“I don’t want to get dressed!” Erin shrieked, running away from Riley and slamming herself into the closet. “Leave me alone!”
“Honey…”
“Stop it! Go away!”
“Mommy, what’s wrong with Erin?” Lily asked, poking her head into the bedroom. Her mouth had a milk mustache, and Riley smiled at her daughter, crossing the room to wipe it and walk out with her.
“She’s upset about something,” Riley said. “We’re going to have to try to be extra nice to her until she starts feeling a little better. You think we can do that? Even if she starts acting kind of mean?”
Lily nodded vigorously.
“And what do we tell people when they’re upset and being mean?”
Lily’s little face grew serious as she recited what her mother had taught her. “I’m sorry that you aren’t happy, but yelling at me won’t solve your problem. Maybe when you’re feeling calmer we can talk about what’s bothering you.”
“Good girl,” Riley said, kissing the child on top of her head. “Now, why don’t you go finish your breakfast and I’ll see if I can get Erin to come down and eat something.”
With Lily content in the kitchen, Riley headed back up the steps with apprehension tight in her chest. Something major had gotten into the little girl, and Riley had an idea that she might know just what that was.
She sat down on Erin’s bed and looked at the closet, knowing the pup could probably see her through the doorway.
“You know, sometimes Lily acts like this when I’ve been working too much. It hurts when you don’t get to see your mommy or daddy enough. Sometimes, Lily misses her daddy, or she misses me, and she doesn’t feel very happy.”
This was kind of a fib. It was true, Lily could act out when she missed Riley, but it was never anything quite as dramatic as the temper of a young shifter pup whose self-control hadn’t quite developed completely. Regardless, she had always found it easier to try to reason with the pups, even when they were at their worst.
“I don’t ever get to see my mommy anymore,” Erin said, her voice hoarse from crying. “Where did she go?”
“Oh honey, I don’t know where she went. But I do know your daddy is here and he loves you. And Lily and I are here and we love you too.”
“Yeah,” Erin said, shuffling in the closet. “I like it that you live here, but I miss my mommy more.”
“It’s a big change for all of us,” Riley said. It was dawning on her that maybe Riley and Lily moving in had triggered the poor child into remembering what it was like with the last woman who had lived with her and her father. It made sense, now, why she had been acting up so much lately, and all Riley wanted to do was give the poor little thing a big hug.
“I don’t think I like changes very much,” Erin said, pushing out of the closet and standing in front of Riley. In the time they had been talking and she had brought Lily down to eat, Erin had managed to dress herself. Her blonde hair was still wild, and her eyes dark and dubious, but at least now they were actually having a conversation.
“They can be really hard, sometimes. But life is full of good changes and changes that aren’t so fun. What we need to do is keep looking for the opportunities.”
“Huh?” Erin asked, her dubious eyes still boring into Riley’s.
“Every time things change, we get a chance to learn something new. It’s actually like a really fun game and you can try to figure out what it is that you’re supposed to learn when things get hard.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Erin stood there in silence, clearly unwilling to say any more, and Riley stood up and went to her, scooping her up into her arms and holding her close. Erin, who was ordinarily very squirmy and not often a very cuddly child, collapsed against Riley in a defeated hug.
It nearly broke her heart, and for the first time, she found herself feeling a love for a child that resembled that of the love she felt for her own daughter. It was sudden and powerful, and maybe even a little bit scary, but in that moment, she loved Erin as if she were her own flesh and blood.
“Are you hungry?” Riley asked after kissing the top of Erin’s little head. Erin nodded enthusiastically and so they headed down to the kitchen together, where Lily was waiting patiently. Erin sat down and Riley stood, watching the two precious little souls interacting, touched by the care and consideration that Lily showed Erin, and the frankness and honesty that Erin answered all of Lily’s little questions with.
She could spend all day watching these two children. They were like living extensions of her own heart, and someday, she knew, they would both make their parents more proud than anyone would ever be able to imagine.
***
“What the hell do you mean, I’m not allowed to leave?” Riley asked, doing her best to keep her voice from rising as Walker eyed her tolerantly. But he was stubborn on this point and refused to budge.
“I mean it isn’t safe for you or the girls to go out on your own right now. So you have to stay inside. And if you go out, you go out with me. Do you understand?”
“Understanding and complying are two different things,” Riley said, dangerously close to losing her temper. She was used to being an independent woman, coming and going as she pleased. What kind of man was he to try to change that?
“Do you trust me?” Walker asked with a heavy sigh, leading Riley upstairs so the children wouldn’t overhear their conversation.
“Most of the time,” Riley muttered. But the truth was, she did. Implicitly. He was one of the kindest, most noble-hearted men she had ever met in her life.
“Then you really should do as I ask of you. I ran into Marcus today and learned more about the attack.”
“You did?”
Suddenly, all her agitation was gone, and left in its place was only fear and curiosity.
