Page 18 of Guarding Over You
“Trust me, I get it.”
She put her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “We’ll get out of your way. Gracie needs to get ready for bed.”
“No, Mom.”
She smiled over the show of defiance. Any other time she’d be annoyed, but this just told her that Gracie felt more comfort than she had in close to two years to speak up in front of someone.
“Yes. It’s already past your bedtime, but it’s been so nice out that I allowed you a little more time. We can come out right after dinner tomorrow, I promise.”
“You won’t be unpacking?” Gracie asked.
She rubbed her daughter’s head, noticing Blaze smirking at her. “I promise. I’ll finish when you’re in bed.”
Though that was hard to do and be quiet at the same time.
“Have fun,” he said, opening the glass doors.
“We should go out front. I’m not sure if the neighbors will appreciate me crossing their grass.”
“The ones next door to me are retired. They aren’t around much. They spend half the year down south but are home now, just visiting with their kids when they are in town.”
“That’s good to know,” she said. “I haven’t met any of my neighbors.”
“The ones next to you are nice. Younger couple, no kids, have a dog.”
“I told you, Mommy. We can get a dog.”
Her shoulders dropped. The last thing she needed was to be responsible for one more thing. “Not right now,” she said.
They walked to the front door regardless. If there was a dog next to them, they were lucky not to step in anything stinkier than an onion.
Blaze stepped in front of them, and she got a whiff of something pleasant from the motion of his body. Fresh, clean, almost musky, then he held the door while they left, stood on his front porch and watched while she walked home. She turned, he waved, she returned it, then went around back to get in that way since the front was locked.
“Do I really have to go to bed?”
“Yes,” she said. “You do. Go brush your teeth, go to the bathroom and get your jammies on. I’ll be right up.”
Gracie ran up the stairs, her feet echoing on the wood under the carpet.
She filled a glass with water, gulped it down fast. She needed it after spending just ten minutes talking to Blaze.
When had a man had that effect on her?
Never!
It wasn’t smart for her to let those feelings break free now either.
“Mom!”
The sound of her daughter’s voice reminded her why she had made this move. Why she was stepping into another city. A smaller one. Quieter.
Life needed to be that way for her. For Gracie.
Too bad it never seemed to last.
6
WEAKENING HIM
