“I’ve missed you so much,” Kinsley said while squeezing all the breath from my lungs.

“I’ve missed you, too.” I choked back. “Okay. Let. Go … Can’t breathe.”

“Come see the house!” Kinsley squealed.

“Yeah, it’s so awesome. You’re going to love it. The contractors fixed it up!” Sawyer’s voice hitched excitedly.

I couldn’t wait to see the inside of the house. Even though I had seen numerous pictures, I knew the contractor’s plans would completely change the entire thing. I wanted my sanctuary with my sisters.

“How was the drive?” Sawyer asked.

“Long. I’m pretty beat. Did the movers bring all my stuff?”

“Yep, and it’s all in the right areas of the house. We didn’t unpack it ‘cause we didn’t know where you wanted it … and well, we didn’t want to.”

“Lazy ass,” I said, playful pushing her aside and laughing out loud.

“I am not! I’m just conserving my energy for you.”

The laughter that poured out of my body felt wonderful to release. It had been so long since I’d really laughed. I wiped the small tears that formed on the side of my eyes.

“Come on,” Kinsley said impatiently. She was an instant girl—something I would need to get used to again. Her fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants and instant gratification mentality took a bit of getting used to, but I wouldn’t change her for the world.

Entering the house, the walkway was just as I envisioned it with coat hooks on one wall and spots for shoes and umbrellas underneath. The girls decorated the other side with beautiful abstract paintings.

The kitchen, living, and dining rooms were all one big huge space. I had the contractors bust out the walls and rooms on the top floor give the house an open feel. They even put in some exposed beams for character.

“This is beautiful girls. I love the brown leather sofa and the kitchen is to die for. Where are the bedrooms?” This I was most excited about.

I had an addition built, making three large suites, one for each of us. Each suite had its own bedroom, bathroom, and loft. Mine was going to be my office.

“This way.” Saw motioned for me to follow her.

Walking into the first door, I was shocked. “Wow,” I gasped. It was just as I had pictured and all my furniture fit perfectly. The blue-gray of the walls with the walnut furniture was beautiful.

“It’s so pretty,” Kinsley admired from the doorway.

“It is. I gotta see upstairs.” I took the stairs two at a time to the loft.

“You know those movers had some choice words for you having to move that huge ass roller desk and furniture up here. They were not too happy,” Saw called.

“Tough. That’s why I paid them.” Walking into my office, it was just as I had envisioned. My roll-top desk—that was my Grams—sat in the corner facing the wall next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. My bookshelves lined the walls just waiting for all my precious beauties to line them. With the large recliner facing the windows, it gave me the ideal space to think and work.

“Is it what you wanted?” Sawyer’s voice was hesitant, and I couldn’t blame her. All I had talked about for the past three months was this room. I wanted it perfect, and it was.

“I love it!” Turning to face both of them, I ran up and hugged each of them. “I’m so happy to be home. Thanks for dealing with all this for me.”

“We’re happy you’re here, too; it hasn’t been the same without you.” Sawyer’s voice was sad.

“I can’t say enough how much I regret leaving like I did, but I had no choice.” I pulled back, looking at my feet. This was the hard part of our relationship. I knew they still had hurt feelings about me leaving, and I couldn’t fix that. I just hoped one day it wouldn’t be hanging over our heads. “I’m sorry.”

“Would you stop? We are so over that now.” Kinsley’s voice pulled my eyes to hers, locking them. The hurt from my disappearance was still very evident as it poured out of them. All I could do now was prove that I was here to stay.

“So Vann, how’s Gabriella Daniels?” Sawyer’s mischievous smirk playing on her lips made me smile. Sawyer and Kinsley were two of the very few people who knew anything about my pen name, and I needed to keep it that way.

“She’s doing great.”

“Oh. Come on. Tell us what adventure she is writing about now,” Sawyer prodded.

Sitting down on the chair, I realized I needed to get a couch for up here for all of us to sit. Kinsley grabbed the chair at my desk, while Sawyer sat sprawled out on the floor. I so missed these talks we had and I didn’t mind filling them in on my writing, as long as they knew the information wasn’t to leave this room. My mom didn’t even know I wrote as Gabriella, and the fewer people that knew, the better—for safety’s sake.

“Hey, did the security guys come in and put in the alarm?”

“Yeah, they were here last week. Said everything is wired up and ready to go,” Kinsley said.

“Thank God. After I lay down for a bit, can you teach me how to use it?”

“Sure. Is he still sending letters?” Sawyer asked. I really hadn’t told them the whole story, but enough that they knew what was going on. I didn’t want to bring crazy to our doorstep.

“Yes, to my P.O. Box back in Cali. I need to change it to here, but I may do it in Brookend so no one really knows I live in Cottonwood. They only know me as Gabriella. I’ve never used Savannah. I just want the letters and gifts to stop.”

I hated this part of what I did. I loved writing. Beginning back in college, I needed an escape. When I found my niche in erotic romance, I never stopped. Now, three years later, I was still going strong, but also receiving letters—very explicit letters from someone who thought I did everything in my books. That was what internet research was for.

“Why don’t you go to the cops?”

“Kinsley, I have.” Letting out a huge sigh, I continued, “They can’t do anything because he’s not actually threatening to hurt me. Technically, anything he is writing is what he is hoping to do with me. It’s not written in a way that says he would force me. The cops have nothing to base an arrest on. They keep the letters, and I have to make reports, but that’s all that happens.”

“Sorry Vann.”

“Girls, really, it’s okay. I deal with it. I love what I do and this is just such a small part of it.” I smiled. I’d come to terms with most of it. When I got the letters, I did what I had to do and moved on. And thankfully, it was only the letters—no phone calls or sudden appearances. Regardless, I was thankful for the pen name. It was a way to write and keep my anonymity, at least to a certain extent.

“Anyway … let’s move to the next subject.” Kinsley broke in. “What are you going to do about Deke?” She made rapidly changing subjects an art form. From creepy stalker … to Deke.

I felt the blush come across my face at the sound of his name. I missed him terribly, and was honestly a little hurt by his lack of response to my attempts at communicating, but I still thought of him almost daily over the years. “I’m not going to do anything … yet.” Turning my flushed face into a smirk, I winked at the two sitting in front of me.

It was no secret that I’d had my eyes on him from almost the time I was born, but with the way I left, and the timing of it, I squashed all my hopes of being with him. Until now.

“You know he’s not the same guy you left all those years ago.” Sawyer’s voice was barely audible. She had been giving me random information about him for years, including his little sexcapades, which have made excellent storylines. I figured if I couldn’t be with him, at least I could write about him, pouring everything into my scenes. It provided ammo for some awesome books.

I knew he’d owned a bar as a side gig, but I’d heard of his dismissal from the police force for ‘conduct unbecoming of an officer,’ which I believed was what concerned the girls. If I could have ran to him, I would have, even though I feared he wouldn’t have accepted me after what happened and all this time.