“I thought you were leaving?” Hayden mutters when I make it evident I’m coming inside her house. I do this by pushing through the door when she unlocks it—after first grunting when she refused to give me her house keys.

“You thought wrong,” I mumble, scratching my beard. “Where’s Stroker?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Get used to it,” I grumble at Stroker’s question. “In fact, you can have the night off.”

“I can?”

“He can?” Hayden mimics.

“Yeah, cause I’m here tonight instead of outside. I’ll make sure Hayden’s safe.”

“The hell you are,” Stroker answers.

“No, you’re not,” Hayden argues. I growl, rubbing the back of my neck. Everything has to be a fight with this woman.

“You were shot at today,” I remind her.

“I was not shot at. A gun was drawn and it was directed at Jenn and—”

“Whatever! You could have been killed. Maggie could have been killed. I promised to protect both of you and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

“Just how do you plan on doing that?” she asks, hands on her hips and her cheeks flushed. With her stomach sticking out like it does now, she looks beautiful, just like this. I rub my chest, getting that strange feeling yet again, one of heat and pain.

“I’m moving in.”

“Fuck no,” Stroker growls. He’s getting on my nerves. I toss him my cell. He catches it as it bounces off his stomach.

“Call your boss,” I smirk. He glares at me and leaves the room, hopefully to go call Victor.

“Michael—”

“Do you want me to leave, Hayden?” I ask her deciding to cut through all the bullshit.

“Yes! I do!”

“You’re lying.”

“I—”

“Before you answer that, I know you’re angry.”

“I am,” she says, shock on her face.

“I know you’re…”

“Hurt? You hurt me, Michael. Worse than anyone ever has because I cared about you.”

“I know you probably won’t believe me, Hayden, but I care about you too.”

I watch as she brings her tongue out to moisten her bottom lip, and then she bites it. She’s not doing it to be sexy, though it is. She’s nervous. She’s scared. I wonder what she would think if she knew I was just as scared?

“You have a funny way of showing it.”

“I’m fucked up Hayden. There’s no other way to put it. I’m…I have a lot that I don’t deal well with,” I finish lamely, amazed at how pitiful that sums up the war inside of me.

“Annabelle,” she says, whispering my daughter’s name. It’s like a kick in the gut, more painful than any physical blow.

“Yeah,” I agree, my voice so thick it barely comes out.

“I saw a picture of her. She was beautiful, Michael.”

“You did? How?”

“I asked Victor to get some information about you. I know it was wrong, but I… I wanted to understand, I wanted to…”

“It’s okay, Hayden. I don’t mind you knowing.”

“I wish you had been the one to tell me. You should have told me, Michael. Before that night, I mean,” she sighs, her hands clenching each other in that movement she always does when she’s nervous or upset. I can’t resist walking to her, and when I do I put my hand over both of hers.

“I’m sorry, Beauty. About that night, I was…I was hurting and raw inside. I just lashed out at you. I shouldn’t have, you didn’t deserve it. The things I said, about your brother…” I trail off, because there’s not much I can really say here. I can’t take them back, because they were said. I can’t tell her they were lies, because they’re not.

“Can we…I don’t want to talk about my brother. I don’t think I can. Not with you, at least not right now. I get what he cost you and your club. I know what he did to me. He wasn’t a good person. But…I just can’t deal with all that right now.”

“Fair enough,” I tell her clearing my throat.

“I don’t want to leave, Hayden. I want…I need to stay here and protect you and Maggie. I need to know that you two are okay.”

“And then you’ll walk away? Leave us once you know we’re safe?”

“I…”

“How will you even know if we are safe, Michael? Are you listening to yourself? You want to protect us from Blade and we don’t even know if Blade is still out there. Life happens, Michael. Like today at the bakery. You can’t prepare for everything. There’s just no way. So whether you leave right now, or a week, even months down the road, there’s just no way of knowing if we’re safe. You’re being unreasonable. It would be better if you just walk away now, before—”

“Before what, Hayden?”

“Before you make me care about you again,” she says as if she’s admitting a horrible secret, and maybe she is. But her words fire a hope inside of me I thought was dead and gone. I thought after that night, there was no way that Hayden could forgive me. I thought I lost the chance to ever touch her again. To just hear her laugh again would be a miracle for me.

“Then what if I don’t leave?” I ask her, point blank wondering if she realizes how hard this is for me. Wondering if it’s even harder on her.

“Don’t…What are you saying, Michael?”

“When we made love, I claimed Maggie. You let me, Hayden. What if I don’t leave.”

“I can’t…I’m tired Michael. I can’t process this tonight. I need time…to think.”

“Then take the time, but I’m staying here regardless. Tonight and every night following—”

“I just said I wasn’t sure! I need time—”

“For now we’ll say until Blade is tracked down or caught. Anything else…we’ll take it one day at a time.”

“Michael, we don’t need to do this. I’ve been fine for two months. I have protection, I’m being watched over. Maggie and I are safe.”

“I’m not leaving, Hayden. If I have to sit outside in the rain like last night, every night from here on—I will. I’m not leaving.”

“You’re not being reasonable.”

“I know.”

“I should have Victor escort you out of town and not even bother talking to you.”

“I know that too.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“I know—”

“Oh stop agreeing with me already. I’m trying to fight here. Fine! You can stay at least tonight. One false move and you’re out, Michael.”

“Duly noted, Beauty.”

“There are rules,” she grumbles and I have to fight to keep from smiling, because I’m pretty sure smiling right now would get me kicked in the balls.

“I’m listening,” I assure her, already feeling like I won a war.

“You do not call me that nickname ever again.”

“Hayden—”

“That’s non-negotiable, Michael.

“I’ll agree—for now,” I warn her, not sure I can give her that. Her response is a growl under her breath.

“And I’m not able to, but I still want it stated, there will be no sleeping together.”

“Done.”

“You agreed to that awful quick,” she mutters clearly put out. Again, it’s all I can do to keep from grinning.

“I guess there’s only one more question,” I tell her, studying her face.

“What’s that?” she asks, eyeing me warily.

“Are you going to tell Clive? Or am I?” I ask, and I do grin this time.

“You really are an asshole,” she mutters with a sigh and I resist the urge to lean into her and kiss her forehead.