The Reborn

Chapter Nine

Nine

Olivia

We stared each other down as the air grew heavy with tension. I had no idea what the actual hell, but his icy-blue eyes blazed with an intensity that I’d never seen in a man before. It was as if something switched in his mind in the span of one moment, and suddenly he was taking this whole thing personally instead of just another job. Which made no sense.

“Not leaving?” I echoed, my muddled brain grasping at the one thing that stuck out. “As in...?”

He glanced around at the open doors of the hallway. “You have a guest room?”

My jaw fell open. “What?”

He ignored that and spun around, poking his head into the room next to mine, which held a mix of a few storage boxes in the closet, my Christmas decorations, some craft supplies, and a futon. “Perfect,” he said as if to himself. “This will work.”

“Work for what?”

“You guys about done back there?” my brother called from the kitchen. “I think someone is about ready for a nap and I’m not sure how much longer I can ply her with Goldfish to keep her calm.”

Justin lifted a brow and tilted his head that way, as if already knowing it would override my argument. “Shall we go discuss it with him?”

I wanted to stomp my foot and let him know that I didn’t need my big brother to make any decisions for me, but Elizabeth’s cranky cries put that on pause. I shot him a glare, then pushed past him, ignoring the way his hard muscles felt when I did that and how his dark, spicy scent filled up the small space, making it hard to think.

In the kitchen, Cam had Elizabeth at the window, trying to distract her by pointing out birds and squirrels in the trees, but she was getting crankier by the second.

“Here. Let me take her,” I said.

She fell into my arms, and I rubbed her back as her head dropped to my shoulder. I met Justin’s gaze as he sauntered in and approached my brother.

I hummed to her as I walked out and down to her room, then slid her into bed with her favorite stuffed platypus and covered her up. I brushed the curls from her forehead as her eyes slid shut.

I pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered, “Mama loves you.”

I watched her for a moment, but she didn’t move. All I could think about was how she’d changed my life, in all the best ways. In ways I never knew I needed it to change. And I’d do anything at all to protect her. Even consider letting a strange, sexy man sleep on the futon in my guest room.

With a deep breath, I turned and headed out to meet my fate, only to find the kitchen silent and empty.

“Cam?” I called.

I moved to the front window and peeked through the blinds. Both of their vehicles, black and imposing in their own ways, were still parked outside, making my simple blue sedan look a bit ridiculous and cheap in the driveway.

I tilted my head at the faint sound of male voices at the other side of the house. Following the murmur, I found myself at the back door, watching as Camden and Justin stood in the middle of my backyard, studying the back of my house.

Justin pointed out my bedroom window and murmured something, and Cam nodded thoughtfully.

“Care to include me in this little powwow, or is this a man club thing?” I said as I folded my arms across my chest and leaned against the doorframe.

At least my brother had the sense to look apologetic. Justin just slid those glacier-cold eyes my way, everything about him as unreadable as an iceberg.

I lifted a brow, silently demanding a reply.

“Your master bedroom window is an intruder’s dream.”

My gaze swung that way in shock. “What? No—”

“Yes.” He cut me off as he strode that way, his black boots eating up my too-long grass like it was nothing. He reached up and rattled the pane, demonstrating his point. “Old, outdated locks. Single pane. No security sticker.” His eyes flashed back to me. “Not even some shrubbery planted below to deter me if I wanted to climb inside.”

Thoughts of him climbing in my bedroom window at night filled my body with automatic heat, flushing my cheeks.

He either didn’t notice or ignored it, thank God, as he continued berating my home’s shit security. “I’ve been here less than an hour, only eyeballed the place, and already I can count at least a dozen ways someone could get to you or that baby if they wanted to.”

“Fuck,” Camden growled, shoving his fists into his front pockets.

My stomach sank as I sought my brother’s eyes. I knew this was why he’d called in security and that he would spare no expense to keep us safe, but it still made me sick. How had my life come to this? And why now?

