Rick caught a glimpse of movement in the doorway and looked up from the monitors on his desk to see Addie standing there, her hair still messy from sleep. She covered her yawn and then waved a greeting. “Hey.”

“Hey there. Good morning.”

She stepped a couple of feet into his office. “Leigh’s still sleeping. Did you carry her to bed, too?”

“I did. She was really tired, so I didn’t want to wake her. How did you sleep?” He’d put her to bed in her own room. She’d been sleeping there and, as far as he knew, hadn’t had any more trouble after the first two nights she’d spent with Leigh. The third night, they’d both slept with their doors open which gave them a view straight into the others’ room.

“Okay. Don’t really remember anything. Can I have cake for breakfast?”

“Why don’t we have something a little bit healthier? I need a coffee refill, anyway.”

“Would one of those bagels be healthy?” She asked this as if she already knew, or at least suspected the answer, but thought any play that might gain her a piece of Leigh’s chocolate cake for breakfast was worth a try.

“Well, it’s definitely healthier than cake, but I’m not sure it’s truly good for you. Let’s go see what we can come up with.” He pushed his chair back from his desk.

“No. You keep working. I can refill your coffee and toast the bagels. You gotta catch the bad guy.” Before he could stand, she vanished.

What is she up to?

Hell, he probably owed the kid a huge slice of cake for the magic she’d worked the night before. Not all of his furniture had been delivered yet, so a single couch was the only piece of furniture practical for them to watch movies on. Somehow, the child, who was no bigger than a minute, managed to take up half of the couch. She’d left him and Leigh with far less than their fair share.

He couldn’t complain. Leigh had taken the middle, leaving him the outer portion. He had to hand it to Leigh, she’d done well. Stiff as board, she stayed awake for the entirety of the first movie, but shortly after the second one began, she’d started drifting off and her posture relaxed. Addie had fallen asleep with her head on Leigh’s shoulder, so she’d been trapped. By the movie’s middle, Leigh was out cold and with nowhere to go, she’d ended up leaning against his chest. He’d shifted, taking the weight of them both.

He’d liked it. A lot.

He couldn’t remember the first damn thing about either movie, but he remembered Addie and Leigh’s laughter and teasing. He remembered when Addie smiled at him, and how, when Leigh had shaken her head, the silk of her hair had brushed over his arm.

The light weight and soft warmth and contentment of having them with him was burned into his memory. He’d never had that, at least not that he could remember.

In truth, he could have woken Leigh at any point. She wouldn’t have minded. Hell, she probably would have preferred it. He’d told himself that he didn’t want to wake Addie. When she was fully asleep, he’d get her to bed.

He knew it for the lie that it was.

He hadn’t wanted the moment to end.

“Okay. Coffee, bagels aaaannd cake.” Addie appeared and drew out the and as if she were onstage, making a great presentation.

He took a tray that he didn’t even know he owned and set it on his desk. “Cake, huh?” Sure enough, in addition to two bagels, smeared liberally with cream cheese, two thick slices of cake waited on dessert plates, that again, he hadn’t even known he had. His mug of refilled coffee sat beside a glass of milk.

His house became more a home every second that these two females lived in it.

“So, what’s the special occasion? Or, more accurately, what do you want?” He was having bagels, cake, and coffee for breakfast with a tween girl in his office.

Just be happy that she’s here, she’s safe, and seemingly no worse for the wear after spending the majority of her summer alone.

The two of them had been put through the wringer. Hell, after all they’d survived, they deserved cake for breakfast for the rest of their lives.

“What makes you think I want something?” She licked cream cheese off the side of her bagel.

He didn’t bother replying. He sipped his coffee and looked at her.

Addie huffed then waved her food in the air, exasperated. “Do you like Leigh or not? I mean I know you like her, but what’s your deal? You’ve been acting funny around her. Sometimes, when she’s not looking you make googly-puppy eyes at her then sometimes you’re all hard-faced, like a statue. How the hell am I supposed to know what to do?” Full of drama, she threw her hands up in the air again. Realizing she held food in one hand, she shrugged and took a large bite.

Rick set down his cup. “Googly-puppy eyes? I don’t even know what that means.”

She answered him with her mouth full, her words garbled. “Like this.” She made an over the top, sappy, in love face that would shame any cartoon character. With her arms and bagel clasped over her chest, the only thing she missed was the beating hearts in her eyes.

Am I that ridiculous, or is she really that observant?

He guessed it was a little of both. In the world she’d lived in, keen observation had to have been necessary for survival.

It was also highly likely that he made a fool of himself around Leigh. This had to stop. He was only making them both miserable. What was the point of saving Leigh from a life of worry and danger, as he’d thought he’d been doing, when in the process he was breaking her heart?

“I look like that, huh? All googly-eyed?”

She nodded and added, “Googly-puppy-eyed. But sometimes you look like this.” She made her face go stone hard and lifeless.

He laughed.

It hit him that he had laughed more in the past few days than he had in the last year, possibly even longer. And he was stealing that from Leigh. He’d been a dick.

