Page 91 of Daniil
That was my compromise with Erik—either I can be a full-time politician or a full-time Protector.No way in hell was I going to do both.Sandor, of course, is the Limaji version of Superman.He oversees the Protectors, coordinating training, identifying potential new members, and coming up with duty shifts.He also works in Parliament as Secretary of Defense.And of course, generally speaking, he and Lennox are full-time parents beyond the help of their nanny.
Courtney sidles up next to me, sliding her hand through my arm.“You have that weird little knot between your brows.I only see it when you’re deep in thought about something.Care to share?”
My knee-jerk reaction to that is to say no.Because I don’t want to worry or scare her.But is that disingenuous considering the trust I’ve asked her to put in me?
“Daniil?”She continues to stare up at me curiously, and I have to remember that Courtney isn’t just a beautiful woman who happens to be the mother of my child.She’s also a skilled soldier who did multiple tours in the Middle East.She’s also trained as a bodyguard and private investigator, so she’s going to sense that something is up.
“I don’t know,” I huff, lifting my hands slightly.“My sixth sense is telling me something is…wrong.”
She doesn’t panic or look alarmed, merely cocks her head slightly.“What part?Our location, the outing in general, or something else?”
“Something else.”I meet her gaze even though we’re both wearing sunglasses.
“What’s going on?”Marcus is another person in my life who’s extremely intuitive.His posture is relaxed but since he’s not wearing sunglasses, I can see that he’s laser-focused on me.And Micah, who seems to be happy in his stroller.
“It’s just a weird feeling,” I admit.“It’s probably nothing.”
Marcus nods and then speaks into his headset.He’s always connected to someone at the palace, and I hear him ask for back-up.I chose to opt out of the ear piece today so I could focus on my family—but I’m wondering if that was a mistake.
“…no, just a lot of people here.If something were to happen, I don’t know that I can protect everyone.”
That’s nonsense since the only person truly in danger would be Micah.Marcus, Courtney, and I can take care of ourselves, and Harlow may not be a bodyguard but she’s been trained on what to do in an emergency just like everyone else who lives and works at the palace.
“Okay, why are we pow-wowing without me?”she demands, joining us.“If something is going on, I deserve to be let in on it.”There are times when she reminds me of Lennox.
“Are we going to go get langos or are we going home?”Courtney asks.“I’m okay with either but I feel like we’re making ourselves stand out by congregating here on the sidewalk.”
“Dax is on his way,” Marcus says.“He’ll be here in ten.Let’s go get some food.If anything seems off, we’ll leave.”
With a decision made, I relax a little, pushing Micah’s stroller and allowing the ladies to walk ahead of us.They’re chatting about what to eat and scanning the line of food trucks, though I see Courtney turning her head from side to side.It’s a casual, natural motion, so you’d miss it if you weren’t looking, but I know she’s on alert.
One of many things I love about this woman.
Love.
I haven’t used that word since Jesper and I got married.
And even then, I didn’t mean it the way I do now.It was casual love, the kind you feel with a good, trusted friend.We were sleeping together, obviously, but that was separate.I’m almost ashamed to admit it was more of a friends-with-benefits arrangement for me, along with that piece of paper that made us legal.I wasn’t cheating—I just wasn’t emotionally invested.
It wasn’t until we had the kids that I realized I wanted out.Erik’s return from the dead gave it to me and I never looked back.Not my finest hour, but I’ve vowed to do better if I got another chance at love.I’d be a better man and partner, no matter who I ended up with.
Which is why I haven’t told Courtney that I fell in love with her almost from the beginning.I didn’t realize it at the time but in retrospect, it’s been love all along.I just needed to come to terms with it before I could tell her.
Now I’m saving the words for the right time—the rightmomentin time.
“Langos for everyone?”Harlow calls over her shoulder.
“I’ll eat the baby’s!”Marcus yells back.“I want mine with bacon.”
“Aren’t you Jewish?”I tease him.
“It’s a cultural thing, not a religious one,” he shoots back, rolling his eyes since we all already know this.I just like to give him shit because he has the appetite of a teenage boy who’s just hit a growth spurt—even though he’s thirty-four.
“You want chicken or ham?”Courtney yells to me.
“Chicken!Two of them!”
She nods, turning back to the food truck.People are starting to line up now, so we’re lucky the girls got in line when they did.The langos truck is always popular, and though it’s not my favorite junk food, I don’t mind it.The ladies seem excited about it, and during an outing like this one, I’ll eat whatever.
