Page 33 of Thea's Hero

Then she gives me a short nod and a long look before marching off into the library.

Ben chuckles once she’s out of range. “She certainly likes you.”

“No, she doesn’t.” I’m still staring after her. “Mrs. Plimpton doesn’t like anyone. She tolerates them. And she’s never called me lovely before.”

“Well, you are.”

As we walk out of the library, I’m still sorting through the incongruity of the last ten minutes. Jess, not how I remember at all. Feeling… sorry for her. And Mrs. Plimpton, being nice to me. Complimenting me.

Once we’re inside the SUV, Ben turns to me. “So. Do you need to go home to feed Daisy before we go out?”

“Go out? I thought we were just going to have dinner at home?” I look at Ben in confusion. “And what about Laila?”

“It’s Wednesday.”

“And?”

“Thea. It’s trivia night.” His lips twitch up. “Are you going to let the team down already?”

“Oh. Well. I thought…” I’m not sure what I thought. “With everything going on, I don’t know… I figured…” My voice trails off.

Ben strokes my cheek, his touch achingly gentle. “Do you want to go to trivia?”

“Of course.”

“Then we’re going.” In emphasis, he starts the ignition. “There’s no reason we can’t go. I already asked my mom to babysit Laila. Grant and Willow are both former military, and Ian teaches martial arts. There’s no way anyone is going to hurt you with them around.”

That makes sense. I guess I just got this idea in my head that I’d have to hide out all the time. But something Ben said niggles at me; it doesn’t sound right.

“Ben.” I cover his hand with mine. “I’m not worried about being safe with you. I’m happy to go play trivia because it’s a lot of fun, and I like your friends. But I don’t need them to feel protected. You make me feel safe. Just you.”

“Sweetheart.” Emotion darkens his eyes. “I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

Chapter 11

BEN

“I can’t wait to see Miss Thea.”

Laila bounces excitedly in the backseat, a stuffed bunny in her lap and a stack of library books next to her.

She’s said the same thing at least ten times since I picked her up from school, her enthusiasm building with every repetition. “I know, sweetie.”

I’m thrilled that Laila likes Thea so much—I’ve heard some other single parents talk about their children absolutely hating the person they’re dating, but it’s definitely not the case here.

It doesn’t hurt that Thea is a librarian, which puts her at hero status in my daughter’s eyes. But I can’t imagine anyone not liking Thea. Especially children. She’s friendly without being pushy, and she never talks down to the kids. I’ve watched her have a very serious discussion with a six-year-old about space ships, asking thoughtful questions and nodding appreciatively, making him feel like the smartest kid in the world.

And she’s fun. Kind. Patient. On the nights she’s been over at my place and Laila’s home, Thea doesn’t hesitate to spend time with her. Playing board games, reading books, or even painting their nails the same color.

I couldn’t even say no when Laila begged to have Thea paint her nails a vivid shade of purple. Not with those pleading eyes and Thea smiling behind her, explaining, “It’s the same color that a character wears in one of her books.”

So, yeah. Things between Thea and Laila are great.

And our relationship? Every day I spend with Thea, she pulls me in a little more. She works her way into my heart, filling all the holes I didn’t realize were there. And I think I’m already falling in love with her.

After four years of steadfastly avoiding relationships, now I’m ready to be all in.

“Miss Thea said she would save some books for me,” Laila informs me, also for the tenth time this afternoon. “She got the new Rainbow Dragons book, and the next one in the Dragon Adventurers series. And she said we could start reading it together before bed.”

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