Page 43 of Saving You

My Bailey.

“You’re not going to talk to her. Like I said, you’re not welcome here. You need to leave before I call the cops.”

His eyes widen, and he lifts his hand and snaps his fingers like he’s just made the world’s biggest discovery. “I knew I recognized you. You’re the officer that showed up when my daughter accidentally called 911,” he says like it’s the juiciest bit of gossip. “What do you think your superiors would say if they knew you’re hanging out at the house of one of the calls you responded to?”

“That call wasn’t an accident,” I say, choosing to ignore his question.

He takes a step towards me and as he does, the guys move in closer, silently supporting whatever move I decide to make. Derek stops in his tracks as his eyes bounce between the four of us. None of us are exactly small, and there is no way he could take on all of us.

“This isn’t over,” he spits. “Let that little whore know that she’ll be mine again.”

I snap, grabbing him by the collar and holding him against my truck. “Don’t you ever disrespect her like that again,” I growl in his face. “I also don’t recommend threatening her in front of me, either.”

I lean forward so my head is beside his and lower my voice so only he can hear me. “I may be sworn to uphold the law, but you don’t want to see just how quickly I’d be willing to break any and every law to protect those two girls. I served. I have all the training to back me up. So, I recommend you climb your ass back into your car and drive away before I show you just how serious I am.”

I shrug off of him and take a step back, allowing him just enough space to slide out from between me and the truck. I watch as he climbs into his car and peels down the street. It’s not until I can no longer see his brake lights that I turn back towards the house. Climbing up the stairs, I unlock the front door with Bailey’s keys that are still stashed in my jeans pockets.

“Bails, it’s me,” I call as I make my way up the stairs. I head straight for Bailey’s room and slowly push the door open. “Bailey, it’s me. He’s gone.”

Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I see she had positioned them in the corner of the room behind the door so she could see the entire room and would be hidden from anyone who enters.

It hits me like a stab to the gut that she knows that tactic. No person should have to know to do that to protect themselves. I fall to my knees in front of them and pull them both straight into my chest. We stay like that for a few minutes, just holding each other.

When I pull back, I meet Charlie’s scared eyes and I crack even more.

“Is Daddy going to hurt Mommy again?” she whispers.

I hold her face on either side, making direct eye contact with her. “Little Bear, I promise I will do everything I can to protect you and your mom. I promise I will always do my best to make sure that nothing happens to either of you.”

I kiss her forehead, keeping my lips pressed there as I try not to let my tears fall. I’m not a crier, never have been, but these two have me doing things I never in my life thought I would.

I move back and rest on my ankles, forcing a smile onto my face. “Now why don’t we go back tomy place and order pizza for dinner?”

They both nod, and we get up. We make sure we have everything, and I do another walk-through of the house to make sure all the windows and doors are closed and locked. When that’s done, we gather on the lawn. The guys all push off my truck as we make our way towards it.

“Thanks guys, I appreciate you being here.”

They all say, “Of course,” and “Anytime,” before hopping into their own cars and heading out. I text Bailey my address so she has it in her GPS, but she follows behind me the entire way. I religiously check my rearview mirror to make sure she’s there. The tension in my body doesn’t start to ease until we pull up outside my place.

I round the truck and grab their bags. Before unlocking the front door, I say, “My dog Finn is inside. He’s big, but he’s friendly and I’m sure he’s going to love the company. I guess I should have asked if you’re allergic.”

“Nope,” Bailey says as she shakes her head.

Charlie looks at me with a wide smile. “You have a dog?”

“Yup. He’s a black lab. His name is Finn. He loves treats, pets, and walks.”

An excited squeal escapes Charlie. As I put my key into the lock, I hear Finn’s excited paws on the other side of the door. I push open the door and usher them in, locking the front door behind us. Charlie is immediately loving on Finn, and he’s licking her face.

I take in my living room and am thankful I took yesterday to do a deep clean, otherwise, there would be dust everywhere. I may also be guilty of leaving my socks in the living room after a long day of work. I lead the girls up the stairs, Finn following, and into the guest room that’s set up. I have three bedrooms, but I only have one set up and ready for guests.

I push open the door and take their bags to the bed. Finn runs and jumps on the bed.

“Finn, down.”

He looks at me, tilting his head, but I just continue to stare at him. He relents and jumps off the bed. I lead him into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

“Sorry about that. If he does it again, just kick him off and close the door. He likes to sleep on my bed, so he’s used to just jumping up.”

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