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“Makes me a target.” Her shoulders slumped. “Kids are mean, Mom.”
The dip in her voice had me pausing to study her more closely. Gaze unfocused on the Formica counter, she worried at the corner of her lip. “Why do you say that?”
“Because it doesn’t matter if you're rich or poor or in a big city or a small one. Kids are fucking mean.”
“Language,” I snapped, shock in my tone.Where in the hell is this coming from?“Did something happen back in New York that you didn’t tell me about?”
Silence.
The screech of wooden chair legs grating across the floor cut through the all-consuming worry and guilt. Heavy footsteps approached. Leaning a thigh against the counter, Shade crossed both arms over his chest, upping his intimidation factor as he stared down at Gracie.
Because we’d been with him and Trap every night since we arrived, Gracie didn’t flinch or hesitate beneath his dark eyes.
“Want me to take you the first day?” he asked. “No one will fuck with you if they see me.”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or drop to my knees to show how much I appreciated him. Though seeing the wobble of Gracie’s chin made that decision for me. Tipping my face up to the ceiling to hold back my own tears, I blew out a slow breath.
“Really?” she asked, tone unsure.
“Really.”
She chewed on her lip and shot me a worried look. We’d come a long way from the bratty preteen she acted like when we first arrived. Her attitude and treatment of me since then were night and day. Like now, I could see the hesitation in her eyes, because she knew me taking her the first day of school had always been our thing.
But things were different now.
In a good way.
In the best way.
“You okay with that?” she asked, pale green eyes searching mine.
I reached out and cupped her small face. “Of course. Whatever will make you feel more confident about starting a new school.”
She nodded and turned back to Shade. “Can you carry your gun too?”
I huffed a laugh and dunked my hands back into the soapy water to scrub another plate.
“Uniform or just gun?”
She tapped the tip of her index finger against her chin. “Just gun. That’s normal for around here, right?”
Shade nodded, and his features softened. “We’re an open carry state, and out here in West Texas, it’s very common.”
“When will Trap be done at the station?” I asked offhandedly.
He wasn’t there for dinner, which was a first. With every passing minute, my worry grew that he was avoiding me because of what happened between me and Shade earlier. Sure, they said they were okay with it, but what if it turned out they weren’t, and now I was the bad guy? An accidental glance at the clock had my eyes widening. “Shoot. It’s late. Why don’t you head upstairs and get ready for bed?” I said to Gracie.
Without a fight, she tossed the drying towel onto the counter and said good night to Shade. She got all of two steps before she wheeled around and wrapped her arms around his waist. The smile he had earlier grew, nearly splitting his face in half.
“Good night, Grace.”
And there went my heart.Well, what was left of it.
Hands still in the soapy water, I watched as she skipped out of the kitchen and headed toward the stairs. Her hurried steps thundered in the house as she bounded up toward her room.
Shade went back to the table and sat down, legs spread. “Finish that later. Come here.”
My stomach fluttered, eager to do exactly what he ordered. Using the cloth Gracie dropped, I dried off my hands as I crossed the kitchen and stood between his spread knees.
