Page 13 of Possessive Bodyguard Summer

Clay’s lips twitched as he fought back a smile. “Can we get inside the house first?”

“Fiiiiiiiine.” she sighed dramatically.

Clay scooted around us and unlocked the door. The moment he pushed it open, I could smell the scent of cinnamon and whatever he cooked for breakfast that morning lingering in the air.

I closed my eyes for just a second and breathed it all in.

No cigarette smoke.

No stale whiskey.

It smelled like…home.

Notmyhome. But a place where love lived within the walls.

Kaleigh kept my hand in hers as she led me through the kitchen. “Daddy burns grilled cheese in here sometimes.”

“I did that once.”

She stopped and looked at him. “Twice.”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing as Kaleigh pulled me along again. She pointed to the living room on our way by. “That’s where we watch princess movies and where Daddy falls asleep when he’s watching hockey.”

“I heard that,” Clay grumbled behind us.

Kaleigh shrugged. “It’s true.”

I laughed out loud.

She led me up the stairs like a girl on a mission. The first door on the right was closed.

“That’s Daddy’s room. Sometimes he lets me have a sleep over with him, but he says big girls sleep in their own beds. Do you think I can sleep over with you sometime?”

“Oh. Uhm. We’ll have to see, okay?” I refused to promise her something I wasn’t sure Clay would agree to.

The door on the left was the bathroom. “Mavy drinks from the toilet sometimes,” Kaleigh giggled.

“Jesus Christ,” Clay whispered behind us. “I swear the damn dog has manners too.”

Kaleigh stepped into the next room on the left. She let go of my hand and held her arms open wide as she spun around. “And this…is my room!”

I stepped inside and couldn't help but smile. The room looked exactly like I’d hoped a little girl's room would.

Soft shades of lavender and white covered the walls. Tiny fairy lights were strung across the headboard of a white bed that wasalmost completely hidden beneath an army of stuffed animals. A bookshelf overflowed with picture books, while a child-sized easel stood proudly in the corner beside a toy kitchen.

Every available surface held evidence that a little girl lived here.

"Kaleigh..." Clay chuckled from the doorway. "Did a tornado come through here while we were gone?"

"Nooo." She looked genuinely offended. "I was playin' before school."

"I can see that."

She ignored him completely and reached for the largest stuffed unicorn on her bed."This is Princess Sparkle Butt."

The unicorn was promptly shoved into my arms.

“Princess Sparkle…” I tried not to laugh.