When Rivals Love (Bayshore Rivals 3)

And I suppose she could get to me here too if she really wanted.

“Please stop frowning, your sad face makes me sad.” Banks pouts.

That makes me smile, “It’s hard to be happy when it feels like everything is falling apart. I thought she was put away forever.” I drop my gaze to my hands, “I thought we were safe. Now it feels like all we were doing was lying in wait.”

Banks’ hands cover my own, and he sits down on the cushion beside me. “All we can do is wait for the police to find her, and right now, no one knows where she is. Maybe she ran away? Maybe she decided hurting you wasn’t really what she wanted after all?”

“You really think she would escape just to be free, and not to track me down and hurt me more?” I lift my gaze and stare at him in disbelief. If he says yes, I’m going to be forced to smack some sense into him.

“No, but I can only hope. The last thing I want is for her to try and come after you.”

“Same. All I want is for all the threats, all the stress to go away.” Pausing, I can feel the emotions swirling inside me, brewing just like a thunderstorm does. “I’m scared, and not just for me but the baby too. What if she finds me? What if she hurts the baby?”

I’m spiraling out of control, my thoughts headed into a dark and dangerous place.

“Stop, she isn’t going to touch you or the baby, and nothing is going to happen to either of you, not if I have anything to say about it.” Banks’ soft tone is meant to reassure me, it’s meant to calm me, but nothing will stop me from worrying, nothing but knowing that she is behind bars where she really belongs.

The buzzing of my cell phone against the coffee table has me lurching toward the device. I take it into my hands and stare at the name flashing across the screen. It’s my stepmom. What could she possibly want?

My finger hovers over the green answer key, but a head shake from Banks helps me make my decision. Talking to her isn’t going to help me any, not when all she’s going to do is hurt me more with her hateful words and tell me how horrible I am for running away. For hurting Matt.

“I don’t know what she wants, but I can tell you that it’s nothing good. If she has something to say, she’ll leave a voicemail.” Banks says. Moving from the couch and heading for the kitchen. “Are you hungry? You have to be. I know if I were pregnant, I would be eating the house down.”

“You eat the house down normally, so what’s the difference?” I giggle.

Banks cocks his head to the side as he opens the fridge and inspects its contents, “I suppose there isn’t a difference. Maybe I would eat twice as much then? Or four times as much since I technically eat for two already?”

My phone beeps, letting me know that my stepmom has left a voicemail, and because I’m curious, I grab the device, going to the voicemail before bringing it to my ear.

“Hi, sweetie, it’s me. I just wanted to call and make sure you were okay. We got word that Shelby escaped the psych ward, and I wanted to warn you and make sure that you were safe. I know that we ended things badly at the hospital, but your father and I just want the best for you. We have the police searching for Shelby and will do everything we can to protect you. We love you. Call me or your father if you need anything.”

The voicemail ends, and I’m left with my mouth hanging open. How can she act so normal after everything that happened at the hospital? How can they act like they give one single fuck what happens to me?

“I told you nothing good would come from that woman,” Banks interrupts my thoughts.

“She claims they want to warn me about Shelby, and that they’re working with the police to catch her. They’ll do everything they can to protect me.”

Banks rolls his bright blue eyes, pulling stuff out to make some sandwiches, “Pfft, protect you from what? They’re the reason that all of this happened. Your father and Shelby are perfect for each other, and your stepmom is a gold-digging bitch. They all should be in that mental hospital together.”

He’s not wrong.

“All I want is for everything to end, for my father to leave me alone, and let me be happy, and for Shelby to get what she deserves.”

“It’ll happen. We’ll make sure of it. No one is going to hurt you anymore. You and that baby are the most important things to us, and I’ll be damned if I stand by and let people hurt you again.”