At the end of the day, it didn’t matter. I could tackle the questions later. I had to protect my daughter, and as secure as I thought I was after all this time, I guess I’d underestimated the risks and become complacent. That was on me.

I swallowed and sucked in a deep breath, sliding my gaze to Justin. “Fine. You’ve made your point. What do I do about it?”

He tilted his head toward the house. “Shall we?”

I nodded and led the way back inside to the dining room. I got us all lemonade, then sat with a pad of paper and a pen next to my brother, facing Justin. He had the same folder from the diner on the table in front of him and he opened past the first page that I knew held my cursory personal details.

“Alright,” he said. “I think it would be best if you told me everything that’s happened from the start, then we can dive into details and a plan.”

My gaze shot to my brother. “Everything?”

“He needs to know, Liv.”

Of course he did. It didn’t matter that it felt totally unnatural and uncomfortable to share my personal business with a total stranger—a totally hot stranger, but still.

“Right.” I nodded and sucked it up as I told him what had been going on lately... Sofia seeing a guy at the park, her thinking it was her ex, someone trying to break in, then the note and slashed tires.

He wrote it all down, his face unreadable, then met my eyes. “Sounds like things have escalated fast.”

“Yes.”

“Any idea why?”

Something in his question felt accusatory. Like he thought I knew more than I was letting on. “No. That’s all—”

We were interrupted by Camden’s cell phone. He glanced at the caller ID, then to me. “It’s Vanessa.”

I waved him off to take the call. I’d taken enough of his time from his family and pregnant wife.

As soon as he stepped away, Justin set his pen down and leaned back in his chair, his pose deceptively casual, like a shark at rest. “‘She is mine,’” he murmured, the words from the note jarring as they rolled from his tongue. “Elizabeth.”

Not a question so I didn’t bother with an answer.

“Her father?”

I shifted, my attention acutely focused on my brother just out of earshot, though I refused to look his way.

Justin saw right through me, and a brow winged up in surprise. “Your family doesn’t know who it is?”

I focused instead on my hands clasped around my glass of lemonade. That was the one piece of information I’d kept to myself for so long. Out of shame. Regret. God, the regret. Now fear was taking hold and I wasn’t sure what to do.

A couple of tense seconds ticked by, then he blew out a breath. “Listen, Olivia. No judgment here. I’m not paid enough for that.” When I glanced up, he sat forward and rested his forearms on the table, pinning me with his gaze. “But if I was? It still wouldn’t matter. From where I sit, I see one hell of a strong woman who loves her daughter and provides a good life for her. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Something in my chest melted at his words. Even in this short time, I knew he wasn’t a man who spoke thoughtlessly. “Yeah, well, it’s a little more complicated than that... but thanks.”

“Well, complicated or not, for me to do this right, you’re going to have to tell me who the father is.”

“I know...” I quieted as Cam’s footsteps sounded, coming back our way. “Just not yet. Okay?”

I saw the argument in those icy eyes, but he relented as my brother came back in and sat down. Maybe he decided not to push me and risk losing the job or maybe he saw something deeper in me that just wasn’t ready to go there after all this time protecting myself from the past. I was working on getting there, and recent events were forcing my hand, but I just wasn’t ready to cave in yet.

“Sorry,” Cam said, not aware he was interrupting anything. “She was just checking in after her doctor’s appointment.”

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Yeah. All good.” He grinned. “Baby is healthy and big. Her C-section has been scheduled, though she’s getting so uncomfortable it can’t come soon enough now.”

I frowned. “C-section?”

“She didn’t ever talk to you about that? Isla was born by C-section so she and the doctor decided it would be safest to have another one this time.”

“She didn’t, but as long as everyone’s healthy, that’s what matters.”

“Exactly.” Camden turned back to Justin. “So... what’s the plan for my sister?”

Justin kept his gaze locked on me a beat longer before sliding his eyes toward my brother, allowing me to breathe. “I’ve been thinking about that since I got your file. Honestly, I thought I had a solid plan all laid out...”

