Page 205 of Unexpected Hero

The lights are off, and it’s silent. Since it’s after 0300, they must be sleeping. The smell of garlic still permeates the air, lingering from the homemade lasagna Lettie made for our anniversary dinner.

Never thought I’d have anyone to rush home to. Damn sure never thought someone would make me a meal to celebrate an anniversary.

And I missed it.

I wish I could tell her why I wasn’t here earlier. If she knew it was for my family, she’d understand. And she wouldn’t feel like some corporate job was more important to me than her.

As I crack open her bedroom door, the tension in my jaw subsides. There she is, sleeping peacefully on her side with one leg sticking out of the covers and her cheek resting on her folded hands.

The closet light casts a warm glow over her side of the bed. She says she can only sleep in the dark when I’m with her.

After stripping down to my boxers, I crawl into bed as stealthily as possible to avoid waking her.

For a few glorious seconds, I simply watch her sleep from over her shoulder. I study the slope of her neck and the way her nose turns up at the tip. The faint black smudges under her eyes where she didn’t take off her mascara again. She blames her ADHD for forgetting.

Maybe I should get her makeup remover wipes from the bathroom and clean her face. Nah. It’ll wake her up, and she looks so peaceful.

I spot the faint bruise on her upper shoulder from where she banged into the towel rack the other day. A grin tugs at my mouth because she’s easily the klutziest person on the planet.

The urge to hold her becomes too powerful to resist, so I take off my glasses and set them on the nightstand. Wrapping my arm around her, I bring her against my chest, spooning her from behind. All remaining tension flees my body as I soak in her scent and the feel of her skin.

With her in my embrace, my heart starts beating again.

Rousing slowly, she takes a deep breath and glances over her shoulder.When she spots me, her sleepy smile strangles my chest, robbing me of my breath.

What ifI lost her?

“Hey, babe,” she whispers around a yawn. “I thought you weren’t coming tonight.”

“Hi, sugar bear. Sorry, I’m late. I missed you.”

“Is everything okay at work?”

“For now. But I’m going to be busy the next few days sorting through all the shit.”

She spins around and burrows into my chest, slinging her leg over mine. My pulse steadies, and my breathing regulates.

“That sucks. I was hoping we could spend some time at the beach. The weather is supposed to be nice this week.”

“If you go without me, be safe, okay? And don’t go out alone. Never at night.”

“Yes, Daddy,” she snarks, rolling her eyes at me.

“I’m serious. This isn’t Climax, Georgia — population three hundred. It’s peak tourist season, and there are sick fucks all around. Just be careful.”

Tomorrow, we’ll start going over some safety precautions. I’ve been remiss in that. After what happened to Sammy, I’ll do everything in my power to protect her.

If only I could protect her from my lies.

She reaches up and scratches the back of my head in small, soothing circles. “Where did this come from? Was there something on the news?”

“No. I just worry about you. Sometimes, you’re too trusting.”

“So what you’re saying is that I shouldn’t talk to random sexy strangers at gas pumps?”

I change the subject, aiming to focus on what’s right instead of what could go wrong. “Did you save me some lasagna? It smelt good in there.”

“No. I fed it to the hog since I was mad at you for breaking our date.”

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