Page 15 of Guarding Over You
Yep, that was Arden’s voice.
No mistaking it. Firm, a little rough around the edges, like someone who didn’t take crap from anyone but still had room in her tone for gentleness. He’d heard that same voice soften for a scared little girl earlier, and damn if it hadn’t hit him right in the gut.
Now it was laughter instead, easy and free.
Yeah, that sound could do dangerous things to a man who thought he’d built up some immunity.
He saw her now, the laughter trailing after her like a shadow to the sun that was lowering in the distance. Her head popped up as if she’d felt eyes on her as she crossed onto the two properties splitting their homes.
He half lifted his hand, wiggled his fingers in a little wave and added a smile.
She hesitated for a hot minute, returned the wave and picked the ball up.
“Mommy, who’s there?”
The little girl came running out next to her mother, almost peeking out behind her legs.
She wasn’t that far away, enough that he could see she was torn between walking home or progressing forward.
He fucking hoped it was forward, which was strange for a man who liked his space to unwind and decompress at the end of a shift.
“It’s someone Mommy works with,” Arden said. “We found out today when we crossed paths.”
“Hi,” he said, his deep voice carrying.
She turned and tossed the soccer ball back into their yard, then crossed the grass toward him.
Black cotton shorts stopped mid-thigh on her legs. She was on the petite side but didn’t come off as small or weak. Not once yesterday when confronting her ex and definitely not while doing her job earlier.
She had what looked to be an old concert T-shirt on. When she got closer he noticed it was Disturbed. He’d gone to one of their concerts ten years ago at SPAC. How funny would that have been if she’d been there too?
Not really since most in this area attended concerts there in Saratoga.
“Why are you smiling?” she asked. “It’s as if you just discovered some mystery of the world.”
He was pointing at her shirt and saw the date on it. “I was there too.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. One of the best concerts I’d been to. Breaking Benjamin played, and two other bands. I can’t remember.”
“I’d think you’d remember everything in that brain of yours, being an ER doctor.”
“Medical stuff, sure. Not always music. I was there for the headliners.”
“Well, I’ll confess I don’t remember the fourth band, but the third was Alter Bridge. They had a song back then I really liked.”
“I have to say, I didn’t picture you the head-banging music type. You’re starting to be like an onion.”
She laughed. “Do I stink?”
“You don’t smell, Mom.”
He was still grinning at the little girl who seemed too timid to walk out from behind her mother.
“Thanks, Gracie. I think Dr. Ridgeway means I’ve got a lot of layers to me. It was a phase,” she said. “I’ve mellowed some.”
“I doubt that,” he mumbled and stood up.