Camden leaned in. “But?”

“Then you showed me that note.”

I felt my brother stiffen up. “What about it? Do you know something about it that we don’t?”

“I wish I did.” His words and their unspoken meaning hit me hard. I was withholding information from him, and we both knew it.

“Then what changed?” my brother pushed.

“The threat level.” He let that settle for a long moment as I swallowed against my suddenly dry throat. “All of the things you described to me today sound like escalations in behavior of someone who is either trying to scare you or hurt you. But that note? That’s a direct threat against you and your daughter, and I am not the kind of man who’s willing to tolerate that. Women and children will not be violated like that on my watch.”

“Mine either. That’s why you’re here.” My brother reached over for my hand. “So, what do you propose?”

I knew what was coming after he’d asked me about my guest room. Still, somehow, I found myself a little bit shocked to hear the words coming from his mouth.

“I move in here with the ladies temporarily to keep an eye on things and make sure there is proper security set up in all vital areas, then—”

“Vital areas?” I asked, cutting him off. “What does that mean?” Suddenly, all I could picture was him in my most personal spaces, and it was making my head spin.

He didn’t even blink. “Every inch of this house for starters. Your vehicle. Your studio.”

“There’s already a security system at the studio.”

He lifted a brow. “We’ll see.”

I lifted a brow right back. “And I’m just supposed to say what? I’m shacking up with some strange guy I just met? Can you imagine what the folks in this town will say?”

“She’s right, Justin,” Camden said. “This is a small tight-knit community and everyone knows the Creed family. Nobody would believe my sister would just move a man in here with her daughter, especially one they’d never seen before.”

Justin’s gaze slid my way. “You went to college at TCU, right?”

But he already knew the answer. “Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?”

“We’ll tell folks I’m an old friend from college. I’m down on my luck and you’re helping me out with a place to stay for a little while until I sort things out, and to earn my keep, I’m helping you out with some things.”

“Things?”

“Yes. Like home repairs and installing your new security systems.”

Camden nodded approvingly. “It could work.”

I huffed out an unconvinced breath, sure those closest to me would see right through that bullshit. “I don’t think people will believe that.”

“Like who?” Camden asked.

“Like Whitney, for starters. She knows everything about my life, and she knows there’s no...” I waved a hand in his direction. “Guy friend.” Though his masculine energy incorporated so much more than that. “Same for our entire family.”

Justin shrugged that off. “You can tell the truth to those who are on a need-to-know basis, but I’d keep it to bare minimum, and only those who you absolutely trust. Other than that, for the safety of you and your daughter, I think this is the best plan.”

We locked eyes for a long, telling heartbeat. In that moment, something deep inside of me shifted. I knew he was right, even if an equal part of me wanted to deny it. “Fine. Then what?”

“Then, once I’m satisfied that everything is secure, I’ll reevaluate the plan based on the current threat level.”

He sounded so sure of himself, so professional. I wanted to trust him. I was trying to. But all the secrecy and words like ‘security’ and ‘threat level’ were throwing me off-balance. “Reevaluate the plan,” I echoed. “Sounds fantastic.”

That pretty muchsummed up the end of the conversation, other than Justin and my brother ironing out a few more details that, frankly, I zoned out on. I was a bit overwhelmed at that point.

I excused myself to grab Elizabeth when I heard her stirring in her room and took her to the potty. When we reemerged, Camden was ready to go home.

He leaned in to kiss us both goodbye. “You gonna be good here?” he asked softly, his blue eyes gentle as he took me in.

“Do I have a choice?”

“You always have a choice, but it would make me feel better if you went with this one.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, we’ll keep your overpriced bodyguard.” I smiled. “For now.”

“Justin will take good care of you, but call me if you need anything at all. Anytime.”

I nodded, though I knew I probably wouldn’t. I’d already taken too much of his time from his family. “If I didn’t already say it, thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” He brushed a hand down Elizabeth’s curls. “Love you both. Talk soon.”

