Page 62 of Deserving Lara
And the fact that he and the others had discussed her going with him and Stone to Seattle when they’d go to check it out, but he hadn’t brought it up with her? It stung.
“You guys were amazing,” Brick said with a grin.
“Oh my God!” Alaska exclaimed as she entered the lobby from the small office in the back. “I’ve already gotten two emails from the families who left earlier and they were overflowing with praise for The Refuge and, more importantly, you guys! They said their kids cried when they left because they’d had such a great time. I could never have done what you did!”
Brick held out his arm, and Alaska snuggled into him. Everyone was smiling at her and Cora, and it was overwhelming for Lara. Her emotions were already all over the place and this wasn’t helping. She needed space. Needed to think.
“Thanks,” she said. “I’m gonna go back to the cabin,” she informed the group, then headed for the door without looking back.
“Was it something I said?” Lara heard Alaska ask. But she didn’t stop. She was being rude, but at the moment, her only thought was to get to the cabin and away from everyone.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
“What the hell?” Owl muttered as he stared at Lara’s back. He took a step to go after her when he felt a tug on his shirt. Turning, he saw Cora standing next to him, looking concerned.
“I messed up,” she admitted. “I didn’t know you hadn’t talked to her. I spilled the beans about the chopper, and I asked how she felt about leaving The Refuge. I didn’t realize you hadn’t told her about the trip or asked her to go with you yet.”
Owl’s stomach churned.
“You haven’t told her about the trip?” Tiny asked.
“We found the chopper the day all the families arrived. She’s been busy and tired. Every night, she came home and collapsed. I didn’t want to burden her with that on top of everything she’s been doing for The Refuge,” Owl said a little defensively.
“I get that,” Pipe said, putting an arm around his wife. “Cora’s been like a zombie every night. Mumbling about crayons and crafts before falling asleep two-point-one seconds after she sits down to watch TV.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve done the kid thing,” Cora said. “And back in DC, we were only there during the day. We didn’t have to entertain them through dinner or do any of the fun stuff we did here in the evenings.”
“I need to talk to her,” Owl said, pressing his lips together.
“Give her a moment to think,” Cora told him.
But Owl shook his head. “No, she’lloverthinkthings.”
“Maybe it’s not a good idea after all,” Brick suggested. “She can stay here with us. We’ll watch over her. Make sure she’s good.”
Owl had no doubt that his friends would take good care of his woman. But something deep down rebelled at the thought of leaving her. She might have been the one who was scared to let him out of her sight, but now he was the one who didn’t want to leaveher. He’d gotten very used to having her with him nearly all the time. Loved the talks they’d had. Enjoyed looking over and seeing her sitting on his couch.
He was completely addicted to Lara Osler, and the thought of spending a week away from her made his skin crawl.
“I appreciate that,” he told his friends, “But she needs this. Needs to get out. See that the world isn’t out to get her.”
“What if something happens?” Tiny asked.
“Then we’ll deal with it,” Owl said firmly. In the back of his mind, he was as worried as he assumed Lara was about her past coming back to haunt her. But another part of him kind of wished Carter Grant would make a move. He’d rather die than do anything that would hurt Lara, but this not knowing sucked. The knowledge that the serial killer was out there somewhere…it would eventually tear Lara down. So if the asshole was going to try anything, Owl wanted him to do it sooner rather than later. He’d make a mistake, the FBI would catch him, and they could move on with their lives once and for all.
Lara was doing amazing. She still had her setbacks, and with Grant out there, she could never fully relax…and everyone knew it. This trip to Seattle would be the first step in her taking back her independence. Proving that while she might have been through a horrible experience, she wasn’t a victim.
Owl just had to convince her that he wasn’t an insensitive jerk for not telling her about the possible trip before now. For obviously discussing Lara behind her back with his friends, however innocent, and for not giving her more than a week to think about the possibility of venturing off the property.
“Let us know if you need anything,” Brick said.
“Owl?” Cora said before he could leave.
Trying not to be annoyed and just wanting to get to Lara, Owl turned to her.
“Don’t let her push you away. You’re her Jack.”
He had no idea what the hell that meant, but he simply nodded and said, “I won’t.” Then he turned before anyone else decided they wanted to have a chat and strode toward the door. He needed to make this right and wasn’t sure how. He hated the hurt and confusion he’d seen on Lara’s face before she’d left. He’d fucked up, and somehow, someway, he needed to fix things.
