Page 25 of Guarded from Danger

“I guess.” Now I sound like a petulant child. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly. “Sorry. It’ll be fine. I guess… I’m just kind of embarrassed.”

“Of what?”

“Crying at your meeting. Making a scene.”

“Oh, Luce.” Lifting me onto his lap, he presses a soft kiss to my lips. “There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone understands. And you didn’t make a scene.”

It feels so good sitting here, enveloped in his warmth, for a second I consider begging Xavier to stay.

But I’m trying to prove I’m strong. And it’s Xavier’s job. It’s not fair to keep dragging him away from his team. If things are going to work between us, I have to give him some space.

Working my mouth into something approximating a smile, I say brightly, “You’re right. Having Jade over will be nice. And when you get back, maybe we can go to the gym. I know you’ve been wanting to get there to work out.”

There’s a knock at the door, and even though I know it’s Jade, my body still tenses.

“Maybe,” Xavier replies, as he heads across the living room to answer the door. “You should still be taking things easy. Though some light hand weights might be okay, or you could walk on the treadmill…”

He’s still talking as he works the three complicated locks on his door, which I thought were overkill when I first saw them months ago but now am thankful for. “If you’d rather, we could go for a short walk around the property. Maybe bring some lunch with us.” He casts a bright smile at me over his shoulder. “We could make it a picnic. The couples in your books are always having them, aren’t they?”

“Sometimes.” This time, my smile is real. “In the small-town romances, especially, they do.”

“How about middle-of-nowhere romances?” he asks as he opens the door. “Since we’re ten miles from the closest town. Can we have picnics, too?”

It’s almost magical, how Xavier manages to cheer me up so easily. My voice takes on an almost teasing tone as I reply, “I think middle-of-nowhere romances can have picnics, too.”

“What am I walking into?” Jade stands in the doorway, glancing between me and Xavier. She smiles. “Middle-of-nowhere romances? Is that a new thing?”

Xavier gives her a quick hug. “Apparently. Thanks for stopping over.”

“Of course.” She steps inside, her gaze sweeping the room. “And it looks great in here. Much better than before.”

“Yes, I know,” he grumbles. “It was depressing. But now it’s not.”

“No, it’s not.” Jade beams at him. “Now we can have girls’ nights here, too. With your huge TV, it’ll be perfect for watching movies.”

Xavier makes a little face. “You mean those terrible movies Sarah likes? The ones that make her cry? I’m not sure about that…”

“Rom-coms,” Jade says, like it’s the most obvious thing. “Or comedies. Lighthearted stuff.” Then she comes over to the couch and plops down beside me. “Now, go, Xav. We’re fine here.”

Still standing by the door, he looks at me, visibly conflicted. “I’ll be right down the hall. And if you need me, I can be back right away. Just call?—”

I can do this. I can be away from Xavier for more than five minutes.

“It’s okay,” I tell him with a small smile. “I’ll just be here with Jade. And when you get back, we’ll go have our picnic.”

After a long pause, he lets out a heavy sigh. “Alright.” He jogs across the room and kisses me. “I’ll be back in half an hour. Maybe a little longer.”

“Go.” Jade waves her hand in aget out of heregesture. “We’ll be fine.”

Once the door closes behind him, Jade turns to me, her cheerful expression turning empathetic. “I know it’s hard. Especially in the beginning. But it will get easier, I promise.”

“I know.” But it doesn’t feel that way.

“It doesn’t feel like it, does it?” She takes the fluffy throw in her hands, absently stroking it. “I felt the same way. I hated it, wanted to feel independent, but—” Her lips press shut. “Anyway. We don’t need to talk about that unless you want to. We canwatch TV, or a movie; I think there’s a new one on Netflix that looks pretty funny.”

“Um.” I’m at a loss, like somehow all my social graces disappeared when I was taken from my garage. “If you want to put something on.”

Jade turns, crossing her legs into a pretzel as she faces me. “If you’d rather not talk, that’s okay, too. I understand.”

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