He tipped his head toward Justin, who was talking quietly on his phone in the corner, silently giving him the go-ahead, then slipped out the door.

The finality of being left alone with Justin hit hard, especially once he hung up his call and turned to face me. I could tell he was going to ask me something, then thought better of it as he tucked his phone away. “You alright?”

“Not really.”

“I won’t let anything happen to either one of you.”

I took a breath, trying to let that comfort me. “Thanks, I guess.”

That made him crack a half smile, which did something to make the heaviness in my chest feel a tiny bit lighter. “Don’t mention it.” His eyes slid over to Elizabeth in my arms, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I caught a hint of softness there before he tucked it away to focus back on me. “So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

I wiggled Elizabeth on my hip. “Take her to daycare, then head into the studio. I have some work to catch up on before I teach this afternoon.”

“And you said you have some kind of security system already installed at your studio?”

“Yes.”

He nodded. “That’ll have to do for now.”

“For now?”

“I need to drive back to Houston to grab my stuff. I’ll follow you to make sure you make it to work safely, then I’ll be back by three, latest. To help our story, I’ll drop into the studio and pull you aside. You can act surprised and tell the girls our cover story, then we’ll head back here. Once I’m settled in, I’ll start on the security measures.”

If he could make it seem so easy, so could I. “Right. Okay.”

His phone rang and he glanced at it with a frown.

“You gonna answer that?”

“Nope.” He silenced the call, then tucked his phone away. “Let me know when you’re ready to go.”

It was silentother than Elizabeth’s toddler chatter as I got us ready to go, loaded her up, and we headed out. I dropped her off at daycare with a kiss, then drove over to the studio, Justin’s black Porsche a constant presence in my rearview mirror.

He didn’t say a word, not even a wave, just waited until I was inside before driving away and heading south.

I shouldered my bag and moved toward my office, the only sounds the haunting melody of one of Jamie’s contemporary pieces floating through the air, as most classes didn’t start until later.

I flipped on the light in my office and dropped my bag in the corner, then circled behind my desk to boot up my computer so I could get a head start on the month’s accounting before all our parents started paying tuition.

I sat and took a breath, anxiety still humming through my system. I glanced up at the blinking green light on the studio’s security system that was mounted on my office wall, my eyes automatically drifting to the panic button. There was a matching panel near the front desk and an emergency exit in the back. I wondered what other things Justin would want—

I killed that thought right there. I was letting fear get the best of me.

“Hey, girl!”

I yelped and jumped in my seat when Whitney popped her head in my office.

Her eyes grew round. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just came in early, hoping you’d be here so I could check on you after all that weird stuff went down the other night.” She stepped inside and eyeballed me. “You okay?”

I sagged back in my chair. “I’m okay. Just a little jumpy, I guess.”

“That’s understandable. Did they figure out who tried to break in?”

“No, not yet.”

She sat across from me, concern all over her face. “Oh, crap. I’ll bet Sofia was so freaked out, too.”

“Yeah. I had her stay the night so she didn’t have to drive back to the dorms.”

“That’s good.”

I nodded, biting my lip.

“What is it? Did something else happen?”

My eyes darted behind her as the front door chimed and voices floated in and out. “Close the door?”

She seemed a little scared now as she rose and shut the door, then spun to face me. “What happened?”

“I’ll tell you, but you need to keep this between us, Whit, okay?”

Her brows fell in a frown. “I’m confused. Why?”

“I’m serious.” I mimed zipping my lips.

“Fine. State secret. Got it.” She sat forward. “Spill it, sister.”

So I did. Waking up to slashed tires, the note, my brother calling in Justin, our plan. Everything.

She sat back, stunned. “So... who would’ve left a note like that? Lizzie’s father?” She tilted her head a bit accusatorily. “You’ve never told me who he is, you know.”

“Because he’s ancient history.”

“Maybe not.”

