Aligned: Volume 4 (5 page)

I slide over in the limo, and Drew slides in next to me before slamming the door shut and effectively shutting out everything except us. I let my eyes travel over Drew’s body. His fitted suit looks just as clean and perfect as it did when I first saw him when we first arrived at the concert. I try to think back to our childhood, but I can’t remember a time Drew didn’t dress nice, formal. Even when we didn’t have enough money to buy nice things, somehow, Drew always looked nice.
 

I feel his eyes on me taking in my lifted boobs exposed in this skintight dress. I smile. I love the attention. Even if it’s his attention and not Landon’s.
 

The driver begins driving, taking me to the hotel that Landon got for me. I assume Drew is staying there as well. Although, I am surprised he didn’t take the private jet back with Landon.
 

“Why didn’t you ride back with Landon?”
 

His glare intensifies as he studies my face. “I need to talk to you.”
 

“So you are going to wait, be forced to spend a night in the hotel, and fly commercial tomorrow all so you can talk to me? I hate to tell you, but you’re going to be disappointed because I have nothing to tell you. You should have gone back with Landon. I’m still mad at you.”
 

He smirks in his cocky manner. “I should be right here. My job is to protect Landon. To protect his career from predators like you. I know you both too well not to know something is up. Landon will tell me whatever it is. He’s too busy worrying about getting back to Alex to tell me now, but he will. I thought I would give you a chance to hear your side of the story first, though.”
 

I wince when he says Landon flew back to see Alexa. It hurts. It hurts that even after finding out that I am carrying his child, he would still run back to another woman. Not for long, though. As soon as this baby is born, he’ll be mine. As soon as Alexa finds out the truth, he’ll have no option but me and this child.
 

“Why would you want to hear my side anyway? You’ll just think I’m lying. You never liked me. You always thought I was bad for Landon. You always encouraged him to stay as far away from me as possible. You hate me. And I hate you.”
 

Now, Drew’s face shows hurt. I narrow my eyes at him not understanding why in the hell my words would hurt him. He doesn’t care about me. He never has. He was happy when Landon walked away from my marriage.
 

“Try me,” he says softening his voice.
 

I shake my head before staring down at my lap. I’m not going to tell him. He’s right, though; Landon will tell him. They are twins. They tell each other everything. I just can’t. He needs to hear everything from Landon. He’ll believe him. He won’t believe a word out of my mouth.
 

Drew takes my hand from my lap and rubs it gently like he used to when we were children. The touch is soft. It’s sweet. It’s comforting. I close my eyes as a peace comes over me that I haven’t felt in years. He hasn’t done that since high school. I forgot how centering his touch could be.
 

He stops when I open my eyes, and he can see the calmness in my eyes.
 

“Thank you,” I say.
 

He nods before glancing at my other hand where I still wear the engagement ring Landon gave me.
 

He smiles at it. “I’m glad you kept the ring.”
 

I nod suspiciously at him. Why would he be happy I kept a ring? Wouldn’t he prefer I returned it so that Landon could get his money back?

“I was with Landon that day. The day he bought the ring.” He pauses. “I thought it was the wrong decision. I didn’t think he was good enough for you.”
 

My mouth falls open slightly. “I always thought I was the one who wasn’t good enough for him.”
 

He shakes his head as his eyes meet mine. “No, he was never good enough for you. Especially after what he did. He didn’t deserve you, and he still doesn’t.” He glances down at my hand. “Still, I’m glad he gave you this ring. I’m glad you kept the ring. You deserve it. It’s just like your mother’s.”
 

I feel tears welling up in my eyes. I didn’t know that he was with Landon when he bought this ring. I didn’t know he even remembered that my mother had a ring like this.
 

I open my mouth and then close it before opening it again. “Who do you think I deserve to be with if not Landon?”
 

His eyes lock with mine for far too long before he shakes his head. “I don’t know. Anybody would be better than he would.”

I look out the dark window as we drive closer to our hotel. I don’t know why, but I feel disappointed.
 

Drew reaches out and touches my chin until I’m facing him again.
 

“Why did you come back? What is going on with you and Landon?” His hand goes back to mine, rubbing it calmly.
 

I take a deep breath. I don’t why I want to answer him, but I do. I don’t know if it’s the look on his face or the story about my ring or the comforting touch on my hand. He just makes me feel safe.
 

“I’m pregnant.”
 

His eyes grow wide, but his hand stays on mine soothing me even when he’s trying to soothe himself.
 

“Whose?”
 

I study his face, but he already knows the answer.
 

“His.” I nod.
 

“Are you sure?”
 

I nod again. “Pretty sure. The timing is right, and he’s the only one I didn’t use protection with. We are getting a paternity test to be sure.”
 

He sucks in a breath and nods. His hand moves a little faster over my hand now, but it still keeps me calm.
 

“How are you doing?”
 

I raise my eyebrows at him. I was not expecting that. I was expecting him to be worried about how this would affect Landon. About how it would affect his career and Alexa. I’m glad to have someone on my side. He might be useful in making sure Landon fulfills his responsibilities to me.
 

I smile. “I’m doing better now.”
 

263. The number of days I spent living on the streets.
 

I look around the grand house. The fifth one we have toured. It’s beautiful. It’s everything anybody could ever want. We have the money for it, but it’s not what I want.
 

Our realtor is busy explaining the craftsmanship of the house to Landon while I trail behind. I look up at the grand staircase in the foyer of the home that has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms. It’s too big. It’s not safe here. There are too many large windows. Too many ways Ethan could see into our house to plan an attack. And it reminds me of the house Ethan bought.

I thought that house was equally as beautiful, and even though its beautiful views drew me in, it never felt like home.
 

