Page 53 of Edge of Danger

“Hi,” Maci whispered as she hurried through to the kitchen. “Whew! That was my arm-day workout right there.”

“You don’t have to whisper. He’s awake.” Tessa went to the bedroom and brought Walker back.

“There he is! My best buddy!” Maci held out her arms, which didn’t seem to be all that sore from carrying the packages after all.

Meanwhile, the other woman—small, blonde, with a face Tessa recognized from somewhere—held out a hand. “Hi. I’m Luke’s fiancée, Claire Wallace.”

Right. Tessa might’ve been half out of her mind with grief and pain after Robert had stolen Walker, but she remembered seeing Claire on the news around that time. There were stories about her supposedly killing somebody she’d worked with and then killing a cop, but she’d been cleared of all charges.

And had managed to simultaneously bring down one of the most crooked businessmen in Texas. Now Tessa understood how the woman had not only survived but had come out the other side smiling. She shook Claire’s hand gladly.

“I’ve never seen Brax like this,” Maci admitted as Claire and Tessa put the groceries and supplies away.

“Same here. I mean, I haven’t known him for too long, but he’s on a whole other level right now.” Claire winced when she met Tessa’s gaze. “Not to make you feel bad or anything. It isn’t your fault.”

“No, but he’s definitely determined to get you out of this okay,” Maci continued. “You have nothing to worry about. Believe me. Those boys do not give up.”

Claire set aside the packs of diapers and wipes, then went back to stocking the pantry. “I’m surprised, honestly. Brax is usually the laid-back one, isn’t he? I mean, I’ve always seen him that way. Charming and smiling. He could convince anybody of just about anything.”

“True. Luke’s usually the cranky one—with everybody but you, anyway,” Maci teased with a wink at Claire. “Weston’s Mr. Serious. And Chance...” She blew out a long sigh, rolling her eyes.

“You two don’t get along well, do you?” Tessa asked, remembering them bickering during her time at the office.

“We get along fine. When I don’t want to kill him.”

Claire giggled. “Oh, please. You two have it bad for each other. You just don’t want to admit it.”

“‘Oh, please’ yourself!” Maci turned her attention to Walker, clearly eager to change the topic. Not fast enough, though, her flushed cheeks betraying her words.

Tessa exchanged a look with Claire. “I don’t know,” she said. “Sometimes it’s those denied attractions that are the most explosive.”

Claire’s eyebrows moved up and down. “Remind me not to be around when a spark ignites the fuse.”

“Okay, enough.” Maci’s face glowed redder as she turned back to them. “Believe me, I’m not the sort of woman a guy like Chance would ever look at twice. Men prefer women like you two, or didn’t you know that?”

Tessa assumed Maci was referring to her figure, which could be described as plus-size. “You have curves I would kill for. Chance would be blind not to notice you.”

“Anyway.” Maci’s voice was a little louder than it needed to be, which Tessa took as a signal that this part of the conversation was over. “Brax has taken your safety to heart. Big time.”

Tessa looked at Walker, who clearly loved the attention of three women at once. The thought of him being a ladies man like his father crossed her mind, and she hated it. “Brax is concerned about his nephew. It’s only right.”

Claire frowned. “You’re kidding. You think that’s all he’s worried about?”

“Seriously. I’ve seen the way he looks when he talks about you. He’s just as concerned about you as he is about Walker—but in a different way.” Maci shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

Suddenly, Tessa’s knees felt weak. Could it be true? She collapsed into a seat at the kitchen table.

She wanted to believe them, to think that Brax cared about her. A few kisses were one thing. But deep, serious emotion? That was something else.

“I doubt Brax could ever trust me again after the way I lied,” she confessed.

“Listen.” Claire sat across from her, and she wasn’t kidding anymore. “If there’s one thing the Pattersons understand, it’s survival. I mean, anybody would lie in your situation—so there’s that right there. You had to be with Walker, but you didn’t know what Robert had told Brax and whether Brax believed him.”

Maci handed Walker to Claire, who looked like she was just about dying to hold him. “Those men respect people who do whatever it takes to survive. They’re survivors. So are you. I know Brax respects you.”

“Agreed.” Claire beamed at the baby while bouncing him in her arms.

Were they right? She hoped so, since one thing was clearer every single day, and it scared her a little.

---