He would never forget this night.

Maddox pulled the blanket more securely around Hannah, being careful not to wake her. She was using his chest as a pillow, her hands tucked up under his chin, her legs tangled with his. They'd gotten dressed after making love, as a precaution against Ava walking in, but when he'd walked her to her bedroom, somehow, he'd ended up following her onto the bed after a kiss good night that neither of them could stop...

And now it was almost two in the morning, Hannah was sound asleep, wrapped around him, and Maddox was lying there, listening to the silence of the night, and the steady rhythm of her breathing.

He hadn't slept in the same room as another person since he'd moved out of his dad's house and stopped living with his brothers. He needed his space, the space he'd never gotten as a kid, until now, until this moment, until Hannah.

Maddox closed his eyes, breathing in the subtle scent of flowers that seemed to cling to Hannah all the time. He turned his head slightly, so that his cheek was resting against her head, strands of hair tickling his cheek.

Sex had never meant anything to him. It had been a way to...he didn't even know. A way to hide from the darkness haunting him?

Tonight, everything had changed. Tonight, he'd made love to the woman who had awoken his heart for the first time in a very, very long time, maybe ever.

But sometime during the evening, the wind had stopped blowing. The storm had moved on. By morning, Chase and the others would plow them out, and there would be no reason for Maddox to stay, and every reason for him to leave.

How in God's name would he ever make himself walk away tomorrow? But he had to. He knew he did. But—

He suddenly heard the sound of tiny feet padding in the hallway, and he froze, swearing under his breath as he listened to Ava pause outside the door. What the hell had he been thinking, sleeping in Hannah's bed when Ava was around? What kind of message did that send to her?

The door opened and Maddox went very still, allowing the shadows to swallow him as Ava pushed the door open and peered inside. She was wearing her girl power superhero nightgown, and she was holding Alfred tightly in her arms.

He watched as Ava padded over to Hannah's side of the bed. She patted Hannah's arm, but her mom didn't move. Maddox knew Hannah was exhausted from the lovemaking, which had stripped her of what little energy she'd begun to regain after being sick. Ava tapped Hannah again, and he saw the glisten of tears on her cheeks.

Maddox swore under his breath, barely able to contain the instinct to reach out to the little girl, as he'd done so many times over the last two days when Hannah had been so sick.

Ava bit her lip, and looked up, her eyes meeting Maddox's. Instantly, her little face morphed into a smile, and she held up her arms.

Maddox's heart softened, and he leaned over Hannah, and picked up Ava. To his surprise, the moment she was on the bed, Ava burrowed against Maddox's side, tucking herself between the two adults.

Maddox stretched out on his back, one arm still around Hannah, and the other one around Ava, as she squirreled down between him and Hannah, moving incessantly until she found her spot, which resulted in her face pressed against the crook of Maddox's neck, breathing heavily on him.

After a long moment, he felt her fingers tracing his beard, tapping gently.

He laughed softly. "Are you scared, baby?"

He felt her nod against his neck, and he tightened his arm around her. He hated that she was afraid, that she and Hannah had to live in fear. He wanted to free them from the grips of fear. He knew what it was like growing up scared, and it sucked. "Do you want a story?"

She nodded again, and wiggled closer to him, still tapping his chin. She held up Alfred, and he smiled. "A story about Alfred?"

She nodded for a third time, and then snuggled contentedly down beside him with a deep sigh.

Maddox sighed, trying to think of a story that might help her, one that might chase away the fears. "Did you know Alfred used to be afraid of the dark?"

Ava shook her head, and propped herself up so she could see his face. It was dark, but the light from the hall gave him enough light to see her face watching him so carefully.

Maddox paused, trying to think of a place to start. "When Alfred was a puppy, he lived on a street where a big, mean dog lived. Alfred was scared of the dog, because he thought it might hurt him."

Ava's eyes widened, and she sat up, clutching Alfred to her chest. For a moment, Maddox hesitated, unsure whether to continue. Then he saw Hannah roll over and face him. Her eyes were on him, and she nodded slightly, encouraging him.

Shit. He had no idea what the hell he was doing. He had no experience trying to make up stories that would make a traumatized four-year-old feel better. He raised his eyebrows at Hannah, asking for her to finish the story, but before she could say anything Ava tapped his chin again, drawing his attention back to her. She held up her hands, palm out, in an entreaty for him to continue.

He realized then that it wasn't just a story she needed. She needed a story from him, because for some reason, she trusted him. Damn. It had to be him.

