Page 64 of Protector

Dakota watched the exchange with raised eyebrows before leaping up from the couch and disappearing down the hall to their bedroom.

“Mary Katherine, do not roll your eyes at me—”

“Where are you going?” she asked, looking me over.

“I’m not going anywhere, but you, on the other hand, are going to be grounded if you can’t pick up your stuff.”

She frowned. “But you’re wearing a dress. You haven’t worn a dress in years.”

I glanced down at the brick-red dress that had been gathering dust in the back of my closet. I couldn’t explain it. I’d had a dream that Jamie and I were on a beach, walking hand in hand, and stopping to gather seashells. I’d been wearing a chiffon cover-up that just reached the tops of my thighs, and he couldn’t keep his hands off of me.

It didn’t matter that I’d never been anywhere tropical alone, much less with him; it felt so real.

When I woke up, I found myself wanting to recreate the feelings the dream had conjured up; I wanted to feel sexy again. Wearing a dress had seemed like the answer.

“Maybe I just felt like wearing a dress, Kate,” I stated before pointing toward their bedroom. “Clean up. Now.”

I jerked my head toward the front window at the sound of a motorcycle and fought a smile, feeling like a teenager again.

The night he’d shown up, I’d had a nightmare. Cobra had come back, but this time, Kate walked in as he assaulted me. The carpet fibers had dug into my palms as I dragged my body toward her, but it didn’t matter how fast I moved, I never got any closer.

I woke to sheets drenched in my own sweat and urine, still hearing her screams of pain.

Jamie was the last person I’d wanted to see, but the only one who seemed to be able to bring down my walls. Finally knowing the truth about what had happened to his mother reawakened feelings in me that I thought were dead.

Since then, I found myself creeping out of bed in the middle of the night to watch from the laundry room window as he slept in the hammock, wishing I was brave enough to invite him inside.

I jumped at the sound of the doorbell and pulled myself from my fantasy to answer it. Angel held up a hand in greeting and smiled, and I could’ve sworn he was reading my mind.

“Angel. Hi.” My cheeks flamed in embarrassment.

“Hey, I’m here to pick up the girls.”

I frowned. “Pick them up for what? Did we set something up and I’m just forgetting?”

He opened his mouth just as Lucy pulled up in her big SUV. “Hey,” she called through the open window. “Are they ready?”

Wolverine climbed out of the passenger seat and walked Angel’s bike into my garage as I struggled to remember what day it was.

“I’m sorry. I feel like I forgot to write something down on my calendar. You’ll have to remind me what you’re all here for.”

Angel grinned. “We said we were takin’ the girls to the lake this weekend. Remember?”

I shook my head. “When did we plan this?”

Dakota squeezed past me and went flying off the front porch. “Aunt Lucy, I got my bag packed, but I just remembered…” she paused to catch her breath. “I don’t have a fishing pole. Can I still come?”

“Wait a minute,” I protested. “Everyone knew about this trip, but me?”

“Yeah,” Kate stated flatly from behind me. “Surprise.”

“The girls mentioned having a long weekend, and we thought it’d be fun to get away for a few days. I could’ve sworn we talked about this,” Lucy said with a wince.

“Well, I don’t have a bag packed, but if you’ll just give me a minute—”

Wolverine emerged from the garage with a shake of his head. “Sorry, Celia, you ain’t goin’. Only got room for the girls and Angel this time around.”

“I could drive my own car.”

---