Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

The next few days felt both normal and surreal to Wren. Her time at work was normal. Plans continued for their trip to Africa. Lots of meetings, lots of papers to review, lots of names to memorize as she'd need to be able to recognize and converse with both important media representatives as well as government officials.

The surreal part was her time away from work. Matt still hadn't been found. The unknown phone calls continued, and with each one, Wren's concern heightened. She was aware she should probably tell the police or Bo about them, but he was neck-deep in preparations for his mission and really didn't need any more stress piled on top of that. He'd already done so much for her, more than anyone ever had, and annoying phone calls were the last thing she wanted him to have to deal with on top of everything else.

Besides, he'd already arranged for someone to pick her up from work every day, so she was able to push concerns about Matt to the back of her mind. One day it was a woman named Alabama. She was soft spoken but funny. The next it was Jessyka, the owner of Aces Bar and Grill. She apologized profusely for what happened to Wren, and reassured her that she was doing everything in her power to keep it from happening to someone else.

Today, it was a woman named Caroline and a large, intimidating man she introduced as her husband, Wolf. They'd taken her to an early dinner on the Navy base.

Wren had been intimidated at first, both by the security to get onto the base and by Wolf. But by the time they'd finished eating, she'd relaxed. Caroline was down-to-earth and so darn open. She'd talked a lot about the SEALs in general, and had explained that her husband was retired, but he and his former teammates now consulted and helped the newer SEAL teams that rotated through the area.

Wolf had joined in the conversation now and then, but mostly seemed content to let his wife do the talking.

When they were waiting for the check, Wolf leaned his elbows on the table and said, "You couldn't do better than Safe."

For some reason, Wren blushed.

"I'm trying not to be a nosey gossip, but when he called, asking if I'd be willing to pick you up today, I was surprised. Not because of the request, but because he's never gone out of his way to help a woman like he has you."

"Oh, is that bad?" Wren blurted.

"Not at all. It's good. Very good. But I wanted to make sure you knew that men like Safe…a lot is expected of them. They're asked to go into dangerous situations that most pe ople are running away from. They see a lot of bad things, follow orders, and aren't allowed to talk about what they do and see. Relationships with special forces operatives are hard. A lot of times, men in those positions have trouble maintaining connections with people other than their teammates."

"Okaaaaay," Wren said, not liking where the conversation was headed.

"You're freaking her out," Caroline scolded. "What my husband is so badly trying to say is that Safe hasn't seemed interested in anyone the way he's interested in you. And that means you're different. Important. We know this thing with you guys is new, and you have some serious stuff going on with that asshole who tried to hurt you, but don't think for a second that Safe isn't completely invested in you."

"He'd probably help anyone who was in my situation," Wren said.

"Yes and no," Wolf told her. "He'd want to help anyone who asked him for assistance, but he wouldn't invite them to live in his house, and he wouldn't be involving his friends like he has with you either."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh ," Caroline agreed with a smile. "He's a good man. One of the best. You honestly couldn't do better."

"Really?" Wolf asked with a raised brow.

Caroline laughed. "Present company excluded, of course," she told him with a wink.

"You ready to go?" Wolf asked.

"As soon as the waitress brings the dinner I ordered for Bo," Wren said.

"He needs someone like you," Wolf said. "He's so used to taking care of others, he needs someone like you to return the favor. I hear his team's meeting with you soon about your upcoming trip."

"Yeah, Bo's been stressing about it. I think because he's afraid he'll have to go on his mission before we can meet."

"If he does, my team and I will step up."

Wren was starting to understand that's how things worked between Bo and his friends. It was such a foreign concept to her, but she found that she liked it. A lot. Liked knowing Bo had the kind of people in his life who would be there for him no matter what. And since she was getting that kind of consideration simply by being with him, she was doubly thankful.

"Thank you," she told Wolf.

He shrugged off her thanks, which wasn't a surprise anymore, as everyone who'd helped her out recently had done the same thing.