Resigning himself, Maddox sat up with a groan, leaned against the headboard, and held out his arms. Ava scrambled onto his lap, tucked her feet between his thighs, and leaned her head against his chest. Maddox wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on her head, watching Hannah, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth while she listened to them. "Did Alfred have trouble sleeping at night?" Hannah asked.

Maddox nodded. "Yep. At night, he would hear the big dog barking, and Alfred would lie in bed listening, being a little bit scared." He paused. This wasn't a good story. Now he was creating new things for Ava to be afraid of. By the time he finished the story, she would probably be afraid of dogs, too.

He had no idea how to help a kid. He raised his eyebrows at Hannah, again asking for her help, but she just smiled at him and patted his knee, as if he would be fine with a little reassuring pat.

The next time he and Hannah were alone, he was going to have to point out to her that he was not a puppy dog, but a bumbling, idiot male who had no idea how to help a little girl. But for the moment, since she was intentionally ignoring his pleas for help, it was up to him to figure out how to make this better. He'd grown up scared, but at some point, he'd stopped being afraid. He thought for a minute, trying to think of what happened in his life when he had stopped being afraid, when he had begun to sleep at night and stop listening for his dad's footsteps in the hall.

It was when he had become strong, when he'd started believing he was strong. And that had happened when his youngest brother Travis had moved into the house, at which point Maddox and his brothers had realized that there was someone weaker and smaller than them that needed their protection. Keeping Travis safe had forced Maddox to find his strength.

Galvanized by the idea, he thought fast. "One day, Alfred's owner, who was named Susie, brought home a tiny kitten." He lightly rubbed Ava's back as he spoke. "Have you ever seen a tiny kitten? Do you know how little they are?"

Ava lifted her head to look at him, and she shook her head.

Maddox took her hands and cupped them together, making a little basket of her tiny hands. "A baby kitten would fit right here." He tapped the bottom of the basket. "It would fit right in your hands. Much smaller than Alfred."

Ava stared at her hands for a moment, then she looked back at him and nodded.

"The kitten was so little that it could barely walk without tripping on her own feet. Susie loved her so much, and named her…" What name would a four-year-old girl respond to? "Fluffy. Susie named the kitty Fluffy." He glanced at Hannah, and relaxed when he saw her smiling. Okay, so he got that part right. "When Susie went to school that day, she asked Alfred to take care of Fluffy and make sure she was safe. Alfred, of course, agreed to watch Fluffy, because he loved Susie, and because Fluffy was really, really cute. She was also really, really little, and Alfred could see that she definitely needed someone to watch out for her. Plus, how hard could it be to watch a little kitten, right?"

Ava grinned, and bounced on the bed.

"Exactly." Maddox warmed to the story, the ideas beginning to flow now. "Of course, as soon as Susie left, Fluffy slipped out through the screen door and bounded straight into the yard."

Ava rolled her eyes and shook her head, grinning.

"What do you think Alfred did?" Maddox asked.

Ava made a running motion with two fingers, and Maddox nodded. "Exactly. He ran after her, but she was already down the street, checking out everything. She ran right into the yard of the mean dog."

Ava went still, staring at him, her eyes wide. She clutched Alfred to her chest tightly, and Maddox was pretty sure that she didn't even realize she was doing it. He glanced at Hannah, and she nodded, urging him to continue.

Hoping he was doing the right thing, he went on. "Alfred was terrified. He ran to the hole in the fence and started barking at Fluffy to come back, but she ignored him. She just ran right across the yard to play with a dandelion under the window. Just when she reached the dandelion, the mean dog came around the side of the house. It saw Fluffy, and stopped, staring at the kitty."

Ava moved closer to Maddox, her eyes wide as she stared at him, riveted by the story.

"The mean dog was so much bigger than Alfred, and Alfred was terrified. He barked at Fluffy, and she looked up and saw the dog. She froze in terror, unable to move, even as the mean dog started running towards her. Alfred realized that Fluffy was too scared to run. She couldn't get away. There was no one to help her...except for Alfred. He didn't have time to be scared anymore. He had to save her! So, he squeezed through the hole in the fence and raced after the mean dog, who was thundering toward Fluffy. Just as the big dog reached Fluffy, Alfred got close enough. He lunged after the big dog and bit him right on the end of his tail!"

Ava put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.

Maddox grinned. "The mean dog was so startled when he felt Alfred's little teeth poke him in the tail, that he jumped straight up in the air yelping in absolute terror. He jumped so high that he banged his head on a tree branch."

Ava giggled, her eyes twinkling as she watched him.

"When the big dog landed and saw little Alfred standing there growling, he realized that the tiny dog had bitten him. He realized that the little tiny dog was so powerful that he'd made the big dog smash his own head into the tree just with one little bite!"

