Page 36 of Daddy's Little Mama Bear

"We're going to sit in the back corner," Mac said as he led them towards the back.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because then I can look at everyone. See if anything is going to happen," he said. "Want to make sure that you're safe."

She stared at him as he continued to lead her towards the back. Her ex-husband had never done that whenever they went out. It was always about him and nothing else.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded her head. Well, that was a lie. She was shocked and didn't understand him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered as they got up to the empty table.

"In you go," he said. "You're always going to be on the inside when I'm with you."

She gave him a puzzled look.

"But I like being on the outside," she said, not moving towards the booth.

"When you're with me, you'll be on the inside," he said. "I want to be able to protect you. I can't when I'm on the inside and you're on the outside."

Janie continued to look at him. She was not used to someone thinking about her safety so much. Sure, her husband made sure that the house had good security and their cars were good. But Janie deep down knew it was for him and not her or Eleanor.

Not that he cared about Eleanor any.

"Why are you shocked?" Mac asked. "Your face says it all, so don't even try to say that you aren't shocked. What did I say?"

Before she could stop herself, she started to speak. "My ex-husband just never did that."

"Well, he was a fool for not doing it. You're precious and need to be safe and taken care of at all times. YouandEleanor."

She opened her mouth, but quickly shut it. She didn't know what to say to him. Sure, she knew that there were people out there like that. Michael and Finn were super protective of Monroe and Charlotte. But her husband wasn't one of those people. Her parents were protective, but not as much as Mac.

"When you're with me, when both of you are with me, your safety is my number one priority," Mac said. "That's why I open your door to the car. I don't want someone to pull in right next to us and hit you. Or someone come and grab you."

Her eyes went wide as she stared at him. She had never thought about that.

"I'm not saying this to scare you. I'm just explaining that your safety is important to me. Eleanor's safety is important."

She nodded her head, but hadn't quite wrapped her head around everything he had just said. Sure, it made sense but it was weird.

"Come on, in you go," he gently said.

She sighed and slid in the booth, Mac following behind her. She could feel the heat coming off of him. Janie could smell his scent and she took a deep breath in.

One of her favorite smells.

"Did you just smell me?" Mac asked.

Her eyes went wide and she shook her head. "No, I was taking in a deep breath after I sighed," she replied.

Amusement filled his eyes. "I think you were smelling me. Like the scent?"

She shook her head. "I wasn't smelling you."

He leaned forward so their faces were on the same level.

---