I hated that I barely left the house all day. That this person had managed to frighten me enough to stay indoors. From the brief glimpse we’d caught, none of us had been able to discern if they were male or female. Could it have been Dean? It made sense in a way, but in another way, it didn’t. He was cocky and arrogant with a massive ego, but could he be so obsessed with Jace and me that he’d do something like this? No, I didn’t think so. Something felt off. I was still missing a big part of the picture.
Jace and Dixon went through all the rubbish that had been dumped outside, hoping to find a clue, but it was all generic food wrappers and plastic containers. They went out to shop for the security system, and when they returned, I went up to my bedroom, hoping to keep out of their way while they installed it. Jace wouldn’t tell me how much it cost, but when I went on the internet and looked it up, I discovered the price tag of over twogrand. Bloody hell. I knew he wasn’t short on cash, but I still needed to figure out a way to pay him back.
There was lots of drilling noise and ladders being carried about, and then an hour or two later when the drilling and banging stopped, I heard a lot of low, gruff squabbling. A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on my bedroom door.
“Just a second,” I said, closing out the code I’d been working on as I went to see what Jace needed. He stood there, scratching at the stubble that lined his jaw and looking sheepish. “So, we have the cameras installed, but we’re, uh, having a little trouble with the hard drive.”
Ah, so that was what they’d been arguing about. Smiling, I stepped by him and went downstairs to find Dixon glaring unhappily at the black rectangular box they’d attempted to hook up to my TV. Chuckling, I took the instructions, perused them quickly and began setting everything up. It only took a couple minutes, and when I was done, they both stared at me in awe.
“I can’t believe how fast you did that. Me and Jace spent the last hour trying to figure it out,” Dixon said.
“My Shannon is a whizz with technology.” Jace gave my shoulder a little squeeze. The compliment made my heart flutter, alongside the way he’d said “my,” like I belonged to him. It should’ve irritated me, but it only created butterflies that filled my stomach.
I handed the remote to Dixon, letting him check through all the camera feeds until he was satisfied with the view from each. “We also put in some motion censored lights that will come on as soon as anyone approaches the house.”
“Sounds good. Thank you both for this.”
“I need to go get Zara from school,” Jace said before looking to Dixon. “Will you stick around here until I get back?”
“No problem. Isla’s out front waiting for you.”
“I’m sure I don’t need someone with me twenty-four seven,” I argued, but Jace was adamant.
“After what happened this morning, I need you safe, Shannon. Please, for my peace of mind.”
“It’s overkill, but fine, if it keeps you from worrying.”
Instead of responding, Jace stepped forward, bent, and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I wasn’t expecting it, and my breath caught. My eyes followed him all the way out the door, and when I glanced at Dixon, I found him looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
“What?” I asked, folding my arms.
He rolled his lips to hide a laugh, then held his hands up in surrender. Okay, fine, so Jace kissing my forehead had my pulse spiking and my cheeks heating, but it didn’t mean anything. Or at least, I refused to acknowledge if it did.
While Jace was gone, I made Dixon a sandwich, and we chatted a little about the small town he came from in Texas and how he got into the private security business. I knew he had some kind of military background, but I didn’t ask for details because Jace had mentioned something about him not liking to talk about it.
When Jace returned with Zara, Dixon switched out with Isla, who took up sentry duty in her car outside.
“I’ll be at Bren’s for a few hours, but Isla will stay outside until I get back,” Jace said.
“Okay, see you later.” I’d wanted to argue again about having trained security personnel outside my house, but another part of me was still shaken about this morning and was grateful for the protection, especially with Zara home from school.
When that car was speeding towards me, I hadn’t seen my life flash before my eyes. I was too busy worrying about my daughter having to face the rest ofherlife without me. I couldn’tstand the idea of her having to grieve me so young. It didn’t bear thinking about.
I spent the evening making dinner and preparing some lunches for the rest of the week. It was almost eight o’clock, and Jace still wasn’t back. I peered out the window and saw that Isla was still stationed outside, so I brought her something to eat since she’d been there for hours. I wasn’t the greatest cook in the world, and it was only chicken and potatoes with broccoli, but she seemed to appreciate the gesture.
I’d just put Zara to bed and was laying out a pillow and blanket on the couch for Jace when there was a soft knock on the front door. I set everything down and went to answer it. Jace wore a tired smile when I opened the door, and I knew how he felt. Today had been emotionally taxing.
“Hey,” I greeted, and he stepped inside. He had a backpack over his shoulder, which I presumed contained clothes and other essentials for staying the night. Earlier, while putting Zara to bed, I’d explained to her that her dad would be sleeping over for a few nights. She’d been so excited about the prospect that she hadn’t thought to askwhyhe was staying, which was a small mercy. I wasn’t sure how to explain what had happened that morning. She wasn’t old enough to hear about something so unsettling.
“I spoke to Zara. She’s excited that you’re staying over. I had a job getting her to go to sleep at her usual time, though. She begged to wait up for you.”
Jace’s smile brightened a little. “She’s so cute. I love her so much.”
His words had my chest tightening, the truth of them. Having Jace here was safer than being alone, but it was also an emotional minefield, especially since I knew he loved our daughter just as much as I did. The shared affection made mefeel closer to him because when it came to Zara, we’d always been surprisingly on the same page. She was our first priority.
I led him into the living room, motioning to the bed I’d made up on the couch, while my heart hammered in my chest. The idea of him being here when I woke up in the morning made me feel unexpectedly content. The rightness of him sleeping under my roof was a feeling I hadn’t been anticipating and would take time for me to untangle.
After our conversation last night, I’d laid awake, replaying his words over and over. It felt like a release to express to him how much he’d hurt me in the past, to let him know the anger and pain I’d had to work through. The way he’d responded with such calm, steadfast confidence, letting me know that he was never going to put me through anything like that again, well, it soothed something within me. To hear him express so sincerely his intentions to do better was something I hadn’t known I’d needed. And it was probably why I said what I did next.
