Page 53 of Guarding Over You
“You don’t think you’re vulnerable, do you?”
“Oh, I do now. I didn’t then. But this was about her. Is about her.”
He wouldn’t correct Arden. He’d be the same way if it were his child. “Was he rude to you today?”
“No. Or tried not to be. I could see he was holding it back. Maybe he really loves this woman, I don’t know, and it could be his motivations are purely selfish for him and not Gracie. I can’t get a read on it. But he knows my stance and I’ve got the court behind me. He asked why I had to be a bitch about meeting Tina. Me meeting her. I moved closer so that Gracie couldn’t hear and told him the hell he put me and Gracie through warranted me to be that way.”
“Good for you.” He wasn’t so sure how he got those words out calmly when everything in his body was itching for a fight and to hunt this guy down.
It’d never been like him to feel that way before.
Clay was the fighter. Blaze was the healer. Yet, he could feel what his brother did at times now too.
“He made excuses like he always did. Like he always does. That it was the drugs and alcohol talking. It’s just a broken record of a horrible sound in my ears, so he stopped. Julie showed up and asked if everything was fine.”
“Did you downplay it again?”
“I can see it on your face that you don’t like that.”
“I don’t, but it’s your life, not mine.”
“It is. But Gracie was watching and we both were talking as calmly as we could. Julie asked if there had been anything to update in the past two weeks. I told her about some things Gracie is doing and that I’m sure she’d share more. That she’d like to. I mentioned the sparklers.”
“That’s where I come into play?”
“Yes. I didn’t say your name. I only said my neighbor came over and we watched a video of fireworks and had some sparklers. Billy gave me shit about them not being safe.”
“You said I was a doctor?”
“I did. I’m not stupid. I said I was right there with her and took it out of her hand before it got to the bottom. Did you notice the pail of water on the table?”
He smiled. “I did. I had visions of you dropping them in there or throwing the water on them if you had to.”
“That’s right. I’m as prepared as I can be, but I can’t and won’t shelter my daughter from every little thing that might be harmful in life. I wish I could and wish I did a better job than I had. I just know moving forward there are better ways.”
“There are. No one asked who I was?”
“No. I put it out there for them to do it, but they didn’t. Billy won’t because he thinks I’m not interested in men since I haven’t dated in years. He has his opinions that I’m cold and that’s fine.”
“You’re not cold. Not to me,” he said, his voice dropping, his eyes lifting, and his smile wide.
She reached for his hand again. “And you’re the only one that I care thinks that.”
And when they left the restaurant two hours later, making sure they took full advantage of the time they had alone, and helping her get through before she could pick her daughter up, he walked her to her car, reaching for her hand again.
She gave it over easily to him. The heat still there only burning stronger.
Burning brighter.
They’d ended the intense conversation before the food came and spent more time laughing, joking, talking about the fun things in life. Their hobbies, TV, music.
The things you did on a date.
What you said to find out how much kindling was needed to build the fire more.
Didn’t seem as if they needed much in his eyes because he was scorching when they got to the parking lot. Enough that it had him leaning down to give her a light kiss on the lips.
She didn’t pull away. No, she lifted her arms and put them around his neck, her lips pressing harder. Deeper. Her mouth opening and his tongue slipping in as if his big toe was testing the lake at the beginning of the spring.
