“I understand, sir. I promise, I’ll be there by the end of the—”

“Day,” Paul my director tries to finish my sentence.

Yeah, that’s not happening. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving tonight. “Week.”

Paul groans. “Noah, we’ve worked together in the past, and this has never been an issue.”

“Which is why I’m asking for two days.” I push back.

Kristin is passed out on the couch with her feet in my lap. We got home about two hours ago from—hell, I don’t even know how to refer to it—her ex’s house, I guess, and she practically collapsed.

“Fine. Not an hour more than that, or I’m recasting your role and you can remember why you’ll never work in Hollywood again.” Paul disconnects the phone.

I sit here, looking at her, wondering how I’m going to leave again. Everything is a fucking mess, and I can’t go knowing she isn’t taken care of. However, Kristin is resistant to any form of help.

Well, help she knows about.

This is for her own good, but it’s also for my peace of mind. I want to care for her. I need to give her back what I took.

I send out a few emails and get things rolling. I have two days to spend as much time with her as I can and get back a little of what we lost.

“Daddy, do you know that kids grow more in the spring?” Aubrey’s little voice comes through the walls from outside. I rub Kristin’s leg, but she doesn’t move. “And that horses sleep standing up? Oh, and did you know that a group of whales are called a pod?” She fires off more. I move Kristin’s feet and head to the door.

“Did you know little sisters are the most annoying people ever?” Finn says, and I have to stop myself from laughing.

“Are not!”

“Enough fighting,” Scott says as I pull the door open.

“Noah!” Aubrey yells and rushes forward. “Did you feed the animals?”

I chuckle and squat in front of her. “I did. They were hungry.”

“I know.” She huffs dramatically. “I had to do it myself because you were not here.”

Seriously, this kid is the cutest thing that was ever created. I don’t think anyone stands a chance against her powers. She’s going to be big trouble when she sets her sights on some boy.

“I’ll do better next time, I promise.”

She sees something behind me and bolts. “Mommy!”

I stand and watch as Aubrey practically belly flops on top of her mother. “Hi there, Aub.” Kristin’s voice is hoarse from sleeping and the six-year-old who just knocked the wind out of her.

“What’s up, Finn?” I smile, and he fist bumps me.

“S’up.”

Scott stands there, and he’s the one who looks uncomfortable this time. He’s lucky those kids are his. If they weren’t, I’d beat the shit out of him. He isn’t worth it, though. I will, however, be happy to watch Kristin take his stupid ass back to court if she wants. One slipup is all it will take.

“Scott,” I say, extending my hand.

I can feel Finn watching. I’m not ever going to let him see me as less than the man I was raised to be. My father may have been gone, but if my mother ever met someone and he disrespected him, I’d never forget it. A boy, no matter how he acts, wants his father around.

I was able to hide my feelings pretty well as a kid. It didn’t stop me from wishing he’d come back on my birthday or writing it on my Christmas list.

Tough kids hurt the deepest at heart.

Scott places his hand in mine. “Noah.”

Kristin’s hand slides up my arm and comes to rest on my shoulder. It’s the most she’s touched me in front of the kids. “Thanks for bringing them home. I’ll see you in a few days.”

I go to shut the door, but he stops it. “She’s packing now. Just so you know. I found out she was never pregnant and . . .”

“Okay then.” Kristin nods and closes the door with a soft click.

“You okay?” I ask.

“I’m fine. Sorry I fell asleep.”

“Don’t be,” I assure her.

In the car home, she was quiet, but I’ve learned she needs that time. Kristin spent a lot of her marriage in her head, and bit by bit, I’ll get her to come out from there. She doesn’t have to be afraid with me. Just the same as I’m going to have to remember she isn’t like everyone else.

“How long are you here for?” she asks with sadness in her eyes. “We didn’t even talk about that . . .”

“I have two days, sweetheart,” I tell her as I touch her cheek.

“Damn.”

I feel her pain. The last thing I want to do is leave. However, before I do, I have a lot of shit to take care of. Speaking of which . . .

“Where’s your phone?” I ask.

“My phone?”

I raise my brow. “Yes, the phone that got a lot of trouble started.”

She grimaces. “That phone.”

Kristin walks over to her purse and hands it to me. I don’t say anything. I grab my keys to the rental car and head out the door.

“Noah!”

“One minute!” I call back over my shoulder. I place the phone on the road right in front of my tire, climb into my car, and start it up.

Kristin stands on the porch with a confused look on her face. Maybe she missed the fact that I’m going to run the piece of shit over?

I shift into drive and roll forward and backward a few times. Should be good.

“What the hell are you doing?” she asks while descending the steps.

I grab the smashed device from the ground and smile. “You’ll have a new one with a new number in a little bit,” I inform her as I place the crushed phone in her hand.

“You’re insane! That was my phone!”

“It sure was.” I wait for the fight.

“You smashed it.”

“I did. And I’d do it again.”

