Red flushed out the natural tan of Lane’s face. He balled his hands at his sides, darting his gaze between her and his sister.
Celine took a step to the side to block his view. “I’m not sure what’s up with you and your friend, but Suzy’s a grown womanwho can handle herself. Not to mention, the more you act like you don’t want her hanging out with Duke, the more she’ll want to do it.”
Scowling, Lane finally met her gaze and huffed out an irritated breath. “I hate that you’re always right.”
She shrugged. “It can be a burden, but right now all I’m interested in is getting to Parker. Once we get him and you drive us home, you can come back and play bodyguard to Suzy.”
An unnamed emotion skittered across his face, but he finally sighed and turned back toward his truck and climbed inside.
She followed behind, hooking her seatbelt and hating the zip of electricity that flowed inside her at being alone and in such close quarters as Lane.
He hooked an arm on the back of the seat as he shifted to look out the back window and maneuver out of the driveway. Once he was on the road, he chanced a quick glance in her direction before refocusing in front of him. “What if I wasn’t justplayingat being a bodyguard.”
“You mean you really want to be Suzy’s bodyguard? I don’t think she’d go for that,” she said, frowning.
The side of his mouth hitched up. “Not Suzy. You and Parker. I’m out of work right now and have nothing but time on my hands. I could stay close until this whole thing blows over.”
His suggestion tied her stomach in knots. She feared the danger lurking around, but she feared what would happen if she spent too much time with Lane almost as much.
She clenched her hands in her lap, searching for the best way to respond. “I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel but didn’t say a word.
“I appreciate the thought, I really do, but you’ve done your part by helping get me set up with a security system. I’m sure that will be more than enough to keep us safe.”
The uncomfortable silence continued as the open meadows spanned out her window. Mountains loomed in the distance. She swallowed the urge to say more, to explain something she shouldn’t have to explain. She just prayed that what she said was true. Once the nightmare closing in around her went away, then she could focus on her next problem.
And Lane Tipton had always proven to be her biggest problem of all.
8
Lane slowed his steps as he approached Celine’s mom’s house. Was this how she’d felt when arriving at his place? This rush of nostalgia, both joy and sadness? The idea of his son being inside the same home where he’d spent so many hours growing up lodged a ball of emotion in his throat.
“You didn’t have to walk me to the door,” Celine said. “Mom’s going to have a field day with you showing up with me. I know how much you hate town gossip, and this is about to ignite the rumor mill.”
Shrugging, he plunged his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Just being back in town is enough to make people wag their tongues. Lisa adding her two cents won’t matter much. I feel better sticking close for now.”
He wouldn’t say more. She’d already turned down his idea of standing guard until the asshole after her was behind bars. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t stay vigilant. Stay as close as possible without upsetting Celine even more.
“Don’t tell my mom what happened to my car,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I didn’t mention anything about last night.I don’t have the energy to deal with any of her hysterics—real or imaginary.”
“I get it. My lips are sealed.”
Drawing in a deep breath, she gave a little knock on the door before pushing it open. “Hey, Mom. It’s me. I’m here to get Parker.”
A hoot of laughter accompanied a blast of applause from the television in the living room. “I’m in here, honey! You’re early. Come sit with me while Parker’s sleeping. We can watch your favorite game show.”
Smirking, Lane raised his brows. “Game show?” he mouthed.
She rolled her eyes and led the way into the living room.
He stared at the wall of framed photos he’d seen a hundred times. Frozen snaps of time from Celine’s childhood now sprinkled with baby photos of Parker. He wanted to linger in the short hallway and study the chubby cheeks and wisps of brown curls.
But now wasn’t the time. He made a mental note to ask Celine for more details about the first few months of his child’s life. Photos of his first bath and stories of his birth. Memories he wished he could share in but would have to settle for hearing about.
Ignoring the longing in his gut, he stepped into the living room and stood next to Celine.
Lisa glanced up and her eyes grew wide, her mouth forming a large O before morphing into a shit-eating grin. “Well, my my. Hasn’t taken long for the two of you to reconnect. You want to sit on down with me and my daughter and catch up? You ran out of the restaurant so fast last night I didn’t even have a chance to give you a proper hello.”
