Page 81 of Home Safe

Danae cocks her head, looking intently in my eyes. “And melting in the summer heat, watching men spit sunflower shells into the stands, and sitting for hours with no set end time?” Although I’m positive these are real grievances for her, a smile plays at the corner of her lips. I remind myself that we’re lying low to halt my instinct to lean in and kiss her.

She sighs. “I guess I see what you’re saying. I can appreciate how other people enjoy the whole experience.”

“Just not you,” I clarify with a chuckle.

She shakes her head, eyes dancing. “But I enjoyyou. That’s enough, right?”

Present circumstances are seriously hindering my vibe, because it’s excruciating to not be able to kiss her senseless in answer to her question.

“More than enough,” I reply, voice husky with the desire I can’t physically express. Danae must read it in my eyes, though, because she winks at me. Which adds gasoline to the desire fire.

Whose idea was it to spend time together in a public location tonight?! I need to have a stern word with that idiot.

Chapter thirty-three

Danae

“Thank you for flying with us today. Welcome home to all the Kansas City locals, and, to everyone visiting this vibrant city, enjoy your stay.”

The captain’s announcement gives the signal to unbuckle seatbelts and fight for inches in the aisle. Jason is still dead asleep, his head resting against the window. The past four days of nonstop fun and baseball wore him out, which means he slept the whole flight home. He’ll be so upset he missed the drink cart, but I wasn’t about to risk startling him awake and gambling on his mood. Thankfully, the sounds of overhead bins opening and voices calling to let loved ones know they’ve landed gently awakens Jason.

We’re not in a huge rush, so I let the aisle clear before I stand to pull out our carry-on suitcases. Jason follows me, and by the time we reach the interior of the airport, he’s back to non-stop chatter about all the fun we had this week. As we make our way to the car, I find myself thankful that Griffin paid for the close parking garage, saving us a shuttle ride. Money can’t buy everything, but it can buy a bypass around herding an energetic ten-year-old through endless rows of parking spaces.

On the drive home, Jason fills every sliver of silence recalling plays from the many games we watched this week. I try to play along with his enthusiasm, asking questions about which games were most excitingor which players were his favorites (aside from Griffin, naturally). I’m genuinely enjoying his lively observations, distracting me as we pull into the parking lot.

The second we get out of the car and close the doors, everything changes.

Cameras, voices, phones, people ambush us all at once. I drop my purse in the chaos, quickly bending to retrieve it and pulling Jason to me. He clings to my waist as I push my way through the mob, leaving our suitcases in the trunk of the car.

“Danae Collins, can you confirm that you’re dating Griffin West?”

“Can you tell us what Griffin is like in a relationship?”

“When did your relationship begin?”

“Are Griffin and Jason close? When is the adoption final?”

The sound of Jason’s name on the lips of a strange reporter sparks an explosion in my mind. Whirling around, I glower at the offender. “Leave us alone,” I bark, trying to keep the tremor of fear out of my voice. Increasing our pace, I lead Jason to the front door, breathing out slowly to still my trembling hand enough to unlock the door.

I double lock the door and pull Jason into a hug.

“What happened?” he asks. “Why are all those people here? How did they know where we live?”

How, indeed.

I can’t tell if Jason’s body is shaking as well, or if he’s caught in the ripple effect of my own panic. “Why don’t you go grab a snack and hang out in your room while I get some things figured out. You can play on the tablet. Would that be okay?” I ask. Thankfully, Jason doesn’t argue, and I quickly check the locks on the back door while he shuffles to the kitchen.

The second his feet hit the stairs, I dial Griffin. Of course, it goes to voicemail. I practically growl with frustration. Dialing Samantha, I cross every finger and toe hoping she’ll answer.

“Danae, what’s up? You guys make it back to KC?”

“There was a crowd of reporters waiting at my townhouse when we pulled in,” I answer in a rush. “They somehow knew that Griffin and I are dating, and they know about Jason’s adoption. HOW DO THEY KNOW ABOUT JASON?” I don’t even attempt to stifle my yell.

Why do they know about Jason? How did they know where we live? What else do they know? Could this hurt my adoption case?My thoughts are yelling louder than I could ever yell at Samantha.

“Oh no. This must have been why Joe was blowing up my phone this morning,” Samantha replies.

“Who’s Joe?” I ask.

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