“Maybe—” A knock on my door interrupted us, so I rose to answer. “Look,” I lowered my voice. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I wanted to at least keep you in the loop with this because you’re my best friend and I knew you’d see right through this cover story. Plus, once you see him, you’d know we were never college friends.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I ignored that and opened the door to find Sofia.

“Hey,” I said, taking in her face. “You alright?”

“Yeah. A little tired maybe.” She glanced behind me to Whitney. “Hey. I know I don’t have any classes today, but they let us out of class early so I thought I’d stop by and see if you needed me for anything?”

“Oh. I’m not sure... I guess you can watch the front desk until Deanna gets here. That’s about all I have today. Sorry.” I could only imagine she was just trying to keep herself busy, poor girl.

“No problem.” She shifted her backpack from one shoulder to the other. “I can get an early start on a project I have for history class. Or maybe I’ll just go relax down at the pond.”

“The pond?”

“Yeah.” Her smile was big and bright. “There are some hiking trails behind my dorms, and when I was walking one day, I found this pond with some cute benches and stuff. Not a lot of people know about it, so it’s quiet. I like to go there to sit and catch my breath when I’m stressed out. It’s peaceful.”

“Sounds nice.”

“It is.”

I was sure she could use a little peace and quiet after the last few days. I hoped she also had someone to talk to. “I can cover the desk if you wanna just head out.”

“No. I don’t mind.”

When she walked away, Whitney rose. “I need to get ready for my class, but we will finish this discussion later.”

“Okay.”

I sat and got busy with my paperwork, then it was time for my own ballet class. We were just letting out when Sofia appeared at my door with a strange look on her face.

“There’s a man here to see you. Says he’s a friend?”

My stomach clenched as I knew I had to start acting. “A friend? Okay. Be right there.” I smiled and said goodbye to the rest of my students before grabbing my water bottle and heading out front.

Sure enough, there was Justin in the lobby, still looking delicious in his black clothes and stubble, studying one of my professional ballet photos on the wall.

He must’ve sensed me there and those icy eyes turned my way, making other parts of me clench. “Olivia,” he said, his voice low and friendly, lifting his hand in a wave like we were long-lost friends.

We were supposed to be acting. Right.

I swallowed. “Justin?”

He smiled. “Sorry to barge in on you like this after all this time... you got a few minutes?”

“Um...” I could feel Sofia’s stare as she watched the interchange. “Sure. Follow me to my office.”

He moved my way, his smile growing as he got closer to Sofia. “Thanks.”

She didn’t reply and didn’t smile back, her protectiveness palpable.

Justin and I got to my office, and he closed the door. “You good?” he asked. “Everything been normal here today?”

“Well.” I sat down. “Except for needing to have a full-time secret bodyguard, everything is just awesome.”

He ignored that and spun to examine the security system panel on my wall. “Did you tell anyone?”

“Just my best friend, Whitney.”

He nodded, then pulled out his phone to show me the screen. “Is this your number?”

“How did you... never mind. Yes, that’s me.” I shook my head. Of course, he had my number.

“Great. I’m texting you now so you’ll have my number.” I second later, my phone pinged with an incoming text. “I want you to use it if you need it. Anytime. Day or night.”

“Does that include room service?” I asked sarcastically.

“That’s an extra charge.”

“Wait...” My mouth fell open. “Was that a joke?”

“Nope.” He glanced at his watch with a barely contained smirk. “We’ll stay in here another five minutes or so, then we can head out and you can tell everyone our cover story while I go back to the house. Do you have a spare key?”

“It’s hidden under the mat on the back porch.”

“How original. I’m sure no bad guy would’ve ever guessed that.”

“Be nice.”

“Not in the contract.”

I huffed out a breath, hating that he confounded me at every turn with his smart mouth, surprising touches of humor, his scent, those out-of-this-world eyes. Everything about him screamed cold enough to burn, and I had no intentions of getting close enough to be hurt. Besides, this was a professional arrangement, nothing more.

“Asshole.”

“Now you’re getting the idea.”