“That was an amazing meal,” I said to Cherry, as I helped her clean up after dinner. “You’ll have to give me that recipe.”

“You betcha, darlin’,” she drawled. “But listen, I’ve got this. You go on and take care of Alex and get some rest. You’ve both had a very long day.”

“Yes,” I nodded. “You sure?”

“Absolutely,” she said. “I’d recommend a nice warm bath before bed. Soothes the soul after days like this. And there’s a huge clawfoot tub in your cabin, and some bubble bath under the sink, too.”

“I saw that tub,” I said, smiling gratefully.

“Go on, shoo,” she said, winking at me. “Use extra bubbles.”

I laughed and gave her a quick hug. She’d quickly become my favorite person here, outside of Jason. And Grace. And Ryder.

Well, I suppose I can’t choose.

Dinner had been this big affair, with all of them gathered around the huge dining table, everyone talking and laughing, all at once. It reminded me a little of the dinners we had at the shelter, but without the stench of misery and desperation in the air. It was like a family.

I ignored the pangs of regret for never having experienced that before, and concentrating on trying to relax and enjoy it.

Everyone was so sweet to Alex, not just Cherry, but the other women I met doted on him like he’d never been doted on before. Lacey was quiet and sweet, flashing me encouraging smiles all night. Frankie was confident and calm as a cucumber, not even flinching when Alex began screaming at the dinner table, just because he was fond of screaming and then following it up with a big belly laugh after seeing the effect it had on everyone else. And the men were like a bunch of big happy guys. Now that I’d spent a few minutes with them, I could see right through their tough demeanors.

They may have been dripping in well-worn leather, but their hearts were as soft as suede.

Jason stayed by my side the rest of the evening, and I could tell he was processing what had happened with us earlier. Maybe I’d gone a little overboard with the kissing, but what’s done was done. I couldn’t un-kiss him now, even if I wanted to. In fact, now that I’d felt the heat between us, a feeling I’d never really reciprocated for anyone, I wanted more of it.

If only I weren’t so tired…

Well, there’s no telling what I would have done to him.

Instead, I was so exhausted my bones were tired. That bath and that nearby bed was calling my name.

“I’m going to give Alex a bath and get to bed, I think,” I said to Jason as I walked out onto the porch. He’d been standing there alone, staring out into the darkness.

“Tired?” he asked, turning to us with a smile.

“Exhausted.”

“It’s been a long, fucked up day,” he said.

“Most of it, yes,” I replied, smiling up at him. Alex squirmed in my arms. “Are you staying here tonight?”

“I think so,” he said. “I don’t want to get too far away from you two just yet. Go on and give Alex a bath. I’ll stop by in little while to say goodnight.”

I nodded and walked down the stairs, leaving him there alone, my heart tugging a little when I closed the door to the cabin. The silence was almost deafening and if it wasn’t for Alex, I knew the loneliness would be almost unbearable.

Alex was calm and lucid in the bath, playing calmly with the bubbles. As soon as I had him out of the tub and dried off, his eyes were drooping.

“You might be more tired than I am,” I said, kissing him. He smelled so good, his skin so soft and his little eyes looking up at me so sweetly, I wondered what I ever had to complain about. All the shit I went through was worth it, because it led me to being the mother of this amazing little boy.

“I love you, sweetheart,” I whispered.

I placed him in the portable crib that I’d set up earlier and he closed his eyes right away. I watched him for a while, finding comfort in the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest.

“I promise to keep you safe,” I whispered to him. “No matter what I have to do.”

I dimmed the light in the bedroom and wandered into the kitchen. It was the prettiest room in the house, the dark cabinets and creamy white marble countertops creating a cozy ambiance. I lit some candles and opened a bottle of red wine, perusing the book case while I sipped it slowly.

I was contemplating reading a little before bed, just to settle my mind a little bit, think about something other than myself. I’d been an avid reader all my life, scrounging through any book or magazine I could get my hands on and having an entire bookcase to choose from was like having my own personal library.

Fiction, I thought. That’ll do the trick.

