Page 45 of Broken Bodyguard

“My meniscus was fucked up. You were right.”

She gasped and swatted at my chest while Grace hopped excitedly around us. “See? Don’t doubt me.”

“It was never doubt, baby. Just distraction. You think I’d give up precious seconds with you to go spend it with some ugly dude in a white coat?”

Grace jumped in front of me, wriggling her fingers so I’d pick her up. I scooped her up into my arms and found Maddie beaming at me.

“I’m glad you swallowed your pride and finally went.” She squeezed my bicep. “And now you can heal it, but this means you’re not carrying me anymore. You better listen to your schoolteacher from here on out.”

Fuck. I loved it when she talked like this. “Yes, Miss Maddie.” I couldn’t resist—I dipped down for a kiss. Before I pulled away, I whispered so only she could hear, “But if you won’t let me carry you, this just means that you need to sit on my face instead.”

Her cheeks flushed and she bit at her bottom lip.

Grace squirmed in my arms, giggling. “Mommy and Toy kiss.”

I followed Maddie inside, my gaze coasting over her curves. Now that I was mere feet away from her, it was hard work to keep myself off her. Her parents were just inside the door, which meant they’d probably seen me tonguefuck their daughter.Oops.

“Troy! It’s so good to see you again!” Mrs. Lambert hugged me tightly. When she released me, Mr. Lambert had a hand waiting for me.

“How was South America, son?” The sincerity in his question paired with the sparkle of admiration in his eye did something to the little boy inside me who’d always fantasized about having a stable dad. I didn’t begrudge my father for his mental illness—I’d long accepted him for who he was—but there was something that sparked in that moment. Grace danced in my arms, pumping her fists for “Toy!”

I’d never had the stable dad like Maddie did. And now Grace didn’t either. But maybe I could be something like that role model to this sweet little blondie in my arms.

Even though I had no role model, she was already looking at me with those hearts in her eyes. Jericho hadn’t respected that, or cherished it, but I would.

“South America was awesome. But it’s been a long month,” I told the family as Maddie shed her coat and boots and then helped Grace lose the layers. “I’m glad to be back.”

“We hope you’ll stay here while you’re in town.” Maddie’s mom patted my arm. “Our house is yours. Always.”

“There’s no place I’d rather be.” I brought Maddie’s hand to my lips for a kiss. Because I fucking meant it.

We just needed to figure out a way that we could have more time together than four days every month.

And I had an idea.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

MADDIE

Troytookmeoutto a downtown Louisville restaurant for a “one month-iversary”, as he called it, even though the date had passed while he was down south.

The man had come back tanned and more toned than when he’d left, and to this mid-winter white girl, he looked like a deity. He practically had a halo of sexiness around him, and I had to force myself to stop drooling whenever I looked at him for too long.

This didn’t seem like real life. He was too hot. Too good. There had to be a flaw, and I already knew what it was:too transient.

It was the fear lapping at the edges of my thoughts. I was already thinking ahead, living in the future, trying to figure out what it might feel like after a year of doing the long-distance thing. Would we even be able to keep it up that long? Sure, we’d gotten into a nice groove while he was in South America. But now that routine was changing, and my entire existence hinged on routines. I gulped down the martini that the server had dropped off, eager to drown out my anxieties.

Troy lifted a brow. “Thirsty?”

“Parched.” I sent him a shy smile, and he had the gall to look absolutely enamored. I could have come bare-faced and in my pajamas for this date night and he would probably still look at me like this. My heart pounded in my chest. After so long away from him, battling these intense feelings, I wasn’t sure how to launch this conversation. Partly because I didn’t know what I wanted to say other thanI love you.

And that seemed out of the question.

“Everything okay?” Troy asked it offhandedly as he perused the menu board. This was the type of place to only have a small handful of entrees, printed on parchment and fastened to a piece of upcycled wood. Everything was low lit and wood fired in here. It was absolutely enchanting. I wanted to crawl into Troy’s lap and never leave.

“Yeah. I’m just…” A million potential responses leapt to mind, but none made the leap to my tongue. “I’m trying to figure out what makes sense.”

“Are you thinking of the wagyu?” He set down the menu.

---