“Well?” Addie looked at him like he was not only an ass, but an idiot as well.

“Well, what?” She’d lost him. This young girl, who had every right in the world to be an angry, bitter child, but had more wisdom than half the adults he’d ever met.

“What are you going to do about it? Like, I think you two should be a couple and all, but I don’t like it when she cries. You shouldn’t do that to her.” There was something else beneath her words, more than what she was telling him.

“Go ahead. Tell me the rest.” He gave her his undivided attention.

Every trace of comedy left her voice. “Well, I thought, and I know it’s silly, but I thought we’d all be a family. Stupid, little girl dreams, I know. But if we can’t all be together, then I don’t want you to hurt her. Really. She’s the nicest person I’ve ever known. She likes to do things with me. I can tell she’s not pretending or just doing a job. She really likes me. I don’t want her hurt.”

“I won’t hurt her again.” The words left his mouth before his brain processed their meaning, but all the same, he meant them.

“You promise?” Doubt warred with hope and fierce protectiveness in her eyes.

How can anyone not love and cherish this child? Tom Caudill is an idiot.

“I promise that I will do my absolute best not to hurt her or you. I can’t swear that we won’t disagree over things or argue, but I’ll be careful of her feelings.”

“Do you love her?”

The answer was right there, instantly on his tongue. “I do.” Fuck me, I do.

So, why was he pushing that away? His business was protection. If he couldn’t protect those he loved, his word didn’t mean shit.

“Then quit being such a bonehead!” She shook her head at him and took a drink of milk.

He could only laugh. Despite her childish words, she was right.

To his left, on his desk, both his phone and his computer chirped. Instantly alert, he checked the feed from the security camera on one monitor. The screen was sectioned into several squares, each displaying a different location the property. He touched the square showing the gate at the main driveway. A dark sedan waited.

Addie caught his shift in mood. “What’s wrong?”

“We have company.” He frowned. He’d enjoyed his morning with Addie and wasn’t the least bit excited to have a visitor darken their doorway, especially this one.

She frowned, mimicking his expression almost identically. “Who is it?”

“My father is here.”

Addie appeared stunned. “You have a dad?”

“Yes. Why is that such a shock? I didn’t hatch from an egg.” He rose from his seat.

She thought for a moment then answered. “Well, you’re…” She waved her hand up and down, indicating she was indeed talking about him “You’re like Batman.”

“Batman?” She could have knocked him over with a feather. He was flattered.

Until she spoke again. “Yeah. You know, rich and with all the high tech stuff but only grumpier.”

Utterly baffled, he felt his eyebrows reach for the ceiling. “I’m a grumpy Batman?”

She grinned and followed him out of the room.

“When was the last time you saw Batman?” He stopped at the front door and looked to her.

“My grandpa had an old VCR and videotapes. He had a movie with the Penguin in it. He was creepy! Is your dad a nice guy like you?”

How he’d gone from being grumpy to nice, he’d never know. With no idea how to answer her question, he opened the door to his father.

A father that, other than his visit in the hospital, he hadn’t seen in over almost two decades, despite the fact that, during most of that time, they’d lived within thirty minutes of each other.

Frederick Evans stood there, a near mirror image of Rick. The only differences were their age and their eyes. His stony father appeared to stifle a wince when he met his son’s gaze. Not having a clue what to say, Rick waited silently.

His father stared back, equally speechless.

Addie broke the silence. “Hi, Mr.—” She turned to Rick and asked “What is your last name, anyway?”

He tipped his head down to answer. “Evans.”

Addie turned back to his father. “Hi, Mr. Evans. Would you like to come in? We’re having coffee and cake for breakfast.” Then she looked to Rick. “That’s okay, right? Leigh’s trying to teach me manners and stuff.” Her little nose scrunched on the offending word, manners.

“Hey, there you guys are. I wondered where you two had gone.” Leigh walked in smiling, freshly showered and utterly beautiful.

Addie made the introductions while he and his father stood there, two gloomy statues. “This is Mr. Evans. I mean, the other Mr. Evans. I guess there are two of them now? Is that right?”

Leigh smiled at his father in welcome then answered the question. “Yes, that’s right. You don’t have to call Rick that. He’s…well, he’s Rick. But, yes, you should give his father respect and call him Mr. Evans.”

“Cool. We invited him in for coffee and cake.” In her hurry to get back to her untouched cake, Addie grabbed his father by the hand and literally pulled him inside.

With nothing else to do, Rick closed the door and followed.

Speechless and likely shocked to find not only a woman, but a child in Rick’s home, his father let himself be drawn to the kitchen.

“Here. Have a seat. I’ll get you a cup of coffee. Leigh is a better cake cutter than I am. I can do it, but I’m messy. We have to eat here at the bar. They haven’t delivered the dining room table yet. Leigh and I picked one out a couple of days ago. It’s huge, like big enough for fifty people. We didn’t get a super fancy one though. Leigh says the house already looks like a stuffy church and needs some personality, so we got one that looks like it was beat up. It’s a rustic thing.” Addie assigned his father a seat at the bar and went to get him coffee. When she opened the cabinet and touched the handle of a mug she paused and looked back to his father. “Do you drink coffee? Most adults do, but my dad didn’t like it.” Wariness on her sweet face, she waited for an answer.

