“How are you so calm about this?” I asked.
Andrew glanced up at me, and for the briefest moment, his mask fell away, and I could see exactly how terrified he had been. He grunted and looked back down. “This is all adrenaline,” he told me. “When I heard that you were in danger, I had to put away my feelings and do whatever I could to fix the situation.”
“Emma?” I asked.
“Just as safe and unharmed as Renée said,” Andrew confirmed. “I was on my way there when the security guys called and said they had located you. I drove over here instead, but Janice called me as I was driving and confirmed that they're all right. Shaken, but all right.”
“That makes three of us,” I said.
“Four of us,” Andrew corrected, pulling me tightly into his arms. He kissed my hair. “The police are on their way over here now, and this time, Renée is going to go to prison for a long time. And I am never letting either you or Emma out of my sight again.”
“Going to be doing a lot of work from home, are you?” I teased, even though I was still trying to stop shaking.
“If that's what it takes,” Andrew growled. “I'll do whatever it takes to keep my family safe. Don't you forget that.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Andrew
I absently traced patterns on Lexi's skin as we lay in bed together. I still hated taking calls like this when I would much rather be tracing my tongue over every inch of her body, but sometimes they were necessary.
Fortunately, this call was quickly wrapping up. “Thanks for the information,” I finally said. Then, I hung up the phone.
“Who was that?” Lexi asked, sounding sleepy.
I snuggled down under the blankets, pulling her back into my arms and folding my body around hers. “That was the district attorney,” I told her.
“Uh oh,” Lexi said, turning so that she could face me. “You don't sound happy.”
“Somehow, Renée and her lawyers have managed to secure a pretty decent plea bargain,” I said. “Despite the fact that Renée has multiple felony charges against her.” I rolled my eyes.
Lexi swallowed audibly. “So, she's going to walk?” she asked.
“Oh no,” I said, shaking my head emphatically. “Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that. She'll serve at least five years in prison still, with ten years of probation after that. She's not going to be able to come after either of us anytime soon. And I imagine that by the time she's out of prison, she'll have moved on to something else.”
Lexi didn't look fully convinced about that last bit, but she didn't seem too upset. “I'm just happy that it's finally over,” she admitted.
“I know that the trial was difficult for you,” I said, twisting my fingers together with hers and squeezing lightly. “But you handled it all so well. I'm proud of you.”
“Thanks,” she said shyly, ducking her head with a smile. “I do still think that the security measures you installed were a little excessive.”
“I take care of my family,” I reminded her. “I talked to security experts about what we needed.”
“Those guys just wanted to sell you something,” Lexi maintained.
“Not just something,” I said, grinning at her. “A whole host of somethings. A gate, multiple cameras, and multiple security guards. No one is ever going to be able to get in here again without my permission.” We both laughed, but I sobered quickly, the memory of that fateful phone call still too fresh in my memory. “I am never going to let you or Emma get hurt again.”
“Or Janice,” Lexi teased. I had rapidly realized that joking was her way of getting through the emotional trauma, and I appreciated it.
I smiled at her. “Or Janice,” I agreed. “Or that new puppy that we were thinking of getting Emma for her birthday.” Lexi giggled.
“You know,” I told her. “When Renée had you at gunpoint, that’s the worst I’ve ever felt in my entire life. I don't think I could ever live without you. I know that we still have our fights and that we're maybe not the most perfect family, but I need you in my life. You and Emma are my life. You're what makes it worth getting out of bed in the morning.”
I expected Lexi to make some quip about me and my admittedly still over-the-top work habits, but instead, she looked serious, too. “I was terrified when I was there in that warehouse,” she said. “But I just kept thinking that if I could stall her for long enough, that you would be there, and you would make sure that everything was all right. I knew that you were going to protect me.”
“Of course, I was going to protect you,” I told her, leaning in to kiss her gently.
“You've really changed,” she commented. “Ever since Emma and I came here. At first, you were so distant. I didn't think you were ever going to warm up to me. I watched you interact with Emma, and I could tell that you were growing fonder of her, but I didn't think you were ever going to even be friends with me, let alone something more than friends.”