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She plants a genuine smile on her face as Serena walks up the sidewalk. “Tate, how are you? I didn’t know you and Lucy were friends,” she says with a smile and a little twinkle in her eye. Serena is a beautiful woman. She didn’t have kids of her own, her husband was killed overseas when they had only been married a few short years. He was Army. Afterward, she never moved on or remarried. She’s probably close to my dad’s age, but she appears remarkably younger, except in her eyes. Sometimes you can’t stop your eyes from revealing the pain you carry right under the surface. From what Sterling says, she’s like a mom to all the officers at GVPD. And it appears the same goes for her tenants.
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just had a little accident in my bedroom. The window broke, but don’t worry, I’ll replace it. It was my fault.”
Her fault. I can’t believe what I’m hearing but I keep quiet. This isn’t my secret to tell.
Serena narrows her eyes as if she doesn’t believe it for a second but doesn’t say otherwise. I’m sure she knows Lucy’s lying. Shedoeswork with police all day every day. I’m sure she’s just as equipped, if not more so, to know when someone’s lying to her. And Lucy is…big time.
“Well dear, if something is broken, it’s on me to fix it. Accidents happen. Let me check it out.” She starts to go in but Lucy steps in front of her.
“Um, I’ll take care of it, Serena. You shouldn’t pay for my clumsiness.” Lucy smiles sweetly.
Serena ponders before saying, “If you insist. But that’s my job. Let me know how much it is, and I’ll take the amount off your rent. Now, how long have you two been dating? I didn’t know you and Taylor officially broke up.”
Lucy blushes, that sweet little blush of hers that has begun to drive me crazy, making me momentarily forget my anger at her for covering for Taylor.
She stutters trying to speak and I can’t help but chuckle a little, it’s sexy as hell.
“Oh um, Tate and I are just friends. He—” I cut her off and take her hand in mine.
“What she means is, this is new for us, and no one knows about it. For now, it’s only for us. You can keep our secret, right?” I wink at Serena and her grin tips up and she winks back.
“I most certainly can. I won’t keep you then. You lovebirds have fun and Lucy, let me know on the window dear.” With that, Serena turns and makes her way back to her own house leaving Lucy staring at me in disbelief.
I step back into her little house, and she follows, shutting the door behind her.
“What are you doing? You can’t be telling people we’re…we’re…”
I laugh as she trips over her words again. “A thing?” I supply.
Her face turns red, out of embarrassment or maybe being angry at me, I’m not sure. Either way, it hits me like a ton of bricks I care about her more than I’ve ever let myself care for anyone before. Does that scare me? You better believe it scares the hell out of me.
“Tate. We aren’t a thing. You made that clear, even if you didn’t, I don’t know if I’d be ready for something new anytime soon myself. I’m a mess—a broken, jaded mess.” She’s being honest and yet I feel like she’s shutting the door on my heart again.
“I was only trying to help distract Serena from the window issue,” I lie. “She wasn’t buying what you were selling, love.” Her cheeks flame again as she crosses her arms.
“Let me look at this window and help you board it up until we can get it fixed. Oh, and you’re not staying here another night until this situation is resolved,” I tell her nonchalantly, not caring if it makes her mad. I’d rather her be mad at me and safe than alone and where he can hurt her again. I walk past her to her bedroom.
She’s on my heels in an instant. “Tate Marks, you can’t waltz in here and tell me what to do with my life,” she snipes at me. She’s sexy when she’s mad. Shit, Tate, focus.
“Lucy, you have two choices. One, I keep your secret, even if I don’t want to, and you stay with me until I know you’re safe or two…we tell Sterling and Rhett and your…Steve, your dad, well—you know what I mean—we tell all the men in your life who love you what really happened that night and what you’ve been hiding all this time. That’s it,” I say matter of fact.
I see her pulse jumping in her throat and I want to kiss it, but I don’t. She needs someone she can lean on, not someone who wants to mess with her head even more.
She puts her hands on her hips as an act of defiance, but it’s so cute I can’t help but smile.
“You think you’re smooth. I’ll go with you tonight, maybe a couple, but then I’m figuring this out on my own. I know I called you earlier, but I… I didn’t know who else to call. I couldn’t call anyone else. But I can’t hide behind you and hope he gives up. I need to face this and put an end to it, so I know I’m truly safe and not having to look over my shoulder. You don’t know him, Tate. He won’t give up.” She closes her eyes briefly.
“What did he whisper to you when he left?” Her eyes fly open and she stares hollowly.
“He repeated what he said to you, that I’m his.” I see her jaw tick and I know she’s lying. But after the day she’s had, I don’t push. I’m going to make it my mission to guarantee she’s safe at all times.
She turns to get a broom for the broken glass. When she returns with it, I sweep it up and tell her we’re going to the hardware store for supplies to temporarily secure the now broken window, and then we’re going back to my house.
She doesn’t argue, she just tells me she needs to let Ivie know she can’t make lunch before going in search of her phone. She comes back holding the device. “It’s cracked like a broken egg but it’s still working, for now at least,” she says studying the screen intently. Whether she knows it or not, I’ve made a promise to myself right here and now to keep her safe, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.
When we arrive at Tate’s house later in the evening, he jumps out of his truck and hurries to my car to grab my bags before leading me inside. Rocky trails to me—wagging tail and all—wanting to be loved on. I bend down and scratch him behind the ears. I hate to admit it, but I missed this big boy more than I thought I would when I left.
Tate starts toward his bedroom with my suitcase instead of the guest room I was in before.
