Page 64 of Here In Your Arms

“Oh. We’re painting nails and I know you don’t like the smell, so we came here.” I tell him quietly.

“Why is she here?”

I turn to look at Claire, who has made herself into a small ball on the couch next to me. “She couldn’t be home alone, so I brought her here. My mom will get her before our plans tonight, I promise.”

“That wasn’t the plan. She isn’t part of the plan, E. Why did you do this?”

“She’s my niece. I’m not going to leave her alone.”

He takes a couple of steps toward me, and I immediately sit up straighter. I don’t want him to make Claire feel bad; she’s just a kid still. He stops and his eyes wander from me to Claire, then back again. I stand and close the small distance between him and the couch. Nathan places a hand on my shoulder, slowly moving it up my neck until his hand threads into my hair. Then he makes a fist and pulls my head back with force.

He bends lower toward me, and his voice is low and aggressive. “You will not put her before me again, do you understand? This is completely unacceptable.”

“I understand. I’m sorry,” I whisper, hoping he doesn’t turn his temper to Claire.

“You know I don’t like children, and now you’ve put me in this awkward position where I look like the bad guy. Why did you do that?”

“It won’t happen again, I promise.”

“Better not. I’m a nice guy, people like me. Keep her out of sight and wait until I say it’s okay to see her.”

“Okay.”

He storms out and slams the door behind him. I allow myself to fall back into the couch where I was sitting before and look over at Claire. Her eyes are huge, and she has tears running down her face. I hold my arms out and she scrambles into them.

“He’s scary,” she whispers.

“I’m sorry, love. I’ll keep him away from you, okay?”

“Aunt Rory, I don’t like him.”

“I know, love. I know.”

I’m not entirely sure I like him lately, but he’s been so good to me. He gives me so much love and he doesn’t ask much in return. I should have checked in with him before getting Claire. I know that now. Next time I need to make sure I ask first. One thought that nags at my mind as I soothe Claire is: How did he even know where I was?

I nod at her and look over to Wes and Kyle as they observe the interaction between me and Claire.

“We need to go,” I tell them.

“Let’s do it,” Kyle says, standing and grabbing his drink.

“I’ll get the trash,” Wes offers.

My heart swells again, and I’m worried about being able to keep it in my body if they continue to be this wonderful. I hold out my hand for Claire, and she comes in close to me, tucking herself into my body and I wrap my arm around her.

“I promised I’d protect you and I will,” I tell her softly.

Glancing over at Kyle, I see him staring in the direction that Claire had been looking, an odd look on his face. I can’t tell if he’s confused, angry, or worried. Maybe it’s all of the above, but I can’t quite tell. Wes returns, sees Kyle’s face, and turns his own head to look in that direction. His is full of confusion, then anger. He glances between me and the view behind me before herding us all back to Kyle’s car. As we leave, I take a look over my shoulder and see Nathan standing there.

His hands are in his pockets, and he’s standing in the midst of the crowd, not moving, his eyes completely locked on us. His tattoos are on display in the short-sleeved T-shirt, and his face is set in anger. A look I remember well. Before I can turn my head back forward, I see him mouth “you’re mine” and I take a deep breath to try to keep the panic at bay.

The guys take us back to their place, but when I glance at the clock, I realize it’s time to take Claire home. I promise to return later and get Claire into the car so we can head out. As we go, Claire looks uncomfortable, so I take a minute to check in.

“You okay, sweetheart?” I ask.

“Um, I guess,” she mumbles.

“You sure? I’m not sure I believe you.”

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