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I didn’t have anything planned on Thursday,
the day after my date with Bella. I called my family, checking in with my
mother and telling her about my diplomatic dealings, party plans, and
discussions with United States officials about a trade agreement, which were
still in the planning stages. I also spoke briefly with my father, asking how
Emmett was doing. As far as we knew, he was headlong in detox, and was a
complete mess. He’d been checked into Four Circles under an assumed name, but I
knew that it wouldn’t be long before the paparazzi found out about Emmett’s
drug problem and his time at the rehabilitation center. I prayed it was later
rather sooner, but it was an inevitablity. I already had a statement drafted
for when that situation arose, ready to send and to cover our asses.
By mid-afternoon, I was chomping at the bit,
bored out of my mind and anxious to see my beautiful Bella. I had a name of a
locksmith to repair the doorway of the bakery, but Jake could do the work since
he was so handy. I didn’t need to run background checks on him and I definitely
trusted him. So, I finally stomped into
Jake’s room, eager to see the girl who was consuming my every thought. He
didn’t seem surprised when I requested, “Car, please?”
“Brooklyn, I assume,” he deadpanned. I arched
a deadly, royal brow. “Dude, you’re so whipped.”
“So, are you,” I quipped back, tossing him the
keys. “What wouldn’t you do for Leah? Hmmmm? And if there was something, anything
that prevented Leah’s safety, you’d fix it, right?”
“Okay, I’ll admit, that door is pissing me
off. Come on. I’ll fix it. Heaven forbid we get your royal hands dirty,” Jake
said, walking over to his closet and pulling out a huge toolbox. I grinned
happily. “Along with being your driver, I’m also your handyman. We just need to
stop at a store to pick up a new doorknob. The things I do for your royal ass.”
He rolled his eyes dramatically, but his smile was apparent.
“Jake, you’re awesome,” I beamed.
“Name your first kid after me, your
princeliship,” Jake snickered. I scowled at Jake and he just laughed. “Let’s
go.”
We rode down to the garage, clambering into
the car. It was dreary today, colder and rainy. I shivered in my jacket as we
drove to Brooklyn and parked across the street from the bakery. We walked inside,
finding it nearly empty. Bella was sitting at a table, her head buried over
some ledger books, wearing the most adorable pair of glasses, while Charlie was
flipping through a ragged notebook, seemingly a book of recipes. I cleared my
throat and Bella looked up, her eyes twinkling and a smile spreading over her
haggard face.
Did she
sleep at all last night?
“Masen,” she breathed, removing her glasses, getting
up and smoothing her clothing. She wore a loose, men’s button-down and some
leggings. The possessive asshole in me got upset at seeing her in another man’s
clothes, but I noticed it was older and close to Charlie’s size. I walked over
to her, hugging her tightly. I could feel the tension in her muscles and she
clung to me. “This is a pleasant surprise,” she whispered, her voice shaking
and sad.
“I wanted to see you,” I whispered back. “And
my driver said he’d look at your door. He’s a bit handy.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Bella spluttered,
looking at Jake, who had already begun removing the old doorknob. “Really …
we’ll fix it.”
“What’s wrong with the doorknob?” Charlie
asked, ambling toward us, leaning heavily on a cane.
“Alice got locked out and she jimmied the
door. It won’t lock. It happened two years ago,” Bella answered, shooting her
father a remorseful look. Charlie’s lips thinned. “It’s not like we had the
money to fix it, Dad.”
“My girls are working down here in a shop
without a functioning lock?” he growled. He blinked to Jacob and put his hands
on his hips. “What’ll this cost me?”
“Some coffee and a bagel,” Jake answered,
grimacing as he held up the destroyed knob, tossing into the garbage. “Maybe a
muffin?” He looked up at Charlie. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll get this installed
and you’ll be set with two new keys.”
“Okay,” Charlie nodded. “Is it a double lock?
If something happened to either of my girls ...”
“I got the best lock out there, Mr. Swan,”
Jake said. “Short of a thumb print ID, along with a retinal scan.” Charlie
rolled his eyes, harrumphing.
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