Chapter 3 : New People

Seraphina's POV

Four weeks later…

The smell of bacon and eggs filled the kitchen as Rosie got ready for the farmers market. Annika giggled happily while she stacked and knocked over her blocks in the living room. I took some fresh pancakes and cut them into fun shapes for Annika.

Rosie came down the stairs, dressed sensibly for her stand at the farmers market.

"You didn't have to make me breakfast," Rosie said, but I could tell by the tone of her voice, she was grateful.

"Hey, you said I could start helping out when I started feeling better," I reminded her, waving my egg spatula in the air.

"Well, thank you, Sera. I appreciate it."

"Least I could do," I replied, getting a plate ready for Rosie. I put it down on the table for her before grabbing Annika and sitting her in her high chair.

Then Annika instantly splattered herself with butter. Babbling and stuffing her mouth unabashedly. I'm sure many people found it gross, but I didn't mind the mess as long as she enjoyed herself.

Rosie laughed under her breath as she ate her own breakfast. "Oh, and remember, Kit is coming by today to check out the flickering light." To add credence to her point, the light in the kitchen flickered a few times.

I felt a little unsure about meeting new people. For the past few weeks, it's only been Rosie, and I was just starting to trust her to watch Annika while I showered. I must've made a face because Rosie put her cutlery down to look at me.

"Kit is my best friend, okay? I wouldn't allow anyone over that I didn't trust to be around you," Rosie promised.

I nodded. "I-I know. I'm just nervous."

"I'll be home tonight, but Kit's got a job later, so now is the only time he's available. You have my emergency number. Call me if anything happens," she stated.

The new phone in my pocket felt heavy. "Have you heard anything from Abe?" I asked.

"I'll stop by the post office later, but chances are he's under close watch after you left. Give him some time. I'll let you know if he sends us anything."

Abe had a phone, but letters were harder to track. He had already been writing to his daughter while he was guarding me. It wouldn't be odd for him to send letters now. And Rosie mentioned that they had a codec they used to decipher secret messages too. Apparently, Abe was in the process of getting me under Rosie's care for almost a year now. Since Annika's birth. That was a traumatic night for me.

But running never came at the right time.

Until it was.

Rosie finished up and ruffled Annika's unruly hair before she left. I watched her take her car down the long driveway until she disappeared on the main road. The car I drove here was hidden in one of the several barns on Rosie's homestead, kept just in case of emergencies.

I cleaned up breakfast, storing the leftovers in tupperware to make into scramble bowls for Annika this week. Then I gave Annika her first of many baths. She's a messy toddler. She liked to fingerpaint and color herself with markers.

Not to mention face painting with spaghetti.

I didn't mind one bit. I got her in the tub with lots of bubbles and let her play with her bath toys while I washed butter and egg chunks off her. When I was done, I dried her off, dressed her, and cuddled her a little before naptime.

I used to sleep in Annika's room on the cot, but I was naturally really restless. I'd toss and turn, make the cot creak and wake her right up. She slept better when I wasn't in the room. But I took the parent unit from the baby monitor and clipped it to my waistband so I'd hear when she woke up.

But much to my relief, she slept much better here than she did at the packhouse. It's like she knew she was safe. And I slept better in my own bed too. Fewer nightmares. It felt much easier over the past few weeks.

I was still worried about Abe though.

When Annika fell asleep, I stepped over to the bathroom, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The tap dripped despite how tightly I closed the valve.

Whatever. A problem for another day.

A comfortable warmth settled over me when I realized how much better I looked. When I arrived, I had scattered bruises everywhere. A black eye. Scars from wounds that could never heal properly before the skin was split open again.

But now the bruises had faded. Revealing peachy skin I'd forgotten existed under all that damage. Even my hair pulled up into a messy blonde bun seemed smoother and silkier.

I was starting to relearn who I was.

What I liked.

My hobbies.

Even my favorite color.

Things I'd put behind me, consumed by fear.

The fear was still there. But it was much quieter. It would take a long time to unlearn all those survival behaviors.

The doorbell went off downstairs. That must be Kit.

"Okay, put on your brave face," I told myself, gulping hard before I went to get the door.

My feet moved quickly. The front door had a frosted window, and I could only see a brawny frame standing behind it. I opened the door slowly, to reveal a tall man standing behind it.

"Oh, hi. You must be Sera. I'm Kit," he greeted, hitting me with a voice as gravelly as the driveway.

Just the sound of it sent my heart racing.

He outstretched a hand, wide with working callouses on blunt-tipped fingers. "Or Christopher. But everyone calls me Kit."

I didn't take his hand. Instead, I tilted my head up to meet his eyes. Taking in the features on his face. Thick black stubble hiding soft-looking lips, high cheekbones, and a sharp jawline. His mouth was curved into a friendly smile.

Kind eyes.

My mouth felt dry as his mossy eyes stared down at me. They struck me dumb. Like two shining emeralds. My mouth seemed unable to form a coherent sentence. I gulped hard. I looked away from him, cheeks flushing shyly.

