I’ve barely been able to leave the house without a camera being shoved into my face. And heaven forbid Emersyn is with me. She’s terrified to leave the house, as she should be. We’re practically mobbed, and she’s scared. Hell, I’m scared.

I glanced in the fridge. I needed to get groceries and couldn’t wait for whatever assigned security Grayson had for me to get here. Emersyn was getting fussy, and I was out of formula. I sighed. Emersyn was winning the battle. I scooped her up, and decided to take a taxi. Of course, if Grayson knew we were taking a taxi, he would lose his shit. But, I couldn’t focus on that right now. Grayson wasn’t here, for good reason, even if I did want him here.

I held Emersyn’s hand as I picked up the few things I needed to last me a few days until I was able to do some real shopping. I noticed a few people watching me out of the corner of my eye, but I ignored them, quickly grabbing what I needed. Emersyn was going to have to walk with me, since I couldn’t carry her and the bags at the same time.

I held her little hand as we left the store, and that’s when it happened.

The cameras started flashing.

“Mrs. Mandrake, how do you feel knowing your husband cheated on you?”

“Have you, or will you, file for divorce?”

“Does he beat you, too?”

My head shot up at that. Emersyn started to cry, and before I had time to pick her up, someone got too close, knocking her over.

“No!”

I dropped all the bags and picked her up, her crying only grew louder as I tried to check to see if she was hurt. I felt myself tearing up, as more people crowded around us and more words and insults were thrown at me.

Suddenly, a horn blared and an SUV pulled up onto the sidewalk, forcing everyone to move. I looked up just as Grayson was making his way through the crowd. He looked menacing, as if he would kill every single one of them. As upset as I was, I was relieved to see him. He quickly made his way to my side, gently helped me up, led me to the SUV, and Emersyn and I got in the back.

“Are you okay? Is she okay?” He started to look us both over.

I shook my head, as more tears fell down, and he looked at me with such remorse. “Can we just go…please?” I focused on buckling Emersyn in her car seat, so Grayson wouldn’t have to see my tears of guilt and shame.

He nodded, shutting our door, and going back to the sidewalk to collect our bags. Before he got in, he turned to all of them. “Your shit is with me, not them. Leave my family the fuck alone!”

He got in the car and slammed the door, the tires screeching as he pulled off. I smoothed Emersyn’s hair, and sang softly to her as she started to calm down. Grayson’s eyes met mine in the mirror a few times; I knew he was seething, but would wait until we got home to let loose.

He stayed close as we got out, looking every which way to make sure no one was around. He had one hand on the small of my back, and his other, cupping the back of Emersyn’s head. No matter what, he would always be there protecting us.

He set the bags in the kitchen. He glanced at the formula. “She’s hungry?”

I nodded, and he got to work preparing it for her. When he was done, he came toward us, and held out his arms for her. “Can I?”

I handed her over as she reached for him. She hadn’t seen him for a few days, and I knew that had to be confusing for her. I watched from a distance as he rocked and fed her. She played with his tie as she ate. Half an hour later, she looked ready to pass out. I didn’t interrupt as Grayson carried her to her room, whispering sweet things to her.

I returned to the kitchen, putting up the remaining groceries. I jumped when Grayson’s arms wrapped around me.

“I didn’t mean to scare you just now, but I needed you in my arms.” I relaxed against him, and we were quiet. After a few calming minutes, he turned me to face him. I knew the lecture was about to commence. He cupped my face in both hands. “You have security for a reason.”

I nodded, ashamed, because I put Emersyn in danger. “I know. But she was hungry and I thought I had more formula and I didn’t.” I felt myself tearing up again. He shushed me as he pulled me closer.

“It’s okay. I’ll make sure we’re fully stocked.” He wiped away a few of my tears.

“How did you know we were there?”

He gave me a knowing look. I sighed. He always knew where I was. “If Emersyn wasn’t with you, I swear I would’ve killed each and every one of them for swarming you like that.”

I took a few deep breaths. “Thank you for being there.”

“You know I’m always there for you.” Then his voice got stern. “No more going out without security. I’m assigning someone 24/7, as well as someone to run errands.”

I didn’t even bother arguing, because he wasn’t kidding.

“I miss you. Both of you.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Yeah, I missed him too, but I wasn’t ready to talk yet, even though I knew it had to be done eventually. I decided to steer the conversation to a slightly different topic. “Has everything been okay with you? I know it’s been a media frenzy, and…”

“I don’t give a fuck about the media. It’s you and Flick I’m worried about. I should be here. I should be here, with my family.” He spoke as if he was pleading and he was. It had been three days since he left. He had called and texted at least twenty times a day. “How much time do you need before we talk about it? We have to talk about it, Emmalin. You know that.”

I did know that, but at the same time, I wanted to not know if it was going to end up ripping my heart out. I finally looked up at him. “Saturday. We can meet up Saturday.”

He nodded eagerly and slightly smiled. “Okay.”

I cleared my throat. “I’ll see if someone can take Emersyn for a few hours so we can talk.”

He slightly frowned, but nodded nonetheless. “Okay. I’ll be here Saturday morning.” He paused. “I can stay the night tonight. Make sure everything is okay and that you feel safe.” I bit my bottom lip as I thought it over. I knew he was going to try everything he could to worm his way in. “I’ll sleep in one of the guestrooms if that makes you feel better.” After a brief consideration, I finally gave him a nod. The twinkle in his eye was practically blinding.

Grayson picked the room closest to ours. I got ready for bed and kept staring at the closed door. I wanted him back in our bed. I wanted him back. But, I knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. I finally shut off the light and got into bed.