Protecting Melissa (Holiday Cove 4)

I smiled to myself as I turned and started back toward the cottage. Jackson was going to love the heck out of his new little brother or sister. The idea of watching him grow into the role of a big brother made me well up with happy tears.

I just hoped Chase would be there to see it as well. As much as we’d shared about each other, I really had no idea whether or not he wanted to settle down. His job as a high end security guard wasn’t exactly the kind of job that meshed well with a simple family life. If we decided to be together—or get married—would he find another career? Could he ever be happy as something normal after a life filled to the brim with heart-pounding, non-stop action, and a nomadic existence that allowed him to travel and explore the globe.

In contrast, my life with Jackson seemed boring. Would he think so too? For the time being, he blended seamlessly into a routine life that started with special pancakes and ended with a nightly bath and bedtime story. But how long would that simplicity hold his attention? Wouldn’t he eventually miss the adrenaline rush of his old life? And then what?

I shook my head, tamping down the new set of questions. They were just as impossible to answer as the ones I’d conjured up in regards to Henry.

I was beginning to feel like I knew nothing about anything.

I stopped and gazed out across the ocean and blew out a frustrated sigh. Powerless, clueless, backed into a corner, and scared to death. Not a good place to be.

“Melissa?”

I jolted at the sound of my name and whipped around to see Chase’s familiar form coming up the beach from the direction of the cottage. “It’s me.”

“What are you doing out here? It’s three in the morning.”

I shrugged as he came to stand beside me. “Couldn’t sleep.”

He brushed a hand up my arm. “Are you cold?”

I nodded. “A little. I was heading back.”

“Come here,” he said, opening his arm to me. I let him draw me against him and melted into his warm body. He was always warm and comfortable. We fit together like puzzle pieces. My shoulders fit snuggly under his arm and there was a perfect place for my head to rest against his chest. That spot was more comfortable than any thousand-dollar pillow back at the mansion in California.

“Are you thinking about what Matt told us?”

I laughed. “Is there anything else to think about? This whole thing is like a really annoying song that’s stuck on repeat inside my head.”

Chase chuckled. “I bet.”

“What do you think I should do?”

Chase sighed and glanced down at me. “I know you don’t like it, but I think we need to get you two home. I’d hate to see O’Keefe spin this and make you suffer any more than you already have.”

I nodded and then dropped my gaze to my hands that were absently wringing together in front of me. I ran one finger along the nail bed of each finger on the opposite hand and then repeated the motion for the other hand. All the nail polish that had been applied by my manicurist a few days before we fled California was chipped away. Mostly because I kept picking at it when I got anxious. Which was all the time.

“I’ll keep you and Jackson safe,” Chase added.

I looked up at him and held his gaze. “You would stay with us too?”

He laughed, surprised by my question. “Of course! Where else would I go?”

“Well…” my voice trailed off and a flare of heat spread across my cheeks.

“Melissa?” Chase tipped my face up with a gentle push on the bottom of my chin. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“It’s just when Matt said he would have a safe house with guards and security you didn’t say you’d be there, so I wasn’t sure.”

“So, what? You thought I would just dump you guys off and wave goodbye? After all of this?”

“I didn’t know what to think. Everything is so mixed up right now. I can’t think straight about anything.”

Chase squeezed me tighter and pressed a kiss to my temple. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“That’s really good to hear.”

We stood there in silence for a while longer, both lost in our own thoughts, but when a breeze kicked up the sand Chase took me by the hand. “Let’s go back to the house. It’s too cold out here.”

“I can’t sleep,” I told him even as we started back to the house.

“Then we’ll make some coffee and watch the sun rise from the porch.”

“That sounds nice,” I agreed. I followed him back to the cottage and we tiptoed inside. The cottage was small and had creaky floors that we had to navigate carefully. Chase made a carafe of coffee and I toasted some sweet bread in the small toaster over on the counter by the fridge.