After the waitress placed the takeout bag on the table, Caroline stood. "We need to get going."

"Are we in a hurry?" Wren asked.

"Kind of. We're supposed to meet someone at Safe's house," she said.

Wren frowned. "We are?"

"Well, you are, yes."

"Who?"

"Remi."

She frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"From what she told me, she's chomping at the bit to meet you. She's heard a ton about you from Kevlar, and she said she was done waiting for her turn to pick you up from work. So she told Safe that she'd come over and keep you company while the guys were in their meetings. She also said something about helping you with all the clothes Julie gave you?"

"Oh."

"I heard she went overboard and you haven't had time to go through everything yet."

Wren should've felt embarrassed that so many people seemed to know her business. But instead it felt surprisingly nice. "I haven't," she admitted. "I'm usually tired when I get home, and after Bo gets home, I want to spend my time talking to him."

Caroline beamed at Wren as they walked to Wolf's large black SUV. She even saw him grinning.

While Wren was looking forward to meeting Remi, she was also a little stressed over the idea. Bo had talked about the other woman often, and the fact that she was a famous cartoonist made her even more nervous. She wasn't the best in social situations as it was, and she really wanted to make a good impression on one of Bo's best friends.

"Don't worry. You'll love Remi, and she'll love you," Caroline said, as if she could read Wren's mind.

The drive back to Bo's house went by quickly, and when they pulled into the driveway, and a light blue Honda Civic immediately pulled in next to them, Wren's nervousness increased. "Are you coming in?" she asked Caroline and Wolf.

"No, we need to get home. Jessyka's bringing her kids over so she and Benny can go out to dinner. You'll be fine, Wren, promise."

Wren nodded. "Thank you for the ride home. "

"You're welcome. And don't worry, this crap with that asshole will be over soon. I know it," Caroline told her firmly.

"I hope so. See you later."

"Bye!" Caroline said with a wave before Wren shut the door.

Taking a deep breath, Wren turned toward the woman getting out of the Civic. She was taller than Wren by a few inches, and her reddish-brown hair was pulled back in a messy bun at the back of her head. She had wisps of hair around her head, as if it simply refused to be constrained by the scrunchie.

"Hi! I'm Remi," the woman said, but she didn't move away from her car. "Is it weird that I'm here? If it is, I can go. I just really wanted to meet you because I've heard so many great things about you from Vincent. That's Kevlar's real name. I know it can be confusing, the whole two-names thing. I just finished up a few cartoons that I was under deadline to get done and before I started on a new project, I thought maybe I could come over and we could hang out. But if you don't want to, or you're too tired, I understand."

She blurted everything out fast, and the other woman's nervousness somehow calmed Wren's. "It's okay. I've heard a lot about you too, and I'm glad to meet you. And I have to say, I love your cartoon. Pecky the Traveling Taco is awesome."

"Thanks."

"I mean, who doesn't love a talking taco?" Wren said with a small grin.

"Right? That's what I thought when I started drawing," Remi told her .

"I should probably get this in the fridge for Bo," Wren said, gesturing to the takeout bag in her hand.

"Bo? Oh, sorry. Safe. Yeah, right. I figured I could maybe help you go through the things you got at My Sister's Closet. Julie told me that she probably went overboard in finding things for you to try on."

Wren smiled as she walked up the front walkway to the door. "She did. But I appreciate it all so much."

"Well, I'm not a fashionista. I mean, I usually sit at home in my sweatpants and T-shirts drawing, but I can maybe help organize the things as you go through them."

"Any help I can get would be appreciated. And sitting at home in sweats sounds like heaven," Wren said as she unlocked the door and walked inside.

"It is and it isn't. I mean, there was the time I met the mailman at the door to sign for a package and hadn't showered in a couple of days because, you know…deadline…and my hair probably looked like medusa—it gets super frizzy, especially when it's humid—and I had a coffee stain on my top from that morning, and I hadn't bothered to change because I was in the zone with my drawing, and I had two different colored socks on. I probably looked like something the cat dragged in."

