“Thank you for taking care of Jane,” he said politely.
Jade blinked, caught off guard.Mrs.Rochford did too.It showed, just for a second, before she recovered.
“Well,” Mrs.Rochford said, a little stiffly, “someone has to make sure she’s looked after.”
Jade shifted Jane against her shoulder, smoothing a hand over her back.
“We won’t keep you,” she said quickly.
Mrs.Rochford nodded, but her gaze lingered on Wolf for a moment longer, her look considering.
“Goodnight, Jade,” she said.
“Goodnight.”
Jade turned before the tension could stretch any further, her pulse picking up again as she headed back down the hall.Wolf followed, not saying a word.Somehow, that made it worse, because it gave her space to think.Jade began questioning herself.
By the time she reached her apartment door, her thoughts were a mess.This was happening.She was about to bring him inside.About to cross a line she couldn’t uncross.Jade paused, shifting Jane slightly as she fumbled for her keys.Was this a mistake?
Maybe.Probably, but she needed to know.Jade had to understand what this thing between them was before it disappeared.Before Derek came back, if he ever did, or if Jade were to somehow pay off the debt, and everything snapped back to whatever her life used to be.
Somewhere along the way, Wolf had changed things.She’d started out wary of him.Heck, if Jade had to be honest, she was angry and resented him. He’d been the man who showed up at her door and turned her life upside down.
However, Wolf drove her home and made sure she got here safe every night.He also seemed to be able to look at her like he really saw her.Derek and the other men she dated before didn’t like the fire inside her, thought of her defiance and sass as an irritating aspect of her personality.Wolf was the opposite—he seemed to admire it.
Jade unlocked the door and pushed it open.
“Come in,” she said, stepping inside.
Wolf followed without hesitation.The apartment felt smaller with him in it, more crowded. Jane shifted in her arms, making a small sound.
“I need to feed her,” Jade said, setting her bag down.
“That’s fine,” Wolf replied.
He glanced around briefly, taking in the space again.
“I can hold her,” he added.
Jade hesitated.It wasn’t distrust, not exactly, but Jane wasn’t familiar with Wolf.It took a while for Jane to like strangers.Still, she handed Jane over carefully, watching the way Wolf handled her.
Wolf took her like he knew what he was doing.He wasn’t unsure or awkward.Jane blinked up at him, curious for a second, then reached for his jacket.Jade froze.Then Jane giggled unexpectedly, and it was a bright, happy sound.
Something in Jade’s chest twisted.Wolf looked down at her, something shifting in his expression.He softened.
“Hey, cutie,” he said quietly.
Jade stared.Was this really the same man who had thrown punches across a crowded room?Now he was standing in her kitchen, holding her daughter like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The contrast hit hard.Derek had never been like that.He’d held Jane like she was an obligation.Something temporary.Something he could walk away from ...and had.
Wolf didn’t look like he wanted to walk away from anything.Jade turned to the kitchen before that thought could go any further.
“I’ll make something quick,” she said.“You hungry?”
“I could eat,” Wolf said.
Jade nodded and got to work.It wasn’t much, as Jade hadn’t been able to drop by the grocery store recently.Jade made do with what she had—eggs, some bread, a bit of leftover vegetables.
