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Oakley tucked the blankets around her daughter and propped the splinted arm on a pillow. “Maybe two. I think my brother liked you.”
He smirked. “Never an inch, huh?”
“If I give you one, you’ll take a mile.”
“I absolutely will.”
Oakley clicked off Reagan’s bedside lamps and turned on a baby monitor by the bed. When she saw Pike looking at it, she said, “It’s like a walkie-talkie. Rae has a thing about not wanting to leave her room at night so this lets her talk to me if she needs something.”
He nodded, the reminder of Rae’s special needs leaving him even more in awe of Oakley. He couldn’t imagine how hard it must’ve been for her to do this on her own all this time—especially so young. Reagan was a kick-ass kid. But he had a feeling getting her to this point had been a hard-fought process.
He followed Oakley out of the room and stood by as she shut the door with a quiet click. She pushed a stray hair away from her face. “Thanks again for bringing us home.”
“Happy to do it.”
“Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
They headed downstairs, and he could tell by the slump of her shoulders that she was running on fumes. He reached out for her when they neared the door and pulled her close to him. “You gonna get some rest, mama?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, coming to him easily. “The doc said to check on her every few hours to make sure she’s not swelling too much beneath the splint, so I’ll probably just grab a catnap.”
He frowned.
“What?”
“I should stay.”
She leaned back. “Pike, you know I can’t—”
“No, hear me out. If I leave, you have no car. What if something goes wrong in the night? How would you get Rae back to the doctor? And you said yourself you’re dead on your feet. You need to get some rest.”
“I’ll be fine. I have neighbors if I have an emergency.”
He shook his head. “I’ll sleep on the couch and leave before Reagan wakes up in the morning. I can even check on her arm if you want to grab a couple of hours’ sleep. I’m used to staying up late.”
She stared at him, dropping her arms from around his waist. “Pike.”
He grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “Come on, mama. I want to help. You’ll be better for Rae tomorrow if you get some rest. I promise the offer is totally without ulterior motives.”
She considered him a moment longer then let out a breath. “I guess it would be risky to not have a car tonight.”
He smiled, sensing victory, and leaned over to kiss her. “My night owl abilities are at your service. All I need is a blanket and a TV remote, and I’m all set.”
She let him pull her into a full hug this time. She pressed her face to his shoulder. “What am I going to do with you, James Pike Ryland?”
“Lots of dirty, sordid things.” He kissed the top of her head. “But not tonight. Tonight I’m your sentry. So try to control yourself.”
She laughed against him. “I’ll do my best.”
He released her and put a knuckle beneath her chin. “Get to bed, baby. I’ve got you covered.”
“Thanks. And by the way, you completely suck at this one-night-stand thing.”
“I’ll try to do better next time.”
Because there would be a next time. As he watched Oakley head down the hallway to her room, he knew there’d be no easy walking-away from this one.
Devon had been worried that his sister and niece were going to get hurt, but Pike had a feeling the only one who’d end up with gaping wounds at the end of this was him.
