Her baby was safe,and Cayla didn’t think she could ever let her go again. Not so long as her father was walking free.
Maddie, however, had other ideas. After returning Cayla’s hug, she squirmed. “Can I watch ‘Honey, Honey,’ Mama?”
The grown-ups had so much to discuss that these little ears didn’t need to hear. If that meant indulging her daughter’s love for ABBA, so be it. “Sure, Munchkin.”
“Yay!” Maddie wriggled free and made a beeline for the living room, bringing back the remote to Donna’s smart TV.
Cayla pulled up YouTube and navigated to the curated playlist she’d made of all the musical numbers from the movie version of Mamma Mia!. If Maddie didn’t get hungry, it would buy them about half an hour to figure out what the hell they were doing next. She was already singing—or rather, bellowing—along with the opening number as Cayla joined the others in the kitchen.
Holt’s gaze flicked toward the living room. “Mamma Mia!?”
“Just the musical numbers. She’s still too young to understand the context of the story, and she really, really loves ABBA.”
“So, what exactly is going on?” Brax asked. “I’m happy to help play bodyguard, but I’d like to know what I’m guarding against.”
Knowing Maddie was safe in the next room, Cayla was calm enough to plan. She could do this. Planning was what she did best. It just rarely involved such drastic prospective consequences.
“Because we don’t have time for anything else, the short version is that my ex-husband, who I was instrumental in sending to prison nearly six years ago, apparently had his conviction overturned on an appeal and is out. He showed up at my office this morning and intimated he’s coming after custody of Maddie.”
Donna pressed a hand to her mouth. “Oh, my God. How on earth did he get out?”
Holt crossed his arms. “I had my buddy check into it. Looks like the appeal won based on some kind of technicality. There’ll be a retrial at some point, but he’s walking around free until then.”
So there’d be a retrial. That was good. That meant there was a good possibility he’d be sent away again. But she couldn’t rely on that hope in the meantime.
“He was already good and angry that I divorced him, but he looked practically apoplectic when Holt said we were married.”
Donna blinked. “When he said what now?”
Holt shifted, color creeping up the back of his neck. “I kinda barged in and said I was her husband. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“Oh, my.” The look on Donna’s face said she found the idea of it romantic.
Cayla couldn’t even begin to deal with that, so she just rolled on. “If he were any normal guy, maybe that kind of territory marking would’ve worked. But he’s not. When the lie comes out… I don’t know what kind of damage it will do.”
Holt met her gaze from across the kitchen. “It’s only a problem if it stays a lie.”
She stared at him, his blurted proposal at her office coming back. She hadn’t responded in the moment because she’d thought it was just another impulsive remark, like claiming to be her husband when faced with the threat of her ex. But she’d learned enough of this man over the past few months to understand he wasn’t impulsive. “You were serious?”
“Think about it. For the foreseeable future, you two need a bodyguard, at the very minimum. If he goes for custody, how much better will it look to a judge if Maddie’s in a stable family unit, with someone who served honorably in the military, as opposed to a former felon?” He just stood there, calm and composed, as if they were discussing a social media campaign for the bakery instead of life-altering decisions that involved manufacturing a marriage out of next to thin air.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“I mean, it’s out there, but it’s not the craziest idea,” Brax put in. “The whole decorated war hero, with the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart, would definitely look better than your ex.”
In their interactions thus far, Holt had never said a word about his service, other than to confirm he’d been a Ranger in the Army. At Brax’s casual agreement, he fidgeted, as if uncomfortable with the acknowledgment of his heroism. There was probably some appropriate response to that, but damned if Cayla could figure out what it was. Instead, she took another long breath, considering her words.
“Holt, I really appreciate you showing up today and offering to do this, but we can’t just get married.”
She glanced at Donna, looking for a voice of reason to back her up.
“I think it’s a good idea.”
Was she the only one here who hadn’t sustained some kind of head injury? “Are you kidding?”
Her mother shrugged. “I think Holt’s right on all fronts. And I’d certainly feel a whole lot better if he was there to protect you.”
So would Cayla, but there was a hell of a lot of difference between having a bodyguard and acquiring a new husband.
