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“Having Rafe dig will be great,” Gideon said. His fears were still churning on the surface, however. “We need to figure out a way to protect Rosie and Jorge now.”
“That’s easy,” Daniel said. “They have to move in with you.”
“Right,” Sebastian agreed. “As soon as you get back to Evan’s, you can’t let Rosie or Jorge out of your sight.”
“You’ve already got Noah with you,” Evan added. “The boys will be ecstatic. It’s perfect.”
Gideon’s heart felt almost too big for his chest at the thought of Rosie in his home for more than just a night. Waking up every morning to see her. Sitting next to her on the couch while they played games with the boys. Her lips pressing against his again, her curves in his arms.
Deliberately pulling himself out of his fantasies, he nodded. “Rosie and Jorge definitely need to stay with me.”
But would she agree?
* * *
Rosie flew down Evan and Paige’s front steps as soon as she heard the car outside. Jorge had finally settled down and was playing happily with Noah. While Gideon was gone, she’d gotten down on the floor with the kids, pulled a blanket over, cuddled up with them, and they’d all closed their eyes for a bit. It had been a long, emotional day for everyone and though the boys both denied they’d ever sleep, she’d heard their rhythmic breathing.
But Rosie definitely hadn’t settled. And she hadn’t slept. In fact, at this very moment her heart was beating so wildly she thought it might beat itself right out of her chest.
As Evan walked up to the front door where Paige waited for him, Rosie threw h
erself into Gideon’s arms. He held her tightly to him, as though she wasn’t the only one who desperately needed a hug. She wanted to hold on forever. Just close her eyes against his broad chest and pretend that everything was absolutely fine.
Finally, though, she let go and stepped back so he could tell her about his meeting with the Mavericks.
But instead of giving her an update on the plan, he asked, “How is Jorge?”
“Better.” She smiled at Gideon’s concern. Did he have any idea how like a parent he sounded? He would make a great dad. “I think he was just overtired. I got them both to lie down for a bit.”
“Kid are perceptive,” Gideon noted, echoing her earlier thoughts. “He probably picked up on some of our stress, even though he doesn’t know what we’re stressed about. Fortunately,” he added, “kids are also incredibly resilient, as you well know.”
“I do,” she said, beyond warmed at how much Gideon cared for Jorge. “Now tell me what happened at the meeting.”
“Rafe Sullivan, the Mavericks’ investigator, is plowing straight through Archie’s life as we speak. If your ex is dirty dealing, we’ll find something to make him back off.”
“The Mavericks’ investigator?” She felt a weight drag her stomach down to the path they stood on. “That’s going to cost a lot of money.”
“He’s on retainer. They pay him whether he does anything or not, so he might as well do this.”
She wondered if he was just trying to make her feel better. But he reached out, cupped her cheek, and all she wanted to do was savor the warmth of his hand.
“You’re a Maverick now, Rosie. Jorge is too. And this is what Mavericks do for each other.”
Evan had said she was one of them. But despite her appreciation for his help, despite feeling like her family had grown since she’d met the Mavericks, she hadn’t realized quite what that meant. She wasn’t only Ari’s sister of the heart, she was also a Maverick. And God, she was grateful. She wanted to turn her face into Gideon’s palm and press a kiss to it.
Instead, she asked, “How long do you think it will take for Rafe to comb through Archie’s past and his business affairs?”
“We’re not sure. That’s why we have a plan for the meantime.” Even in the darkness, she felt him tense up.
There was always another shoe to drop, always one more thing to drag her down. But only if she let it. And she never had before. “What’s the plan?”
“You and Jorge need to move in with me until this is all taken care of.”
“Move in with you?” Her heart was doing leapfrogs in her chest at the thought of it. “I have work and Jorge has school. There’s got to be another plan.” One that didn’t involve Gideon sleeping mere feet away every single night.
She’d been able to hold back last night, but she wouldn’t bet her savings on being able to hold out after everything he’d done for her tonight.
“I know it’s not completely convenient,” he agreed. “But we need to do this for Jorge.”
