Chapter 2 Laney
Laney
Ididn’t realize how close I was to falling apart until Saint closed the door behind us.
The quiet in the room hit me like a wave.
Warm.
Still.
Safe.
My knees almost gave out.
I had been running for so long that standing still felt wrong—like something terrible would happen if I stopped moving.
Saint set Emmy gently on the bed and tucked a blanket around her like he’d done it a thousand times before.
The sight of it made my throat tighten.
His big hands moved carefully, adjusting the blanket so it rested under her chin.
So natural.
So gentle.
Like he already knew her.
Like she already belonged to him.
I had to look away before I started crying.
“Did you bring anything with you?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.” I nodded quickly. “Clothes. Diapers. Bottles. Everything’s in my car.”
He hesitated.
“What kind of car?”
“A black SUV. It’s out front.”
The words made my heart start racing again.
“If they see it…”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said immediately.
His voice was calm.
Steady.
Like danger was just another problem he knew how to solve.
For a moment he just looked at me.
Like he wanted to say something else.
Ask something.
Demand answers.
But instead he glanced at Emmy again and gently tucked the blanket around her one more time.
“I’ll be right back.”
The door closed behind him.
I stood there staring at my daughter.
“You’re safe,” I whispered.
Even though I wasn’t sure I believed it yet.
Every shadow in the room felt too deep.
Every sound from downstairs made my heart jump.
Footsteps.
Voices.
The creak of the tavern door.
I had lived like this for months.
In Italy, it started slowly.
A man who lingered too long near my building.
A car that appeared twice in the same week.
Someone was asking the café owner questions about me in a language he didn’t think I understood.
But I did.
And I knew exactly what it meant.
Marco had found me.
I brushed my fingers over Emmy’s cheek.
Her skin was warm and soft, her tiny lips slightly parted in sleep.
She had no idea the world had already marked her as something dangerous.
Something someone wanted to erase.
“You deserve better than this,” I whispered.
A knock at the door made me jump.
The door opened slowly, and a woman with warm eyes and a gentle smile stepped inside.
“Hi,” she said softly. “I’m Nora. Wolf’s wife.”
“Oh—hello.” I lowered my voice. “I’m Laney. And this is Emmy.”
Her face softened instantly when she saw the baby.
“Oh my goodness,” she whispered. “She’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“Saint told us a little,” Nora said gently. “He said you might be staying for a while.”
If we survive, I thought.
Before I could answer, three older women appeared behind her like they had been waiting just outside the door.
“Oh my goodness!” one of them gasped. “Is that the baby?”
“She looks just like Saint,” another declared immediately.
“I told you he’d have beautiful children,” the third said smugly.
Nora laughed.
“These are the Magnolia Ladies,” she said. “They run the town.”
“And everyone’s business,” she added, in a whisper.
“I heard that,” one of them said cheerfully.
The smallest of the three leaned closer to Emmy.
“Well look at that sweet face,” she said warmly. “That child has Ranger blood in her. She’ll be just fine.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, overwhelmed. “I didn’t mean to cause a fuss.”
“Oh honey,” one of them said, patting my arm.
“In this town, babies are never a fuss.”
Another one nodded firmly.
“They’re a celebration.”
Their warmth hit me harder than I expected.
For months, everyone I passed on the street had been a possible threat.
Now, suddenly, I was surrounded by people who looked at my daughter like she was a blessing.
It almost broke me.
Wolf appeared in the doorway.
“Alright, ladies,” he said. “Let them rest. We’ll talk later.”
They sighed dramatically but began to shuffle out.
“We’ll bring food,” one of them promised.
“And pie,” another added.
“Babies require pie,” the third declared with authority.
Nora smiled apologetically as she followed them out.
“Get some sleep,” she told me softly.
After the door closed, the room fell quiet again.
Exhaustion hit me like a wall.
I lay down beside Emmy without meaning to.
Just for a minute, I told myself.
Just long enough to close my eyes.
When I woke up, the room was darker.
For one terrifying second, I didn’t know where I was.
Then I saw Saint.
He stood near the window, Emmy in his arms.
He was humming softly…low and steady.
The baby stared up at him like he was the most interesting thing in the world.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly, sitting up. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“It’s okay,” he said.
“She needed a diaper change.”
I blinked.
“You… changed her?”
He smiled slightly.
“She didn’t complain.”
“She never does.”
My throat tightened.
“She likes you.”
Saint looked down at Emmy.
Something in his expression softened.
“I never want to put her down,” he said quietly.
“I love her.”
The words hit me harder than I expected.
Tears burned behind my eyes.
“I’m scared,” I admitted. “I keep thinking any minute someone is going to walk through that door.”
Saint’s entire posture changed.
The softness vanished.
His shoulders squared.
His eyes sharpened.
The soldier was back.
“No one is getting near you,” he said.
“Or her.”
“What if you’re wrong?” I whispered.
He didn’t hesitate.
“I’m not.”
Not about this.
And for the first time in months…
I almost believed him.