Page 26 of Unlikely Guardian

Lilly geared herself up to add more to the argument, but the sound of Megan’s fussing had both Jason and her turning in the direction of the empty doorway. It didn’t stay empty for long. With Erica in hot pursuit, Megan came racing into the room, and the second she spotted Jason, she made a beeline for the bed.

“I’m sorry,” Erica said, coming after the child. “She doesn’t seem interested in taking a nap today.”

Jason lifted the child onto the bed with them. “It’s okay. She can stay in here for a while.”

That must have met with Megan’s seal of approval because she gave Jason a kiss on the tip of his nose. The little girl climbed out of Jason’s lap and worked her tiny body in between Lilly and him. Erica quietly left the room.

Lilly leaned in closer, savoring the feel of Megan’s soft skin. Taking in her scent. She ran her fingers through those curls. Like air and silk. It was one of those unforgettable moments in her life. A real turning point. Her first step at getting to know her daughter.

Jason touched Megan’s hair, as well, and let his fingertips trail over her cheek. It was like a sedative for Megan because her eyelids immediately drifted down. It seemed as if she was interested in taking a nap, after all.

“If I forgive you,” Jason whispered to Lilly, “if I forgive myself for what happened to Greg, it’ll be like letting go of him.”

There it was. The catch-22 that she’d been trying to come to terms with since that night. “I understand.”

“Do you?” he challenged, but he immediately waved it off. “When Greg died, I thought there was nothing more painful than losing a brother. But now I know I was wrong.” He looked down at Megan and brushed a kiss on her forehead. “There are greater heartbreaks in the world.”

Yes. And losing Megan was at the top of the list.

Lilly stared at her daughter, who was nestled in the crook of Jason’s arm. Megan’s da-da. A connection she knew she couldn’t—and wouldn’t—break.

So, the question was, what kind of compromise was she willing to make to be part of Megan’s life? What was she willing to do so this would work? There was only one answer; she was willing to do anything.

Anything.

And that included forging a truce, a compromise and perhaps even a relationship with her enemy. With Jason. Strange. It didn’t seem as distasteful as it should.

While Lilly was mulling over that contradiction, the phone next to the bed rang.

Jason gave a weary sigh, leaned over and snatched it up. “Hello?”

Lilly couldn’t hear what the caller said, but whatever it was, it didn’t please Jason. He jabbed the button to turn on the speakerphone function.

“What makes you think Lilly Nelson is here?” Jason asked the caller. He looked at her and mouthed two words.

Raymond Klein.

Oh, mercy. She’d had enough of an ordeal without adding this. Yet, it was an important call because, after all, Raymond Klein was on their list of suspects. Had he called to issue some warning that he was after her? Lilly wished. Because that meant they’d know he was the one behind these attempts and the cops could haul his butt in.

“Where else would she be?” was Klein’s chilly response to Jason’s question.

“What do you want?” Lilly demanded. That demand earned her another glare from Jason. She was getting used to those.

“The cops keep calling me and dropping by to ask questions,” Klein explained, sounding as if he were glaring, too. “You’ve already ruined my life—”

“FYI, you ruined your own life by getting involved with my father. If you hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t have been disbarred.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong. Someone set me up.”

It was an old song and dance. One that she didn’t want to hear again.

“I won’t be drawn back into this, understand?” Klein continued. “My advice? Back off because I’m a desperate man, and desperate men don’t play by the rules.”

His words sent a chill through her. “That sounds a little like a threat, Mr. Klein.”

“Maybe because it is.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

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