Page 71 of Lost and Found

An immediate “of course not” was on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed the words that had come so quickly, just to make sure they were actually true. He’d never lost someone like Bailey had. She and Ryan hadn’t broken up. As far as he knew, they’d been in love. Wes liked what he knew of Ryan, even if he disliked the Cosgroves as an entity. He didn’t want to replace Ryan, and Wes wasn’t even sure what Bailey wanted of him. What next week or next month could look like. But he knew he couldn’t stay away from her.

“I’m good at keeping my work and my personal life separate,” he said. “And I don’t think you would have let last night happen if you weren’t ready for me to be with you.”

“I will never not love him.”

Wes nodded. That should make him jealous or possessive…but it didn’t. “You don’t survive grief by forgetting.”

A careful flicker of agreement shone in her glassy eyes. “I moved forward by accepting this is the life I have. And I have Matt.”

“He’s a great kid,” he offered, thinking of the cute kid with the red glasses.

Her smile brightened. “I love him in a way that I didn’t know was possible. I love being a mom. It’s a bonus that my job is fun, and I like my life.”

Wes wanted her to love her life. “I know I’ve asked you hard questions.”

She sighed, nodding. “Keep asking them. I don’t think Ryan did it, and if I’m wrong… I’ll figure that out later.”

Wes hoped that for her, too. Then he caught himself. He wasn’t supposed to have an opinion. Objectivity was the name of the game. His sole role, and whatever came next… What did come next? He wanted more than a short-term good time from Bailey. She had to set those parameters. Last night had lit his world on fire. But it wasn’t just her.

If he wanted to inch into her life, she had to know he understood it meant their lives. Bailey and Matt. He’d be as involved as she’d let him. God, Wes was so far out of his wheelhouse. “I’ve never been interested in a woman with a child before.”

She faltered, swallowing hard. “I already guessed that all on my own.”

“I said I wasn’t rushing you. But this—you and me—I’m leaning into it, and, when it’s time, if it’s ever time, you can tell me what that means when it comes to your son.”

Her eyelashes fluttered. Her vulnerability cut straight to his soul, and Wes saw he was asking for more than she was ready to give. That was okay. He didn’t actually think the if was part of their equation. More like when, and until then, he respected the way she protected Matt from the unknown.

“Okay. But I don’t know what that would look like right now.”

“I appreciate the honesty.”

She tilted her head, giving him another glimpse of vulnerability he would always protect. “You don’t want me to explain or tell you that I trust you? Because I do.”

He’d never let her down. Not like his parents had failed each other. Not like his ex-fiancée had bailed on him when he needed a partner to lean on. “No.”

“It’s that simple?”

“Should it be complicated?” he asked.

Bailey laughed. “I guess not.”

“Are you finished?” He nodded to the biscuit wrapper she’d crumpled into her hands. His phone vibrated. Reality called. Wes checked the screen. “Dean.” No speakerphone this time. He’d learned that lesson. “Give me a second. I’m going to take this outside.” Where he could keep an eye on her. They hadn’t had a tail, but he was tired of surprises.

Stepping outside, the muggy morning heat rolled over Wes as he answered. “Hey, man. Any update?”

“Yes and no,” Dean jumped in. “Vivian’s going to suggest to Bailey that she temporarily move into a safe house.”

Wes didn’t have to ask why. Her house and hotel room had been broken into, and anonymous demands had been delivered at work. Her job allowed her to work from anywhere. Utilizing a safe house made sense, but Wes disliked that he wasn’t included in the discussion. “Where?”

“Down here. It’s the easiest place to let someone keep an eye on her while you help with the cold case.”

Someone else. That wouldn’t work for him, but he’d made a big enough stink about working with Bailey that Vivian probably thought she was doing him a solid.

Dean was still talking. Wes had missed most of it. He refocused, needing to get ahead of the decision to move Bailey and Matt’s protective watch away from him. “Say that again?”

“Decker or Eli are available.”

Wes clamped his molars. No and no. He trusted both with his life, but neither with his woman. The woman. That woman sitting inside the restaurant, watching him like she could read his mind and kickstarting feelings he hadn’t come across in years.