Page 59 of Merciless Protector

Shawn came over to stand by me. “We’re leaving.”

Lizzy pouted. “Will we see you again?” she asked her brother. Something unspoken was exchanged between them. Lizzy amended her offer by turning to me. “How about lunch tomorrow? You and me and I’ll bring Bailey. She’s dying to meet you.”

I blurted, “Sure,” before I put any real thought into why Shawn was bowing out of lunch.

“Girls’ thing,” Connor said to Shawn as if to absolve him.

“Oh,” Shawn began. “I bought something for my nephew. It’s a shirt with devil’s horns, and it says, My dad drew horns on me.”

“It’s super cute,” I added.

Lizzy and Connor laughed until Shawn said, “And I got this onesie that says, Not a Spare.”

Connor glanced at his wife. She said, “I planned to tell you.”

Shawn, with a look of remorse, said, “Oh, I didn’t know you didn’t know.”

Connor fingered the diamond collar around Lizzy’s neck. “I think you wanted to be bad.”

She said, “Maybe.” And I swore she said Sir, but I couldn’t be sure.

“Time to go,” Shawn announced and led us out of the apartment.

Surprisingly, the same driver that dropped us off was waiting. We didn’t talk about anything personal, as we would have been overheard.

“I wish I could have seen your nephew,” I said, breaking the silence.

Shawn’s face lit up. “He’s a little devil, but I love that guy like you wouldn’t believe.”

“He gives his parents hell, huh?”

He chuckled. “He does. His answer to everything is no, and it’s hilarious.”

“Doesn’t sound fun to his parents.”

His eyes twinkled. “You just have to figure out questions with negative responses that get you what you want. Like, you don’t want to stay awake, do you?” He laughed again. “It’s fun to watch when he realizes he’s not getting his way. He grins and laughs but gives in.”

He was probably more ready for this parent thing than he realized and my heart warms.

We drove through Times Square so I could see it at night. It was just like you see on TV, lights everywhere with crowds. I chose not to get out and walk, preferring to get back to our home base.

When we arrived back at the SoHo apartment, Shawn pinned me to the wall and kissed me breathless.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” he said.

“Yeah,” I said and teasingly walked away from him.

“Did you enjoy the day?” he asked.

Over my shoulder, I coyly said, “For the most part.”

His face changed. “I hate how my father ruined the evening.”

I faced him now. “Tried to. I refuse to let the man steal my joy.”

He caught up with me and snagged my hand. “I wanted to kill him.”

I reached up and put my hand on his cheek. “He’s not worth the consequences.”

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