Page 66 of Grumpy Ex's Secret Baby

“I was thinking that you might want a security team around you at all times when you’re out in public. I had these resumes sent over for you to look at.”

Haley raised an eyebrow before nodding and taking over the computer to scroll through the resumes. I watched over her shoulder, only offering my opinion when I saw something that she had missed.

“I don’t know if I want people watching my every move,” she said after looking through the resumes. “Camille thinks that it’ll only be a matter of weeks before we’re left alone. After that, I don’t want to have people following us. I just want to go back to living like normal.”

“I think we can manage that,” I said, kissing her cheek. “But I’m going to do whatever you think we need to do to keep our family safe.”

“I know,” she said, leaning against me and running her fingers through my short beard. “You’re a good man. I’m just scared and don’t know what to think about all of this.”

“Whatever it takes to make you comfortable here, Hales,” I said, pulling her closer to me. “Don’t worry about anything.”

She rolled her eyes.

“I know. That’s like telling you never to breathe again. You have me to share your worry with now. There’s no more of this bearing the burden alone.”

Haley blinked back the tears as she nestled into my embrace. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her familiar perfume.

“What do you say we call your dad and ask him to bring Trinity home for the night?” I asked, pulling back from her slightly. “We could set up a bed in the living room and watch movies until we’re all too tired to stay awake any longer.”

She studied me for a moment, a thousand different emotions flickering across her face.

“You’ve changed a lot over the years,” she said finally.

“So have you.”

If this had happened years ago when we were fresh out of high school, none of this would have been possible. Looking back on those years, we were two very different people who never would have been able to make it work. We had spent most of our time arguing and making up without actually working through anything.

Now, we had learned to trust each other again. We had grown as people. Even if we didn’t get along, there wasn’t a day that I didn’t see her in my future.

Haley grabbed my phone again to call her father. Once she got off the phone, we worked together to drag a large mattress out of the guest room and down the stairs to the living room.

We pushed the couch out of the way and carried the coffee table into another room before dropping the mattress in front of the TV. Haley disappeared into the kitchen to make popcorn while I dragged down all the pillows and blankets I could find.

The moment Trinity came racing through the door, Haley was on her knees in the hallway. I nodded to her father as he dropped off Trinity’s bag before jerking his chin toward the kitchen.

“So,” Harold said softly as he leaned against the counter. “What the hell happens now?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. We take it one day at a time. I propose to Haley. She agrees to marry me, or she tells me to get lost. Either way, I’m here for both of them for the rest of our lives.”

Harold nodded, his lips pressing together. “Good. I always liked you, Tyson.”

I grinned. “I’ve always liked you too.”

Harold laughed and shook his head as he and I walked to the front door. “Take care of them, Tyson, and take care of yourself too. It’s easy to lose yourself in what your family needs, but you can’t lose who you are. It won’t do any of you any favors.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said as he left.

I closed and locked the door behind him before engaging the security system. Once I was sure everything was locked down and safe, I went to join my family in the living room.

Haley and Trinity were wearing matching pajamas and cuddled together on the mattress. I grinned and lay down with them, stuffing a pillow beneath my head. Trinity crawled over to cuddle against my chest, her little head on my pillow.

When I looked up at Haley, she was already watching us, and her eyes were watering. I grinned at her and winked, watching the smile that spread.

“Okay, guys,” Haley said, settling down on the other side of Trinity. “What movie are we watching?”

Trinity was already softly snoring between us. I grinned and ran my fingers through her hair while Haley picked a movie. It would only be a matter of time before she fell asleep too. Her mind had been working overtime for far too long, and I could see the gears finally coming to a stop.

“Get some rest, Hales,” I said softly. “I’ll keep an eye on everyone.”

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