Page 16 of From the Shadows

JESS

Well into the afternoon, my new bestie and I are tucked into the couch with our drinks, blankies, and some outrageous snacks, if I do say so myself. And I do, because damn.

I don’t know when Eddie’s meeting is supposed to end, but the idea that he mentioned something about done by lunch or around lunchtime is stuck in my brain.

So I filled our morning absolutely full, squeezing in everything I could think of on the spot to entertain a… Hmm, I don’t really even know how old this kiddo is. One? More like two, I think. Probably not three yet. But homegirl is fading fast. Her long dark lashes are getting heavy, each blink taking longer than the last to complete the cycle.

Did I Google to see if that’s normal? Yes. Yes, I did because I have no experience with this and I don’t want to mess this up. Evidently, it’s nap time. Which I can totally get behind because who doesn’t love a nap on a rainy afternoon?

Lunch is way back in the rearview mirror for the day, so I figure Eddie got hung… up. I text him the code to the back door and tell him to just let himself in. Evie and I are far too comfy to hoist our asses off the couch to unlock the door. And as she snuggles in tight and her eyes finally close, mine get just a little bit heavy too.

When the little bitty bug starts to stir, it’s pushing well into evening.

“Come here, sweet girl. Did you have a good rest?” Nap might be a bad word in her crowd, so I choose my words even more carefully.

Evie, blinks her big gray eyes at me, scrubbing a tiny fist farther into one than I’m comfortable with. But it’s her body; she must know if it hurts… right? “Daddy?”

“He’ll be back soon, sweets.” I brush the hair back from her face, noting each and every feature that perfectly matches her father’s. She’s beautiful, and I’m biased, but what the hell? “Are you hungry after that big sleep?”

I wrack my brain trying to think of what I can make with the meager offerings in my fridge that a little kid might like. My garden isn’t producing yet, so my veggies are meager and mostly store-bought. I hate that.

As gently as I can, I ease myself out from under her and stretch my arms over my head. I’m stiff from sitting, tired from doing nothing, and hungry from snacking all day. Life is weird.

I refill Evie’s cup and slide that back to her then compile the ingredients for dinner. Cleaning and slicing vegetables may occupy my hands, but my mind is free to wander. And that can be a real adventure. What if Eddie got called to the estate so they could take him out? What if he was targeted? What if… What if Evie’s mom taking off was a ploy to get him to look for her, and he was nabbed and driven to a remote location and… and…

And I need to get ahold of myself.

My phone has sat in silence on the counter all day. No buzzing. No dinging. No notifications. Nothing. But I haven’t reached out either. That’s not right. I should have been sending him updates, probably. Little glimpses into his daughter’s day since this is the first time we’ve even met. Jesus, I’m an idiot.

I shove the baking sheet into the hot oven and snag my phone. The picture I capture of his girl is honestly amazing. Slouched in the center of the couch, the decorative pillow she fell in love with this morning clutched in one arm, her sippy cup in the other, and her left leg held high, straight up in the air. Who knows why, kids are wild.

I hit send and seconds later, the lock on my door whirs and disengages, admitting the man every female in this house is dying to see.

Granted, there are only two of us and one is his daughter, but the man is highly sought after here.

Evie drops everything and launches herself off the couch, sprinting across the room as fast as her little legs can manage, just to get swooped up into Eddie’s arms and showered with kisses.

Same, girl. Same.

If I were not an upstanding, responsible adult, and my competition was anyone other than his most precious kid, I’d have blown past her to get that attention.

But I am.

And it’s not.

So I didn’t. But I would do absolutely anything else for it.

“I’m so sorry. That was… it went way longer than I thought it would. Longer than Christophe indicated. It was a fu— mess. It was big mess that not a single one of us was ready for.”

Evie runs her chubby little hands all over his face as he talks. Patting his cheeks, pulling his beard, sliding her fingers through the hair falling forward around his face. Each time her hand gets close to his mouth he nips at her, sending the little girl into fits of laughter.

It’s darling. Totally melting my heart and sending it racing at the same time.

“So, am I on deck? Do I have a location or am I just on standby?” Dinner is cooking. It won’t take long for it to be ready, and they are welcome to stay if I have to bounce before then. My van is stocked and ready to go and…

“Not at that stage yet.” He inhales deeply, and I wait, holding my breath for the beautiful sigh. Instead, he asks, “What smells so good?”

Whiplash, man. And kind of a letdown if I’m honest.