He gave her a tired smile. “Yeah. I’ll be back tomorrow, if that’s okay.”
“You know it is.”
They stood there, letting the quiet stretch between them.
Lainey finally stepped in, rose to her toes, and brushed a kiss across his cheek. “Drive safely.”
Finn lingered for a moment, then pulled her into a hug. “Tomorrow then.”
“Tomorrow.”
And then he let go.
He’d be back.
And this time, he wasn’t going to miss a thing.
Finn stepped into the night, stretching slightly as he headed toward his truck. The air was cooler now, and he let it surround him, easing the tightness in his chest.
The day had turned out so much better than he had ever imagined.
He had a family! He knew it wasn’t going to be easy like this every day. There’d be bumps and hard conversations.
But tonight had been good. More than good.
He stood by his truck and took in the quiet of Lainey’s street. The hum of crickets. A porch light flickering two houses down. The scent of freshly cut grass lingered in the air. It was in a nice neighborhood. Safe. The kind of place people let their guard down.
But something made the back of his neck tingle. Not fear. Not yet. Just awareness.
He turned slowly and scanned the street up and down the block. Most houses had their lights on, curtains open, cars in the driveway. Normal.
A few houses down, one house sat in shadow. No porch light. No glow from windows. A truck, an older model Dodge Ram, sat half hidden in the shadows. Lights off. No movement. Familiar.
It could belong to the homeowner. Probably did.
Still …
He stood there for another few seconds. Listening. Watching.
Then he made a mental note to check tomorrow, do a drive-by just to be sure.
Just in case.
Because he had a family now. One he’d protect with his life, and he’d be damned if he’d let anyone take it away.
CHAPTER 38
Three houses down,Travis sat in the darkened truck, eyes locked on Lainey’s house. The engine had cooled hours ago, but the cab still held the stale scent of coffee and grease from the sandwich he had eaten earlier.
He’d been parked here since midafternoon, ever since she brought the kid home from school.
He watched the taillights disappear and waited another two hours until he saw the bedroom light go off.
Travis slipped out of the truck. Sticking to the shadows, he cut between the yards, moving low. He knew how to be quiet. The military had taught him that much. He wasn’t here to hurt Lainey. Not tonight. Hopefully never.
This was just reconnaissance. Getting the lay of the land. Making a plan.
He crouched beneath the kitchen window and peeked in. The light over the sink gave him enough to see. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture. Just in case Mr. C. thought he was goofing off.
