LITMIR.BIZ

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you some cookies so we can keep those numbers going!”

      Jason trailed behind his mom and Caroline. His dad leaned against the porch rail, watching the procession. Their eyes met and he knew what his dad was thinking.

      Could feel his mom’s joy.

      They’d always loved Caroline. Always dreamed of the day he’d bring her home as so much more than a friend.

      Pretty sure they’d never imagined the time he’d bring her home along with her baby as the victims of a crime in need of protective custody.

      But looking at the two of them—his mom cooing and his dad helping Henry give him a little fist bump—he wondered if they cared what the circumstances were.

      She was here.

      He was here.

      For now.

      * * *

      Fifteen minutes later, Caroline left Henry in Mama Drake’s capable hands and stepped onto the back deck. A tiny, screened room where at any time Mama Drake might have a pie cooling, a pitcher of tea that wouldn’t fit in the fridge, or even a slow cooker bubbling with her famous mac and cheese.

      Today, a pound cake tempted her from a pretty plate, and Caroline snagged a slice.

      Jason had always been embarrassed about his home. Starting in middle school, he always wanted to go to her house instead of having her come to his. He’d started apologizing about the lack of channels on the TV or the lack of options in the kitchen.

      Caroline wasn’t so naive not to understand why. No, the Drakes weren’t as well-off as her parents. But it hadn’t mattered to her ever. The Drakes’ home was always warm and welcoming, and while Caroline loved the sprawling home she’d grown up in, there was a coziness about the Drakes’ tightly grouped rooms that couldn’t be duplicated in five thousand square feet.

      Jason hadn’t seen it that way. He’d make little comments about money or status. If she dared to indicate that those things weren’t important, he’d ask her how often she’d tried to live without them.

      She’d refused to apologize for the life she’d been born into. They weren’t wealthy by national standards, but they had more than most. Her parents had always stressed how fortunate they were compared with the majority of the people on the planet. She’d been trained to be thankful, and to feel a sense of responsibility to help those less fortunate.

      But she’d never seen Jason as less fortunate. Their homes hadn’t been similar in size, but they’d been similar in environment. He had two parents who loved him. Granted, there were plenty of problems with his birth father, but after his mom met Papa Drake, he’d always had a warm, clean home filled with light and laughter. A home she’d always been welcomed in. A place she’d never felt like she had to perform or pretend in. She didn’t blame Jason for wanting more, but she wished he could see how much of what truly mattered was already here.

      Caroline leaned against a porch support and closed her eyes. She had to pull it together. Had to find a way to make some sense of this mess. Someone wanted her dead. Why? How could she protect herself and her son?

      “You okay?”

      She turned at Jason’s words and found him watching her through the open kitchen door.

      “I didn’t hear you.”

      “I know.”

      “How long have you been there?”

      “Long enough to see you swipe my dessert.”

      She laughed. “There’s plenty more.”

      He joined her in the small space. “What’s on your mind?”

      She stepped toward him and caught herself. What was she doing? This was a bad idea. She could not let herself get emotionally entangled. Not with anyone, but especially not with Jason Drake. She’d gone down that path.

      She knew how it ended.

      She knew how much it hurt.

      Caroline rocked back on her heels. “Just trying to figure out what’s going on.”

      Jason stared out over the backyard. “Me, too. I need to head out for a little while.”

      “You’ve been with me all day. I’m sure you have other responsibilities, other cases you need to be working on. Go. You don’t have to babysit—”

      “I’m not babysitting you.” His face darkened. “I’m doing my job. You’re a citizen of this community, which I have sworn to protect, and someone is trying to kill you. It is, in fact, my job to be sure that doesn’t happen.”

      He was right, of course. She tried to keep her expression neutral. “I understand, and I appreciate that.”

      He stepped closer, and when she tried to back up, she slammed into a porch column. “Ow.” She rubbed the back of her head.

      Jason didn’t back up or give her the space she’d been seeking. “Are you okay?”

      She nodded, avoiding eye contact. But he didn’t allow that, cupping his hand under her chin and tilting it up until their eyes met.

      “It’s my job to protect you, but it’s also my privilege. I’d be doing it whether I had the badge to make it official or not.” His eyes flashed with intensity as he spoke. “I need to check on a few things and run by the office to get some files that might help us figure out what’s going on.”

      “Okay.” She didn’t trust herself to try to say anything else.

      “Try not to worry. Mom’s thrilled you’re here. Dad’s on alert. There are uniformed officers patrolling the perimeter of the property. I’ll be back before you know it.”

      He stared into her eyes longer than she wanted him to. Her heartbeat pulsed in her ears. One of his eyebrows ticked up, and she had to wonder if in the silence of the porch, he could hear it.

      She needed to get a grip. This wasn’t high school. He wasn’t the best friend she wanted to be more. Given their history, she’d trust him to protect every part of her.

      Except her heart.

      He stepped back, breaking the moment. He winked and turned back to the house.

      She heard him speak to his mom, then his dad.

      Then...Henry?

      Jason’s fondness for Henry was a surprise. He’d never been a big fan of kids, and he’d always said he’d never have any of his own. Said he wouldn’t risk being the kind of father his own birth father was.

      She doubted that had changed.

      He was being kind to Henry because he was a kind man, but that didn’t mean he wanted children. Just like he didn’t want to live in North Carolina.

      She’d built her whole life around her home, her family, her community—and now, her son. She couldn’t let herself forget that it was the kind of life Jason didn’t want. Then, now or ever.

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