"But I bet you were comfortable. Try wearing uncomfortable heels to make yourself taller than you really are because tall somehow equals having authority, an equally uncomfortable suit, and," Wren paused and shuddered exaggeratedly, "panty hose."

"Oh, the horrors!" Remi cried, placing the back of her hand to her forehead in a mock swoon .

They both giggled. And Wren knew at that moment that things between her and Remi were going to be just fine. She hurried to the kitchen to put the food in the fridge and paused to send Bo a quick text, letting him know she had dinner waiting for him, and that Remi was visiting and they'd be going through the clothes Julie had picked out.

She got an immediate text back, saying that he should be home within the hour and thanking her for the food.

Smiling, Wren turned back to Remi, who was looking around the small living area with curiosity. "I haven't been here before," she told Wren, when she noticed she was done texting. "It's nice."

Wren thought it was more than nice. It wasn't big, but it was cozy. Homey. Both things Wren had rarely experienced before. "It is," she agreed. "Want me to get the bags and bring them out here? Or we can go to my room?"

"Oh, don't go out of your way to drag everything out. Let's go to your room. Maybe we can lay everything on the bed and you can decide what you definitely don't want right off the bat. Then you can try on the things you need to try on and I'll give you my two cents…but beware, that's about all they'll be worth."

Wren laughed. "Oh, I doubt that. If I could live in fat pants, I would, but unfortunately, I need professional clothes for my job. And I think another woman's opinion would be invaluable. Most of the time I'm winging it when I go to the thrift stores to pick out work clothes."

"You shop at thrift stores? I love them too! Maybe we can go together sometime?"

Wren felt as if she was having an out-of-body experience. She never expected to find someone who might actually want to shop at a secondhand store. Especially in California. Okay, that was terribly judgmental of her to think that before she'd even met anyone from the state, but she cut herself some slack. "Yes, I'd like that," Wren said.

Before she knew it, they were knee deep in material as they tried to sort everything out that Julie had picked. Wren had never seen so many designer clothes in one place before. She had no idea how much the clothes would cost at regular price, but knew it had to be thousands.

"I can probably make do with just a few of the suit sets," she mused, feeling overwhelmed. "I can mix and match them with different shirts under the jackets."

"I don't know. If your job is to speak to the media, you don't want to be seen wearing the same thing too often," Remi mused.

She was right. Wren knew it, but she couldn't fathom how much all the clothes on her bed and floor would cost to purchase.

The next hour went by quickly, and Wren realized she was actually having fun. Remi had gone out to the living area to sit, and Wren tried on each outfit, strolling out to the other room as if strutting a catwalk at a fashion show. Remi oohed and ahhed, then they decided together if they liked the outfit or not.

Some of the clothes didn't fit right. Others were uncomfortable. But Wren actually liked way more items than she thought she would. Julie had done an amazing job figuring out what might look good…all from a few sizes and Bo's description of her. And the underthings she'd gone out of her way to pi ck up were also some of the most comfortable Wren had ever worn.

She'd just put on the last item in the final bag—a little black dress. It would be inappropriate for anything work-related, as it was a little too short and a little too low cut.

And the second Wren put it on, she wanted it.

She'd spent most of her life trying to keep her head above water, keeping men at arm's length. But when she slipped the dress on and zipped it up, she felt sexy .

Still…

"I don't know about this one," Wren called down the hall, reluctant to go out and show Remi.

"Get out here!" her new friend insisted with a laugh. "I want to see!"

Wren didn't have any shoes that went with the dress, so she padded down the hallway in her bare feet.

The second she appeared in the doorway, Remi's eyes widened. "Holy crap, Wren…that's…you look amazing !"

Wren bit her lip. "You think?"

"Oh yeah. Absolutely. Turn," Remi ordered.

