“He tried to tell me that he’d changed, but I knew better. He’s always going to be an asshole. He wasn’t thrilled when I wouldn’t back down. His jaw started ticcing, just like it used to right before he lashed out at Mom or me. But since we were in a public place, he couldn’t do anything. He simply got up and left.”
“That’s not good,” Riggs said.
“I know. The tire thing is something I could totally see him doing, but I don’t know how he would’ve gotten my email or phone number. It’s not like I gave them to him.”
“That kind of info isn’t hard to find,” Riggs told her. “Have you had any messages since you’ve been here?”
“Honestly?”
“Of course.”
“I’m scared to turn my phone on. I know I should. I need to call my mom and Susie . . . but I just don’t want to see if being gone has made him back off or pissed him off more,” Carlise admitted.
“You want me to do it? To turn it on the first time? I mean, I won’t delete anything that might have come in because we’ll need the messages for proof of the harassment for the police, but just hearing all those dings and vibrations when you first turn your phone on can be stressful.”
Carlise moved without thought. She rolled until she was lying on top of him. They were plastered together from hips to chest. She propped herself up slightly and looked down at his handsome face. His hands shifted to her hips to hold her steady. “You’d do that for me?”
“I’d do anything for you, Carlise. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
“I’m starting to. This is . . . I haven’t ever had someone who’s been as considerate as you have, Riggs. I don’t know what to do with it.”
“You don’t have to do anything. Except go with it and accept it as your due.”
“I want to thank you.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For not freaking out. For not leaping out of bed and stomping around the room. Anger scares me. I know why; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that my father’s actions when I was a kid still affect me even today. And being with Tommy didn’t help. Even when I know someone’s anger isn’t directed at me, I still get nervous. So I appreciate you not reacting when I told you about Tommy. You weren’t happy—I could tell by how tense you were. But you didn’t do anything that made me uneasy.”
“I abhor violence,” Riggs told her, not taking his gaze from hers. “Which is pretty ridiculous, considering what I did for a living before moving to Maine. But after being a POW and seeing my friends get the crap beaten out of them for absolutely no purpose, after seeing the torture that Cal went through simply because our captors thought it was fun to hurt a royal, I can’t stomach it. I can’t promise to never get angry in the future, but now that I know how strongly it affects you, I’ll do my best to keep it in check.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I’ll keep it in check,” Riggs interrupted firmly. “I’ll never give you a reason to be afraid of me. Never.”
Carlise swallowed hard and blinked to try to keep her tears at bay. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“We can turn on your phone to check it, but honestly, even though the storm is done, I’m not sure the Wi-Fi will work. I’ve got satellite internet, and it’s super temperamental. I need to check the antenna and probably upgrade it. It’s been going out more and more lately. If it doesn’t work, I’ll have to drive down the road a bit to pick up a signal.
“When we get up, I’ll let you use my satellite phone to call your mom and Susie. I’m sure they’re worried sick by now. You need to reassure them that you’re okay and make sure they’re doing all right. Then maybe we’ll take a walk with Baxter, do some laundry, read, play checkers . . . you can get some work done on the book you’re translating. Then we’ll make dinner together. Okay?”
His plans for the day sounded wonderful. Because they’d be doing most of those things together. “Okay.”
“What I find on your phone will determine how soon you should contact the police here in Newton. They aren’t a huge force, but the police chief is a good man. He’ll take your concerns seriously, honey. He’s not going to tolerate anyone in his jurisdiction being harassed.”
“But we don’t know who’s messaging me.”