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She tried to turn away, possibly to make a break for the door, but I took her by the shoulders, trapping her gently. I didn’t want to repeat my threat to fight for full custody of Emma, but I would. I would do anything to keep her safe, even if it meant alienating her mother. But it would be a hell of a lot easier to bond with Emma if Cami didn’t feel like Rapunzel in the tower.
“Give me three weeks,” I said quietly. “I’ll make your world safe again. Then we can figure out something else.”
Cami’s eyes met mine. I saw exhaustion in them, wariness. In the past, she would have swayed against me. I would have wrapped my arms around her. Now she held herself ramrod straight. I could feel the tension in her arms, the muscles tight beneath her soft, supple skin. “Three weeks?” she repeated.
“Three weeks.”
“We won’t be trapped up here?”
Though I itched to argue the wording, I confined myself to a head shake. “We’ll show her the city together.”
Almost imperceptibly, Cami nodded.
“Good.” I dropped my hands from her shoulders and leaned back against the kitchen counter, trying to shake away old memories of the two of us in this kitchen. My hands on her. Her eyes on me. “I’ll put a guy on Casey’s house tonight. Pack your things and come back here in the afternoon. It’ll be ready for you.”
* * *
Con put me in touch with the interior decorator that had designed rooms for his daughter when she was growing up. I paid an eye watering premium, and it nearly killed both of us, but we got my office flipped into a guest room, and we got the guest room flipped into a kid’s dream room. At least, that was what she promised it was. No time to paint, but one full wall was covered in silk wallpaper that depicted a scene fromFrozen. I now could recognize the full cast of characters. The doll I’d gotten Emma was named Elsa. Her sister was Anna. The snowman was Olaf. Then there was a reindeer and a guy whose names I didn’t know, but the interior decorator assured me that Emma would. She had insisted on talking to Cami before arranging for a bed to be delivered. She got a toddler-sized one that still had half a guardrail, and she made it up withFrozenbedding.
“What if she doesn’t likeFrozen?” I asked as I watched the room take shape.
“Then she’s the one kid in the world who doesn’t, but her mom assured me she did.”
I put the doll I’d never given Emma on the bed when it was made up. Then I walked around the space, dazed. A white dresser sat against one wall. The decorator had switched out the plain knobs for blue crystal pulls. There was a small, golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling, pale pink and blue tulip bulbs that looked like flowers when they were lit. A pale pink rug in the center of the floor, catching the colorful refractions from above. How the hell had my life gone from a minimalist guest room with its simple furniture and plain walls tothis? It was baffling.
I walked out into the main room and twitched when I saw that a royal blue throw had been added to my couch. Throw pillows in similar jewel tones. A rug underneath my dining room table. How the hell had she even managed that? The table weighed about as much as an elephant. She’d also swapped out my functional, steel espresso maker for a mint green one that had more buttons and knobs that I knew what to do with.
I walked through, noting the changes. A lamp where one hadn’t been before, its shade adding another splash of color. Patio furniture with deep, soft cushions instead of a clean, slate space. A small bar cart on large, ornate wheels against one end. Candles and blankets everywhere.
It looked way too fucking inviting.
But I reminded myself, it was still the safest place in the city, so it was where Emma belonged.
12
CAMI
Casey helped me pack up Emma’s and my things and followed us to Landon’s building when I couldn’t fit everything in my car. She’d asked about half a dozen times if I was sure about this, and when she saw Landon standing in the lobby, his arms folded, she asked again in a whisper.
“Are you sure, Cami? He doesn’t look very safe himself.”
She was right. With his imposing height, predatory stance, chiseled jawline, and piercing eyes,safewas the last thing I’d call Landon. That was what had attracted me to him the first time I saw him. He was mysterious, a little dangerous, and looked hard all the way through. The kindness I knew existed lived deep beneath the surface. You had to work to reach it. I suppose I’d been attracted to that too.
Landon’s eyes sharpened when he spotted Casey beside me. “You shouldn’t have brought her,” he said, walking over to meet us.
Casey’s face filled with attitude. An eyebrow went up, a corner of her mouth went down. I could see the sharp retorts chambering on her tongue.
“She’s my best friend,” I said before she could set them loose like a flurry of tiny darts that wouldn’t faze Landon in the least. “And Emma’s godmother.”
“And now she knows where you’re staying. Nice position to put your best friend and Emma’s godmother in.”
I opened my mouth, shut it. Damnit, he was right.
Landon pulled a card from his wallet and handed it to Casey. “Call me if you notice anything suspicious. Someone lurking around. Attempts to log in to your accounts. And don’t say a word – verbally, electronically, or written – about where Cami is staying.”
“Of course I wouldn’t,” Casey said scornfully. “I’m not an idiot.”
“It’s for your safety as well as hers.”