Wren did a slow spin, then faced the other woman once more.

"I don't care what you do with the rest of the stuff, but you have to keep that one!"

"It's not very practical. I have no idea when or where I'd even wear this thing. It's not as if I get invited to any formal occasions. And it's a little much for going out to dinner."

"No, it's not. Besides, the Navy has formal balls now and then. It'd be perfect!" Remi gushed.

"I agree. "

Wren spun around and saw Bo standing in the front foyer. She and Remi had been so engrossed in their little fashion show that neither had heard him enter the house.

For some reason, Wren was embarrassed.

Bo walked toward her slowly, and it felt as if they were the only two people in the universe at that moment. His gaze ran from the cleavage displayed in the dress, down her torso, to her legs.

Wren ran her suddenly damp palms down the sides of the dress, realizing once more how short it was. The material came down to mid-thigh and had spaghetti straps holding it up on her shoulders.

"You're beautiful," Bo said softly.

Looking down, Wren said, "It would look better with the right shoes."

She felt Bo's finger under her chin, and she lifted her head to look at him at his urging. "It's perfect," he told her, echoing Remi. His hand moved from her face to her arm, then his large warm palm slid down to rest on her waist. He leaned in until his lips brushed her ear, and she shivered at the contact.

"Beautiful," he whispered. His hand tightened at her waist for a moment, before he took a deep breath and took a step back.

Wren felt almost bereft at the loss of his touch. Something happened between them just then, and she wasn't sure what.

No, that was a lie. She knew. The two of them had intense chemistry, and it was all she could do not to throw herself at him and beg him to take her into his room and peel the beautiful dress off and have his wicked way with her .

"I told you, Wren. Perfect ."

Remi's words snapped Wren back to the present. She'd forgotten all about the other woman's presence.

Doing her best to pretend she hadn't been about to melt into a puddle at Bo's feet, Wren turned toward the couch. "I'm not sure which one of the other outfits I should put in the take-back pile if I choose this one."

"Wait, why would you need to do that?" Bo asked.

"Because. There's no way I can afford all the things Julie sent with me."

"No," Bo said. He didn't elaborate.

Wren frowned. "No…what?"

"If something she sent fits, and you like it, keep it."

Wren stared at him for a moment, then said, "It's not that easy, Bo."

"Sure it is."

"Sorry, did I miss a money tree growing in your backyard? Because that's the only way I'd be able to afford everything she picked out. Bo, everything I tried on is designer. Like, one outfit costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Even at a secondhand rate, there's no way I can afford more than a couple. The jeans and casual clothes, sure. But not the designer stuff."

In response, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Bo?"

He didn't respond, simply clicked a button on his cell. He'd obviously put it on speaker, because Wren could hear it ringing.

"Bo!" she hissed .

But she was too late.

"Hi, Safe. What's up?"

"Hey, Julie. I was calling about the clothes you sent home with Wren."

"Yeah? Did they fit? If not, I got some more stuff in today that I can go through and see if they'll work better."

"No, what you sent was good, I think. I'm looking at Wren wearing a black dress. Excellent choice, by the way."

"Oh! I hoped that one would work!" Julie exclaimed.

"It works," Bo said gruffly.

Wren could feel the blush on her cheeks with the way his gaze was practically burning into her.

"So, what's up?" Julie asked.

"Wren's concerned about the cost of the things she picked out," he said bluntly.

Wren wanted to sink into the floor and die.

"Tell her she's getting the friends and family discount," Julie said.

"You're on speaker, she can hear you," Bo informed her.

"Good. Wren?"

"I'm here," she managed to choke out.

"Safe is trying to be sweet, but his execution is definitely flawed. Ignoring that for a moment…I don't know what you decided would work and what wouldn't, but how does four hundred sound?"

