DylanDylan hadn’t been this excited to visit his grandfather since he was a boy. He already had all the places he wanted to show Bonnie mapped out in his head. He wanted her to meet his grandfather. He wanted her to eat the food he remembered growing up. He wanted her to experience everything about the city that he loved.He wanted to share his world with her.Dylan had never brought another woman to New Orleans. His grandfather had never met any of his former girlfriends. It never felt right to introduce him to them. But, Dylan wanted his grandfather to meet Bonnie.When he thought about what the meant, it made him both nervous and excited. He’d never felt this way about anyone before. He knew in his bones she was the one for him. They had amazing chemistry both in and out of the bedroom. She made him smile without trying.He was head over heels in love with her.He put the last couple things into his small carry-on bag. He didn’t need much for the quick weekend trip, and if he did,
DylanThe plane ride went smoother than Dylan could have hoped for. He knew she was nervous about flying and leaving their safe haven of the ranch. He wanted her to feel safe. Luckily, being a billionaire had some perks. Like private jets.He’d loved watching her eyes go wide as they drove up to his jet. He’d loved watching her wander around the jet and asking if this was really all for them. He was fairly sure her mouth didn’t close the entire take-off because she was so amazed to have the plane all to themselves.That in itself made the purchase of the jet worth it.They’d flown out of the small local airport. Carter had made sure the runway could handle jets, so the entire airport serviced only small crop dusters and multi-million dollar airplanes. It always made Dylan chuckle to see a ten thousand dollar crop duster sitting next to his ten million dollar jet on the tarmac like that was a normal thing.The flight was quick and uneventful. She refused the champagne but loved the cho
BonnieBonnie stood on the edge of the large front porch as Dylan embraced his grandfather. She waited politely, her hands clasped neatly in front of her as the two men greeted one another.PawPaw was tall like his grandson. He had the same broad shoulders and lean frame, but where Dylan’s hair was black, PawPaw’s was silver. They had the same strong jaw and easy smile, but Dylan’s eyes were darker. The family resemblance between PawPaw and Dylan was strong, which meant that Dylan would be a very attractive old man in fifty years.“And you must be Bonnie,” PawPaw said, releasing his grandson and stepping toward her. “I can’t tell you how nice it is to meet you.”The man spoke with a soft southern drawl that Bonnie found incredibly endearing. She shook his hand, and he grinned at her.“It’s very nice to meet you, sir,” she told him. “Thank you for having us.”“Of course! Please come inside,” he replied. “Would you like some lemonade? Milly makes the best lemonade I’ve ever had.”He off
BonnieBonnie descended the beautiful grand staircase and felt as regal as Scarlett O'Hara meeting Rhett Butler. Dylan waited for her at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes on her as she came down, step by step. He wore dark dress pants and a dark gray dress shirt that showed off his shoulders and trim waist. He looked good enough to eat.“Wow,” he said as held out his hand for her. “You look beyond amazing.”She grinned. “You have good taste,” she told him. “Thank you for the dress.”“My pleasure,” he replied, holding out his arm. “This way to dinner.”She rested her hand on his forearm as they walked. She could get used to this, she decided. She could get used to an elegant life with him. They stepped outside and into what Bonnie would classify as the backyard, but it was less backyard and more magical fairy garden.A small stone fountain gurgled in the center with neat paving stones leading off into different paths. The scent of magnolias was thick on the humid air, and the hum of i
BonnieBonnie tiptoed down the hallway to Dylan’s room. She felt like a teenager again, sneaking past her parents to meet the love of her life. Only this time, she really was with the love of her life.“You know he can’t hear you,” Dylan said, opening up the door to his room. “That door is solid, plus he sleeps with a white noise machine on. Nothing wakes him up.”“Don’t spoil my fun,” she replied. “I’m being sneaky.”He chuckled and together they went into his room. Where Bonnie’s room was delicate and feminine, Dylan’s was masculine and nautical. It had the same French doors leading out to a balcony, and the bathroom was similar, but it was much more male. It suited him.“This was always my room as a kid,” Dylan explained. For a moment he looked small and innocent before returning to the powerful man Bonnie knew.“You ever think you’d bring a girl up here?” she asked, looking around. She went to the French doors and opened them up. The magnolia-scented breeze was heavenly if a littl
BonnieBonnie woke up the next morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. She was perfectly comfortable and didn’t want to move. At the same time, though, the idea of coffee sounded pretty amazing.After a while, she finally opened her eyes. The sun was pouring in through the bedroom window, brightly illuminating the room.It must be late morning, she thought. That’s weird. I never sleep in. Am I actually feeling relaxed for once, that my mind let me catch some much-needed sleep? If no, then this vacation is already the best thing I’ve done for myself in years.She glanced over to the opposite side of the bed where Dylan had slept that night. He wasn’t there, though. However, there was something in his place.Bonnie kicked off the covers and reached over to the other side of the bed. Folded neatly on top of the blanket was a beautiful sundress. She picked it up and let it unfold in front of her.The blue fabric was soft and light- perfect for a day out in the New Orleans’ heat. Th
