Can't Fight It - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,71

to go to the police about this. You can’t live in fear every single day, constantly looking over your shoulder. You can’t run forever.”

“I know, but I’m scared, Colt. He is the cops. How do I know who I can trust?” A single tear slides down over her cheek. She’s finally lost the composure she managed to hold onto while telling me her story.

“Do you trust me?”

She wipes at her cheek and looks me in the eye. “With my life.”

I nod. “Come here.” She moves closer, and I lift her to sit on my lap. I wrap my arms around her and remind myself that she’s safe. Here, with me, she’s safe. “Let’s start with I want you here. We have to be careful, especially with Milo, but I want you with me. I want you to be a part of our lives.”

“I want that too, Colton. More than anything, but I also can’t stand the thought of someone hurting Milo, or you or your family. I won’t let that happen.”

“Hey.” I place my hand on her cheek. “That’s not going to happen. We’re going to handle this so we can move forward with our lives together.”

She nods, then asks, “What does that mean exactly?”

“I know some people I can trust. Ex-military, remember?” I wink.

“And the other part?” Her voice is soft, and I can hear the uncertainty there.

“I hope that means that you’ll stay. Not as my tenant. I want you here as mine. No more paying rent and no more sleeping in your room. I want you in my bed next to me every night.”

I watch her closely as she absorbs my words. Her eyes well with tears, and she shakes her head. “I never thought I would find someone here. I thought I would lay low until he had a chance to forget about me and move on with my life. I didn’t expect to meet a little boy who stole my heart. I couldn’t love him more if he were my own.” She whispers her confession.

“I love that about you. I love how good you are with him. How much you care. That’s all I could ask for. Someone who will be there for both of us.” It’s true. I’ve never really thought much about finding a mother for Milo. I was thrust into this single-parent gig, and leaving the Army, buying this house, and finding a tenant to help lighten the load, it was a lot to take on in a short amount of time. Worrying about my dating life, falling in love, that wasn’t even on my radar.

“They say that you find love when you least expect it.”

“I didn’t expect you,” I whisper. Leaning in, I press my lips to hers. “I love you, Hollis Taylor. We’re in this together, and I promise you that I won’t let him near you.”

“Milo.” My son’s name is said with so much reverence.

“It’s all going to work out.” I say the words and will them to be true. I do have some connections, favors I can call in, but will they be enough? We don’t even know this guy’s name, just the general location, and that he’s on the force. We’re going to have to lure him to us, and that has danger written all over it. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe there is another way.

She nods. “I love you too. So much that if I think for one minute that you or that precious little boy is in harm’s way, I’ll leave. I would never risk either of you.”

“Hey, now. None of that. You said that you trusted me.”

“I do trust you, Colt. I also know that if something ever happened to either of you, I would never forgive myself.”

“It’s not going to come to that,” I assure her.

“So, what do we do now?”

“It’s late. We should get to bed. Milo will be up bright and early, and we need to get some sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll take what I know and make some calls. We’ll see where that leads us and take it from there.” Tapping her leg, I smile as she climbs off my lap, and I follow her. In my room, we strip out of our clothes, and she grabs a T-shirt from my drawer to sleep in. Together, we climb under the covers, and she snuggles up to my side.

“I love you,” I say, kissing the top of her head. It feels good to say those words to her. I’ve never felt this way