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“Who cares what’s conventional? The heart wants what the heart wants. Take me, for example. My heart wants an asshole who broke off our engagement for the woman he was cheating on me with for most of our relationship.”
“I hate him,” I said, fully meaning that. How could anyone hurt someone as beautiful and kind as her?
“Thanks,” she rasped. “Wish I could feel the same.” She patted my leg. “Okay, your foot is good to go. Once you’re out of the tub, I’ll wrap it. From here I can tell your face is fine, but it might bruise a bit.” She stood and pulled off her gloves. “How about you get dressed, and I’ll check over the scrapes on your knees and hands after?”
I flicked a glance at my clothes in the corner and grimaced.
Caradee followed my line of sight, no doubt seeing the bloodstains and tears on the clothing.
“I’ll grab you something from Anne’s closet. Leggings and a sweatshirt good?”
“Perfect,” I whispered. “Thank you. For all this. I can pay you—”
At the door, she turned with a small smile on her lips. “Georgia, you’re not paying me. Consider it me paying it forward for when I come to you, hopefully one day soon, needing parenting advice on how to be a badass mom like you.”
I stared at the door long after it shut behind her, wondering if she was right.
After a minute, I sucked in a breath, feeling the answer to my earlier worries like a punch to the chest.
After everything with the case settled down, Gracie and I wouldn’t leave Grandger.
This place, these amazing people, were our new home.
NINETEEN
TRAP
From the chair in the corner of Shade’s room, I watched the two of them sleep—well, one sleep. Shade was wrapped around her as if his closeness could prevent our girl from ever being hurt again, though his eyes were open as he stroked her bare arms, occasionally brushing along her cheek where that bastard slammed her face against his truck.
The hands dangling between my spread thighs clenched into tight fists.
As if sensing my rising anger, Shade’s dark eyes shifted from staring at Georgia to me. A silent conversation whispered between us with the single look.
We already knew she was ours, but today solidified that no matter where she went, we’d follow. My stomach churned with thoughts of her being in a different town or city, far away from where we could protect her. That wouldn’t happen. If she left Grandger, then we would too. If she just wanted to be friends, if she thought this was just a fun fling to test out a ménage kink—which I really didn’t think was the case—then we’d still follow as her super-overprotective friends.
Thankfully, it seemed like Grace wanted us in their lives as much as we did. She was the one who insisted they stay over here tonight instead of going home. That meant the kid felt safe with me and Shade, zero hesitancy about sleeping under the same roof as two basically strange men.
When she said that, there were no words to describe what I felt.
Fucking awesome was too light.
Knowing that girl knew she was safe with me and my best friend, that she knew we’d protect her and her mom, was heart-exploding.
Georgia’s soft cry snapped both of our gazes toward her. A deep line formed between her brows as she shifted beneath the sheets.
“Shh, baby,” Shade said, his voice barely over a whisper. “We’re here. You’re safe.”
When she finally settled back down, I spoke up. “If she’s open to staying here, I think we should move. Maybe build a house out at the farm. We have plenty of space.”
“Trap….” Shade sighed.
I pursed my lips. He was trying to protect me from getting hurt. I knew that, but it was still fun to dream about. Us. All four of us as a family.
“What?” I grunted. “We’ve talked about it before. One of those barn-style houses.”
“And if she wants to leave?”
“Then we follow her.”
