“I understand where you’re coming from, but I’m not letting this person run my life. Especially when we don’t know for sure he’s here. I know I need to take precautions, but what if he’s trying to frighten me into running back to L.A.?” The possibility hadn’t occurred to me until now, so I unraveled the thread of thought to see where it went. “If he’s over there and can’t follow me for whatever reason—perhaps he can’t afford it, or he has a job or dependent he can’t leave—then making me think he’s here would be a great way to get me to return home.”

“You have a point,” Blair said. “But at least here you’d have support. Over there, you’re on your own.”

“Not quite—” I started to say, but he interrupted.

“Your angry ex doesn’t count.”

“I have Grace too.” I heard the defensiveness in my voice, and I was sure he could as well.

“She’s not a trained personal security professional. Just think about coming back. Please.”

“I’ll consider it.” But I doubted it was going to happen.

“And the others deserve to know what’s going on.”

I groaned. If Mina, Joel, and Jamie heard about the stalker, I’d never get any peace. Mina would want to bubble-wrap me and the twins would go looking for some heads to bust. “I don’t want to worry them.”

“They deserve to know,” he repeated.

“Ugh, fine. Next time I talk to each of them, I’ll mention it. But I’m not calling a virtual family meeting to freak them all out right before Christmas. Deal?”

“I guess so.”

I’d take that begrudging acceptance. “Thanks for calling, Blair. It means a lot to know how much you care.”

“Anytime, Kenz. Look after yourself.”

Chapter Nineteen

LIAM

Yesterday would have been our one-year anniversary. I got drunk off my ass and fell asleep at Asher’s place. When is everything finally going to stop reminding me of you? - Unsent text message from Liam to Kennedy

On the morning of Boxing Day, the last thing I’d expected was to be hours from home, shopping for security equipment. Yet I found myself driving back with a haul worth a good chunk of my savings just before lunch. I’d barely slept the night before because I kept thinking about Kennedy.

Worrying about her, if I was honest.

I’d realized that much as I may want to keep my distance, I wouldn’t get any peace until I knew she had a better security system in place. I was hardly an expert in the field, but I could muddle through, and with assistance from the store manager, I’d found what I needed.