on his face. “Holy shit, is this your boyfriend? Are you fucking kidding me? As soon as I’m out of the picture, you run right back to him? I knew it! I knew you were fucking him behind my back. You whore!”

Visibly seething, Jake grabs Ted by the front of his shirt with both hands. Then he glances at Charlie. “Take Annie to the vehicle,” he says, his voice deep and measured. “Aiden’s there now with the guys.”

My knees almost buckle in relief when I hear that Aiden is okay.

Charlie grabs my arm and marches me toward the door, making a wide swath around Ted and Jake. Just as we step out of the classroom, I glance back in time to see Jake haul off and slam his fist into Ted’s abdomen. Ted folds in two and sinks to the floor, clutching his belly, groaning.

Charlie hauls me through the hallway and out the front door. We head for the parking lot, and when I see the familiar vehicles, I rush ahead, looking for Aiden. He’s in the rear seat of the Escalade, sitting with Cameron.

Cameron opens the car door and lets Aiden hop out and run to me.

“Are you okay, sweetie?” I ask Aiden, hugging him close.

He grins up at me, unfazed. “We had so much fun today!”

Clearly Aiden has no idea there’s been some trouble. “I’m glad, honey.”

“Where’s Jake?” he says, glancing around. “He said he had to go to the bathroom.”

“He’ll be here soon.” I hope.

Charlie has the Tahoe unlocked and the rear door open. I steer Aiden inside the vehicle and into his car seat, helping him strap in. Then I sit beside him, willing my body to stop shaking.

Charlie and the guys stand outside the Tahoe, clearly alert and on guard as they wait for Jake to return. I know they’re all concealing handguns beneath their jackets. Aiden and I couldn’t be safer than we are sitting here in the Tahoe. I’m not worried about us. But I am worried about Jake.

“Did you see all the rides we went on?” Aiden chatters happily, oblivious to the tense undercurrents all around us.

“Yes, I did.”

“It was awesome!”

 I finally realize that Aiden is holding a baseball glove and a stuffed Panda bear. I remember Jake playing a ring toss game for the Panda. “Where did you get the baseball glove?”

“Jake won it for me. He said he’d teach me how to throw a baseball.”

I smile. Jake’s been a better father figure to Aiden in less than a week than Ted ever was.