Page 70 of Under His Protection
It takes a couple of trips for us to carry in all of the boxes. The kitchen is empty, but it’s not hard to figure out where the girls went. We can hear them laughing upstairs.
I head for the back staircase. “Let’s take these up to Haley’s room.”
There’s a convenient staircase that leads from the kitchen to the second floor landing. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and one full bathroom. The primary bedroom is right off the landing, and the two smaller bedrooms and bathroom are down the hall.
“This way,” I say to Mateo as I pass the main bedroom. “Haley will be at the end of the hall, farthest from the stairs and landing. I’ll sleep in the bedroom at the top of the stairs.”
If anyone uninvited comes inside, he’ll have to get past me before he can get to Haley, and that’s not happening.
We enter Haley’s bedroom and find her seated on the side of a full-size bed, clutching a small, pink floral pillow to her chest. She looks more than a little bit out of her element.
It’s a mid-sized room—not too small or too big. Besides the bed, there’s a nightstand with a lamp, a small sofa, and a dresser with a mirror. The closet is open, but it’s small and empty except for some hangers on the clothing rod.
The walls are pale pink, and the bedding is white with pink roses. It’s definitely a girly room.
Charlie’s standing at the window, scoping out the street. “Nice neighborhood.” She lets the curtains fall back into place and turns to face us. Pointing to an open spot in the corner of the room, she says, “Set her boxes on the floor over there. I’ll help her unpack.”
“My room is at the other end of the hall,” I tell Haley. “I’ll be close by at night in case you need me.”
Charlie murmurs something under her breath that sounds likeyou wish, and Mateo bites back a chuckle. I give them both dirty looks.
Haley nods as she sits there clutching the pillow.
“Hey, guys,” I say. “Would you mind giving us a few moments?”
“Sure,” Charlie says as she heads for the door. “I’ll check out the pantry and find something for us to have for dinner. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starving.”
As Charlie passes by Mateo, she grabs his arm and pulls him out of the room with her.
I shut the door after them, and then I go sit next to Haley. “If you’ve changed your mind—”
“About what?” she asks, almost panicked.
“Living here. You can always move back home with your parents. You might feel safer there. We can install a security team outside their house to keep watch.”
She shakes her head. “No, this is fine. It’s just a lot to process.” She releases the pillow so she can take my hand.
“Talk to me, Hale. Tell me what you’re thinking. What you’re feeling.”
She runs her other hand over the pale floral bedspread beneath her. “I’m feeling a lot of anxiety. Panic mostly.”
“Because you have a stalker? That makes total sense.”
“No, I’m not worried about myself, well maybe a little bit. Mostly I’m worried about my parents. I know they’re terrified forme. And I’m especially worried about Erin. My mom is tough, so is my stepdad. And Mack—he can handle anything. But Erin?” She shakes her head. “You probably know about what happened to her.”
I nod. “Yeah, I heard. It’s awful.”
“She’s been through hell and back. If anything happened to her—or if the stalker so much astriedto scare her—I’d be devastated.”
I pull Haley onto my lap, so that she’s sitting sideways. “We’ve taken all necessary precautions, sweetheart. Shane has security watching your mom’s house, and he’s added extra security at the apartment building. And this property—hell, it’s wired so tightly no one can approach it without the security team knowing. Charlie, Mateo, and I will be monitoring the security feeds around the clock. And, of course, I’ll be accompanying you to school.”
The corners of her lips turn down. “I hate that everyone is going to so much trouble because of me.”
“Hey, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, babe.” I thread my fingers through her silky hair and gaze directly into eyes that are the color of the darkest chocolate. “Your safety and happiness are my number one priority. Nothing else matters.”
My gaze drops to her mouth, and I’m gratified to see those lips turning upward. I could stare at her mouth for hours, days. For years. Her lips are the prettiest shade of pink and so soft. And when she smiles, my heart stops.
When I lean in to kiss her, she responds instantly, grasping my arms and tugging me close.
