Dane didn't need to see Jaimi's face to know that he was correct.

He had no doubt that he was.

Jaimi had the same piece of shit bastard father that the rest of the Stocktons had, but somehow, she'd escaped their childhood. She'd escaped their life…mercifully, beautifully, thankfully, she had escaped being raised by the bastard who'd fathered her.

He didn't know who her mother was, but she'd done damn well for herself, getting out of town before the old man had known about Jaimi. A cold chill clamped around his gut at the thought of what would have happened to Jaimi if she'd been raised in that home, about the lifelong scars she would have carried on her body and her soul if she hadn't escaped before he'd known about her.

His throat suddenly tightened, and he wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hug her, holding her tight so that the brutality of the life she might have led could never reach her. He even started to reach for her, unable to stop himself…until he saw the look of absolute vulnerability and fear on her face.

She was terrified that he'd found out the truth…but why?

"Mom!" Emily grabbed Jaimi's hand. "Since Dane guessed, we don't need to be spies anymore, do we? We can tell them the truth, right?"

Jaimi didn't answer. She just stared at Dane. "Are you going to tell them?"

His first instinct was a hell, yes, but the words died in his throat at the expression on her face. "You don't want me to?"

She shook her head, lifting her hand to run it through Emily's hair. As she made the move, he noticed that her hand was trembling. Protectiveness surged through him, and he instinctively reached out and brushed a stray curl back from her face. "Why not?" he asked gently.

"I don't know if I want to tell them."

Resistance surged through Dane. "Family's the keystone to life. They would want to know you. You need them."

She shook her head. "No." Her voice was trembling. "I have all the family I need. I didn't know they even existed until two weeks ago. We've been just fine without them. I promised my mom I'd come out here, but I didn't promise I'd introduce myself." She gestured vaguely in the direction of the festival. "This isn't my world. I don't know them. I don't know if they'd want to meet me, and I don't know if I want to open that door. I didn't come here to meet them. I came here because it was the one thing my mom asked of me before she died. I—"

"Jaimi." He gently cut her off, his heart aching at her panicked rant. "I won't tell them." He made the promise before he'd even decided, and instantly regretted it. Not because he didn't want to support her, but because he'd meant it when he said family was what mattered. The Stocktons were his family, in every way that mattered, and he'd just sworn his loyalty to Jaimi instead.

Shit.

He owed them. There was no way he could keep that secret from them. They had a fucking sister. He almost laughed at what their reactions would be. They'd be so damned overprotective that she wouldn't know what hit her. They needed to know. They needed her. He looked at the two faces staring at him. Emily so happy and hopeful, Jaimi so worried, both of them waiting.

They needed the Stocktons.

"Thank you for not telling them," Jaimi said, relief evident on her face. "I appreciate it."

Shit. He'd made a promise. He never broke his promises.

Which meant he'd have to get her to make the choice herself to tell them…but even as he thought it, he realized that once the Stocktons knew about Jaimi, his problems were just beginning.

He was pretty damn sure that they knew far too much about his sordid past to ever let him date their sister…let alone the whole nine yards…which is what he wanted.

He wanted to go all the damn way with Jaimi and Emily.

Jaimi looked at him. "So, what now?"

What now? What now, indeed? He knew he had to find a way to bring her together with her family…and to win over her heart in the process…two almost impossible goals, given how damn tough and stubborn he already knew she was. He cocked his head, studying her, trying to assess the best way to handle it, to intrigue her. "Want to meet them?"

"Yes!" Emily screamed with delight. "Yes, please, please, please."

Uncertainty flickered across Jaimi's face. "Not yet. Can you let it go?"

He took a deep breath, knowing that the answer was no. He also saw the vulnerability in her eyes, and he knew that if he pushed it, she would be on the next plane back to Boston. He knew, absolutely knew, that he couldn't let Jaimi and Emily walk out of town without meeting their family, and without following up on the connection he had with Jaimi. He also knew he couldn’t allow them stay in town, keeping themselves isolated from him, and the family he knew would be dying to meet them. He had to find a way to bring it all together. "I'll make you a deal."

Jaimi gave him a wary look. "What's the deal?"

"I believe that you and Emily need to meet the Stocktons, and you need to tell them who you are."

Jaimi shook her head, a panicked look crossing her face. "No. You promised—"

"I promised I wouldn't tell them, and I won't break that promise." Unfortunately. "But I'll leave it alone and stop bugging you about it only on one condition."

She set her hands on her hips. "What?"

"That you go out to dinner with me tomorrow night, and we talk about it. I want to know your story, how you ended up in Boston, how you didn't know about the Stocktons until two weeks ago." His voice softened at the resistance on her face. "I already know the truth, Jaimi, the part you want most to keep hidden. Maybe it will help to talk about it." He grinned. "I’m a cop. I know how to keep secrets."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "You keep throwing around that 'I'm a cop' credential, like it makes you some great guy."

"No. I'm a great guy just 'cause I'm a great guy. But I'm throwing around the cop thing in case that helps you believe it." He looked at Emily. "What do you think?"

She gazed up at him. "I think my mom's inner wimp needs a smackdown."

He grinned at Jaimi. "See? We're all in agreement."

Jaimi looked at Emily, and then back at Dane. "What about Emily?"

"I can arrange a playdate for her."

"With—?"

He nodded, not offering it aloud, not wanting to step on Jaimi's toes in terms of parenting. He wasn't going to offer an evening with the Stocktons for Emily if Jaimi wasn't on board.

Jaimi sighed. "Can we do it tonight? I'll just dread it."

He nodded. "No problem. During the concert?"

She sighed again, but then she crouched down in front of Emily. "Hey, Em, I have a deal for you. Do you want to hang out with the…" She swallowed, and glanced at Dane before looking back at her daughter. "Do you want to hang out with the Stocktons during the Travis Turner concert while Dane and I grab dinner?"

Emily's jaw literally dropped open, and she got the most astonished look of awe on her face. She nodded once, apparently unable to actually talk.

Jaimi took her daughter's hands and squeezed them. "You have to absolutely promise not to tell them who we are. You can say your mommy is friends with Dane, and Dane thought that you would like to hang out with them while mommy and Dane went to dinner. Can you do that? It's very, very important to keep up being a spy right now."

Emily nodded solemnly. "I'm an amazing spy. I'm like a superhero. I can do anything."

Jaimi sighed. "Okay, then, but promise."

"I will!" Emily flung her arms around Jaimi, holding on so tight that she almost pulled Jaimi over. "Thanks, Mommy! Thank you so much! I love you so much!"

Tears filled Jaimi's eyes, and she hugged her daughter back. "I love you, too, sweet cakes."

As Dane stood there, watching the mother-daughter hug, he realized why Jaimi had made that choice. Even if they never introduced themselves to the Stocktons, by letting her daughter spend the evening with them, she was giving Emily memories that would last her forever, memories that would make her feel anchored in this world for the rest of her life.

Jaimi Hamilton was a helluva mother, a helluva woman.

He wanted more than just the Stockton story at dinner tonight.

He wanted it all.

Every last bit.

But as she looked up at him, the wariness in her eyes, he knew she wanted to keep every last secret from him.

He smiled.

She hesitated, then smiled back.

And he knew he had a chance.