Page 4 of Jasper

He gives her a pointed look. “Really? Because this morning, when you turned the shower to cold while I had soap on my face, you were quite naughty.”

A blush creeps over her cheeks, and she huffs, turning her face into his chest. Cage chuckles, pressing another kiss to the top of her head before stepping back.

“You’ll be back tomorrow, though, right? And we’ll go on a ride to the creek?” Ember asks.

Cage gently pinches her chin and kisses her again. “Yeah, firefly. I’ll be home before you even wake up tomorrow.”

His answer seems to settle her because Ember wraps her arms around him and clings to him like a baby koala and it’s fucking adorable.

Ghost cracks an egg into a bowl and glances back at Cage. “Me, Cass, Dom, and Koda are assigned to stay on the property all day.”

No matter what, we always make sure at least four of us are home at any all times. With the nature of our jobs within The Agency, we want to make sure the girls are protected around the clock.

“Watch over her,” Cage says, giving me and the guys a nod.

“Always,” I reply.

As soon as he leaves, Ember moves to sit at the kitchen island, and not long after, Rowie appears and plops down next to her. They exchange sleepy smiles, and within seconds, the kitchen is filled with their non-stop chatter and laughter.

Ghost leans against the counter, shaking his head. “You look like you’re about to break, man,” he mutters to me.

I shoot him a flat look. “I’m about to lose my sanity to the giggle-fest over there. I’m going on a mission, too. My own mission.”

Cassian raises a brow. “Where to?”

“To find a cup of coffee somewhere quieter,” I say dryly.

Dom and Koda, who have ambled in from the living room, look at the scene with the same wary expression one might give a den of feral cats.

“You sure you want to leave us with this?” Dom grumbles, gesturing at the two girls, who are now plotting some kind of prank that I’m pretty sure involves glitter if I heard them correctly. We really need to stop letting Ember and Rowie hang out with the Irish Mafia girls, in my opinion. Ever since we introduced them all, Ember and Rowie have an obsession with glitter, slime, and fucking silly string. All things I try my best to avoid.

“Yes,” I reply, not even pretending to feel guilty. “I’ll bring you back pastries or something. Try not to burn the house down.”

Ghost just waves me off. “Go on, get out of here. We’ll hold the fort.”

Cassian snorts. “More like survive it.”

I head out the door before anyone can change their mind. As soon as I’m in my truck, the sudden silence hits me like a blessing. I take a deep breath and lean back in the seat for a moment, savoring the reprieve. I’ll never take the girls or my family for granted, but sometimes a bit of peace is nice. Especially when I’m this exhausted. Maybe when I get back, I’ll ask the girls if they want to watch a movie. I’m desperate for some sleep. Even if it means enduring one of those horrible princess movies.

Finally, I start the engine and head down the long, winding road toward town. Once I get to the bottom of the mountain, the café isn’t far away. It’s a place owned by some locals where the baristas already know me by name and have my order memorized. They also don’t try to chat with me when I’m there.

As I pull into the parking lot, part of me feels guilty for leaving. Rowie doesn’t have nightmares as often anymore, but the day after one is usually pretty rough at home, full of meltdowns and emotions. I know they’ll be fine without me, though. We’ve had Rowie in our lives for over fifteen years, and it’s true that she’s come a long way.

Besides, I’m about three decibels away from losing my mind, and the last thing I want is to get snappy with either of the girls when they aren’t doing anything wrong.

2

ARIANA

Another shiver vibrates my bones, pulling me from the light sleep I’ve been fighting since climbing into my lumpy bed. I tug the blankets tighter around my shoulders, but it’s useless. The icy air seeps through the thin metal walls of the camper, biting at my nose and cheeks, making my toes feel like blocks of ice despite being wrapped in three pairs of socks.

Of all the places for my car to crap out on me, it had to be in a town that gets as cold as Antarctica at night. Okay, maybe I’m being dramatic, but seriously, why is it so dang freezing? I didn’t sign up for a polar expedition when I bought this thing. I’d kill for a space heater right now—or, you know, a camper hookup that works.

I glance at the front passenger seat, where I tossed a couple of extra blankets earlier. They’re piled up in a messy heap, taunting me with the promise of warmth. If I want them, I have to crawl out from under the four layers already covering me. Then I’d have to start the process of trying to get warm all over again, and at this rate, I’m not going to get any sleep tonight.

“Fluffy, can you bring me those extra blankets?” I ask, peeking down at my cat. He’s curled up at the foot of the bed, his dark brown and gray coloring blending into the rumpled comforter.

Unimpressed with my request, Fluffy lifts his head and yawns, showing off his sharp teeth before settling back down, curling into an even tighter ball. Apparently, my misery doesn’t concern him.

---