Page 27 of Securing His Family

“Charlee, that’s enough,” Lauren said firmly. “This is our first night in Reed’s house, and only because of that, I’ll give in and we can order food, but I don’t want you to think all you have to do is pout and you’ll get your own way. You know better than that.”

Before his eyes, Charlee’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry, Mummy, but I was just so excited. I’ve got my own room.”

Lauren flinched at the flyaway comment, and Reed didn’t need to be a genius to know she believed she’d failed her daughter because she hadn’t been able to provide her with something most kids had.

“I know. It’s been an exciting day all round.” Lauren pulled Charlee into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

Reed was impressed. Lauren diffused the situation while also teaching a lesson to her daughter. No way did he think that all parenting situations could be resolved so easily. Heck, he and Ben had been loud and boisterous, causing their parents no end of stress with some of the things they’d gotten up to. Next time might not be so easy.

“Okay. Let me get the menu. They woodfire the pizzas where I normally get them from and they’re delicious.”

“Woodfire? What’s that?” Charlee asked her nose scrunching in the most adorable way.

Reed explained it to her as they made their way to the kitchen. He grabbed his phone and pulled up the shop’s website. “What toppings do you want? I know you normally have cheese, and we can do that, but if you’d like ham, bacon, pepperoni or even pineapple we can add that.”

“Eww not pineapple. I don’t like pineapple,” Charlee declared.

“How about you Lauren, what do you want?” When his gaze collided with hers, tears made her blue irises brighter than normal. Immediately he got up and went over to her. “Are you okay?” He pitched his voice low so that Charlee didn’t hear and get distressed that her mum was upset.

“I’m okay. You’re so patient with her. Have you been around a lot of kids?”

“No, I’ve just watched how you’ve interacted with her. The way she is with you. You don’t talk down to her or treat her like she needs everything dumbed down. You talk to her in a way that she can understand but isn’t too over complicated.”

“You can’t be real,” Lauren whispered.

“I assure you I’m very real. I’m just me. What you see is what you get. Everything will be okay, you’ll see.”

He wanted to take away the stress from her. Wanted to make it all go away, but it wasn’t that easy. They didn’t know Patrick’s end game, and until they did, they were working blind.

The message from sending the photos to both him and Lauren were clear—Patrick could find them wherever they went. Even with all the security he had and the fact that Wilt had connected it to Power’s system, there was still the risk that something could happen. Until Patrick was contained he would need to be alert and call on all his training to protect the mum and daughter in his house. Ones who were becoming more and more important to him with every passing moment.

ChapterTwelve

Lauren wasn’t used to waking up in a room that her daughter wasn’t in, but she had to admit she loved being able to spread out in the queen bed. It was a luxury she didn’t think she’d be able to afford any time soon.

Initially she’d been reluctant to move in with Reed, not that she was living with him in the sense that they were a couple and this was the next step for them, but now that she was here, she didn’t want to leave. Not that she’d tell Reed that. As it was, she was surprised he hadn’t kicked her and Charlee out with the way her daughter constantly asked him question after question.

Not once had he lost his temper, and the words Lauren had said to him that first night, that he couldn’t be real, still rang through her head. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop and for him to say enough was enough and send her back to her little house.

Sally and Terence had been sad, angry and worried all at the same time when she’d knocked on their door and explained the situation about Patrick and having to move out. Not only for her safety but for their safety. The last thing she wanted was for Patrick to do anything to them. Hurt the sweet couple just because she lived on their property.

The sound of Charlee’s chatter reached her, and she tossed the covers off. Grabbing the oversized sweater she normally wore over her pajamas, she put it on and got out of bed. It was a school day and she needed to get up so that Charlee could get to school on time, and then, she didn’t know what she was going to do. Today was her day off from the café, and before moving in with Reed, she used to use the time to give the house a thorough clean from top to bottom and then she would shop, and by the time she’d done all of that it was time to get her daughter from school.

Today, though, she had no idea what she was going to do. Reed would be at work, so she’d be alone. If she offered to clean Reed’s house, he’d give her that steely I’m-a-special-forces-soldier look and tell her that he didn’t expect her to do that, like he had the first time she’d offered, which was about three days after she and Charlee had moved in.

As much as she tried to get Charlee to tidy up after herself, her daughter was reveling in the freedom of having a lot of room and so she was leaving things everywhere. Not that she had a lot, but enough to make Reed’s house look cluttered and messy.

Lauren walked into the kitchen and almost swallowed her tongue. Reed was leaning against the counter, shirtless, his hard bare chest on display. He had a six pack and one of those enticing ‘v’s’ that drew her eye and had her trying to picture what rested below the low-slung shorts he wore.

“Hi Mum! Reed went to PT this morning. I asked if I could go next time, like he said I could one day, but he said not yet.”

“You left us alone?” She couldn’t keep the accusation out of her tone.

He slowly put the glass he was drinking from down and came over to her. “Do you really think I’d do that?” he asked mildly.

This close, she had a front row view of his chest, and the ripples of his six-pack were within touching distance. All she had to do was reach out and she could run her fingers down the grooves.

Focus Lauren that’s not what you’re here for.

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