I wish Rosie would have told me her friend was ridiculously good-looking, but not in a conventional way. He had a broad, crooked nose that strengthened his already strong features. A scar split his eyebrow, ending just shy of his eyes. More thin pale scars circled his throat.

The appearance of a man that had seen unwanted violence one too many times.

I could see the thicker scars along the back of his neck, disappearing beneath his collar. Attacked from behind.

Tingles erupted across my arms and I rubbed at them viciously, trying to make them go away. I didn't like how my body was reacting. It felt foreign.

Odd.

"Are you cold?" he asked, drawing my gaze back to him again. He wasn't much older than me. Probably in his late twenties.

"N-no," I murmured, fighting the urge to shrink back. Use my own body to shield myself. Curl in and hide. I ground my teeth together, refusing to be this person. This little meek thing that William molded me into as a survival mechanism. I straightened my shoulders and took a deep breath.

Then I reached forward and clasped Kit's hand for a firm handshake. "I-It's nice to meet you. Rosie has mentioned you a few times."

His long fingers closed around my hand, not as firmly as I was expecting. But the warmth from his body seemed to permeate mine, spreading up my arms to pinken my cheeks. "All good things, I hope."

"She said you helped her renovate this house," I recalled, pulling my hand away quickly to tuck it into my hoodie pocket. His touch lingered, but it didn't feel unpleasant. At the same time, I felt conflicted. Unsure whether to accept the touch or shy away from it.

But this touch didn't hurt.

Kit smiled broadly, the type of smile that boasted pride in his work, revealing a twisted canine tooth that hid behind his upper lip. "This house was my favorite project. Biggest one, too."

I nodded, still standing in the middle of the doorway.

He tilted his head to the side, gesturing behind me. "Can…can I come in?"

"Oh!" I stated, moving out of the way and laughing awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry. I'm not used to…people," I answered, instantly feeling even more stupid.

"Oh, that's okay. I'm not a people person either," he replied smoothly. Without missing a beat. I appreciated his attempt to make me feel comfortable. He bent down to pick up a toolbox and stepped past me. "Show me which light is acting up."

That's right. The whole reason he's here. As he stepped past me, I got a whiff of his cologne, decadent and musky like the forest floor. An incredibly masculine smell that darkened my cheeks when I realized how much I liked it. I cleared my throat, shaking it off as I guided him to the kitchen. "Oh, it's this one." I flipped on the switch and the light flickered a little bit.

"Ah, okay. I'll just shut this breaker off," he murmured, opening the breaker box hidden in the pantry.

"Yeah, I'd rather you didn't electrocute yourself," I said.

Kit flicked the switch and all the lights went out in the kitchen. He glanced at me over his shoulder. "I imagine it would be difficult for you to drag me out of the attic if I was electrocuted," he teased.

My lip twitched a little. "I'd just leave you up there."

With a short laugh under his breath, he rebutted, "Rosie never told me you were so heartless."

I shrugged playfully. "And Rosie never told me you…" Everything that came to mind was in relation to his arms or his ass. Neither of which was appropriate. "...had a sense of humor."

He grinned and for once I forgot where I was. My situation. I felt normal. Banter felt easy.

"Plus, dragging my lifeless body out of this funky little attic hatch would be a massive pain in the ass," he stated, grabbing a flashlight and pointing it up. "Check it out."

"Wow, that is funky," I agreed, looking up at the awkward attic access for the kitchen addition. "Do you want a ladder or something to reach it?"

He flashed me another toothy grin and replied, "Nah. No need." He stepped on the lower shelf, pushing the hatch open and moving the little plywood cutout up and out of the way. His hands curled around the reinforced edges. "Just pass me my toolbox when I get up there."

Was he really going to pull himself up there? "O-okay. Sure."

I watched his biceps tense as he hoisted himself up into the attic access. His black t-shirt strained against his muscles. With a grunt, he pulled himself all the way up. My mouth fell open, face flushing with heat again. But my face wasn't the only part of me that suddenly felt hot.

Holy shit.

That was by far the sexiest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. I was left reeling from it for a moment. It's not that I've never seen toned arms before, but I'd never seen someone so casually show off their strength. I wonder what else those arms could do. I unconsciously rolled my lower lip between my teeth.

His hand emerged from the access. "Hey. Pass me my toolbox?"

Right. My mouth snapped closed and I grasped the toolbox by my feet, trying to lift it up to his grasp. "What is in here? Bricks?" I retorted, huffing until Kit finally grabbed his tools.

"Of course! What else would I use to fix faulty wiring?" he shouted back, muffled through the wall between us.

A little giggle left my lips. The baby monitor on my waist started making noise. Annika's little voice carried through the air with cheerful babbles. She rarely ever woke up angry, just chatty. "Oh, I need to go check on my daughter. Do you need anything?"

"Nope! You take care of your kiddo. I'll take care of this."

I climbed the steps to Annika's bedroom, but even as I did, I couldn't help the little smile curving my lips.