Page 242 of Guardian Daddy

By now, Oliver was barely breathing.

“How . . .” Oliver gasped, staring up at her in shock.

“Enjoy those strawberries, asshole.”

Ethan searched out his girl.

She was in big trouble. She’d dove at a loaded gun. His heart was still in his throat as he remembered it.

What had she been thinking?

Sure, she was smart to think of giving Oliver strawberries, something he was allergic to. But that didn’t mean she got to risk her life like that.

Oliver was going to live, unfortunately. They’d gotten him to the hospital in time. But after explaining everything to the cops, it was now the middle of the night and Ethan was exhausted.

He just wanted to scold his girl and then hold her for the next month or so.

But when he walked into the bedroom, he found her packing.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“I thought I would get a head start on the packing.”

She looked pale, in shock, and he knew he wouldn’t be scolding her tonight.

“Why would you need to do that?” he asked.

“So we can go back tomorrow.”

“All right, we can go back tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean you need to pack now.” He moved over to her and grasped hold of her hands gently.

She looked . . . vacant.

Like the woman he’d first met. Stuck behind a barrier. Scared to live. Protecting herself.

But why did she have to protect herself from him?

“What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Do not give me that, baby girl,” he growled. “If I have to put you over my knee and spank you until you tell me what’s going on, I will.”

It was an empty threat. Something he wasn’t proud of. But he was tired and worried.

“I’m just trying to make things easier for you!”

“How?” he asked in surprise.

“So that you can leave without a messy goodbye.”

“Leave? Why would I need to leave?” he asked.

“Because you won’t want to be with me anymore.”

He sat and drew her onto his lap, holding her there when she attempted to get off. “Why wouldn’t I want to be with you anymore?”

She stared into the distance. “Because the threat is over. You have a life in Montana. Why would you want to stay?”

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