Chapter Five

***C.Rash***

I'm not alone anymore . The mere whisper of words slides through my damn heart and makes all different kinds of emotions pour out. The need to protect and comfort her is sky high. This woman has faced so much shit on her own and had to keep herself standing and raise a little boy along with it.

"Never again," I vow. "I'm right here, Mags. I swear you'll never have to face anything alone again."

Her arms tighten around me and this time satisfaction flows through me. She accepts my words. And I know trust takes time, but the way we connected when we first met shows we're compatible on many levels. I mean, we have a kid to prove our bodies bonded.

The reminder of Pokey's words and how he too managed to fix things with his old lady and have been together many years since…everything gives me the reassurance I can do this. I want this. I fucking need this. And I will make it right. Even if no one is to blame for missing out on both of their lives; I need to do this for all of us.

I place a kiss on the top of her head and pull her slightly away from my body. "Can you fix us some coffee while I deal with the mess outside?"

She nods and wipes her face with the back of her hand. "Yeah, sure. I can do that."

"And I'm gonna need one of those damn cookies if you have one left," I tell her and get the result I was going for when she snorts a laugh.

She points at a cabinet and says, "Cleaning stuff is in there. I'll have coffee and a cookie waiting for you."

"Thanks, Mags."

Her eyebrows scrunch up adorably and she grumbles, "That's twice you called me Mags. People never call me Mags. Mag…maybe my mother every now and then, never Mags."

I shrug and simply say, "I like it." I head for the door and throw over my shoulder, "Don't forget about the cookie, Mags ."

The soft snort that fills the air makes the corner of my mouth twitch. Yeah, she's a fighter all right. Everything she went through screams she's a strong woman. I remember my mother being one, my sisters too. Not to mention all of the old ladies my brothers have. Though, I also remember very vividly how everyone has their breaking point. And for damn sure I won't allow for it to happen to her. I will have her back, whatever comes our way.

It takes some time to safely tuck away the dead birds and then clean the window. I try to search for some footprints with the help of a flashlight but I don't see anything. I wish I would have got here sooner; I would have installed the security system along with the cameras. I guess I'm going to wake up at the crack of dawn to get it done; I need eyes everywhere to nail this fucker.

My phone rings when I'm finishing up and I see it's Casey. "Hey, any news?"

"I'm at the door, want to let me in or are we discussing this on the porch?" Casey says and it surprises me to hear he's here.

I stalk over to the door and open up for him. "Come on in."

He holds up a file. "Are you sure?"

I give him a nod and he strolls in so I can lock the door behind him.

"I don't want her kept in the dark about this." I take a deep breath. "She has a son, he's mine."

Casey blinks slowly and says, "Come again, VP?"

The corner of my mouth twitches. "Remember the story I've told a few times; about the one time I forget to wrap up?"

"You're kidding me? You found the one who got away?"

"Great, I'm a story? Everyone knows about me, but…doesn't know me?" Mags says with a smile in her voice.

I automatically hold out my hand and to my surprise she takes it and she lets me pull her against my side.

"You are," I murmur. "The one who got away makes you somewhat of a legend in my book."

She groans and now an actual chuckle slips past my lips.

"The case you wanted me to dig into? Can we discuss a few things?" Casey holds the file up again, and I feel Mags go rigid against me.

I glance at my brother. "Mind waiting in the living room? I'll be there in a sec."

Casey nods at my words and takes off.

I turn toward Mags and make sure to watch her face when I ask, "Casey is the one who I mentioned earlier, he used to be FBI. He runs his own company where he picks his own cases to solve. I've asked him to look into yours when Darby asked me to help you today. Do you want to hear what he has to say?"

Determination washes over her face. "Yes. Though I hate going over details because the many times I've had to do it over the years it always resulted in nightmares. And with Joshua waking up early it takes a while for me to recover."

I hate hearing this but things will be different from now on. "Like we agreed, you're not alone anymore. I'm here and I'm not leaving. I'll be there to pull you out of those nightmares, watch over you sleeping, or take care of Joshua if you need a quick nap on the couch, whatever you need."

She gives me a tiny smile. "The one that got away won't be given another chance to slip through your fingers, huh?"

"We have a kid together, you're never getting rid of me ever again," I simply reply.

She gives me a curt nod. "Yes. Joshua. Right. I…we shouldn't keep your friend waiting."

I don't understand her reaction and it's as if she's putting distance between us. Probably because I mentioned Joshua. I grab her hand and she glances down before our eyes lock.

"Not just Joshua, Mags. I'm here for you too." I give her a little squeeze and I hope she sees the promise I just gave her.

But she gives me a tiny smile and says, "Yeah, sure."

A low growl rumbles through my chest. "I mean it, Mags. I wasn't done with you when you walked out that first time. And unless you're tied to someone else, I'd say we can see what this pull between us can give us while we focus on our kid. That's what I meant when I said I'm here for you too. The both of you are mine. I told you."

"You said something about protecting…mine to protect and being there for Joshua. What are you implying? You want me? As in a relationship? We don't even know each other. We jumped into bed for a nameless one-night stand the first time we met, and that was years ago. It's not as if we can be careless like we were back then, Easton. There's a little kid involved. If we throw the whole you, me, sex, relationship in the mix too it will complicate things. I have to think about him first."

I can feel my gut start to clench. She's not even open to the suggestion of a chance for us to be together. And believe me, I know very well Joshua comes first, but we were so good together.

"Shit," she mutters and reaches out to cup my face. "Can you maybe not be so freaking adorable when you pout? I think you did that the first time too when I mentioned I couldn't go with you because I had plans, and it's the very reason I ended up in bed with you."

A sly smile spreads my face because I remember our conversation very vividly. "You said you had plans. Then I said you needed to change them because—"

"Because your heart just took a ride with mine," she snorts. "I can't believe I fell for that line."

My head tips back and laughter rips out, and when our eyes slam into each other, it's as if everything around us falls away and we're back in that moment in time where nothing else matters except the longing to connect. I grab my chance and do what I did back then…lean in and taste her.