No one is going to threaten us again. I don’t care if I have to run over a hundred phones. Kristin, Finn, and Aubrey will have new, fully paid for, phones within thirty minutes. I’m sure I’m going to get shit for getting Aubrey one, especially since I don’t think she currently has one, but . . . I have to keep my status. There’s no way I could handle the damn puppy-dog eyes.

“You ran it over.” Kristin looks at the remnants in her hand. “We could’ve just taken the program off my phone or changed my passwords, but . . . Noah!” She smacks my arm. “How the hell am I going to get all my contacts, you moron!”

I didn’t even think about that. “The cloud?”

“Such a man! You act first and think second.” She starts to walk away mumbling. “Get a new phone now, no job, but sure I can go to the store and say”—Kristin stops walking and yells through her gritted teeth—“my idiotic, jealous-for-no-reason boyfriend ran the phone over. I’m sure that’s covered under the warranty. Oh, but don’t worry, he backed over it again for good measure.”

I laugh, which earns me a scathing look, to which I laugh again.

“The new phones are coming. No need to go to the store.”

She glares at me, puts the phone on the porch, and grunts. “I can’t with you.”

I climb the steps two at a time and grab her waist, pulling her flush against me. “You can’t without me.” My voice is low.

“You think so?” Kristin asks coyly, all the feigned anger melting away as her hands come to a rest on my chest.

I purse my lips and nod. “I do.”

“What makes you so sure, Mr. Frazier?”

“Just a hunch.”

“Hmm.” She plays with the collar of my T-shirt. “Maybe you’re right, but how can you be sure?”

“I could kiss you.” I tease her. “I could see if you melt in my arms like you usually do when I get all ‘flirty,’ as you call it. I would be able to tell by the way your body gets tight because you want more, but you can’t have it.”

“You could.” Kristin keeps her tone even, but I see the fire in her eyes.

She has no idea how much control she has over me. If she asked me for anything, I’d find a way. This girl fell into my life, pulled me into the water with her, and I never came back up for air. Even when everything fell to shit, I couldn’t convince myself it was over.

I don’t see my life without Kristin in it.

“I should,” I say as I bring our lips closer together.

Her back arches as my hands glide higher. Just as I finally touch her perfect mouth, I hear a noise.

We both turn our heads to find Finn staring at us.

Shit.

I drop my hands and take a step back.

“Gross,” Finn says.

Most of our time together has been just the two of us, so I’m going to need to remember to tone down the PDA around here.

“Oh, give it up,” Kristin says with a laugh. “You like Noah, and he gives you street cred.”

“Did you seriously say street cred?” I ask her with laughter in my voice.

She shrugs. “What? Isn’t that what it’s called?”

“Yeah, if you’re my age!” Finn corrects her.

“Stop being so jealous of my coolness.” Kristin saunters away while flipping her hair back. “I’m like, the leader of the cool people. You all worship at my house of cool.”

Finn and I share a look and burst out laughing. “She needs help, Noah. Please”—he drops to his knees and folds his hands—“I’m begging you. Fix her before it’s too late.”

“I wish I could, but apparently, she has the keys to the house of cool.” I shrug and follow her back inside.

I watch her flop onto the couch with her arms stretched, and she takes my breath away. She has her hair pulled up, isn’t wearing any makeup, and is rocking a pair of black shorts and a baggy T-shirt. Yet, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

Kristin tilts her head and gives me a smile that makes me want to take her to the bedroom and wipe it off her face. “What?”

“Nothing.”

The corners of her eyes crinkle. “You’re thinking something.”

I smile and walk to her, place my hands beside her shoulders, and brace myself over her. “I’m thinking I’m a lucky man. Not only did I find you, I made you love me, and I’ve convinced you that you need me. I’m batting a thousand here.”

Kristin rolls her eyes. “Sure, it was all you, stud. I lured you in with my adorable awkwardness, gave you mind-blowing sex, and I have the ultimate weapon.”

I chuckle silently. “What’s that?”

“Noah!” Aubrey yells from the back of the house. “You forgot one!”

She takes my face in her hands and grins. “Her.”

I laugh against her lips and give her a searing kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now, go feed the animals before I find myself a new man who can keep up.”

“I’ll give you keep up.” I start to lean back toward her, but Aubrey makes her appearance.

“No-ah!” She says each syllable separately. “They could die. They need to eat.”

The laughter from the couch doesn’t go unnoticed. She’s really helping me here. I look to Aubrey, and her eyes go big again, just like with the damn cookies. What is it with little girls? Do they have some kind of magical powers? It’s witchcraft or something because here I am, taking her hand and letting her lead me away so I can feed her stuffed animals so they don’t die.

“Have fun!” Kristin says as she leans her chin on the top of the couch.

“We will later, sweetheart. Mark my words.”

“I’m counting on it.” Kristin smiles, and I start to think of anything other than her naked beneath me.

Aubrey looks at me with a huge grin. “I bet the animals would loooove some cookies.”

I let out a loud laugh and snuggle her. “Do you promise to eat your dinner and not tell your mom?”

She nods.

I’m so going to pay for this.