If Holt was offended that she didn’t just jump at his offer, he didn’t show it. His expression remained easy and calm. “Can I speak to you in private for a minute?”
The two of them stepped outside to the back porch, looking out at the slope of lawn that was already popping with blooms of spring color from the ramble of beds along the edges. She’d helped plant most of these beds. Had helped tend them over the years. She wanted her daughter to be able to do the same. And that meant keeping her from her father at all costs. But could she really go through with this lunatic scheme?
“Look, I know you’re not looking for a husband. I’m sure after what you went through with Arthur, you’re a little gun shy. That’s completely understandable. I’ve got no interest in trying to control you. I’m not doing this to manipulate you into a relationship you don’t want. I truly just want to help. To keep both of you safe. Because I partly got you into this mess. And because I don’t want to see the light in either of you go out.” He took a step closer, those blue eyes searching hers. “Let me help fix it and protect you both in the process.”
Cayla wasn’t afraid of him. He was a good man. One who’d paid attention and thought of some of the concerns she had swimming somewhere under the disbelief. And it wasn’t as if she wasn’t attracted to him. Marriage to Holt Steele wasn’t a horrifying proposition. Quite the opposite, in fact. And that was part of the problem. She didn’t know if she could give herself over to the ruse without getting in way over her head.
But her potential for a broken heart didn’t matter. Not it if meant keeping Maddie safe.
“I cannot believe I’m asking this.” She scooped a hand through her hair. “For how long?”
“As long as it takes.” His absolute lack of hesitation told her he was decided, and if she accepted him, he’d see it through, no matter what. She appreciated his conviction.
“Why would you do this?”
He looked away for a moment, scanning the yard, collecting his thoughts. Then he leaned back against the porch rail and absently rubbed at his bad leg. “Because you raised a kid who unhesitatingly kissed the world’s biggest booboo instead of shying away like I’m some kind of monster.”
Holt’s running blade had been a surprise to them both that day they’d stopped by the bakery unannounced. Cayla hadn’t known he was an amputee. It certainly didn’t slow him down any. In that moment, she’d seen nothing but his unfathomable strength, not a man who was somehow less.
Was that what he thought of himself? What he believed others thought of him? Heart twisting, Cayla stepped into him, cupping his jaw and bringing his eyes back to hers. “There is nothing monstrous about you.”
His hands curved around her hips, his eyes filling with heat and something else she couldn’t read. They held there, a breath apart, for a dozen heartbeats. She dropped her gaze to his mouth, set in its habitual serious line. The mouth that had starred in more than one of her fantasies.
Holt sucked in a breath, the only sign he wasn’t on a completely even keel. “I’ve spent my career protecting the innocent. I won’t let him get to either of you.”
Cayla believed him. Absolutely and without reservation. He’d do whatever was necessary to keep Maddie safe. So would she.
“Okay.”
He didn’t ask if she was sure. He just nodded and tugged her back inside the house.
Donna and Brax both raised their brows in question.
“We’re getting married.” Cayla uttered the words with a sense of unreality. She hadn’t imagined saying them again at all, let alone under these circumstances.
Her mother exhaled a sigh of relief.
“When?” Brax asked.
“As soon as possible,” Holt answered.
“Tennessee has no waiting period for marriage licenses. We can do the paperwork and get a license this afternoon. I can call and find out if the judge has any openings for weddings.” A courthouse wedding was about as far as it was possible to get from the society extravaganza of her first wedding. Cayla was okay with that.
“You’re going to need rings.” Donna lifted something off the counter. “They may need sizing, but these were your grandparents’ wedding rings.”
Emotion rose in Cayla’s throat. “Mama.”
“They’d approve of you marrying a good man to help protect your little girl. So do I.”
Oh hell, she was going to cry again.
Donna clapped her hands. “Now, there’s a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it. Brax, you call the courthouse and ask about appointments. If the judge isn’t available, Reverend Hodgson owes me a favor. Or we can go on to Johnson City. That might be better to keep this a little quieter. Holt, do you have a suit?”
“Uh, yes, ma’am.”
“You’ll need to pick it up. Cayla, you’re going to need a dress.”
As she continued to reel off details and snap out orders, Holt only stared. “Well, I guess you come by it honestly.”