Cora sneaks up behind Charlotte for a hug fifteen minutes later, while I’m preparing dinner for the two of them. We talk briefly and after reminding Charlotte about her bedtime, which I know she’ll try to get out of, I say goodbye to the girls.

Crouching down in front of Charlotte, hands on her little waist, I look up at her sweet young face and ask her the same question I ask her every night. “How much do I love you?”

Charlotte smiles brightly and repeats the same words she always has, “There is no end to your love, Daddy.”

“That’s right, baby girl, my infinity,” I say, holding her close, finding it hard to let her go.

A weight lifts off my chest every time I hear those words from her. She’s been my only comfort, the reason I wake up pretending like I hadn’t been emotionally numb the day before.

No one understands it; they can’t. They weren’t there. The day sleepless nights became a common occurrence was the day I failed to protect the people I swore I’d serve. Five innocent children lost their lives, parents lost their babies. There aren’t words that can describe how I felt when I watched their faces contort with such loss. I began deteriorating on the inside from that day forward.

Lindsey

I slurp up the last of my noodles and place the take-out box on the coffee table. When a female detective from Mason’s squad rang earlier, I assumed when she said your protection detail will be over soon, she meant within an hour or so, sometime actually soon. But here I am sitting in my floral flannelette pajamas, sans makeup, hair tied in a knot on top of my head, scoffing down deliciously unhealthy Chinese food, because not that I care to admit it, but being alone right now is a little unnerving for even the most fearless of women.

Pounding on the door startles me and I jackknife up. “Shit!”

The television remote falls to the floor from the blanket splayed over me on the couch. My phone vibrates silently on the coffee table, lighting up with an incoming call.

I pick it up before answering the door. “Hello?”

“It’s Mason.” His gravelly voice pours through my cell, and instantly I’m alert.

“Hi.”

“Your protection detail is at your door. Might need to open up for them.”

“Okay. I’ll go let them in now. And Mason,” I hesitate, “Thank you. I’ll sleep easier knowing Alison is being looked out for at the clinic. I know you organized this.”

There’s a pause, silence the only reply to my thank you.

“Not a problem, sweetheart. Part of the job,” he delivers before clicking off and I roll my eyes, imagining his face as his charm trickles down the phone.

I walk over to the door and peer through the small peephole, checking for the NYPD police officers.

My jaw drops open and my pulse quickens the second I recognize the body on the other side. He’s so damn tall that as I peek through, I can barely see his face. I’m greeted with his broad hoodie-covered chest. Opening the door, my brows bunch together and I stand taller. Of all the police officers in New York City.

No. Just no.

His lips curve upward into a boyish grin and I hold in the urge to kiss it right off his face. The structure of his high jaw, the bobble of his Adam’s apple as he swallows, the slight tilt of his head, and that fucking hair…the guy radiates sex like nobody’s business. I’m surprised panties don’t drop with that look alone.

“Going to let me in, Linds?”

I cross my arms just under my chest. “You have got to be kidding me.”

His eyes flicker straight to my breasts because without meaning to, I’ve shoved them up on display. Just as I open my mouth to call him out on it, he shifts his gaze, bringing it back up to meet my own.

“Afraid not.”

“Why did they send you?”

With his head still tilted, face poised to make me melt into a pool of desire, he replies, “To protect and serve, sweetheart.”

Oh, Jesus.

I laugh and move out of the doorway, letting him through. Damn, it’s going to be a long night. “I bet that line works on all the ladies, doesn’t it?”

He drops his phone, badge and keys on the side table as he walks in, then turns to me shaking his head.

“Wouldn’t know, never used it on a woman until right now.” He shrugs and stares at me blankly. Does the man honestly not realize how good looking and adorable he is? I cover my eyes with my hands. “Oh, God, stop.” I swing my arms out in front of me as I make my way back to my comfy spot on the couch. “Nope. I will not swoon over you, Mason, so you may as well quit it now.”

I hear his chuckle from the kitchen. “Can I get you anything to drink?” he yells out and I peer over the couch to respond. There he is, fine ass in my face, bending over to check out my nearly empty fridge. In a city that never sleeps, why cook your own food when you can get it delivered anytime of any day? His jean-clad behind distracts me so I don’t realize I’m still ogling him until it’s too late. Damn it, he caught me staring.

He points behind him to the fridge while staring me down. “Something in the fridge caught your eye? ‘Cause just to let you know, I think everything in there expired two years ago.”

I grab the cushion beside me and throw it in his direction. He ducks to dodge it while laughing.

“Ha-ha, very funny, smartass.” I fall back into the cozy corner of the couch I’d become comfortable in and exhale a deep breath. Listening to Mason banging around in the kitchen stamps an unexpected sense of contentment on my soul. Why is he being so caring, so attentive? I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want it, do I?

I take a second to look around. I live in a beautiful city, a beautiful home. I have beautiful materialistic things, but what I don’t have is someone I want to share it with. I’ve never wanted to share my heart and soul with anyone before. With every job, it lessens my longing for companionship. Because people aren’t kind, there’s no such thing as loyalty and to put it simply, people generally fucking suck. They’ll always disappoint in the end.

I could never expect anyone to accept the choices I make in life and be prepared to journey along my path with me. And if they did, what kind of person would it make them? I’m not a good person, and I’m certainly not a woman worthy of an honest man. I have Olly. I have Ali. They accept me for who I am, they understand why I’ve done the things I have, why I do what I do. They are more than enough.

I turn my head back to Mason, who’s just finished making coffee. “Mason, what are you doing?”

He looks to me across the counter like I’ve asked a ridiculous question with the most obvious answer and it builds my frustration.

“Well, right now, I’m filling up on caffeine since I’m going to be pulling an all-nighter. And I was offering you a drink because it’s the polite thing to do.” He takes a sip of his drink before continuing, “That, and it’s your place.”

I roll my eyes. “Well, yeah, I know that much. I meant why is the chief detective of OCCB here and not your average police officers? Chief detectives do not get put on protection duty. Which means there’s another reason you’re here. So what is it?”

I narrow my eyes at him, searching for clues, answers…truth. A knot forms in my stomach. What does he know?

“If anyone’s going to protect you, Linds, it’ll be me.” In seconds, he’s in front of me, too close for comfort as he pulls me up to stand opposite him.

Clasping my chin between his thumb and finger, he tilts my head upwards so we’re looking at one another.

“Can’t be here every day or every night, but tonight, I could be, so here I am. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay on the couch. I won’t sleep anyway, but I’m not leaving you alone with two officers you don’t know after what went down today. You wanna admit that shit gets to you, good. You don’t, that’s fine too. Doesn’t matter because I’m here, sweetheart. For no other reason than to look out for you on a shitty fucking day.”