She nodded. “That’s what I figured. So what’s the goal? Protection or catch Eddie and any of hisaccomplices?”
“Protection.” Not one fucking thing was going to happen to her or her kids. His gut still churned thinking about what could have happened at the rescue today. There was no telling what Eddie was capable of and he hated not being able to help Denise. No, she didn’t exactly need it, but that didn’t matter to him. Call him a Neanderthal, but he wanted to make sure she was safe. Catching Eddie wassecondary.
“Why don’t you pull into the drive then? You can provide protection from inside just as well asoutside.”
His little brain heardprotectionandinsideand was all for the idea. His big brain knew he’d be as useful as kitten mittens if he was anywhere near Denise and abed.
“I don’t know if that’s the best idea.” He shifted his arm, trying to surreptitiously cover his growingerection.
Her gaze dropped to his lap again. “If you stay, you’ll be staying on the couch. And you’ll be leaving before I wake up the kids for school. I don’t want them getting the wrong idea or asking any uncomfortablequestions.”
What was the wrongidea?
“Besides, I need help packing. All Bree did was drink my wine and talk me into letting her buy a huge-ass play set for thekids.”
She pointed to her house and he begrudgingly started his truck. Checking the side mirror, he pulled into the road then her shortdrive.
Shutting off the engine, he set the parking brake. “You don’t want them to have a playset?”
“It’s not that. The one she wants to get is a couple grand and will take up half the yard. Plus, I know she’s taking a lot less in rent than what she can get for thehouse.”
She hopped down from the truck and eased the door shut so it didn’t slam. He did the same and rounded the frontend.
“Is she getting them a play set?” Stealing the opportunity touch her, he rested his palm on the small of her back as she led the way to the door. Walking behind her, he couldn’t help but appreciate the way her leggings hugged her hips and showed off herlegs.
“I told her she could get it for them as a combined birthday and Christmas present.” She pushed through the door and kicked her shoes off onto the small stand behind it. She waited for him to clear the threshold, then closed the door and threw thedeadbolt.
He added his shoes to the pile and followed her toward the kitchen, sitting on the stool he’d occupied during the wake. The house seemed much larger now that there weren’t a few dozen people crammed intoit.
“You want something to drink?” sheasked.
“Water’s fine. How close are theirbirthdays?”
She opened the fridge she’d just closed and pulled out two beers, closing the door with her hip. “I’m going to need more than water if we’re going to talk aboutthis.”
“Okay…” He wasn’t sure whatthiswas or why he was going to need a beer to hearit.
Her gaze moved behind him, to where he knew the kids’ bedroom was. “Theyasleep?”
“Yeah.” She twisted off the top and took a pull from the bottle, her soft lips pursing around the opening. The label caught his eye. It was the same microbrew he’d brought to her house the first time they’d had sex and he pressed his lips together to keep fromsmiling.
Setting the bottle on the counter, she took a deep breath. “They’re eleven months apart. Their birthdays are March andFebruary.”
“You called them Irishtwins.”
She nodded. “Eddie raped Sarah three weeks after she’d given birth to Kaden. She found out she was pregnant at her six-week postpartum checkup. He started beating her in the car on the way home, blaming her for another mouth to feed. When he stopped for gas, the guy on the other side of the pump saw Sarah and asked if she needed help and offered to call the police.” She finally looked up from the counter. “Eddie beat him todeath.”
“Fuck.”The Good Samaritan.He twisted off the cap of his beer and took a longswallow.
“He was twenty-eight, he was engaged, and he was on his way to get fitted for his tux for hiswedding.”
Taking another swallow, he tried not to gag as it trickled past the knot in histhroat.
“I was in Iraq when it happened. Sarah was hospitalized for a week and I went home on emergencyleave.”
All the pieces fell into place. “That’s when that boy—Ali—died.”
Her eyelashes lowered, hiding her eyes andnodded.
