Page 77 of Enticing

LEO

Adelaide finally falls asleep sometime around two in the morning, and I spend the next few hours doing a deep dive on my phone, learning everything there is to know about Gavin and his piece of shit father. Maybe if I hadn’t grown up in the family I did, his would seem impressive. But they don’t. They seem like cowards, afraid of giving control to Adelaide and Coraline. Cowards who hurt women.

Who hurt my woman.

Leo

Didn’t you just have your security system upgraded?

Callen

Yeah. One of Cooper’s contacts is former special ops. He runs a security firm now and hooked me up.

Leo

Can I get his number?

Callen

Everything okay?

Leo

Not really. There’s a lot of stuff going on I can’t really talk about, but I need to make sure Addie and the girls are safe. Especially with as much as I travel for the team.

Callen

Okay. I just sent you Nash’s contact. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.

Leo

Thanks, Uncle.

Lennox cries out from her bedroom, and I scramble out of bed to get to her before she wakes her sleeping mother.

“Hey, baby girl.” I scoop her up and hold her against my chest. “Shh... It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re okay.”

I wait until she’s calm to lay her down on the changing table and switch out her diaper, then she and I decide rocking on the glider sounds like a great way to spend the morning. Lennox smacks my cheeks with her palms and mouths my nose. “You hungry, baby?”

She giggles and tugs at my ear before curling up on my chest and cooing the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard. “Not hungry yet, I guess.”

She babbles herself back to sleep, and I realize just how much my life has changed in the past six months and how there’s not one single thing about it I’d do differently because it all led me here.

“No one is ever going to hurt you, baby girl. Not you or your mom or your sister. I’ll make sure of it,” I promise her as she sleeps soundly, without a care in the world.

I pull my phone out and shoot off my next message before opening a new window and doing a little shopping. Addie may be pissed when I’m done, but pissed and safe, I can handle. Her being scared and nearly frozen almost broke me last night, and I’m sure as hell not going to let it breakher.

Addie

My head is killing me when I finally force myself out of bed the next morning. Leo’s side is long empty, and his sheets are cold, and I can’t help but wonder if I finally did it. Did I finally manage to scare him off?

I wonder if it was the broken version of me or the boatload of drama that comes with my life... baggage is baggage, whether it’s Louis Vuitton or Walmart brand. And I come with a lot of baggage.

I pad out of my room and realize my mistake when I find Lennox and him both asleep in the glider rocker in her room. His feet propped up on the ottoman, and her tucked against his chest. His eyes open slowly, and I force a smile, looking between my husband and my baby, not missing the protective hand he has on her back.

“You seem to be making this a habit, Sinclair...” I tease him softly, then drop a kiss on his lips. “Thank you for taking care of me last night.” I smile. “And last week. And last month. Maybe that’s the habit you’re making, Leo.”

His gaze is heavy on my face as he reaches up and cups the back of my head with his free hand. “One day, you’re going to accept that you’re mine to take care of, wife.”