Wren swallowed hard. Four hundred was more than she could afford to spend on an outfit. She ran through the items she'd tried on and loved and mentally discarded about three fourths of the outfits she'd hoped to keep. "That sounds fair. I could probably swing two of the pantsuits. "

"No," Julie said with a little laugh. "Four hundred for everything you want to keep."

Wren's mouth fell open. "What?"

"Is that too much? I can do three hundred."

"Julie, what… no . Each of the outfits in those bags has to cost at least double that."

"True. But I didn't pay that much for them. I didn't pay anything for those clothes. They were donated."

Wren's head was spinning. She looked down at the dress she was wearing and longing hit—hard. She wanted it. Wanted all the things she'd tried on. But she didn't want to take advantage of anyone. "But you have bills to pay. You can't go around giving away the clothes in your shop for basically free."

"Why not? That's exactly what I do. Wren, you wouldn't know this, but I don't need the money. And I didn't start my shop to make money. I did it to give back. As my way of apologizing for being a bitch in my former life. And from what I understand, you need those outfits. I'd give them to you for free if I thought you'd let me get away with?—"

"No," Wren said firmly.

"That's what I thought. So four hundred for whatever you want. Just send Safe back with the stuff that doesn't work for you. Please, let me help you. Us women have to stick together. That asshole who broke into your apartment and ruined your things shouldn't win."

Wren's throat closed up. How was this her life? She'd struggled for so long, and somehow she'd managed to find not only a man as generous and kind as Bo, but people like Remi, Julie, and Caroline in the process? "Okay," she managed to squeak out. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And please take a picture of yourself in that black dress. I want to see!"

"Will do." It was Bo who answered. "And if you and Hurt go to the Navy Ball, you'll see it in person…if she'll go with me."

Remi squealed from the couch, but Wren couldn't look away from Bo.

"Oh! That's awesome!"

"What's the Navy Ball?" Wren asked.

"It's a once-a-year thing where everyone dresses up and parties," Julie told her. "It's wicked fun."

Bo laughed.

"Great, so I'm thrilled the clothes worked out. If there's anything else you need, just let me know," Julie told her.

"Thank you again."

"Of course. Safe?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be such a stranger. Before Wren, I hadn't seen you in way too long."

"Hazard of the job," Bo told her.

"Yeah. Well, maybe I'll have Patrick talk to your commander and tell him to send you and your team on fewer missions."

"I'm okay with that!" Remi called out.

"Right. Tell Hurt I said hey," Bo told Julie. "Gotta go."

"Stay safe out there. Talk to you later, Wren and Remi!"

"Bye!" Wren called out at the same time as Remi.

Bo clicked off his phone and put it in his pocket. He stepped closer to Wren but glanced at Remi. "Thanks for coming over and helping Wren."

"Of course. And that's my cue to go," she said as she stood with a big smile on her face.

"Oh no! Don't feel like you have to leave just because Bo's home."

"It's not that," she said, but Wren had a feeling it was exactly that. "If Safe's home, that means Vincent probably is too. And with the team heading out soon, I want to spend as much time with him as I can."

Wren nodded. She didn't want to think about Bo leaving.

As if on cue, she heard her phone vibrating on the kitchen counter, where she'd left it while she was trying on the clothes. Before she could maneuver around Bo, he'd already taken a step forward and picked it up. He looked at the screen and frowned.

"Unknown," he told her as he handed her the phone.

Wren took it, silenced the ringer, and turned to Remi. She gave her a hug, thanked her for helping her decide which of the outfits to keep, and walked her to the door. She felt, more than saw, Bo at their backs. They stood at the doorway until Remi had gotten in her car and pulled away from the house.

Then Bo closed the door and turned to Wren. "Who was that on the phone?"

"I don't know," she said as casually as she could. "It said unknown."

"Why did you tense up when I said it was an unknown number?"

"Is this an interrogation?" she asked defensively.

In response, Bo stepped toward her, and Wren took a step back. They kept that up until her back was against the wall in the small foyer. Bo leaned in, putting his hands on the wall on either side of her shoulders. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," Wren said without hesitation.