“Coffee is fine, dear. Thank you.” Then his father did something Rick hadn’t seen since he was a child. Frederick Evans smiled a genuine smile that reached his eyes.

“Great.” Addie beamed, pulled the mug down and poured him a cup. She delivered it and then looked around the room. “What? What did I do wrong?”

Leigh stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. “Nothing, sweetheart. They’re just stubborn, is all. You did good.”

“Another hard-headed man thing?” Addie looked from his father to him and then to Leigh, who laughed.

“Yep. You could say that.”

Addie looked up to Leigh, all innocence. “I told him he could have cake.”

Leigh gave Addie’s hair a playful tug. “I bet you did. I’ll cut it. I assume, just to be polite, you’d like a piece also?”

“I already cut pieces for me and Rick. I’ll go get them!” A purple and silver blur, she sped out of the room.

Awkward silence filled the room until Leigh spoke as she walked to the fridge. “Would you like milk or sugar with your coffee?”

“No, thank you. Black is fine.” He smiled politely as she served him a piece of cake.

Addie reappeared with her tray. A moment later, she sat at the bar beside his father with her cake and milk. Leigh occupied his father with small talk while Addie ate. Only a few minutes later, Frederick was completely under their spell. And Rick hadn’t said a single word to his father.

* * *

“Okay, kiddo. You are a mess. You need to put on real clothes, brush your hair, and clean the chocolate from your face.” Addie hopped up from her stool and Leigh moved in, washcloth at the ready. Thanks to her niece Kylie, Leigh was no stranger to messes, but this girl kept her on her toes.

Leigh wouldn’t have it any other way. She was a miracle and Leigh knew that as Addie ran out the door, the young girl likely had no idea what kind of magic she’d worked. She diffused tension between Rick and his father—so thick, Leigh had felt smothered by it.

But it was time for the men to hash things out. She suspected this meeting was far past due.

“If you gentlemen will give me just a moment, I’ll be out of your way. She’s learning, but we still have a way to go in the cleanliness department.”

Rick’s father tilted his head and looked to her. “You talk about her as if she’s new to the world or…I’m not quite sure, but something’s different about her situation, isn’t it?”

She wiped up the last of the crumbs and hedged. She had no idea what Rick would want her to say or not say. She assumed his father was a decent guy, but really, she had no idea. “Ah, yeah. Her past is a long and complicated story. I’m sure you and Rick have business to attend to. I’ll leave you to it.”

Rick spoke, his words harsh at first, but then softening and returning to normal. “No. Stay. He won’t be here long. I’ll have no secrets from you.” Something powerful simmered deep in his eyes and words.

What is he doing?

She knew the two men had a rocky past, but she had a feeling that Rick’s meaning went beyond his and his father’s troubles.

It had something to do with them, as in him and her. And she wasn’t sure she had it in her to stick around and find out what he was plotting.

He softly repeated his request, though it sounded more like a politely voiced order. “Stay.”

What could she do? So she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat on a barstool at the counter’s end.

Rick turned to his father. “What do you want?”

Leigh barely contained her wince at his abruptness.

“I wanted to make sure that you were all right after your injuries and had hoped to invite you over for dinner. I have some things I’d like to discuss with you.”

“I’m not interested in taking over the company. I never have been and never will be. I’m doing what I want, and I have people that need me.” Rick turned to her, looked into her, but continued speaking to his father. “They will always come first.” His dark gaze trapped hers.

Frederick stood and faced Rick with a hopeful, weak smile. She didn’t know what he’d done, or exactly what caused their rift, but she couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for the man. He genuinely appeared to care about his son. “Of course. I did not realize that you had anyone special in your life. That’s wonderful news. They would be more than welcome to come. I would love to learn more about them. But what I wanted to discuss has very little to do with the business.”

Rick returned his focus to his father. “I’m not interested and, as you can see, I’ve healed up just fine. There’s no need for you to get sentimental. I’m good.” A layer of finality laced Rick’s harsh tone. His words might be simple, but his meaning was anything but.

“Well, son, I hope you’ll reconsider, but if not, I understand. I’m pleased that you’re doing well and have…people that are important to you. Truly, I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. If you need anything or change your mind, please let me know. I’ll show myself out.”

Her heart ached for both men. Mirror images in both their looks and iron wills, it was no wonder they’d clashed. She imagined that it hadn’t been pretty when it had occurred.

Rick placed both palms on the counter and looked down as his father silently left the room. Wanting desperately to offer him some sort of comfort, she stood and moved to stand beside him. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

But what could she say to a man who had made it plain that he had no room for her in his life?

She had no choice but to remind herself of the pain that awaited her if she opened her heart even a fraction to offer him comfort.

Did that make her selfish? Probably. But there came a time in a woman’s life that she had to put herself first. Turning away to leave, her hand trailed over his back as she walked away without saying a word.