Page 33 of Challenging Her Protector

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Hannah’sflight arrived at four o’clock in the afternoon the next day. She and Iron had left for the airport at noon and had lunch at a café on the way. They’d driven back to Hannah’s home and Branch had gotten her sister situated on the couch. Hannah was now tucked in with a velvety throw blanket and surrounded by pillows, making her look like she was in a giant nest. Her nephew had immediately gone to the kitchen to see if his pizza dough was rising, and she and Iron sat on a love seat by the couch talking to Hannah and Branch. She was so thrilled to see everyone, she forgot the worry that had knotted her stomach over leaving Iron. It probably wasn’t healthy, but she wanted to stay with him. Packing the duffel bag Iron had loaned her earlier had felt a lot like her old life—going through the motions not because she wanted to do something but because someone else expected it of her.

Just then, Collin bounded into the room, a wide grin on his face. He snapped his fingers in front of his eyes, gazing at the movements of his hands. “Who’s making pizza?” he sang out. “Collin and who else?”

A smile quirked Branch’s lip. “That’s my cue,” he said and stood. “Collin and Branch. Here I come.”

Iron cleared his throat and slowly stood. “Make that Collin, Branch, and Iron.” Her heart skipped a beat as he turned to her and smiled. “You two catch up. I’m going to get some tips from the pizza pro in there.”

As the three of them walked down the hall toward the kitchen, Collin’s melodic voice echoed “Branch, is it safe or unsafe to touch a hot oven?” Collin questioned as they walked toward the kitchen.

“Unsafe.”

“That’s correct,” Collin answered. “Iron, safe or unsafe to ask an adult for help handling sharp knives?”

“Safe.” Iron answered and ruffled Collin’s bright red hair.

When they disappeared out of sight, Hannah’s low chuckle caught her attention. “It’s easy to tell what Collin’s working on at school. He’s on a safety kick.” Her sister’s smile, so full of love, made her heart swell. The guilt that had swamped her when Hannah had been hurt trying to help her was overwhelming. Even though it was Regina who had hurt Hannah, she was the one who asked her sister to come to the wedding and help her get away. Iron had lived with that kind of guilt since Scooter died and survived. Despite what he thought, she knew how strong he was. Unbreakable.

“What are you thinking about, Vivi?” Hannah’s soft voice pulled her from her thoughts.

“I was thinking about the loving family you’ve created and how guilty I’ve felt since you’ve been hurt. Then I was thinking about Iron and everything he’s been through. How strong he is.” She met her sister’s gaze and shouldn’t have been surprised to see her eyes filled with understanding.

“I don’t know him well, but I do know that when my friend Sam was struggling, he had no problem loaning her a car free of charge. He’s a great coach and sponsor for Collin’s baseball team. All the men on Branch’s SEAL team have a deep respect for him.” The clang of metal pans and Collin’s laughter echoed from the kitchen.

“He said I could help with the baseball team.” Vivienne couldn’t stop the smile from breaking over her face or the warmth creeping up her cheeks.

Hannah tilted her head slightly, resting her cheek against a pillow. “It sounds like you both grew close.”

She was silent for a moment, wondering how much Iron would want her to share. It struck her that Iron would be more concerned with her sharing what she was comfortable with, not him. “We have. When I’m with him, I feel confident and respected. Like I really can build the life I want. I’m worried that I won’t be able to feel those things away from him, though,” she murmured, embarrassment sweeping over her at her final admission.

“And you’re learning how to stand on your own.” Hannah’s nonjudgmental tone made her comfortable to continue.

“Yes. But Iron gives me the space I need to grow. It’s just nice having him by my side while I do it.” Emotion slammed into her and heat prickled behind her eyelids. Until now, she hadn’t realized how deeply Iron had touched her or how far he’d worked his way into her heart. Her feelings for him far surpassed anything she ever felt for Scott, and those were fleeting and fell away once she realized he’d been playing her all along.

“You want to stay with him. Don’t you?” Hannah’s brows raised.

“Is that crazy? Am I jumping from one situation where I got too comfortable to make changes to another?”

“Vivi, that’s not true. There was nothingcomfortableabout your situation at the estate. I know it’s hard to think of all the reasons you did stay, but I’m sure comfort wasn’t one of them. Conditioning, manipulation, fear, a sense of responsibility perhaps. Even though this was the time you were able to get away, looking back, think of all the times you bought a ticket to come visit me and Collin and then canceled. I bet Mother and Father did their damnedest to coerce or force you to stay.” Hannah leveled her gaze and Vivienne swallowed hard.

Her eyes tingled once again as she remembered all the last-minute reasons why she couldn’t board those flights. Sometimes she’d find her license missing when she knew she’d securely placed it into her wallet the night before, only to have her mother or father find it a few days later and call her careless. Or they’d conveniently find a work engagement to fill her schedule and tell her she’d just forgotten. Then there were times they did force her to stay. She didn’t like to think of those times. She had hated being so out of control in her own life.

Hannah held out her hand, and Vivienne took it, scooting closer to her on the couch. “I’m not going to be another person who tells you what to do. I can offer my advice, which you’re welcome to take with a grain of salt, but at the end of the day, gaining back autonomy and making your own choices is the only way you are going to trust yourself.”

The breath rushed from her lungs, and she gave Hannah’s hand a squeeze. That was at the core of everything she was feeling, wasn’t it? She didn’t trust herself to make the right decisions to support her own well-being, afraid that she’d end back up in a situation where she lacked all control. “That’s exactly it.” She nodded and wiggled closer, still. “And my feelings for Iron are so huge, I don’t trust myself to know if what I feel is real or if it’s a result of our intense time together.”

Hannah nodded and released her hand with a quick squeeze to pull up the blanket around herself. “I was afraid to let Branch in, scared to lose my hard-won independence. Sometimes though, when you’re with the right person they don’t limit you, but help you be the best version of yourself.”

Vivienne tucked her legs up under her on the cushions, angling her body to rest one arm along the back of the couch. “Iron makes me feel like the best version of myself.”

“Then all I can say is whether you choose to stay with Iron or with me, I’m happy you’re here. My house is yours anytime you want it to be.” Hannah smiled and laid her hand on top of hers.

A blur caught her eye, just in time to see Collin bouncing into the room with a large tray. “Who’s going to eat pizza? Collin, Iron, Branch, and who else?” The men trailed behind him, carrying drinks and napkins. The scents of garlic and cheese filled the room, making her stomach growl.

“Definitely me.” Vivienne raised her hand, and Collin let out a shriek of delight. Her chest warmed and she stood up to clear some space on the coffee table for Collin’s tray. Iron moved to her side, taking the items out of her hand. When his fingers brushed against hers in the exchange, goose bumps popped up over her skin.

Collin set down the tray and gave her a wide smile. “Collin’s Pizza Delivery.”

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