"Bullshit. You tensed when you heard your phone vibrate, and when I picked it up, you got even more tense. Talk to me, Wren."

She had a decision to make here. She could continue to lie, to say nothing was wrong. To deny the unknown calls were freaking her out. Or she could fess up. Bo would do what he could to help her, Wren knew that as well as she knew her name. But it was extremely difficult for her to ask for help.

But she wasn't eight anymore. And this was Bo. He'd stepped up for her more in the last week than anyone ever had in her entire life.

Which was another problem. He'd already done so much.

"I don't know who it is," she blurted, looking up at him. She realized she'd reached for him and was grasping the material of his Navy camouflage uniform shirt with both hands. "But I've been getting two or three calls a day, sometimes more, since my date with Matt."

To her relief, Bo didn't flip out. He simply nodded. "Okay."

"Okay? What does that mean?" Wren asked.

"It means that I'll talk to Tex. Tell him about the calls. He'll trace them. Figure out who's been calling."

"It's probably just telemarketers. They got my number from somewhere and are being stubborn about getting someone to answer. "

"That's possible," Bo said reasonably. "Have there been any messages?"

Wren shook her head.

"Which doesn't really mean anything. Have you answered any of the calls at all?"

"No," Wren admitted, feeling stupid all of a sudden.

"All right. If you get another call, would you let me answer it? Maybe before I call Tex and take him away from something else he's working on, I should see if I can get whoever's calling to back the hell off."

That small slip of anger actually made Wren feel better. Less like she was overreacting. And the last thing she wanted was for Bo to call this Tex guy, who she'd heard was extremely busy and apparently a genius when it came to tech stuff, if there was nothing untoward going on with the calls.

"Has he been able to find out anything about Matt?" Wren asked.

"Nothing useful. Found his deleted profile on the dating site, but no surprise, all the info on there was bogus and he used a public library's computer to set it up, so he couldn't track where he lives that way. And the address he used to set up the account led back to a gas station. So there's been nothing concrete yet, but Tex isn't giving up. If you get another call, will you let me deal with it?" Bo asked, repeating his original question.

"Yes. I'm happy to have you answer it. To see if it's Matt or simply a telemarketer."

"Thank you. Can we change the subject now?"

Wren nodded .

He smiled down at her and said, "You really do look amazing in this dress."

Wren looked down at herself reflexively—and realized if she could clearly see her cleavage, he'd have an even better view, seeing as he was taller than her.

He leaned down and nuzzled her neck and shoulder, near the strap of the dress.

"Bo?" she whispered, as her hands clenched the material of his shirt even tighter.

"Hmmm?" he replied, the response vibrating against her skin.

Wren felt her nipples tighten, and she swallowed hard. She forgot what she was going to say. All she could do was stand against the wall and…feel.

"I have dinner for you in the fridge." It wasn't what she wanted to say, but then again, she couldn't really think right now.

Bo lifted his head and smiled again. "Yeah?"

"Uh-huh. Caroline and Wolf took me to dinner, and I thought that you might be hungry when you got home. So I ordered a sandwich and salad for you to go. But if you already ate…" Her voice drifted off.

"I haven't eaten. I'm starving. A sandwich and salad sounds awesome. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Bo hadn't backed away, and Wren hadn't let go of his shirt. She licked her lips, and she saw Bo's gaze follow the movement. Then drop down to her chest.

Her nipples tingled, and Wren had a feeling Bo was getting a pretty good idea of how much she liked being this close to him.

Then his gaze moved back up to hers, and he leaned down. Slowly. So damn slowly, Wren thought she was going to die if he didn't hurry the hell up. She lifted her chin and waited.

To her frustration, he stopped with his lips hovering over hers. "Wren?" he whispered.

"Yes?" she breathed.

Then he closed the distance between them. His lips brushed over hers. Once. Twice.