Ava burst out laughing, a beautiful, heartfelt laugh that he had never heard from her before. It made his heart leap, and he grinned at Hannah, who had tears in her eyes. He held out his hand to Hannah, and when she slipped her hand in his, he squeezed it before turning his attention back to Ava. "The big dog decided right then and there that little dogs were much scarier, and much more powerful than he had ever realized, especially Alfred. He immediately backed up, then turned and ran around the side of the house, and hid under the rosebushes. Alfred was so surprised, that he stood there for a full minute, waiting for the big dog to come back, but he never did. Finally, Alfred realized that by simply pretending to be big, brave, and strong, he had convinced the big dog that he was more powerful. All it took to make the danger go away was for Alfred to believe he was strong. That was all it took. Just his belief."

Ava was riveted, her gaze steady on his face, listening to every word.

"Alfred went over to Fluffy, picked her up by the back of her neck, and carried her out of the mean dog's yard. From that day on, every time Fluffy and Alfred passed the mean dog's yard, the mean dog always ran around to the back of his house, and hid under the rosebushes. Alfred became the hero of the neighborhood. Each time another dog had to pass the yard, Alfred would walk with them to show the mean dog that Alfred was their friend. Whenever the mean dog realized that that dog had Alfred's protection, he would stop bothering that one, too. Eventually, the mean dog had no one left to bark at, and he gave up. He decided that life was more interesting lying in the sun, and enjoying the roses, than it was scaring everybody else. He was happy, everyone was safe, and it had all happened because Alfred had decided one day to be brave, even though he didn't feel brave, and that was all it took for everything scary to simply disappear."

Maddox finished the story, and silence fell in the bedroom. Ava studied him, and he could almost see her processing the story, and making it her own. After a moment, she nodded and looked down at Alfred. She lifted him so they were eyeball to eyeball, and she studied him carefully. Maddox saw her lips moving, and he knew that Ava was having a discussion with the dog. He glanced at Hannah, and saw her watching Ava with an expression of such love and emotion on her face, that his throat tightened.

Ava might be scared, but she had a mom who loved her more than words could ever express, love which would always wrap around her and provide a buffer against all the crap that the world would throw at her.

Ava finished her conversation, then snuggled back down in bed, nestling against Hannah. Hannah wrapped her arm around her daughter, kissed the top of her head, and then looked up at Maddox.

He shifted, knowing that his role in the moment had ended. It was time for him to get up, and let the mother/daughter bonding happen. His chest tightened with regret as he reached for the blankets, surprisingly sad at having to extricate himself from the situation. He didn't want to get up. He wanted to stay there, in a world he didn't belong in, in a situation he was too rough for.

But just as he went to flip the blankets back and get up, he felt a small hand wrap around his little finger. He looked down and saw Ava was holding onto him. His heart turned over. "I'm sorry, baby, but I need to go—" He stopped when Hannah encircled her fingers around his wrist, and he looked quizzically at her.

She smiled gently at him. "Stay, Maddox. We both need you."

He wanted to stay. He wanted to stay badly. But he couldn't mislead them. He couldn't make them count on him when he wasn't dependable. "Chase will be here in the morning. I'll be on my way after that."

He didn't miss the flash of pain across Hannah's face, and guilt tore through him. What the hell had he been thinking, to make love to her the night before he was going to leave? Guilt ripped through him, and he rolled onto his side to face her, careful not to squish Ava, who was still between them. He stroked his fingers down Hannah's jaw, searching her face. "I didn't mean for last night to happen," he said. "It was selfish and cruel to make love to you when I knew I had to leave. I don't want to make it worse by staying here with the two of you, knowing that I have to leave."

Hannah put her fingers over his lips, silencing him. He glanced down at Ava, and saw that her eyes were closed, and her breathing was steady and even. She was already asleep, her fear eased by his story. Somehow, that made a little bit of the tension in his chest ease. Yeah, maybe he'd been a selfish asshole to make love to Hannah, but by giving Ava peace, he'd done something right, at least one thing right in his life.

"Maddox." Hannah's soft voice drew his attention back to her, and he dragged his gaze off the sleeping child to look at the woman he'd already betrayed.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to make love to you. I have no excuse, but if it's worth anything to you, making love to you was the most beautiful moment I've ever had in my life. I will hold it in my heart forever, as a gift, as a moment when I was able to experience the beauty in life that I don't deserve. I will treasure you always, and I will treasure that moment, and the memory of it always. You are an incredible woman, and you deserve every happiness, every gift, and every moment of joy that exists in this world."

