That she’s right again—that I can’t protect her from the world even though I want to—well, that’s the part that kills me most.
I pull her closer until she’s pressed against me, until her heartbeat thuds against mine.
“You know you really are driving me goddamn crazy, Lil Bit.You do know that, right?”
Her lips twitch.
“Good crazy?”she teases, and the tension finally starts to ease.
“Depends on the time of day,” I mutter, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
From the kitchen window comes a muffled chuckle.Angie’s voice floats out, amused and fond.
“Told ya he’d huff and puff, Honey.Man like that don’t know what to do when a woman makes her own plans.”
Bit laughs—low, soft—and the sound settles the storm in my chest better than anything else could.
“I’m sorry you were worried,” she whispers softly, and it’s like a balm to my soul.
I rest my chin atop her head, breathing her in—wildflowers and strawberries and thrift-store dust, and something that just smells like home.
“Next time,” I say quietly, “just text me before you go.I don’t care if it’s to the damn mailbox.”
“Deal,” she whispers against my chest.“But I’m still going to leave the house from time to time.Shopping, thrifting, walking around.I’m a pretty active person despite this big ass of mine.”
I huff a laugh.“First off, I like this ass just fine, so don’t you go calling it big like it’s something bad,” I growl, and smack my hands on her perfect curves.
She squeaks, and I steal a kiss before continuing, “Second, you can do anything you wantafterI teach you to shoot and get you a permit to carry?—”
Her head jerks up.“What?No, I don’t like guns.”
“You don’t have to like it,” I tell her, serious now.“Just know how to use it.To protect yourself.”
“Sawyer,” she protests.
“Do it for me?”I ask, brushing my thumb along her jaw.
She huffs, but finally nods, muttering, “Fine.I’ll do it for you.”
And even though it grates every possessive bone in my body, I nod too.
Because loving a woman like Bit means learning to let her live.
And that might be the hardest kind of protecting there is—watching out for someone willful enough to want to do it all on her own.
But she doesn’t understand there’s real evil in this world.Evil soldiers like me who’ve seen and doled out.
I’ve done bad things in my life, but right now, with this woman in my arms, I know there’s good in the world.
Sheisthe good.
And I will do everything I can to protect her.Keep her safe.Whole.And with me.
Until I breathe my very last breath.
Chapter 27-Bit
It’s one of those perfect early fall evenings—pink sky melting into gold, crickets tuning up like a string section, and that scent of hay and warm earth seeping in through the open windows.