BonnieBonnie was sad to leave. She loved this house. She loved PawPaw's hospitality. She loved how Dylan shared his childhood with her and the way he smiled at everything. She was happy here. She felt almost as safe here as she did at the ranch.But, she wanted to get home. They were still too close to the city for her to feel comfortable. Dylan had made sure there was plenty of security, and while they did blend into the background, she could always tell that they were there. She saw them out of the corner of her eye and would startle until she realized they were security and not intruders.“Thank you so much for having us,” Bonnie told PawPaw as the limousine drove up to get them. “I hope you'll come out and visit us sometime soon.”PawPaw wrapped her up in a big bear hug and squeezed. “I'd love that. You know you're invited out here for Thanksgiving, right?”“I wouldn't miss it for the world,” she assured him. PawPaw grinned before turning to Dylan.“This one's a keeper,” PawPaw t
BonnieBonnie couldn’t sit still. She jumped at every sound. She saw shadows around every corner, and she heard every squeak, step, and breath of every person walking down the hall.She was a mess.Four days. Four days since they’d left New Orleans. She’d been jumping and living on little to no sleep for four days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the man with the scar on his cheek. He would grin and then lunge for her.She’d wake up screaming and afraid to go back to sleep. Not even Dylan could get her to relax.She’d called Detective Patton, but he said there was nothing he could do. They didn’t have any reports coming into the station about the Trio. It was still business as usual. As far as the police knew, the Trio was still looking for her and didn’t know where she was.So, today, she sat outside watching the horses and trying to stay calm. She felt better by the horses. Anytime anyone approached, they would lift their heads to see who it was. They were better at spotting
Bonnie~Four months later~Bonnie smoothed the front of her skirt. There wasn’t a wrinkle to be found on the soft gray fabric, but she smoothed it anyway. It helped calm her nerves.“We’re up,” a lawyer told her. The man carried himself with such ease in the courthouse. He knew where to go, where to stand, how to dress. The lawyer knew the name of the security at the front entrance even. He was comfortable. Confident.Bonnie was not.“It’ll be fine,” Dylan whispered, taking her hand in his. He gave her a gentle squeeze. She nodded. She was afraid if she opened her mouth, she’d throw up. That would definitely be worse than a wrinkled skirt.Dylan held her hand as they walked into the courtroom. She was glad he was there. She was glad that Dylan was with her for this. They’d started this as a couple. It was best they finished it as a couple.The carpet was some sort of gray-green mixture. Two wooden tables sat before the judge. A stern looking woman looked out over her tall wooden bench
BonnieThe next week was a blur of police officers, questions, security upgrades, and lawyers. Bonnie was overwhelmed by it all, especially after just being kidnapped and locked in a trunk.But, through it all Dylan was there.He was there when the security team found the two of them walking up to the house.He was there when the police caught her kidnapper trying to get onto the highway with two flat tires.He was there when she had to tell the police what happened and explain the bruises.He held her hand when the lawyers came to explain what was happening next.He promised her he would always be there.And she believed him.Every night, she slept in his bed. He was there when the nightmares of being trapped in the trunk again would wake her. He would hold her and whisper calming words into her ear. He saved her every night, just as he had saved her from the trunk of that car.A week after the incident, things finally seemed to settle back to normal. Well, as normal as things could
DylanDylan was worried. He’d seen Bonnie walk to the barn, but then she didn’t come back. He was waiting for her to come back so he could show her the updated car. He finally had it all fixed and ready for her. He’d basically put in a new engine, and he wanted to surprise her with it.But he couldn’t find her.He called her phone and smiled when he heard her ringtone from inside the barn.“There you are,” he said, coming inside and looking in one of the horse stalls.Except she wasn’t there. He found her phone tucked in a saddlebag. It was only because the ringer was perpetually stuck on the loudest setting that he even found it.Anxiety tumbled in his belly. There was something very wrong about this. Bonnie always had her phone. It was part of her escape plan if the Trio ever came here. She needed it. It was as much a part of her as her hand or her head.Tension crept into his jaw.He grabbed his phone and called security.“This is Dylan Abbott. Bonnie Kincaid is missing,” he announ