On the third pass, he stepped closer and pressed his chest to hers. Wren's arms went around him, pulling him harder against her.

This was the second time they'd kissed, and somehow it was better than the first. Wren felt safe in Bo's embrace. Valued. Protected. As if they were the only two people in the world, and they might as well have been for all the attention they paid to their surroundings.

When he finally lifted his head, they were both breathing hard.

"Hi," she blurted.

He grinned. "Hi," he echoed. "Have I told you that I really like this dress yet?"

It was Wren's turn to smile. "Yeah, you said that a time or two."

"Good. But I think I should say, as much as I like this dress, because I can see your gorgeous long legs and your tits?—"

Wren couldn't stop the snort of laughter that left her lips. " Not that I have much in the way of boobs," she said with a little shrug.

"What you have is perfect," Bo told her firmly. One hand was at her waist, and he stroked her with his thumb, the feeling, even through the material of the dress, going straight between her legs. "But what I was going to say was that while I do love you in this dress, I like you just as much in sweats and my T-shirts. I like seeing you comfortable with your guard down, curled up in the corner of my couch or in my recliner. Knowing you're sleeping in the room next to mine, safe, once again in my shirt…and not much else."

Unlike his touch, his words shot straight to Wren's heart. Who didn't want to know the guy they had a crush on liked her just as much in lounging clothes as he did in a fancy dress? "Bo," she whispered, overwhelmed.

"I just wanted to make sure you know I'm not kissing you because of what you're wearing. It's because of who you are. What you've overcome. Because even though life has dealt you a shit hand, you're still a kind person, and you work so hard, and a part of me dies every time you're surprised when others do something nice for you. I want to prove to you that not everyone is out to get you, and that there are people out there, like me and my friends, who don't have an agenda when we hang out with you."

Wren closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Bo's shoulder. She felt his hand caressing her hair. It felt good to be held by him, but she needed to hear those words. Somehow he'd gotten under her shields. And the more time she spent around him and his friends, the more those shields were cracking .

"Don't hurt me," she whispered against him. "If you're playing me, or just want to get in my pants, it would kill me."

"I'll prove to you that you can trust me if it's the last thing I do," Bo said.

Wren took a deep breath. Things were pretty intense and she needed a break. "Right, so…it seems as if I have a bunch of new clothes I need to hang up and others I need to package to bring back to Julie's store. And you need to change and eat."

"You'll sit with me while I eat?" Bo asked.

"If you want me to," Wren said with a shrug.

"I want you to," he reassured her.

"All right. I'll change and meet you in the kitchen."

"Deal. Wren?"

"Yeah?"

"I like coming home to you. Just thought you should know."

A memory flashed through Wren's brain. She wasn't sure how old she was, but she was young. She'd arrived home from school to an empty house, relieved her mom wasn't there. She'd quickly gotten something to eat because she wasn't sure if she'd be eating later or not; sometimes her mom fixed dinner, and other times she told Wren to go to her room and not come out.

That particular night, when her mother had walked in the door, she'd taken one look at Wren, curled her lip in disgust, and told her to get the fuck out of her sight. That the last thing she wanted to look at when she got home was Wren's ugly face .

Bo's words couldn't take away the bad memories, but they went a long way toward making them fade a little more.

Going up on her tiptoes, Wren kissed Bo. It was a short kiss, but no less heartfelt. Meant to convey how much his words meant to her.

They headed toward the hallway to their bedrooms together, Bo's hand warm on her back as they walked. She stopped at her room, and Bo slid past her to go to his. He turned back at his doorway and smiled at her before disappearing inside.

Wren closed the door to her room and leaned against it for a moment with a small smile on her face. Then she pushed off it as she reached for the zipper at her back. The beautiful clothes she'd been trying on were strewn over her bed, and she couldn't wait to hang them in her closet. But she was more excited to spend the evening with Bo, talking about his day, continuing to get to know him, than putting away the most amazing clothes she'd ever owned.