I laugh roughly. “It reminds me to trust myself.”
If only it could teach me to trust other people again.
I show her the compass one more time before slipping it back in my pocket. “Even Albert Einstein said that the most valuable thing is intuition.”
Her smile is warm, and I love how whenever I share parts of myself, she’s right there with me.
“So don’t do that, Freya. Never give yourself a reason to not trust yourself.”
She nods. “You’re right.”
“That goes on the life lessons list for our kid, too.”
She smirks. “You’re keeping a list?”
“Damn straight. I’m pretty sure raising a kid is harder than any other mission I tackled in the SEALs.” I smile lightly to help lift her spirits.
She crosses her arms. “Well, I’ve heard with kids, nothing goes to plan. Are you going to be okay with that?”
“On the outside, yes.” I smirk.
“Mm-hm…” She eyes me with cute, suspicious, warm eyes.
“If Ingram has a problem, you’re just doing your job.”
“He’ll hate me double-guessing him.” She winces. “What’s he like?”
“I heard he’s alright. Family guy…” I stop myself because none of this matters. “Who cares what he’s like? Do your thing.”
“That office is small as hell. If he hates me, it will become a shoebox real fast.”
As if he’d get away with mistreating her. “I won’t let that happen…”
Her eyebrows shoot to the ceiling. “Oh yeah? What are you gonna…” She pauses, runs her gaze from my head to my toes, and my God, there’s that look she used to give me that got us this baby in the first place.
“Okay, Easton.” She taps her lips and continues to assess me. “You’re decent backup, I guess.”
I give a one-syllable laugh. I’m glad she and I can still have easy conversations. We’ll need that in our future. Because I’ve never been a father, but the older I get, the more I know that laughing together is only half of what keeps people going.
The other half is keeping it real. “If you want any help with the case, let me know.”
“It’s confidential.”
“Who needs to know I know?”
“True.”
“I’m here if you need me.” It’s the only simple truth I need to leave her with.
A smug smile lifts her cheeks. “That’s nice to hear.” She lifts her feet and plops them onto my lap, playful, casual, but there’s a flicker in her eyes. “I mean…what level of need are we talking? Massage level?”
It’s nice she feels she can ask.
“Massage level?” I lift a brow. “Pretty high-tier perk. You don’t even have a punch card yet.”
She snorts. “Please. After today, I’ve earned at least two stamps.”
God, she’s adorable. Exhausted, hungry, and somehow still full of this bright, dry humor that hits me square in the sternum.
