Page 8 of Waylon

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Londyn was nervous about being in the office again. Dale told her that her things had been boxed up and that he’d make sure that they were sent to her new home. He seemed to be as excited about their purchase as they were. When the underwriter came to make sure that she was indeed Londyn Grace Rice Dixon, the checks were handed to her one at a time so that she knew who the insurer had been as well as the person who had taken out the policy. The checks that she had on her at the time were null and void because they’d been tampered with. Not by her, but they’d been in the possession of too many people for him to feel comfortable to have her have them.

“Now, these last checks are for the double indemnity on their deaths. The insurance company that was for the hotel that your family was staying at and the hotel itself have agreed to pay the amounts of the insurance on your family. They were found negligent on all accounts and have had to pay out for everyone that was lost that day.” She asked how many others were hurt or killed that day. “Nearly everyone staying at the hotel. About three hundred people total.”

“That’s terrible.” He asked her why she wasn’t with them. “I was in the hospital with the pneumonia. I was to join them the day after they were all killed. I begged them not to go. But my mother explained to me that there would only be a couple of days that I’d miss them and I’d be fine inthe hospital. I think about that on occasion.”

“My goodness, child. As much as I’m sure you hate that you lost your family, it’s good that you were spared of the mudslide. I’m to understand that the hotel was the only business that was completely taken out. Lots of homes, too.” She said that she thinks of that daily. “I’m sure you do. I’m positive, too, that you take that on as a bad thing. No, you’re lucky. Why think of all the things that you’ve accomplished since they’ve been gone.”

“I do.” She wanted to move on from the conversation and was glad when Waylon seemed to have understood that. Once he started talking to the man, Mr. Robbins, she was able to gather her thoughts up and slide her way into thinking like he did. That she was very lucky to have been sick.

Going to the bank, the people there were falling all over themselves trying to help her. Finally, getting into the office of the bank manager, she was able to not just get an account opened up but to put Waylon’s name on them as well.

“I can’t believe that I have this much money.” Waylon told her that it was smart of her parents and family to have made sure that they were insured, too. Not to mention her not being there when it happened. “What would have happened to you had I died? Would you never have found a mate?”

“I don’t know, to be honest with you. Someone else might have come along. But knowing you and being in love with you—because I am with all my heart, I can’t imagine they’d make me as happy as you are right now.” She wanted to kiss him. To show him how he made her feel, but before she could get up enough nerve to do it, he pulled her to him and kissed her.

It was a good kiss, and she was glad that he’d done it. But it hadn’t been enough. Not nearly enough for the way she was beginning to feel about the big man. After finishing up with the bank, they went to Jayden’s house to meet the newest member of the Dixon family.

At once, she didn’t like him. Even when he put out his hand to shake hers, she wanted to find a place and wash up not just with soap but with any kind of disinfectant that she could find, too. Once they were introduced, Hazel asked if she wanted to see the baby. Following her out of the room to see the little boy, who was just a month old now, she was slightly confused about why she hadn’t brought the baby down for Waylon to see, too.

“You don’t like him.” She just stared at her. “It’s all right. I don’t either. I’m sure there will be times when someone comes to our home, and we’ll not like, but I feel like he’s looking for a place to stab me in the back all the time.”

“I didn’t get that but I did take an instant dislike to him. I thought that it was just me.” Hazel shook her hand and handed her little Allen. “Now, this little guy I like already.”

She was playing with the little boy when Todd, the little boy staying with them, came into the room. He told Hazel that he was hungry. Telling him that he could wait another ten minutes for their lunch had him stomping his foot and telling her now.

“You won’t speak to me that way, young man.” He told her to shut up and get him something to eat. “Logan, come to me.”

Logan, a man that she’d gotten to know over the last few days. She didn’t take her eyes off Todd when she told him that the little boy was out of line. While she knew that Logan had magic, a great deal of it she’d been told, he simply disappeared with the younger child. Londyn looked at Hazel.

“Where did they go?” Hazel burst into tears and told her that she didn’t care so long as he wasn’t there. “Has he hurt you in some way, Hazel? Maybe he has taken his temper out on you? I’ll take care of him if he has.”