“Yes. It’s bad news. We’re all in serious danger and I really need to trust that you’re not going to put yourself or my child in a position where either of you could be harmed. Do you understand that? I don’t think I can make it any more clear than that, can I?”
Riley sighed. “No, I understand. So, what’s going on?”
As Walker explained the situation about Marcus and his IT encryptions, and the shifters that Luthor Mays had employed in order to get his hands on the most sensitive information that the wolf shifters possessed, everything began to fall into place. Rather than being pissed off at Walker, she felt a sudden fear for his safety. Surely, the bad shifters knew Walker was involved with Marcus. They had gone after her, and after Lily, so naturally, they would go after Walker and his daughter too. Apparently, though, they went after the weak first. They must have been serious cowards at heart.
“What are you going to do to keep yourself safe? What if they ambush you at the garage or something?” Riley asked, unable to keep the panic from gripping her. “Or what if they come here while you’re gone and overpower me to take Erin away? What would I be able to do?!”
“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Walker said, pulling Riley’s body into a tight embrace. She closed her eyes, allowing the comfort of his arms to seep into the cracks of fear that had been consuming her. God, it felt good to be near him like this. Too good.
As if he sensed her hesitation, he pulled away and looked down at her, his handsome face serious but calm. “The house is safe. I can promise you that much. We have every type of protection around it possible, even magic, whether you humans believe in that kind of thing or not.”
Riley grinned. “I’m a science person, remember?”
Walker grinned back. “Right. Well, all I’m saying is, nobody I don’t want to enter can enter in this house. You’re safe and the kids are safe, if you stay here. And trust me, I can handle myself. Or did you forget what happened at the motel? That happened pretty recently…”
Riley laughed despite herself, her hand automatically finding Walkers. Their fingers entwined, and they looked at each other with a tenderness and concern that nearly made Riley cry.
“Yeah, it did. I wake up every day wanting to thank you again for what happened…”
Walker laughed and shook his head.
“It’s really nothing,” he said. “I would do anything to protect you and Lily.”
“Something in me truly believes that,” Riley said, shaking her head. “But we shouldn’t be doing this. I can’t be with you. This isn’t professional.”
She tore her hand away from Walker’s and stepped away, shaking her head in exasperation. “I don’t want to confuse things. And if the girls sensed something was going on…oh God, can you imagine the questions? I’m just not prepared…”
Walker chuckled, his voice deep and pleasant, and Riley looked into his gentle, protective eyes, allowing herself one last lingering indulgence in the man’s raw and powerful beauty. She had never seen a more perfect specimen in her life. And now, she was living with one.
“You’re right. We need to keep things under wraps for a reason. And it would be better, if at all possible, not to have any of this happening at all.”
“Exactly. I have a professional reputation. And once Erin is old enough to take care of herself and I need to find another client to make ends meet, if they think that I’ll shack up with the man of the house, I am never getting any work again.”
“Why would you go back to being a nanny once Erin’s grown?” Walker asked, tilting his head slightly in that adorable way she had sometimes seen puppies do when they heard an unfamiliar noise or encountered something new. “I thought you wanted to go back to school and get your degree. By the time Erin can take care of herself, Lily can too. You should follow your dreams, not change diapers for the rest of your life.”
“First of all,” Riley said, strangely defensive by the turn the conversation had taken. “Both of the girls are potty trained and you know it. Second of all, I don’t see anything wrong in having a steady income, even if I was going to be able to go back to school. You have no idea how much college costs, and I would rather have enough money to send Lily over going myself. She’s young. She can still make her dreams come true. By the time I could go back to school, I would be so old it would hardly make a difference anymore.”
“That’s not true,” Walker said, his eyes completely serious. “It would make a difference to you. You would know you followed your dream, you did what you’re good at and succeeded at it. That feeling is worth it, no matter how old you happen to be when you achieve your goals.”
Riley sighed heavily. “I’m done having this conversation with you. It doesn’t matter. I am living my life for my daughter and that is never going to change. I don’t need that type of false hope.”
“Suit yourself,” Walker said with a slight shrug. “But I do believe in you. You’re a brilliant woman, and if you start doubting that because of what some jackass who never deserved you liked to say about you, then you’re never going to get any closer to feeling fulfilled.”
With that, Walker headed back downstairs, not giving Riley the chance to reply. She sighed heavily and trotted slowly after him, wondering how in the hell the conversation had gone from their safety to her future in such a short time.
If she didn’t stay safe, she wasn’t going to have much of a future. Walker was right. She was just going to have to bite the bullet and stay inside until the coast was clear. Erin didn’t deserve to lose another important woman in her life, and if anything happened to Walker, she would do whatever she had to do to make sure his daughter had the best life possible.
She just prayed nothing would happen to Walker, and everything would work out to the greatest potential. Otherwise, they would really have a problem.