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Sins of Sevin(12)

By:Penelope Ward


Elle reached both hands out to me, and they were trembling a little. “You made it!”

“You nervous or something?” I asked.

“A little. I’m just super excited to finally have you here. I hope you like it.”

“I’m happy to be here¸ Ellebell. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

Lance came up behind her, causing me to instinctively let go of her hands. “How was the ride, son?”

“Long but uneventful.”

Wow, it only took two minutes until my first lie.

“Glad to hear,” he said.

Olga approached and gave me her hand. “The famous Sevin Montgomery. It’s wonderful to meet you. I feel like I already know you with how much Elle talks about you.”

“Likewise, ma’am.”

“Please call me Olga.”

I politely nodded. “Okay.”

Olga wasted no time heading to the back of my truck. “Let’s help move these things into the guesthouse.”

Elle and I looked at each other and smiled.

A younger girl ran out to join us. “Number seven!” She looked like a little version of Elle with pig tails. Elle was the middle of three daughters. She’d mentioned that one of her sisters was a year older, while the other was much younger—about eleven.

“You must be Emily.”

“How did you know?”

“Wild guess. Nice to meet you.”

“Same.” Emily looked over at her father. “Where’s Evangeline? She should be here to meet Seven Heaven, too.”

“Evangeline is off doing whatever it is Evangeline does,” Olga answered as she pulled one of my smaller suitcases out of the truck. “She’d better be home soon, though.”

Once we’d moved all of my things into the guesthouse, Lance and Olga left to go back to the main residence but asked Emily to stay with Elle and me. That was the protocol. Elle and I could be together as long as there was someone else with us.

“Take a look around the house. Do you like it?”

“It’s cozy, but it’s way more room than I’ve ever had to myself in my life.”

The guesthouse was small but perfect for one person. There was a tiny kitchenette, a living room with a fireplace and one bedroom with a small adjacent bathroom. With dark wood and plaid décor, the house had a rustic log cabin feel. It already felt way more like home than Lillian’s; that was for sure. More than anything, I was grateful to have my own space.

Emily was reading on the couch while Elle followed me into the bedroom where I started to hang up some of my clothes.

Glancing out the window, I noticed it was getting dark and couldn’t help thinking about Sienna, hoping she arrived safely to wherever she was headed.

“What’s next on the agenda tonight?” I asked.

“Dinner at the house in about a half-hour.”

“Sounds good. I guess I should change out of this ratty t-shirt then, huh?”

Elle looked rattled when I suddenly lifted my shirt over my head to put on a button-down. I hadn’t been using my brain and forgot that undressing in front of her was against the rules. She whipped her head to the side to look away from my bare chest, causing me to laugh inwardly.

“You can turn back around now.”

Her cheeks pinked up. “You must work out a lot.”

“I got a fair amount of exercise working at the stables. I’d do some weights and pull ups in my room back home, too, but I really like to run. That helps me burn off steam.”

“My sister runs, too. I can’t seem to do it for very long without having to stop.”

“Well, we can do it together, start off slow if you want.”

“I’d like that. They’ll make Evangeline come with us, though. You know that, right?”

“Whatever. It won’t be that way forever. As long as we can spend time together.”

“Right.” She smiled. “Hey…how did your brothers take your leaving?”

“They were pretty bummed when I drove off.”

“And your stepmother?”

“Lillian was real devastated.”

“She was?”

Elle knew that Lillian and I didn’t get along. It surprised me that she didn’t sense my sarcasm.

“Not because I was leaving. It’s a long story.” One I didn’t think Elle would appreciate.

“I made you a little homecoming gift. Come see. It’s on the couch.”

Lifting a throw blanket, she opened it up to show me what was stitched on it. It was an S and an E.

I smiled. “Our initials.”

“Yeah…I’ve been designing this logo that we could use for the wedding. I figured out how to stitch the design onto the blanket. Do you like it? The back says Montgomery.”