He shook his head.
“Just you wait.” She expected him to say something about all that sugar. Nothing. That unease grew in her gut.
He watched her assemble everything then pop it back in the freezer. “I’m gonna do some work while you watch the game.”
“All right, baby,” he said gently, kissing her forehead. “Got a surprise for you later.”
“A surprise?”
“Yep. Be about two hours away, though.”
Well, now she wasn’t going to get much work done wondering about the surprise.
* * *
A few hours later, Jed placed his hands on her shoulders. “Time to finish up, baby. Your surprise is ready.”
She saved the work she was editing. She stretched, aware of the nightie rising up. And the fact she wasn’t wearing any panties. But his eyes didn’t drop. He didn’t pull her close and squeeze her ass with his huge hand.
He didn’t want her anymore. Disappointment and regret blended together into a huge ball of pain as he took her hand. He wrapped the blanket he’d pulled off the sofa around her and led her outside onto the back porch.
Twilight was here. This was actually her favorite time of night. And she started to relax.
“What’s the surprise?” she asked as he pulled her in front of him and wrapped his arms around her. Ooh, that was nice.
“Watc
h.”
As the last of the sun faded, she watched with her mouth wide open as the trees around the house came to light. Lit with hundreds and hundreds of fairy lights.
“What. . .how. . .”
He rested his chin on the top of her head. “That asshole made you feel unsafe here. He watched you. This is your special place. I wanted to try to give it back.”
Oh God, that had to be the kindest, sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her.
“Boys came and helped me while you napped,” he explained how he’d managed this. “They pretty much bought all the lights they could find at Walmart. Came here with ladders, set up as much as they had time to do before you woke. Lucky you slept three hours.”
“It’s magical,” she whispered. The day after everything happened with Moany Mike, a guy called Liam had come and installed a security system complete with cameras everywhere. She’d objected to the expense, but Jed had simply told her it was covered. When she’d asked Ellie about it, the other woman just told her it was all sorted.
This wasn’t the same as the alarm or cameras. It was better.
“Want you to feel secure. Want you to have beautiful. To be happy.”
She leaned into him, trying to hold back her tears and wished she could give him the same.
* * *
“Daisy?”
She avoided looking down at the concerned face on the laptop screen. Instead she paced back and forth across the dining room. She was trying to gather her thoughts.
“Daisy. You want to tell me what’s on your mind?”
More pacing.
Molly was the bomb. She was amazing. Kent had called in some favors for her to get an appointment straight away