Page 83 of Protecting Her Secrets

“Me too, sweetheart. Me too.” He rocks me gently, his strong arms banded around me, being strong for me until I can be strong for myself.

I wakeup to a dark room, the glow from the TV the only light. After eating dinner, Walker talked me into taking one of the pain pills Dr. Rivera prescribed. He said it was safe for the baby, but I was still hesitant. That flew out the window when the numbing meds wore off, and I felt like I’d been hit in the head by a rock. Which I guess I kind of was.

Thinking I’d probably sleep until morning, I wonder what woke me. I sit up to find Walker no longer in bed. After a glance at my cell, I see it’s only nine at night. He probably wasn’t ready to go to bed after such a stressful day.

I pad out of bed and down the stairs, hoping to lure him back. I don’t want to be alone right now, not so soon after everything that happened. If he doesn’t want to call it a night yet, I’ll wait up with him.

The TV isn’t on when I reach the landing, and the house seems locked up for the night. Sprocket appears in the hallway and prances over to me.

“Your dad thought you wouldn’t leave my side. Guess we know who your favorite is.” I give him a scratch and go down the hall to look for my man.

Soft thudding comes from Walker’s workout room, and though I’m allergic to exercise, I sure do like to watch Walker when he does. I push open the cracked door and feel my skin heat when I see a bare chest glistening with sweat, low-slung basketball shorts showing a sculpted V, and his taped hands throwing punches at a boxing bag.

His body is a machine he keeps in perfect condition, even during his off-season, something I appreciate because goddamn, how lucky can a woman get? But my eyes narrow on him in concern—he’s pushing himself hard. There’s an anger behind those punches that I haven’t seen before, and I worry he’ll hurt himself.

Over and over, he throws hit after hit until he’s leaving red splatters on the white bag. I rush into the room, calling his name to break whatever trance he’s in. His head whips around, and the anger I saw in him when I first showed up in Culver Springs is back, only this time, there’s danger mixed in. For the first time, I truly believe he has what it takes to take on Klutch.

“Why?” I whisper but I don’t know if he can hear me over his panting breaths. He bends over, holding himself up with his hands on his thighs.

“You should be in bed, Skylar.”

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“What happened?” He chuckles, but there’s no humor behind it. “He tried to kill you. He nearly killed Jazzy. And there I was, just feet away, carrying shopping bags.”

“We had no reason to believe he’d show up.”

“I had enough of a reason to follow you around for the day.” His lip curls. “I was supposed to protect you, but instead, I almost lost you and the baby.”

“It’s not your fault,” I say, approaching cautiously.

“The fuck it isn’t.”

“Earlier, when I was blaming myself, you told me the only person to blame is Klutch. Was that bullshit?”

“No. You did nothing wrong.”

“Exactly.” I reach out and take his hands in mine, inspecting his bloody knuckles. “Walker, you can’t punish yourself like this.”

He pulls out of my grasp and cups my cheeks. “I’ve never been more scared in all my life.”

I lean into his touch. “Me too.”

“Don’t ever do that to me again.”

Grinning, I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head on his sweaty chest. “I’ll try my hardest not to.”

“I stink.”

“Yeah, you do.” He tries to peel me off him, but I hold tight. “But I like it. You smell alive.”

“Weirdo.”

“Will you come back to bed now?”

“Yeah, after I shower.”

“Can I shower with you?” I ask.

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