BonnieIt was hot and hard to breathe. Her head hurt like hell.Bonnie woke and struggled to remove the cloth from her face. She pulled at the dark fabric, finding that her hands were tied together in front of her and she was in a small enclosed space. She managed to get the pillowcase, or what she assumed was a pillowcase, off her head.Then she had to work on not panicking.Bonnie wasn't a fan of tight spaces. She wasn't exactly claustrophobic, but she didn't enjoy spelunking or being buried in a pillow fort. She liked being able to breathe and to stretch out without touching anything.She couldn't do either of those things.Panic clawed up from her stomach and gripped at her throat. She wanted to scream. She wanted to kick and thrash and fight for her freedom, but she knew that it wouldn't do any good. So, she closed her eyes, counted backward from ten and focused on her breathing.It was an exercise she did with her autistic kids when they got overwhelmed. It worked. Her chest loo
BonnieBonnie couldn’t sit still. She jumped at every sound. She saw shadows around every corner, and she heard every squeak, step, and breath of every person walking down the hall.She was a mess.Four days. Four days since they’d left New Orleans. She’d been jumping and living on little to no sleep for four days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the man with the scar on his cheek. He would grin and then lunge for her.She’d wake up screaming and afraid to go back to sleep. Not even Dylan could get her to relax.She’d called Detective Patton, but he said there was nothing he could do. They didn’t have any reports coming into the station about the Trio. It was still business as usual. As far as the police knew, the Trio was still looking for her and didn’t know where she was.So, today, she sat outside watching the horses and trying to stay calm. She felt better by the horses. Anytime anyone approached, they would lift their heads to see who it was. They were better at spotting
BonnieBonnie was sad to leave. She loved this house. She loved PawPaw's hospitality. She loved how Dylan shared his childhood with her and the way he smiled at everything. She was happy here. She felt almost as safe here as she did at the ranch.But, she wanted to get home. They were still too close to the city for her to feel comfortable. Dylan had made sure there was plenty of security, and while they did blend into the background, she could always tell that they were there. She saw them out of the corner of her eye and would startle until she realized they were security and not intruders.“Thank you so much for having us,” Bonnie told PawPaw as the limousine drove up to get them. “I hope you'll come out and visit us sometime soon.”PawPaw wrapped her up in a big bear hug and squeezed. “I'd love that. You know you're invited out here for Thanksgiving, right?”“I wouldn't miss it for the world,” she assured him. PawPaw grinned before turning to Dylan.“This one's a keeper,” PawPaw t
BonnieBonnie woke up the next morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. She was perfectly comfortable and didn’t want to move. At the same time, though, the idea of coffee sounded pretty amazing.After a while, she finally opened her eyes. The sun was pouring in through the bedroom window, brightly illuminating the room.It must be late morning, she thought. That’s weird. I never sleep in. Am I actually feeling relaxed for once, that my mind let me catch some much-needed sleep? If no, then this vacation is already the best thing I’ve done for myself in years.She glanced over to the opposite side of the bed where Dylan had slept that night. He wasn’t there, though. However, there was something in his place.Bonnie kicked off the covers and reached over to the other side of the bed. Folded neatly on top of the blanket was a beautiful sundress. She picked it up and let it unfold in front of her.The blue fabric was soft and light- perfect for a day out in the New Orleans’ heat. Th
BonnieBonnie tiptoed down the hallway to Dylan’s room. She felt like a teenager again, sneaking past her parents to meet the love of her life. Only this time, she really was with the love of her life.“You know he can’t hear you,” Dylan said, opening up the door to his room. “That door is solid, plus he sleeps with a white noise machine on. Nothing wakes him up.”“Don’t spoil my fun,” she replied. “I’m being sneaky.”He chuckled and together they went into his room. Where Bonnie’s room was delicate and feminine, Dylan’s was masculine and nautical. It had the same French doors leading out to a balcony, and the bathroom was similar, but it was much more male. It suited him.“This was always my room as a kid,” Dylan explained. For a moment he looked small and innocent before returning to the powerful man Bonnie knew.“You ever think you’d bring a girl up here?” she asked, looking around. She went to the French doors and opened them up. The magnolia-scented breeze was heavenly if a littl
BonnieBonnie descended the beautiful grand staircase and felt as regal as Scarlett O'Hara meeting Rhett Butler. Dylan waited for her at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes on her as she came down, step by step. He wore dark dress pants and a dark gray dress shirt that showed off his shoulders and trim waist. He looked good enough to eat.“Wow,” he said as held out his hand for her. “You look beyond amazing.”She grinned. “You have good taste,” she told him. “Thank you for the dress.”“My pleasure,” he replied, holding out his arm. “This way to dinner.”She rested her hand on his forearm as they walked. She could get used to this, she decided. She could get used to an elegant life with him. They stepped outside and into what Bonnie would classify as the backyard, but it was less backyard and more magical fairy garden.A small stone fountain gurgled in the center with neat paving stones leading off into different paths. The scent of magnolias was thick on the humid air, and the hum of i