Intense

I followed him out of the room and back down the hall. We got into the elevator, rode it down to the bottom, and went out to the parking lot.

I frowned at his ridiculous car. “Did you really have to get one of these?” I asked him.

“Yes,” he said very seriously, “I absolutely did.”

“Makes it hard to transport an infant.”

“I didn’t know I’d be driving around a baby.”

“Yes, you did,” I grumbled. “You just wanted a fast car.”

“Damn right I did.”

I got Mason situated in the back seat and climbed up front as Emory fired up the engine. He grinned at me as he pulled out of the parking lot, driving way too fast.

“Slow down!” I said, surprised.

“Relax, princess,” he said. “I have training for this.”

“Still, there’s a baby back there.”

“There is?” He revved the engine and passed a car on the shoulder. “I guess I forgot.”

I glanced back at Mason, and he seemed to be loving the speed.

“You two are awful,” I said, but I couldn’t help but smile.

He looked in the rearview mirror. “Your mom is just jealous,” he said to Mason. “She wishes she could handle this speed.”

“I can handle it. I just choose not to.”

“Sounds like denial to me.”

We sped through town, a grin on Emory’s face. I knew that if I hadn’t said anything, he probably would have driven much slower and carefully, but he clearly wanted to push my buttons, and I knew I was letting him.

I couldn’t help it. He was just so cocky, such an asshole. He seemed to think the world revolved around him. I was only in this mess at all because of that cocky confidence to begin with. The least he could do was drive normally.

We got to my parents’ house not long after. He pulled into the driveway and parked behind my dad’s car. I got out and started unhooking Mason’s car seat.

“I’ll be back,” Emory said, and walked off.

“Okay,” I said, but he didn’t hear me. He had already walked off, cutting across the lawn.

I shook my head. He wasn’t exactly good at telling me what he was planning. I watched him disappear behind some hedges and went back to getting Mason situated.

It took me a few minutes, but finally I lugged Mason in his car seat through the front door. Dad was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the paper, and Mom was nowhere in sight.

“Morning, honey,” Dad said. “How are you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Sleep okay?”

“Yeah,” I said. “His room is really nice.”

He gave me a look. “You two didn’t have sex, did you?”

“Dad!”

“What? I just want to know what to expect here.”

“No, Dad, we didn’t have sex. Oh my god, please don’t say that again.”

I shook my head and sat down across from him. He wasn’t normally so gross, but this whole situation clearly had him put off his normal game.

I couldn’t blame him. It had me all over the place too. But at least I wasn’t talking to him about sex.

Mercifully, Mom came downstairs a second later. “Morning, honey,” she said.

“Morning, Mom. How was it here last night?”

She shrugged. “Fine. Nothing new.”

“No terrorists here,” Dad said.

I gave him a look and then turned back to Mom. “Did you guys meet Cooper?”

“Who?”

“He was watching you last night. Or maybe it was Travis?”

Dad shook his head and looked annoyed. “Nobody came to the house. I didn’t even think anyone was really watching us.”

“Good,” I said. “Good. You shouldn’t be bothered by this.”

“Not bothered by terrorists. Of course not.”

Just then, the front door opened. I stood up as Emory came down the hall.

“Not knocking?” Dad muttered, but I ignored him.

“Morning all,” Emory said.

“Good morning, Emory. Would you like something to eat?”

“No, thank you, Mrs. Bright.”

“Please, call me Celine.”

“Okay then, Celine.”

“And call him Roger, even if he tells you not to.”

Dad just grunted and went back to reading the paper.

“Anything going on out there?” I asked Emory.

“Nothing. Cooper is running a sweep of the area right now. Did anyone bother you folks last night?”

“Nope. All quiet here,” Mom reported.

“Good,” Emory said. “You tell me if anyone bugs you. They report to me.”

“Of course they do,” Dad said. “You’re, what, their general?”