After about ten minutes of me following Annabelle as she babbled non-stop about the cottage, her family and the woods, she led me to a section of trees, demanding I crawl and follow her through the bushes. As I followed her, I noticed the way the surrounding trees and the sunshine offered me a sense of peace, breathing in the fresh air that only came when leaving the hustle and bustle of the city. She led me to a small area, under a canopy of trees full of everything to make a perfect den. There were pink blankets on the floor, with sweets in a small pink mug and battery operated fairy lights twinkling very faintly in the daylight. I knew that during the night time they would look pretty special. I smiled as I noticed a distinct theme running through the den, as Annabelle settled on to a blanket before gesturing for me to sit next to her.
"So, you like the colour pink, huh?" I asked her, watching as she started pulling two juices from her backpack and handed me one with a wide smile.
"Pink's my favourite! What's your favourite colour?"
"Hmm, I'd have to go with pink too."
"Yay! We can be sisters!" She jumped up and wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me tightly before sitting back down and humming quietly, sipping on her juice as if nothing had happened.
I swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat as the small gesture from a sweet child left me feeling emotional. I'd always wanted children, just presuming that after Craig and I had got married that it would be the next natural step in our relationship. I had no idea why Annabella had taken such a liking to me, but if she wanted me to hang out and be her sister for a short time, then I was more than happy to oblige. Spending time with a child can make you forget all about your problems, as you get immersed in a world of innocence and imagination.
"So, do your parents know about your secret den?"
"Oh, yes! Daddy found me here one day when I was playing hide and seek. I told him I wanted a princess den, so he brought the blankets and the lights that twinkle!"
"I'm so jealous, I would have loved a den like this as a child."
"It's okay. You can share mine!" She smiled her toothy grin. We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before I heard movement in the trees around us. Thinking it was probably her parents coming to see her, I didn't feel particularly worried, until I saw a pair of brown, unfamiliar eyes looking through the trees, staring right at us. I tried not to draw attention to us, but Annabelle noticed the man at the same time, jumping up to run towards him. I jumped up too and followed after her, shouting at her to come back, terrified that she was walking in to danger and I wouldn't be able to protect her.
"Ethan!" She shouted, before jumping up in to the outstretched arms of a young man, wearing the biggest smile I had ever seen. He was extremely tall, covered in tattoos and wearing jeans and a t-shirt which showed off his amazing body, that I couldn't help but stare at. Honestly, they must be putting something in the water here, because all of the men I'd seen so far had been extremely good looking. I breathed a sigh of relief, as I saw that Annabelle knew the man, slowing my pace as I walked towards them.
"Hey, pickle!" He shouted, before throwing her in the air gently, catching her as her wonderful giggles carried through the air. The man noticed me, smiling again whilst holding out his left hand for me to shake, at the same time as carrying Annabelle on his right arm. It was when he held his hand out, that I spotted the tiny paw print tattoo on his hand, remembering what Jackson had said the night before. This man was clearly one of his, but I still had no idea what they did. Were they police officers?
"I'm Ethan. It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Laura. I'm so glad Annabelle knows you, my heart just about stopped back then when I thought a stranger was snooping in the woods."
"Hmm, it's good you keep your wits about you, there are some unsavoury characters around here sometimes. I didn't mean to frighten you though, I'm one of Jackson's enforcers and was patrolling in the area and heard this little one's giggles through the trees. I was going to make sure she was safe, which it turns out she is. Are you new to the area?"
I was about to question what he meant by being Jackson's enforcer and patrolling the area, when Annabelle wriggled until Ethan placed her on the floor, ruffling her hair as he did it. She ran to me, grabbing my hand and smiled up at me as if I was her new favourite aunt.
"This is my new friend! She's staying here forever, aren't you?" She looked up at me, making me feel really bad at the thought of breaking the poor kid's heart.
"Erm … " Thankfully, Ethan saved me from the situation, by offering Annabelle a race back to the house. She screamed in delight before taking off, faster than I ever thought a child would be able to run. Ethan followed after her, while I trailed at a more leisurely pace, enjoying the beautiful surroundings, wondering if I really wanted to leave this place.
JACKSON
"Hey, anyone home?" I shouted as I walked through the front door of my brother's B&B. A part of me always felt wary that they left their door open for just anyone to walk in, but as my brother reminded me on a daily basis, that was kind of the point of them owning a B&B. I knew as soon as Laura mentioned she needed somewhere to stay, that this place would be perfect. My brother and his soul mate, Jasmine, had worked their assess off to get this place together and it really was amazing. Jasmine often got disheartened when they hardly had anyone wanting to stay for the night, but that was just the way the town was. My brother and I had tried to explain to her that with strangers being like gold dust around here, they wouldn't get that much business, but it had been her dream. Noah was unable to deny her anything, so they had opened the B&B about six months ago. Seeing the smile on Jasmine's face the other night, was proof that I had done the right thing taking Laura there. I just hoped that Jasmine didn't get too attached to her, persuading her to stay longer. I had been suspicious Laura had not been ready to leave yesterday, but Jasmine assured me she was ‘catching her breath' and would be better today.
"In here!" I heard Jasmine shout, as I approached the door through to the kitchen.
"Hey!" She smiled as we walked in the door and I noticed Noah sat at the table reading a newspaper.
"Since when did you get so domesticated? Reading a newspaper in the morning and everything?"
"You're just jealous." Noah smiled as I scoffed.
"Nah, thanks man. Won't see me being tied down any time soon."
"Really?" Jasmine chimed from where she was leaning against the kitchen counter. "I don't know, I think I saw a spark between you and our visitor the other day." She smiled and I knew exactly where she was going with this.
"Forget it, Jasmine. She can't stay here, you know that."
"Why not?"
"Have you forgotten that she's human?"
"Of course not! But, Jackson, she actually stood up to you! She didn't just do whatever you wanted; I mean it's nice to have a change around here. "
"You don't know that though, because no-one is ever allowed to come here. I like her." Jasmine turned back to clean the counter as if her comment was final and that was the end of the conversation. I looked toward Noah for some support, to find him just shrugging his shoulders as if afraid to disagree with her. Pussy-whipped.
I was about to fire back up the argument, when I heard a child's laughter and looked through the glass doors that lead toward the garden. I watched as my beautiful niece was carried on Ethan's shoulders through the garden, her laughter having the power to make even a grumpy git like me smile. She really was a blessing to my brother and the whole family. We probably all spoilt her rotten, but as the only little girl in the family it was pretty much mandatory. As the two of them got closer to the house, I noticed Laura trailing behind quietly observing everything around her. I detected the curiosity and wonderment in her gaze as she looked at the various flowers in the garden, trying to quell the attraction to her I was feeling. Honestly, I hadn't been attracted to a woman in so long I worried I was ill, but turned out it just took an annoying human to fire me back up again. Not ideal. Man, she was beautiful though. Luckily, I was pulled from staring unashamedly at Laura, by the ringing of my phone. Saved by the bell.
LAURA
As I approached the house, I couldn't stop the smile that graced my face when I saw the scene before me. Ethan was holding a giggling Annabelle and swinging her around in the air, whilst Jasmine and Noah stood watching, with their arms around each other and beaming smiles on their faces. My heart sank at the same time as my body tingled when I saw Jackson standing off to the side, talking in to a mobile phone with a serious look on his face. No change there then. As I walked up the group, Jasmine smiled and called out to me.