“I could,” Tina protested.
“You could?” Elena stopped at a red light. Her phone told her to take a left at the next light. Their new apartment was only a couple blocks away after that. “Are you a monkey?” She reached over to tickle her daughter before the light changed.
Tina rewarded her with a sweet giggle. “No! But I could climb that high for chocolate milk.”
“You’re gonna turn into chocolate milk, you keep talking about it.” She took a left and kept an eye out for the apartment building that matched the photo online. She hadn’t seen it yet in person, but her best friend Rachael made a video tour of the apartment for her and assured Elena that she’d love it, especially the peek-a-boo view of the Pacific from the balcony.
Elena saw the building and her heart sped up.This is it. I’m really here. No turning back. She glanced at Tina and wondered what Antonio would have to say if he could see his wife and daughter now. She felt the familiar pang, sad and sweet, that hit her every time she thought of her deceased husband. His wedding ring hung on its chain around her neck, a constant reminder.
Elena hoped Rachael and Jake were on their way to the apartment. She still wasn’t sure how the three of them could get all her stuff upstairs by themselves, but she was thankful for the help. She would have done it on her own, hired a crew, but Rachael insisted she had it covered. The street was lined with cars but the parking gods had smiled and left her a big space right in front of the apartment, more than enough for the van and the trailer loaded up with her car behind it. Then Elena saw the truth.
Rachael and Jake came jogging down the walkway from the covered entrance, each holding up an orange traffic cone, which explained her parking luck—they’d blocked off the spot right up until they saw her truck, then grabbed the cones and quickly hid. Four of the biggest guys she’d ever seen followed Rachael and Jake out of the shade under the covered entry. One of them carried a potted palm with a ribbon tied around it, but it was guy number four, holding a traffic cone like Rachael and Jake’s, who caught her eye.
Camden.
Oh, crap, Elena thought, even as she took in his friendly wave and the way his amber eyes locked onto hers.And there goes my heart rate through the roof.
“Surprise!” Rachael shouted. She ran to the driver’s side as Elena opened the door and she embraced Elena almost before she set foot on the pavement. “I brought reinforcements.”
“I can see that. Wow.” Elena tried not to show her discomfort at Camden’s presence, especially when she heard Tina shout his name. Her daughter adored the big guy who had saved her life back in Nebraska.
It wasn’t that Elena wasn’t grateful beyond belief, or that she didn’t like Camden. She did. A lot. Too much. But the last thing she needed was a distraction in the shape of a gorgeous six-foot-something former SEAL who offered to show her around L.A. She needed to concentrate on her daughter and their new life, the same as she always had since Antonio died. Tina may like Camden, and with good reason, but it hurt Elena’s heart to see Tina throw her arms around Camden’s neck and kiss his cheek. Elena never wanted another man to replace her daughter’s scant but happy memories of her Papa.
Elena barely heard Rachael ask her how the drive was as she concentrated on her daughter’s chatter. She rapid-fired questions at Camden as he carried her up the walkway and they followed. Most involved coconuts (of course) but she ended her interrogation with, “Did you bring Toby?”
“Toby? Who’s that?” Camden teased. He knew Tina adored the German Shepherd, probably more than she adored him.And possibly more than she loves her own mama at this point, Elena thought.
“Youknow!” Tina laughed, tagging Camden on the arm.
Camden opened the glass door and one of the other guys grabbed the handle to keep it open for everyone else to enter. “You don’t meanthatguy, do you?”
Sitting there in the center of the lobby, his former-military training going head-to-head with his desire to race to the little girl who loved him, Toby’s whole body wiggled and his tail thumped an impatient beat against the tile floor while he waited for the command that would set him free.
Camden took that moment to look back at Elena. His face—the mix of wonder and a hint of sadness in his eyes—took her right back to the first time she’d run to him as he held her half-conscious daughter in his arms. But this time, instead of walking fearfully into a safehouse, they were about to see their new home. And here Camden was again, ready to do anything he could to make sure they were safe, comfortable, and happy.
Elena nodded and Camden set Tina down while she squealed. She hit the ground running and Camden gave the command that freed Toby. The dog jumped to his feet and met the girl halfway across the lobby. He covered her face with slobbery kisses, two old friends reunited.
Elena smiled at Camden. “Thanks for bringing him.”
His amber eyes lit with amusement. “Are you kidding? Toby would have driven here himself if I hadn’t hidden the keys from him.”
Elena grinned. She’d missed Camden’s humor. “Toby can drive now, huh?”
Camden nodded. “He tends to tailgate. And occasionally go off-roading when he sees a squirrel. But he’s still better than most people-drivers.”
She laughed. “Yeah, after driving the moving van around here, I can believe it. He’s welcome to drive the van back to the rental place for me.”
Then she saw it. That look he gave her whenever she joked back with him, the one that chased away any lingering sadness in his eyes. The one that made her feel like she was in a spotlight and filled her stomach with giddy butterflies. She looked away relieved when Rachael started introductions.
“So, you know Jake and Camden, obviously. This is Costello, Nashville, and Kyle,” Rachael said. Costello carried the potted palm, Nashville wore a flashy cowboy hat that looked more country music than cowboy, and Kyle gave her a charmingly boyish grin.
“They work with me at Watchdog and have graciously offered to help out today,” Jake added.
“I can pay you,” Elena said. Before the words were even halfway out of her mouth, the guys were shaking their heads.
“No need, ma’am.” “It’s our pleasure,” Costello and Nash said at the same time, just as Kyle said, “Camden says you make amazing cookies.”
“Oh, did he?” Elena turned back to Camden, who was busy staring at Kyle with a frown that said,Dude, you’re seriously shaking her down for cookies? He glanced at Elena, quickly put a smile back on, shrugged, and said, “Well, it’s true. And that goes for everything else you cook, too. But,” he went back to glaring at Kyle, “cookies won’t be necessary. Right, Kyle?”
