Page 48 of Breached

“Please.”

“Give her space to breathe—but stay close enough she knows you’re still there protecting her.”

I thought for a moment and filtered through all the advice I’d been given, and that pretty much summed it all up.

“I can do that.”

“Good.” We turned to head up to the house. “I still can’t believe what Frank did. I shudder to think how badly that could have gone.” She stopped on the first step and turned to put a hand on my shoulder.

“Things could have gone sideways so fast if we hadn’t gotten there in time.” I huffed. “It shook Mark up pretty good. How’s Mia?”

“Pretty messed up, but she’s more concerned about Nicole and their relationship.”

I sighed, hating that the house had gone through so much loss, and the hits just kept coming. One that could soon change the place forever. I forced that out of my head so I could process what Savi had just said.

“I can promise you, Nicole can see it for what it was. Nothing that Frank did was her fault—it had nothing to do with Mia.”

“I know that, but still.” She shrugged. “Cole said Frank was picked up in North Dakota when you guys landed there?”

“Yes, he’s in General Bruce’s custody now. Mark filled him in and filed a report. He left a lot out, but it was enough to ensure Frank had to retire immediately or face consequences. It needed to happen—he was getting out of control. We’d all seen it coming, but I never thought he’d come at Nicole. None of us wanted Frank incarcerated or stripped of his rank. He’s just⁠—”

“Ill,” she finished for me. “We all know this isn’t really Frank. There’s something more going on mentally, but it’s way past time for him to step back and let someone else lead.”

“Agreed.” I liked the way she saw it—because that was exactly the truth. Frank had done his time, left a mark, and now he needed to let someone else step into the role.

I followed Savannah inside, where the house was buzzing with kids and dogs. I spotted the cat, Scoot, in the far corner in the chair, looking pissed that the house was so loud. His pretentious face made me smirk, and I could only imagine the devious thoughts running through his head as one of the kids shot a water gun in his direction. Something solid hit my leg, and I looked down to see Chase grinning up at me with about half a foot of drool dangling from his lip.

“Up!” he squealed, and warmth spread through me that he wanted me to hold him. I looked around for Nicole but didn’t see her. I usually felt like a ladder for him to get to her. It made me happy to know how much he loved her.

“Hey, big guy.” I scooped him up and tossed him into the air and was rewarded with a full belly laugh. “Where did you come from?” I scanned the room and saw Doc Roberts standing near the opposite wall with a knowing smirk on his face.

“Mouth.” He jammed his grubby finger into my mouth, and my face twisted at the invasion.

I snagged his hand and stuck out my tongue—I tasted peanut butter. “Yuck!” I gagged, amping up my disgust to give him a good show. He tipped his head back and laughed so hard his face turned red. His mouth was wide open, but I managed to avoid the string of drool.

“More!” His hand dove in for another attack, but I was ready. I tossed him over my shoulder, grabbed his ankles, and dropped him down my back. “More,” he tried to say again as he shrieked through his laughter. I hauled him up and pretended to eat my way up his side, then his arm, which, apparently, he thought was the best game ever because he offered me his other arm as he hiccupped.

Suddenly, I noticed the room had gone quiet. I hadn’t seen the guys come in as I played with Chase. Now it seemed all eyes were on us. John cleared his throat, and the room went back to normal, but I did catch Nicole’s glance, and her eyes locked with mine for a moment. She looked like she was happy for us, but then her expression fell and a look of sadness took over. She snapped out of it and looked around, and then she swiveled on her heel and left the room.

“Hey,” Keith stepped into my view, “you ready? We’re up for this first run.”

“Oh, that’s right.” I nodded as I looked around for Olivia. I hoped she wouldn’t mind taking the little drooler so I could go. Chase suddenly threw himself toward Keith, who swiped him up in his arms. I looked at Chase’s expression, and I could practically hear his wheels turning.

“Watch—” I barely got the words out when Chase yelled ‘mouth’ and jammed his fist between Keith’s lips.

“What the…” Keith stopped himself. “What is that? Peanut butter?”

“I think so.” I cringed and took him back as Olivia approached us. “Watch your mouth,” I warned.

She smiled at Chase. “You know who taught him that, right?”

“No, who?”

“Liam and Ethan.” She head-pointed at the boys, who were wrestling in the middle of the room near their father’s feet.

I shot a glare over at Mark’s twins and thought about how payback was going to be fun. They inched closer to their father when they spotted me looking. Smart.

“No,” Chase whimpered as Olivia reached for him, and he put his arms around my neck. My heart broke in two when he buried his face under my chin just like he always did to Nicole. When did we get here? I wasn’t complaining. It felt amazing, but when did he let me in?