Tears filled Hannah's eyes, and she smiled, a smile so heartfelt that something inside him twisted. He didn't deserve to have her look at him like that, like he was special, like he was worthy. He didn't understand what she was seeing that made her look at him like that. "Hannah—"

She put her fingers back over his lips and shook her head. "Listen to me, cowboy. I wanted tonight. I needed you. I needed to lose myself in your tenderness, your strength, and your kisses. You might not have had many beautiful moments in your life, but I haven't either. I know the blizzard is over. I know you will never let yourself stay. I understand you, Maddox, and that's why I will never regret what happened."

His throat tightened. "You deserve so much more than what I gave you—"

She raised her brows. "More than beauty? More than reverence? More than the gift of feeling so safe that I could completely lose myself in what was between us? More than that?"

He hesitated, unsure of himself in the shadow of such poetic words. "I did that for you?"

Hannah sighed, and nodded at the sleeping child. "You do that for both of us, Maddox. I know you still see yourself as a monster, but you're not. You're that bright light of warmth that we both needed so desperately."

He didn't know what to say to that. He truly had no idea how to respond. He wanted to be that for them. He'd stayed because he'd wanted to help them, but he hadn't really believed he could make a difference for them. "I helped?" He could barely even choke out the words, so desperate was he for the answer to be yes.

Her face softened. "Yes, Maddox. You helped."

He nodded, turning his head away at the sudden tightness in his throat. "I need to go."

She stopped him with a gentle hand to his forearm, a touch that he could break away from so easily, and yet, at the same time, a touch that trapped him completely. "You don't need to leave yet. Stay with us the rest of the night. Give us both the gift of being able to sleep soundly for one night, one short night."

He looked at her, and saw the earnestness on her face, the genuineness in her voice, and he realized then that he was truly able to offer them something beautiful, simply by his presence. His chest tightened, and before he even realized he was doing it, he nodded. "I'll stay."

The smile that his response generated was so beautiful, that for a moment he forgot to breathe. He slid his hand through Hannah's hair, and leaned forward pressing a tender kiss to her mouth. Her lips tasted like an angel's whisper, and he knew he would never forget the sensation for as long as he lived. When he pulled back, his eyes flickered open, and their gazes met, held together by something so powerful that he knew he would be tied to this woman and her daughter for the rest of his life.

For a split second, a fraction of a breath, he wondered what it would be like to wake up with them every day, and not return to his life. The image was so startlingly awe-inspiring that he immediately shut it down. As quickly as he had the thought, he let it go. He wasn't meant for this life. It would shatter him forever, completely, if he ever broke the trust of Hannah and Ava, and he knew that if he stayed, eventually his true self would come to light. It might be a nightmare that ripped him ruthlessly from his sleep. It might be some drunken bastard on the side of the street that triggered an old memory. It might even be something as simple as some asshole looking at Hannah the wrong way. He didn't know what it would be, but he knew that at some point, the darkness inside him would win, and he would see on Hannah and Ava's faces the same expression that he had seen on Beth's.

There was no chance in hell he was doing that to them, or himself, because he knew he would never survive it.

So, it would be just tonight. Just one, special, amazing night, with two incredible females who had fallen into his life so he could protect them during this little window of time during which fate had brought them together.

With a deep breath, he allowed himself to slide back under the covers and stretch out on his side, facing Ava and Hannah. Ava rolled over and tucked her face against his chest. Hannah scooted after her daughter, nestling against Maddox, using his shoulder as a pillow, and entangling her legs with his, creating a cocoon around Ava with their bodies.

Maddox pressed a kiss to Ava's head, then slid his finger under Hannah's chin and kissed her, this time, long and deep, until the emotions threatened to overwhelm him. When he finally released her, she smiled at him, then snuggled up against him and closed her eyes. Maddox encircled both of them in his arms, using his body to protect them from the outside world.

He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of their breathing, feeling the warmth of being wrapped around them. They were relaxed, and Hannah was asleep within moments. The two of them, deeply asleep, completely trusting him to keep them safe.

Maddox sighed deeply, unable to stop a feeling of deep, penetrating contentment from settling in his bones. His father may have been a bastard, and his childhood may have sucked on a lot of levels, but one thing it had given him were the skills to protect and guard those who needed him. He knew he was physically capable of defending Hannah and Ava against any threat that came their way, and he whispered a promise to both of them he would do whatever it took to keep them safe, to honor their faith in him.

He had only a few hours before the sun would rise, snatching this moment away from him. But that meant that he had those few hours ahead of him, hours that would last him a lifetime.

He took a deep breath, determined to etch every single second into his soul, so that he would remember it for the rest of his life.