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Charlotte looked at the kids in the back seat Hannah was sound asleep in her car seat, as she was so often ere in the car Travis was sitting beside her, peering out the , an epic s like that for a week

And, soon enough, he’d be able to smile like that permanently

For the last seven days, Charlotte and I had been playing a dangerous game We were still a week out from a court date e could hopefully have the order of protection lifted However, eren’t letting it stop us

Since the day Charlotte had first called ht we hadn’t fallen asleep together Half of those nights, when she had been positive no one would be stopping by, we’d stayed at her apartment The other half, we’d stayed at my house But it didn’t matter where we rested our heads All that ether

And God, was I happy

Every day, she laughed Every day, my kids smiled And, every day, I fell more and more in love with a life I desperately wanted to keep

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" she whispered "Maybe we should wait until after our court date"

I s That "

"I know, but the police literally just dropped your investigation, like, three hours ago Maybe we shouldn’t push our luck with the law today"

I turned down Tanner’s long, oak-covered driveway "There was no luck involved in this Quit stressing We’re safe here My parents aren’t going to be alerting the authorities"

"I don’t know," shefor" I sood noait until you seeherself up since I’d told her thatan impromptu cookout to celebrate my release from potential jailbird status I’d yet to tell any of theether And, since I hadn’t left her side at all, I’d been avoiding the about reat opportunity to kill two birds with one surprise stone And, with the temperatures well into the nineties, it was the perfect ti at me, she asked, "It’s that bad, huh?"

"Bad?" My mouth fell open in mock horror "Sweetheart, I fill out a pink Speedo better than any man you’ve ever seen"

She blinked, her beautiful face co"

I was But she knew that

"Nope"

"I’irl," she deadpanned

I lifted our joined hands to et it"

"Hannie, wake up We’re here!" Travis exclaimed as I put the car into park

"Yay," she croaked before her lids were even open

I glanced to Charlotte as staring up at the tall plantation house, nerves crinkling the corners of her eyes

"It’s going to be fine," I told her

"You should have warned the," she whispered as the kids scrambled out of the car

"And ruin the surprise? No way"

She licked her lips and turned her panic-filled gaze on h and slung my door open "Good, little miss self-centered, because you’re not He is They probably won’t even notice you’re here for the first hour"