Now, though, all I want is revenge. And to set everyone free who has been hurt by Ethan’s crimes. I can’t look past that. I can’t envision a future with Landon and kids. All I can picture are my hands tightening around Ethan’s neck. Or firing a gun at his head as a bullet sinks into his brain. Or stabbing him in the back. I can’t see past my hatred.
 

I look up to see Landon glance back with a tight smile before turning his attention back to the realtor. He’s been distant, far too distant, since he got back a week ago.
 

I reach into my pocket and feel both of the flash drives there. I went back to my condo to get the one I threw away. The one I still haven’t decided if I should look at or not.
 

Landon and our realtor walk back to me.
 

“So what do you think?” Landon asks.
 

I shake my head. “I don’t like it.”
 

He tries to hide his sigh with a smile, but I still see it. He’s frustrated, as he probably should be, after looking at houses for three days straight. He has another concert to go to this weekend, so today is the last day we can look together until next week.
 

I glance over at our realtor who is frowning. She expected after we said we wanted to find something quick that it would be quick. I suspect she is ready to get her million-dollar commission. I suspect she thought this would be an easy payday. It’s not been, though.
 

“What about something smaller and cozier? What about something more secluded?”
 

The realtor looks at Landon, who nods in agreement. He doesn’t seem to have an opinion about where we live, or if he does, he is keeping it to himself. So far, he has gone along with whatever I say.
 

The realtor pulls out her phone. “Just give me a few minutes to see if I can find something more
cozy
. Are we still looking at the same budget?”
 

Landon glances at me before answering. “Yes.”
 

We both watch as she hurries outside to go find us something that better fits what I want. Although, I’m still not sure I know what I want.
 

“Is something going on?” he asks.
 

“No.”
 

He moistens his lips as he moves closer to me until he is holding me in his arms. “It just seems to me like you don’t want to move in together. Have you changed your mind?”
 

I shake my head. “No. I just realized I don’t want this big of a house. I don’t want maids to help me clean it and take care of it. I don’t want guards to protect all of our expensive things. I just want something simple something that is just the two of us. I might change my mind later. If we take our relationship to the next level, maybe, but I don’t want that right now. It feels too much like ...”
 

He narrows his eyes. “Like the house Ethan bought you.”
 

I nod.
 

“But we can buy something better than what Ethan bought you. We can get something even grander. We have the money. We could buy a house with twenty bedrooms and thirty something bathrooms.”
 

I raise my eyebrows at him as I lean back to look in his eyes. “And what will we do with all of these bedrooms?”
 

He shrugs innocently as he smiles cockily. His lips crash with mine as his tongue slips into my mouth for just a second, teasing me with what he wants before pulling away. “We could fill them.”
 

My mouth drops. I had no idea Landon wanted children. I imagined the forever bachelor would never want such a thing. I’m not sure if I share the same vision.
 

“You really want children?”
 

He smiles wickedly. “Maybe. I haven’t really thought much about it yet. But I want everything with you. And we could have fun trying in all of those bedrooms.”
 

I blush as I stare up at a man who loves me. A man I love in return. How did I get so lucky to find someone like him despite all of my troubles?
 

“Someday, then. Now, though, I want somewhere for just the two of us. Somewhere cozy that we can grow closer instead of further apart.”
 

“Cozy it is, then.”
 

He pulls me against his chest as his lips find mine again. It’s heavenly. Every single time his lips touch mine, I get lost in it. His tongue caresses mine making me moan in a not so innocent manner.
 

I hear our realtor clear her throat, and I pull away from Landon slightly embarrassed. He glares at the realtor, though, for interrupting what I can only imagine he thought was going to be a quick fuck in one of the house’s seven bedrooms.
 

“I found something,” she says.
 

I nod and pull Landon out of the house to his Porsche parked outside the house next to the realtor’s SUV. She offered to drive us, but Landon wouldn’t hear of it.
 

As we climb in his car, I’m glad he drove. It gives me time to think about what I want. It gives me time to hold Landon’s hand while thinking about my plan. I need to start surveilling Ethan. I need to find evidence to free everyone, and then I need to find a way to kill him. I don’t trust the police to keep him locked away. Not after I found out I’ve tried going to the police before and they just dismissed me as a crazy woman who was mad at her husband. I won’t do that again. I will fix this myself.
 

Our cars climb higher and higher into the mountains. Each curve getting more and more secluded. I relax. This is what I want. Seclusion. Somewhere it would be hard for Ethan to plan an attack. Somewhere it would be hard for others to reach him if I killed him here.
 

We round the last curve, and that’s when I see the house. It looks magical. There are old stone walls going around the house with green vines growing over them. A large, arched wooded door is at the entrance of the stone walls, keeping everyone out while still looking friendly. The house looks much the same. It’s built of stone and brick and looks like something out of a storybook instead of a modern home. Landon parks the car and takes my hand this time as we walk to the wooden door. He feels it too. This is our home. This is what I want.
 

We push the door open, and I smile when I see the garden that goes all around the house. There are flowers that I don’t know the names of. Green plants and large trees. It’s paradise in here.
 

I glance at Landon, who is smiling as he takes it all in. We wait for the realtor to open the door before we walk into the home. Instead of the grand staircase entrance like all of the rest of the homes we have toured, the entrance of this one is small. Yes, there is a staircase, but it is tucked away to the side; instead, the front entrance of the house gives a view to the back of the house where a beautiful stone fireplace and cozy living room sits next to an expansive kitchen. I hear our realtor talking. Something about three bedrooms and three baths. And only one living room and kitchen compared to the other houses’ two or three. I don’t hear her, though. I’m too busy falling in love.