Can't Fight It (Fair Lakes 3)

I leave my bags and the stroller, for now, anxious to get Milo inside and to bed for a nap. He’s been a trooper today, but I can tell the crash is coming. With my keys already in hand, as Colton keeps instructing, I head toward the back door, Milo’s car seat in hand. I’m barely inside and have him released from the buckles of his seat when the front doorbell rings.

“Who could that be?” I ask, picking up Milo and positioning him on my hip.

When I glance out the peephole, I don’t see anyone. Did I imagine it?

I turn around just as the doorbell rings a second time. My heartrate escalates as I glance through the peephole again. This time, I see a woman standing there. I don’t recognize her. Against my better judgment, I release the lock and pull open the door. A burst of cold air hits me, and I try to adjust Milo, so he’s shielded from the frigid temperatures.

“Can I help you?” I ask through the glass screen door.

“Actually, yes. Hollis Taylor?” she asks politely, a friendly smile on her face.

“Ummm, yes,” I confirm, my hand on the door. It would only take one second for me to step back and close it quickly.

But I’m unable to move.

I have no time to react.

Behind the woman stands a man.

One I recognize.

A face that’s haunted my dreams for months.

The one from the alley.

The one I’m running from.

He steps completely into view, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he says, “I’ve been looking for you.”Chapter 15ColtonWith the snow starting to fall, the calls and cancellations begin to roll in. Normally, I would be irritated because that makes the day drag by, but Chase and Harrison have decided to close the gym. For the safety of the employees and the members. We’re all going home. I can’t be mad about that. Hollis and Milo should be home from shopping by now. An early day with my two favorite people sounds like exactly what I need.

“You going to make it home in that?” Chase asks, pointing out the window to Hollis’s car.

“Yeah, I should be fine. It’ll just take me a little longer.”

“You want me to drop you off?” he offers.

“No. I’m good.” It’s going to take me a little longer to get home, but that’s a small price to pay knowing that Hollis and Milo were safer today in my truck. I need to talk to her about maybe getting an SUV. She needs something with four-wheel drive or at least all-wheel drive for these Missouri winters.

“Can’t believe you let her take your truck,” Chase comments.

He’s grinning, so I know he’s giving me shit. “So, you’re telling me that you would let Gabby go out with your baby when you knew the weather was getting bad in that”—I point out the window to Hollis’s car—“instead of your truck.”

“Nope.” His reply is immediate.

“That’s what I thought,” I fire back, and he laughs as my phone rings. Glancing at the screen, I see Hollis’s name, and I smile. “Hey, babe, we were just talking about you.”

“Colt.”

The way she says my name has fear racing down my spine. “What is it? What happened?” My voice is steady and stern, with a hint of fear that my brother picks up on immediately.

“Everything is fine.” She tries to reassure me, but I can hear it in her voice that everything is not fine.

“Hollis,” I warn. I hear her words, but I also hear her voice, and I can’t describe it. Is it fear? Is it pain?

“Are you on your way home?” she asks, her voice soft.

“Yes. Tell me what happened,” I say, pulling her keys out of my pocket and heading for the door. I’m stopped when Chase’s hand lands on my shoulder. He holds up his keys and points to his chest. I get what he’s saying. He’s driving. I nod, and he turns off the lights and locks up before we climb into his truck and head toward my place.

“I’m fine. Milo is fine,” she says, her voice cracking.

“That’s good, baby. I need you to tell me,” I say, glancing over at Chase. He has a worried expression on his face, but he keeps his eyes on the road. Focused on getting us to them. To my entire fucking world.

“It’s a lot to explain. I promise you that we’re both fine.”

“What’s a lot to explain?” I question her. Trying like hell to pull something out of her. Any morsel of information to know what I’m walking into.

“It’s over. It’s finally over,” she says, and now I know she’s crying.

“What’s over, Hollis?”

“I’m safe. We’re safe.”

The tension I was feeling lessens. “Can you tell me what that means?” I ask her.

“I will when you get home. I just… needed you.”

My chest tightens. I never in my life thought hearing a woman tell me that she needed me could cause my heart to swell as it tries to beat out of my chest, but that’s exactly what’s happening right here in the passenger seat of my brother’s truck. “Chase is bringing me home. We’re in his truck so we can get there faster. We’re maybe ten minutes away,” I tell her.