“Fine. But promise me the minute you get uncomfortable or can’t sleep, you’ll take your bed back.” She fisted her hands on her hips.
“It won’t happen, but I promise.” He stuck his hand out, pinkie up.
She narrowed her eyes at his hand. “What are you doing?”
“It’s a pinkie promise. You put your pinkie out, and we hook like this.” He demonstrated with his other hand. “A pinkie promise can’t be broken.”
She just stared at his hand.
“You seriously don’t know what a pinkie promise is? I thought all girls did. I’m going to have to talk to Kayleigh about this.” He shoved his hands in his pockets.
“I didn’t even think about how this would affect your girlfriend. Is she going to be okay with this whole”—she waved her hand around the room—“situation?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend. Kayleigh is my sister, Soph’s mom.”
“Right.” She gave a small smile, remembering that he’d told her. “You’re doing a good job with her.”
Unlike the way she’d grown up. A mother in a prison—not a physical prison like the one Sophia’s mom was in, but a prison of addiction. How would Sam’s life have been different if she’d had an aunt or uncle to step in like Liam was doing?
“I’m doing the best I can, but sometimes I wonder if I’m going to be enough. You know?”
“Oh, I do.” She glanced over her shoulder and out into the hall. “I’ve been helping raise Bella since she was a newborn.”
“Wow. That was a lot to take on for someone so young. You were, what…fourteen when she was born?”
“Yeah.”
“Uncle Liam,” Sophia called from down the hall. “Can we order pizza tonight? I’m starving.”
He chuckled. “The savages are getting restless. You and Isabella going to be okay with pizza again?”
“Only if you allow me to buy it.”
“But you bought lunch. It’s my turn to pay.”
“We’ll go halfsies.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Deal.”
She turned and made her way down the hall and stopped in front of Sophia’s room. “Bella, come get your things out of the front room, okay?” They didn’t need to be making a mess.
Sam paused outside Sophia’s door, the weight of Liam’s words settling deep. This wasn’t just about safety or duty. It felt personal.
She clenched her jaw, reminding herself not to get ahead of things. But part of her wondered if letting go—even a little—might be what she needed.
Liam lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling, processing everything that had happened today. How close he’d come to losing his niece and two witnesses. He replayed the day over and over in his head, trying to find what he’d missed. And each time, he came up with nothing.
Lying here second-guessing himself was getting him nowhere. He needed to get some rest so he could start fresh tomorrow.
He rolled over to his side and tried to clear his head. No more thinking about work.
The memory of having Samantha wrapped in his arms came to the forefront. The way she’d felt in his arms.
You don’t treat me like a job. You treat me like I’m something worth caring about.
That wasn’t part of the job description. He was her handler; his job was to protect. Nothing more. He squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t need to be feeling things. Especially for his witness.
It needed to be pushed down into a box and shoved far out of reach. He had Sophia, and that was all he needed. To focus on raising her and being the best uncle-slash-dad he could be.
