“Alright, let’s get off the streets before the neighbors come out to see what the noise is about,” Banner says, but I see the amusement on his face.
I reach over and give Katy a squeeze. When she steps back, I mouth ‘thank you’ to Banner and hold my hand out for my keys.
“Katy, head on in, I’m going to walk Sorrow over.”
“Okay.” She heads off with a wave. I don’t bother telling Banner it’s unnecessary. The man’s going to do whatever he wants.
He retakes my hand and walks me to my door before unlocking it. I step inside to turn the lights on and find myself nudged out of the way when Banner pushes in beside me.
“I’m gonna do a walk-through.”
I shrug and let him do what he wants. I frown when I realize I can smell pizza. I follow the smell into the living room but find it unsurprisingly pizza-free. The room is far tidier than I remember it being.
It isn’t until I glance up at the wall that Katy and I started painting, I realize someone finished the job. I cover my mouth with my hands, swallowing a gasp when I spin around, slowly noticing the whole room has been done.
As Banner steps into the room, he watches me from just inside the doorway, as if unsure how I’ll react.
I point to the walls, then to him.
“Yeah, but I had some help. We figured it was one last thing for you to worry about.”
I feel tears well behind my eyes and I try desperately to swallow the lump in my throat, but I don’t think I’m winning this battle anytime soon.
“Hey, what’s all this?” He hurries over to me and uses the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears that slip free. “Baby, you’re killing me.”
I drop my head so it’s resting against his collarbone and try to corral my tears, but it takes far longer than usual. Through it all, Banner holds me together as I fall apart.
Once I finally have my shit together, I look up at him and find myself caught up in him once more. What the hell is happening here? If there were one person on the planet I should stay away from, it’s Banner. Nothing good can come from this, and yet I can’t seem to pull away.
“Better?”
I nod, feeling embarrassed.
“Let’s get what you need and get out of here.”
I pull away then but stop when I think over what he said.
“Caught that, huh?”
I fold my arms and tap my foot impatiently, making him grin.
“With shit swirling around you, it’s been decided that I’m going to watch over you. Olivia must have mentioned something to that effect, right?”
I nod slowly; not sure I like where this is going.
“Good. So get your stuff from the van because you’re staying with me.”
Chapter Sixteen
BANNER
She gets adorably flustered. I’ll admit, I take full advantage of that and usher her out to the van. When I see the state of the inside, I get pissed all over again. Each of her belongings is strewn across the floor. I take a few photos before helping her shove a few things into a bag.
I take her hand and pull her back into the kitchen. I lock the door to the garage before walking her through the house and back outside. I lock the front door and pocket the keys so she can’t get any funny ideas.
She huffs, which makes me grin and tighten my hand around her, and I lead her up the path to my place. I push the door open and usher her in, placing her bag near the door before locking it.
“You hungry?”
