Page 27 of Leif

I giggled at the teen’s antics.

Leif gave me a sideways glance. “Hey, it’s important you learn the history,” he told Hitch.

“He’s right, you know,” I said.

“Oh, great, you’re already ganging up on me. Get out of my kitchen.” He shooed us out.

“No more sneaking up on us!” Leif raised his voice, and Hitch responded with all that teenaged snark that typically drove parents mad.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. You guys want your alone time.” He winked at us and Leif made a face.

“Don’t wink when you say that. Why did you wink?” He shook his head, and I held back a grin.

“Was the wink too much?” Hitch glanced at me, a smile on his lips.

“The wink made it gross.” Leif took my hand, threading his fingers with mine.

“Dinner will be ready soon, kids,” Hitch said, walking back into the kitchen.

“He’s a good kid.” I had no worries that things would turn out exactly how they were supposed to. And if that meant I was here at Leif’s side forever, helping him look after this sweet-natured, funny teenager, I could live with that.

Leif nodded, his gaze skipping toward the kitchen. “Don’t say it too loud, he’ll hear you. That kid doesn’t need encouragement.”

I laughed. Maybe it was too soon to think of us as a family, but it felt like we were already a family. And I really liked the sound of that.

Leif kissed me, and the whole world dropped out from under my feet.

Before, I’d never needed a king in the little kingdom I called my life. I was happy to rule all alone. I didn’t need a man. I could be strong on my own. I didn’t need saving.

And Istilldidn’t need to be saved. Sure, maybe he had saved my life, but who knew how things would have played out if he hadn’t shown up? Maybe I would have gotten away on my own. Or maybe my brothers would have found me. It didn’t matter. I could make it on my own.

But the thought of having someone that always had my back, unconditionally?

That sounded good.

Really good.

“So, what do you want to do?” I asked him.

“I want to learn everything about you.” His lips touched mine. “I want to wake up every morning and kiss you.” He kissed me again, and I smiled. “I want to enjoy you, and enjoy the world with you.”

“That sounds great.”

“Are you sure?” He pulled back, worry in his eyes. “It won’t always be easy or pretty.”

He’d said that before, and I wondered what he was so concerned about. “I know. Life is rarely easy or pretty. But I’m badass, remember? I can handle it.”

“Damn right, you are.” He kissed me again, and everything seemed right in the world as we stood there, lost in each other’s arms.

14

Leif

One Week Later

Aweek. We’d spent a week together in the safe house, just being together. Getting to know one another. We’d been a family unit, playing games, cooking together, sharing stories and life experiences. We’d grown close, all of us.

I’d put out feelers to be the first to know if anything changed with her situation. For now, she’d been put on leave until she could complete the required counseling for an officer that had been through psychological trauma. She’d completed the course, but hadn’t been cleared to go back to work.

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