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Hazel sat down at the dining table and began eating with her daughter Looking at Evie’s innocent face as she scooped ain about how difficult it ht about that a lot since the previous night She also had so many questions she would never be able to ask, would not ask How had the woed? Did he love her as much as he appeared to? Now she understood why he usually refused to take cases involving families

He had broken down just voicing that she had died and their unborn baby girl along with her Calluh, fearless Look at his profession He was a bodyguard, one of the best in the world But talking about the woht him to his knees

And then there were the other thoughts she had The selfish ones, like, what did his loss un to have feelings for him What would it do to her if he decided to turn away? He had already withdrawn and it had been nearly five years since the tragedy Five years So sudden A car accident? No one ever got over losin

g love—or a child

“Mommy?”

Grateful to be pulled out of her never-ending contemplations, she looked at Evie

“You’re not eating”

Hazel hadn’t touched her cereal She still wasn’t hungry “I know”

“How cos under the chair and table

“I have a lot on my mind”

“Cal-em?”

“Finish eating, Evie” Dang if her daughter wasn’t a perceptive little thing

“Were you ain?”

“No”

“Good, because I want him to be my daddy”