She flushed a little in pleasure. As much as she loved him, her father wasn’t one to indulge in complimentary speeches. He was also the one who’d been most impatient with some of her more fanciful schemes and imaginings, and with reason at times. “Well, maybe I’ll try to restrain myself to only crying wolf when I actually see one,” she said.
He looked as though he tried to smile back at her but just couldn’t. “You certainly saw one this time.”
After dinner and dessert, Shelby announced that she was exhausted. Though she’d rested most of the day after her ordeal, she was still bone-weary, probably more from lingering trauma than lack of sleep. Her head hurt some, but not so badly that she wanted to accept her mother’s offer to stay there rather than return to her own place. She wanted to sleep in her own home—preferably not alone, she thought, glancing at Aaron from beneath her lashes, but better by herself in her own bed than being hovered over any longer in her parents’ house.
“I’ll see you home,” Aaron said, rising to his feet when she did.
She’d hoped he would offer.
After saying good-night to everyone, promising them all that her doors would be securely locked despite the threat being over and assuring them that she would see them tomorrow, she was finally able to step outside with Aaron.
They took a golf cart to her place, with Aaron behind the wheel. It wasn’t a long walk, but still more than Shelby felt up to just then. He accompanied her inside, glancing around curiously, which made her realize it was actually the first time he’d been in her trailer. The home had come furnished in neutral colors, but she’d added touches of bright accents to reflect her own tastes. She’d left it fairly tidy, though an open book, an empty diet soda can and a candy bar wrapper sat on the coffee table. Evidence of a snack attack while reading, she thought with a tired smile.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked Aaron, moving toward the couch.
He had paused just inside the door. “No, thanks. Unless you need me for anything else, I’m going to clear out and let you get some rest.”
“Oh.” Disappointment flooded through her as she turned back toward him. “You’re leaving now?”
Hands in his jeans pockets, he nodded. “Unless you need me to stay.”
“I don’t need you to stay,” she said quietly. “But I’d like for you to.”
She wondered if he understood that she wasn’t talking only about tonight.
He couldn’t seem to quite meet her eyes. “You need sleep. The docs said there’s no reason for you to be monitored or anything during the night, right?”
Swallowing hard, she replied, “They said I’ll be fine.”
“Are you in any pain?”
“Just a mild headache and my wrist is sore, but I think an over-the-counter pain reliever will be enough. I don’t like taking the prescription stuff.”
He nodded, still looking oddly uncomfortable. “So, you have everything you need? You got your phone back, right?”
“Yes, it’s in my pocket. Fully charged and working. Maggie took care of that for me.”
“Feel free to call or text if you need me.”
“Aaron,” she said when he started to turn. “What’s going on?”
Staring at the doorknob, he said, “I know you’re tired. You need to rest.”
“Why won’t you look at me?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Because every time I see that bruise on your face, it makes me ache,” he admitted.
“Aaron—”
His hand gripped the doorknob hard enough to whiten his knuckles. “I’m no hero, Shelby,” he said roughly. “I’m not a private investigator like my brother or a firefighter like yours wants to be. I was the wrong person to ask to help you with Landon. I didn’t take you seriously enough, and then when I did look into him, I made him so suspicious he grabbed you as insurance.”
“That was not your fault. There was no way you could have predicted the man would completely lose his mind. And don’t say you should have walked me home,” she added quickly, predicting what he would probably say next. “You tried to insist and I wouldn’t let you. That was entirely my decision.”
He sighed and squeezed the back of his neck with one hand. “When Maggie came to me and told me you were missing, I nearly lost it.”
“She said you were amazingly calm and collected. She told me she could tell you were worried, but you immediately started organizing a search and then told her you suspected Landon.”
“I—”