Page 37 of Broken Bodyguard

“Believe me, we wish you could stay. But we’ll be fine. I promise you.”

I drew a deep breath, trying to believe her words.

“Hey Maddie…” I looked around the barren gas station, trying to figure out if I really had the words inside me. Maddie screamed roots, and I’d never had them. But something about her made me want to try growing them. “If there was some chance that I…I don’t know…might come back through Louisville on my way back from Ecuador…”

“Mm-hmm….”

“And I could work it out where I swung by…we don’t need to stay in the cabin, I’m not saying you go back to the cabin or anything…”

She laughed softly, reminding me how I still hadn’t gotten to the damn point.

“Well, Grace would need a few rounds of Twisty Monkey, you know?” I rubbed at the back of my neck. I’d never felt so inarticulate in my entire life. “Maybe we could…you know…I don’t know…”

Now she was full-blown laughing. Atme. “Troy, what are you trying to say? Just spit it out.”

“I…” I drew a deep breath. I’d lived through boot camp, tours of duty, protecting high-profile political figures, and I’d even been involved in a few shoot-outs in my time. Nothing came close to this: admitting to a woman that despite my best efforts, she owned my heart. “I want to make sure you’ll be okay. But it’s more than that. Way more. I know I can’t fix everything…but I want to help you carry the load. I don’t think I can go to Ecuador without knowing that I’m going to see you again as soon as humanly possible.”

The other end of the line was quiet for a moment, but then I heard what sounded like sniffles.

“Troy.” There was so much emotion in her voice. I’d never loved the sound of my name so much from anyone’s lips. “That’s all I want too. I was too afraid to ask. I know you have a busy schedule…I didn’t want to get in the way.”

“You’d never be in the way. Hell, it’s everything else that’s in the way. We’ll figure it out. We will.” The words landed like a hammer. There was no questioning it. We would figure it out because I didn’t want the alternative of not knowing when I’d see her next.

“Yeah. We’ll figure it out.” I could hear the smile in her voice, and see it in my mind’s eye. I was ready to drive back to her parents’ house for one last hug, which she must have been able to sense. “Are you driving north yet?”

“Just finishing up getting gas. I’m about to call Nash with my ETA. Tell my monkey Gracie-bell I miss her already.”

“I will.”

“And I’ll show you how much I miss you already when I call you later from my bedroom.”

Her sweet laughter was cut short by a soft gasp.

“What’s wrong?” The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I turned the engine.

“Oh my God,” Maddie murmured. Nothing about her voice sounded good. “Oh my God you’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Now my gut was a complete knot. “Maddie, what is it?”

“Jericho just showed up.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

MADDIE

“Mommy,isToycoming?”

Grace’s sweet voice broke my concentration as I stared out the bedroom window overlooking the driveway. Jericho’s Lexus blocked all the cars in the driveway from the ridiculous angle he’d parked. I could see the sliver of his dark blond hair from the window as he stood on the porch at the front door.

I slipped my phone into the back pocket of my jeans as Troy had instructed. And then I kicked into gear.

“Honey, I want you to go play.” I didn’t know what Jericho wanted, other than to make my life harder. But both my parents were downstairs. This could still end well. I simply wanted to make sure Grace didn’t suspect anything was amiss for now. But maybe she could already tell.

She whimpered as I guided her out of the bedroom and into the spare room that we’d set up as her play room. “Mommy, what’s happening?”

“Nothing, sweetie.” She had to be sensing my anxiety spike somehow. I drew a deep breath, trying to keep my voice level, carefree. “I just think it’s time to play for now. Can you stay in here and play for a little bit? I want you to color me a tree.”

She blinked up at me with wide, worried eyes. “A tree?”

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