“No, nothing like that, yet.” It was the yet that scared her the most. “Allen screams his head off whenever he’s near him. Like he somehow knows something that we don’t. Also, last night, I heard him talking to the baby over the intercom system. I didn’t hear what he was saying but Jayden did and jumped out of the bed and went to bring Allen to us to sleep with. I’ve never been afraid of children before, but this kid…he really creeps me out.”

“You’re also thinking that he had something to do with his parent’s death, aren’t you?” She nodded, using one of the tissues off the changing table to blow her nose. “What has he said? I mean,when you called Logan, he didn’t even ask questions about anything but took him away.”

“I told him how I was feeling about the little boy. And while I can do it, I’ve not searched his mind. Not that I can’t, but Jayden is much better. He’s only been here for two days, and I want him to go away forever.” She played with Allen to sort of distract herself from thinking about what was right there in front of her mind. “I have a feeling that the grandparents won’t last all that long, and he’ll be right back here. I’m actually terrified of that. What will he do if I tell him no again? It’s only lunch, I know, but I also know that he’ll not like anything that we have for him. None of the toys that we have are good enough because we didn’t buy them just for him. I’m afraid of him, Londyn. And I’m a grown woman.”

She told her what she felt when she shook his hand. “Also, when he came up here demanding lunch, I found myself wanting to smack that smirk right off his face when you told him no. it’s like he’s keeping track of what you tell him no about.” She looked around the room. “I’d not leave the baby alone for anything if he’s around. That’s a terrible thing to say, but that’s just what I feel.”

“I do as well.” Logan appeared in the room, but he was alone. Hugging Hazel, he told her that Todd was being watched over by Minx until such time that his grandparents were here. “Will she be all right? I’d hate for anything to happen to her while he’s with her.”

“She has a great deal of magic and will keep him in line.” Logan looked at her. “You’re all right, aren’t you? I mean, he didn’t hurt you while here, did he?”

“No, nothing like that.” She was handed a bottle for the baby and was content to rock and feed him. But she did have one question. Not looking at either of them, she finally had the nerve to ask. “Did he kill his parents? Make them have a car accident?”

“He did. He was upset about the fact that they weren’t going to be able to buy him all the toys that come with the meals. They don’t have them all in at once, they tried to explain to him, and when the opportunity came, Todd put his hands over his father’s eyes while he was driving, and the impact into a semi-trailer took both their lives. He was hurt badly himself, but he survived. I’ve made it so that there will be an inquiry about the accident, and they’ll figure it out with a little help from me.” She asked him if he’d done things like this before. “Yes.”

For some reason, she was content with that answer. It was frightening, but that’s all she wanted to know. Whatever the kid was about, someone needed to get a handle on him before he killed someone else. And for as sure of her new love for Waylon, she was sure that the boy had killed before.

After giving the baby his bottle, they went to the living room. The nursery was set up so lovely that she wanted to go home and decorate one of her own. Like that made sense. She didn’t even have a baby, not to mention she’d not had sex with Waylon. And she realized that she really did want that to happen, too.

They ended up staying for dinner, too. She watched Jayden change Allen’s diaper and thought it funny that he had to keep referring to the pictures on the box to do it correctly. During her teenage years, she’d done a lot of babysitting and was able to impart a few tricks to them that they could use. Jayden hugged her three times when she told him it wasn’t necessary to take his sleeper all the way off to change him. The silly man.

Heading home, she realized that she was very excited for the family. Excited, too, that she’d be able to have family around her for the first time in over a decade. Since the night was so warm and they could, she and Waylon decided to take a swim in the pool. She didn’t have a bathing suit but realized that she could change into anything that she wanted. Going down to the pool, she was nervous to see that Waylon was already in the large pool and swimming laps.

Seeing him this way, half naked with water streaming down his chest. It took her several seconds of not breathing before she was able to move toward the deck chairs that they had. When he saw her, he came to the edge of the pool and smiled at her. There was something so utterly amazing about seeing a half-naked man in a pool that made her mouth water.