“No.” My voice is hard and stern. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to make me want you. You don’t get to come in here and wrap your fucking hands around my heart and then just walk out the door taking it with you. You don’t get to do that,” I say again.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice cracks.
Pulling her into my arms, I hug her tight to my chest, burying my face in her neck. “Talk to me, Hollis. Let me help you. I don’t know what we’re up against, but I promise you, baby, you are not in this alone. I can protect you, but I need to know what I’m protecting you from.”
Her tear-filled eyes peer up at me. “I can’t ask you to do that, Colt.”
“You didn’t ask me.” I move her hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ears. “You didn’t ask, and you don’t need to. I’m in this with you, Hollis. I want you in my life. I want you in Milo’s life, but we need to handle whatever this is. Whoever sent that message, are they fucking with you? Is this a real threat? I need to know.”
“It’s real.”
Fuck. That’s what I was afraid of. “Okay. Tonight, after we get home, we’re going to have dinner, spend time with Milo, give him his bath, and put him to bed. Then, you are going to tell me everything. I want to know it all. I can’t protect you if I don’t know.”
“I can stay?”
“Damn right, you’re staying. I never want you to leave. Fuck me, but I never want to let you go. Let me help you, Hollis. Let me get you through this so that we can move forward.”
“Forward?”
“Me, you, and Milo.” I want the three of us to be a family. I know enough to realize that I want her in my life. There is nothing she can tell me that will change that. I just need to know, so I’m aware of what we’re up against. I have to keep them both safe. That’s my main priority. To keep them both safe.
“Okay. Tonight,” she agrees. “I made dinner. It’s in the Crock-Pot.”
“Thank you. Go get ready. I’m going to start the truck and get Milo suited up.”
“I can stay here,” she tries.
“No. You come with me to the gym. If you don’t want to be there, you go to Chase’s with Milo. Those are your choices. At least until I know what we’re dealing with.”
She looks behind her, where Milo is still sleeping peacefully, unaware of the turmoil going on around him. “I want to be with both of you.”
That right there. That’s why I know this woman is worth fighting for. “I guess we can keep him with us at the gym. We have a ton of baby stuff there from Sophia. How was he before he went down? Still fussy?”
“No, he was fine. I think the Tylenol helps and the teething gel.”
“Okay. As long as he’s in a good mood, the two of you can stay at the gym with me. You can hang out in the office that’s set up for the kids.”
“You have an office for the kids?”
“Harrison knows no bounds when it comes to his wife and kids. Chase is going to be the same with Gabby. So, yeah. We have an office for the kids. There’s a bed, changing table, and rocking chair. A TV for cartoons and lots of toys.”
“Okay. I want to do that.”
Leaning in, I kiss her softly. I don’t know what I’m up against. I don’t know who is sending her those messages or why. What I do know is I’ll do everything in my power to make it go away.Chapter 12HollisThere’s a weird tension in the truck that wasn’t there the last time I rode shotgun. Hell, it wasn’t present an hour ago. Damn that website notification. Damn the asshole who has been sending them to me.
A cold shudder of dread runs through my veins.
I should leave. Just the thought of endangering Colton and Milo makes me want to vomit. I thought the creep was just trying to scare me. I never believed he’d actually find me, but now, the messages are getting more and more frequent, and I can’t help but feel like maybe he’s actually getting closer.
Closer to me, means closer to Colton.
And Milo.
My eyes fill with tears again. I try to wipe them away without drawing any attention. Milo has been snoozing since he was bundled up and put in his car seat, the medicine doing wonders for his discomfort. If only a little Tylenol would help my own discomfort right now, but I know that won’t help. Nothing will help.
Except the warmth of Colton’s hand. He reaches over and takes mine, seeming to understand and offering a little bit of comfort. He doesn’t speak, yet holds my hand on top of the console, his coarse thumb gently stroking over my knuckles in a way that brings both solace and an unspoken reminder of the mess I’ve made and the problems I’m causing.