Page 68 of Together Is Where We Belong

“You’re not going to take Luke from me, are you?” she whispered so low I almost couldn’t make out what she’d said.

“Hey,” I whispered, and pulled her hand from her lap and held it within my own.

I waited for her to look at me so she could tell I meant what I was about to say. Her guarded eyes looked up at me, filled with unshed tears as she waited for me to continue.

I placed the knuckle of my pointer finger under her chin as I held her gaze.

“I’ll never take him from you, Carolina. None of this is your fault,” I promised, meaning every word I said. She let out a sigh of relief as she stared back at me and gave a slight nod of understanding.

“I’ll do everything in my power to keep the two of you safe. You’re not alone in this,” I promised, and she turned her head, my hand fell into my lap, immediately missing the heat of her skin.

She moved toward me, then paused and moved back.

I opened my arms in invitation, and she moved into them, resting her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

“Thank you, Leo,” she whispered as she squeezed her arms around my middle.

She pulled back from our embrace and tucked the piece of hair that had fallen to her face behind her ear.

“You never have to thank me for protecting the two of you. That’s what I’m here for,” I told her.

“But,” she started, and I placed a finger over her lips to stop her.

“No buts. You and Luke are a package deal. You’re family. And I protect my own,” I told her, staring her directly in the eyes as I said every word.

“I know you’re tired, and you have to get up early tomorrow. You can go home now,” she said as she stood and folded the blanket and put it over the back of the couch.

I stood and pulled it from the back of the couch. She looked at me with questions in her eyes.

“I’m not goin’ anywhere tonight. I’ll make sure everything is locked up. You go get some rest,” I told her, needing to be close to the two of them. I wouldn’t tell her that, but after she told me about her stalker, I had this urgent need to remain close to her.

She opened her mouth to argue with me but snapped it shut when I gave her a pointed stare.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she turned and walked away.

I made sure the front and back doors were locked just as I promised before I took my shoes off by the door. I smiled down at the sight of the three pairs of shoes side by side, a longing deep in my heart at the vision of the family I longed to have.

After I got comfortable on the couch, I threw my arm over my eyes knowing sleep would be hard to come by with Luke and Carolina’s safety in question and the fact that they slept just down the hall.

eighteen

Leo

The warmth of the sunlight shining brightly through the window roused me from sleep. Stretching on the couch, I groaned as I turned to my side and pushed myself into a sitting position.

I shook my head to clear it of the exhaustion I still felt. I hadn’t slept well. I kept waking up to keep watch.

As realization dawned of the late morning hour, I jumped off the couch and walked across the room. I pushed my feet into my shoes and quietly opened the door and closed it behind me. In my haste to get over here, I left my phone at my house and the letters on the porch.

I ran across the yard, and my brothers’ trucks were both gone from the driveway. As I ran up the porch, I looked to my right where the letters should’ve been, but they were gone along with the beer bottle I’d left beside the chair.

I let myself inside the house and went to my room, finding my phone plugged in on the nightstand atop the letters.

Holden or Brooks must’ve put them there.

Quickly, I changed into a clean pair of jeans and another T-shirt. I sat on my bed and put my boots on just as my phone pinged from beside me.

I picked it up and found several missed texts and a couple of calls from Gentry.