I grabbed an Anne Rice novel from the shelf, The Witching Hour, one of my favorite books of all time. I ran my hand over the gold embossed lettering on the cover, opening the book slowly, smelling the pages. I began reading and was instantly transported to the dark and mysterious world of the Mayfair witches, letting the flowery words envelop me.

I was only a few pages in when I heard a quiet knock at the door. I walked over and opened it to find a smiling Jason.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hi.” I opened the door, stepping to the side to invite him in. I was wearing nothing but a fluffy white terrycloth robe and I suddenly wished I’d put some clothes on after the bath.

“Is Alex asleep?” he asked.

“Out like a light.”

“You’re still awake?”

“Doing a little reading. Thought I’d have a little wine before bed,” I said.

He nodded and walked into the kitchen.

“Would you like some?” I asked.

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll get it. You sit down. Relax.”

“Okay,” I shrugged, sinking back into the couch. He joined me in a few seconds, wine glass in one hand and the entire bottle in the other. He put it down on the table and sat down next to me. “Anne Rice, huh? She’s my favorite author.”

“No way?”

“Absolutely. Have you read Cry to Heaven?”

“Yes, it’s amazing,” I said, smiling at the fact that he shared my appreciation for her. “The worlds she creates are so vivid, you feel like you’re right there with them.”

“It’s true,” he said, smiling over at me. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” I said, sipping my wine. “I mean, I guess I’ll be okay.”

“Are you worried?”

“Do you want the truth?”

“Always.”

“Of course I am. Everything’s so unknown. That’s unsettling.”

“Do you wish you stayed at the shelter?”

“Maybe,” I said. “But honestly, I’ve concluded that Luke would have found me there, too. It was just a matter of time. Obviously, Ruby told him about the baby. He’s not really the type to give up, you know?”

“Right,” he nodded. “That’s why it’s important to make sure he can’t find you again.”

I nodded and smiled, the dim light somehow making him even more handsome than he was earlier today at the creek.

As if he had read my mind, he spoke quietly.

“Daisy, about earlier…”

“Shh,” I stopped him. “Don’t. I’m a little embarrassed about that.”

“Embarrassed? Why on Earth would you be embarrassed?”

“I wasn’t exactly a picture of restraint.”

“No, you weren’t,” he winked. “But you don’t hear me complaining, do you?”

“Isn’t that what you were about to do?”

“Heavens, no. I was just going to say that I didn’t want you to mistake my hesitancy for disinterest. I just don’t want to scare you.”

“You could never scare me. You’re like a gentle, lovable teddy bear, remember?”

“Great,” he laughed. “That sounds as attractive as the last time you called me that.”

“You have no idea how attractive gentleness is to me,” I replied. “Even if I wasn’t so gentle myself.”

“I just don’t want to do anything wrong. I don’t want to overstep some invisible boundary,” he said, putting his glass down and enveloping my hands in his. “I respect you immensely.”

“No one has ever said that to me,” I murmured.

“You deserve all the respect in the world, Daisy.”

He bent his head to kiss me and I yawned before his lips could brush against mine. I put my hand over my lips and apologized.

“No apology necessary. I should go and let you get to sleep.”

“What if I asked you to stay?” I asked.

“Stay? Here? Tonight?”

“Yes. I’d feel better if you were close by. If I wasn’t alone…” I felt vulnerable asking but now that he was here, the thought of him leaving was painful.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I’ll just sleep here on the couch and you let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” I said, smiling a grateful smile. “I guess I should get to sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“Sweet dreams, then.”

I stood up and put my glass on the table, walking to the hallway that led to the bedroom in the back. I stopped and turned back to him.

“Jason?”

“Yes?”

“Would you come with me?” I asked, my eyes searching his.

“With you?” he asked.

“Just to hold me. I know I’m asking a lot of you…”

He was up and around the couch in a second, standing in front of me and shaking his head.

“You could never ask too much. It would be my pleasure, Daisy.”

He leaned down again and this time I didn’t yawn.

His lips brushed against mine, soft as velvet.

We turned and walked hand in hand to the bedroom and crawled into bed together. He wrapped his arms around me and I let my head rest on his chest, his heartbeat a lullaby in my ear.

He was so warm, so solid, so calm, that as soon as I closed my eyes, I was out like a light.