Page 30 of Naughty by Nature

Cheyenne wasn’t sure who moved first, but suddenly she was in his arms and he was holding her tight, and it wasn’t freaking her out like she’d expected. Sheridan’s body was solid and warm, and she had no doubt that he would protect her at all cost.

For the first time in a long time, she allowed some of the never-ending fear and tension to ease. The thing about being a single parent was that you had to be on all the time. You served double duty, so to speak, and there were no breaks, no time off. Sheridan understood that, and he was giving her as much support as she would take.

She felt him press a kiss to her head before he pulled back. “I’m going to check his parole papers, but I’m almost positive there will be something in his release about having no contact with you. I’ll check the details and we can make a determination if you want me to charge him on that violation. Or, if you feel like we need to approach this a different way, we can.”

She nodded, his words flowing through her. If she wanted she could have him picked up and charged again, but that wouldn’t really get them anywhere. When he got out he’d still want to contact the girls.

“I wonder if I shouldn’t talk to him,” she murmured, her throat thick with emotion. It was exactly what she didn’t want to do, but maybe it would show him how serious she was. Life had always been a game to Wade, and he still thought he was playing.

Sheridan tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “Whatever you think you want to do. I can speak to the judge on your behalf. We’ll check on the paperwork and go from there.”

Cheyenne nodded, her eyes burning with tears.

Sheridan cupped her face again and leaned down to smile at her gently. “We’ll get you through this, Cheyenne, and you’ll be coming from the position of power this time.”

She blinked, surprised, and realized he was right. At this moment, she held all the cards. A smile spread across her lips at the unfamiliar feeling. “Okay. Thank you, Sheridan.”

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Don’t thank me. Not right now.”

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he led her to the door. “I’m going to head back to the office and check out the restrictions on his release. Finish out your day and I’ll be here to pick y’all up at three.”

“Okay. We’ll be waiting for you.”

Settling his hat on his head, he left the school, and Cheyenne realized suddenly that it was just as nice to watch him walk away when he left.

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