“Jesus…”
She cupped his jaw in her hands. “It’s in the past, Jamie. I’m strong and whole, and where I belong.”
His arms locked around her waist he squeezed her tight. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She brushed her thumbs over his beard stubble, easing his troubled mind and offering comfort that should’ve flowed in the opposite direction. “There’s nothing for you to fix. No one to fight. No wrongs to right.”
“You sure about that?”
“I am. I grew up in a cult, knew what Oshram preached was bull, and left as soon as I was old enough to take care of myself. That’s the whole story.”
He searched the depths of her eyes and saw the truth in hers. She’d had a rough childhood, but it could have been worse. Much worse. And fuck, he was so grateful she had the strength and courage to leave when she did.
“What about your mother?” He circled his fingers around her wrists, then kissing each of her palms, he pressed her hands flat against his pecs.
She frowned as her gaze slid out the window. “We don’t have much of a relationship.”
“But you still talk to her on the phone?”
“Once a week,” she admitted. “It’s more or less out of habit than anything else.”
Finger under her chin, he directed her attention back to him. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“Don’t be. Some women aren’t cut out to be mothers, and that’s okay. Like I said, I’m where I should be now. Nothing else matters.”
“How’d you get to be so smart, Summer Summers?”
A grin bloomed over her heart-shaped face, and relief filled his chest cavity to overflowing. “Life experience, Jamie Snow. I’m a street-savvy badass, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh, I noticed,” he said dryly. “Guess I owe you an apology for underestimating you. Why didn’t you tell anyone you could shoot the fang off a rattlesnake at a hundred yards?”
She snorted. “I was trying to make agoodimpression. Maiming the local wildlife probably wasn’t the way to go.”
“Well, you certainly made an impression today. My ears are still ringing.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. We were being assholes, and you made your point. Loud and clear. In fact, Grant’s going to order you a Glock 19. It’s a smaller version of the pistol you fired earlier. Once it comes in, you’ll do a refresher with him separately. When we get back to the lodge, I’ll show you the code for the safe. You’ll keep your weapon in there, along with some spare magazines. If we ever need to take off in a hurry, your gun goes in your go bag before we pull out. Understood?”
“Understood. But I…uh…”
“Spit it out, buttercup.”
“Well, I was kind of wondering if you could teach me to drive my new car.”
“Drive?”
“Yeah, I’m not super confident behind the wheel, and the Land Rover is huge. If I ever have to go somewhere with Halia on my own, I want to make sure she’s safe with me.”
The idea of his girls going anywhere without him made his stomach clench. Even under the best of circumstances, he didn’t want them out of his sight. What if something happened? What if someone got hurt?
There were too many threats against the JTT. Too much evil in the world. Add Dominion to the mix, and his protective instincts took over, slamming him with the urge to say no. Fuck no. She didn’t need to drive the Rover because she’d never be without him.
But God damn—smarter, braver, stronger than him—she was making contingency plans. Preparing for the possibility of being left alone with a baby to keep safe. Fear clogged his arteries as quickly as a surge of gratitude filled the chambers of his heart.
She’d do anything to protect Halia. He’d seen her in action. How could he do less? He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. If she wanted to improve her driving skills, she’d learn from the best.
“Davis will know the most about the car’s features. He’ll give you a walkthrough and show you how everything works. Chase is a certified driving instructor. I’ll arrange for him to teach you. Does that work?”
