Mack squinted with the accusation, the cop in him always right at the surface. “You mean you were jail bait? Not cool, Courtney, not cool.”

Courtney laughed. “I’ll never tell. Besides, why are you always tryin’ to find a good excuse to arrest me?”

“Uh, because you’re nothin’ but trouble.” It was purely a tease.

A grin pulled up at the corner of Felix’s mouth, and he ran his fingers over Courtney’s arm. “Trouble maker, huh? Do I need to get my cuffs out?”

“I have been a bad girl.”

I could feel the flush coming from Faith beside me, the way she was looking at the porch floor and fighting a grin, peeking up at her best friend.

Satisfaction tightened my chest.

It felt like with each day that passed, I got to watch her come farther out of her shell.

Heal a little more. Even with the possible threat looming over her head, the girl was blossoming again.

Like her spirit had been fed, wilted petals coming alive.

Comfortable in her own skin, in her own home, while her little girl ran and twirled and danced on the lawn. Not a care in the world since she was off living in all her make-believe ones.

That was the only thing I wanted for them.

For them to feel like they could live without fear. Without Faith having to constantly watch over her shoulder.

“So, birthday party next weekend for Mack,” Ian said, grinning at Mack who probably would prefer to let the milestone pass him right on by. Unnoticed.

As if any of us were going to let him forget.

“That’s right. It’s the big one. Thirty.”

I grinned at Mack, who was rubbing his fingers through his beard and grinning as he sat there in his own comfort.

“Getting up there, man,” I told him.

Mack scoffed. “Hardly. Just another day as far as I’m concerned. Besides, the rest of you assholes aren’t far behind me.” He pointed around the circle of us.

“Don’t worry, Mack, we’ll all be there to help you cross over to the other side,” Felix said, lifting his lemonade as if it were a shot.

“Can’t wait,” Mack said, response dry, though there was a smirk behind it.

Everyone seemed to trail off and settle into the rest, a light breeze blowing across the back lawn from the stream at the back, the little bit of cool welcomed after we’d been baking under the rays of the sun for the last six hours.

“Made pretty good progress this morning,” Ian finally said, voice faraway, like he was somewhere in his mind calculating how long it was going to take to get this place whipped into shape.

Fucking forever, that was how long. The porch was barely scratching the surface.

“Going to need to hire a crew,” I said, looking toward the peeling paint on the porch overhead.

“Know some guys,” Felix said. “I did a bunch of construction in the past. I could get you in touch with some guys who could help you out.”

I sat forward. “Really?”

“Sure.”

I glanced at Faith, who sent me one of those wistful, sad smiles.

Like she still couldn’t understand why I wanted to do any of this for her.

Why she deserved it.

When the girl deserved the entire world to be placed at her feet.

Everything I possessed.

I bit those thoughts back, my mind and heart going a direction it couldn’t go. I cleared my throat and broke the connection, swinging my attention back to Felix. “That would be great. If you want to get everyone together Monday morning.”

“Absolutely.”

Faith suddenly shot up. “Where’s Bailey?”

In a second flat, both Mack and I were on our feet, heading down the porch steps.

That feeling swept over me. Something possessive and protective that I was pretty sure could suck the life out of me.

Then I sagged when I saw Bailey coming up around the side of the house, gliding across the lawn, which was hugged by the sprawling rose gardens and the massive house.

She was grinning.

Grinning her sweet little grin, carrying that damned Beast that I half wanted to rip out of her arms and shred, or maybe press my face to it, breathe it in like it might be able to bring us back to that day so I could be that guy I’d wanted to be.

Those thoughts drained just as fast when I realized she was holding a small package with it.

“We got a present!” she sang. “Is for Mommy!”

“Bailey.” Faith flew around me, her steps as urgent as her voice. “You aren’t supposed to go out front by yourself.”

“I didn’t. I stay right here on the grass.” Her brown eyes were wide and emphatic.

Faith sank to her knees in front of her and pulled the box from her hands. “Then where did you get this?” Faith turned it over in her hands, frowning.

There were no markings on the box, but it was taped up.

Bailey looked at her like she was crazy, and she pointed to the edge of the rose garden. “Froms my friend. He was right there.”

Tags: A.L. Jackson Confessions of the Heart Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net