Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 116760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Clint eyed her suspiciously. “Are you going to try and put things in my coffee?”
“Me? No, I wouldn’t dream of it.” She watched him nervously. Was he starting to sway? Would he fall over? Hayes better damn well help her if this behemoth fell on her.
“Good. Don’t try. You don’t want to make an enemy of me.”
“Do you think you’d want to sit down?” she asked.
He grunted and turned, walking off down a hallway. Well, she couldn’t leave him alone like this. So she followed after him, finding him in a living room. She didn’t know if Hayes followed, but she figured it didn’t matter. Clint was sitting on the couch, staring off into nothing.
“Being a new parent must be hard,” she said, sitting as close to him as she dared.
He huffed out a breath.
“Is Charlie doing okay?”
He shot her a look of ire. “Charlie is fine. She’s resting. She needs her sleep. She’s got too much to do, feeding this little one.” He ran his hand gently over the baby’s head. “Got to keep her safe.”
“I wish my dad was as protective of me as you are of your baby.”
“What do you mean? Your dad isn’t protective?” he asked sharply.
“I think he’s trying now. Sometimes.” She’d tried getting hold of him on the way to the airport to tell him what was going on, but he hadn’t answered his phone.
And when she’d tried through his assistant, she’d just given her the run-around.
So perhaps he wasn’t being a better father at all. She reached over the back of the sofa and pulled off the blanket there, laying it over Clint’s legs.
Standing, she grabbed an ottoman, tugging it over and lifting his feet onto it.
Then she drew off his shoes.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Just getting you comfortable.” She knew she had to keep him distracted. “I think with my father, it’s a bit too little too late. He spent years ignoring and neglecting me, so why should I give him a chance now, you know?”
“Sounds like you shouldn’t.” His voice was slurring, his head tipping to one side. The baby was sleeping on his chest, content and beautiful. She didn’t know if it was safe for a baby to sleep there, but Bebe also didn’t think she could move her.
“Yeah, I know. It does. But part of me wants to forgive him because I want to know what it’s like to have someone love me. Take care of me.”
“Corbin doesn’t look after you? Want me to whip his ass?”
“He does,” she said quietly. “He’s the best person I know. I think he really does want to look after me. Which is insane. No one has ever put me first, you know.”
“You should demand better. Tiny, sweet thing like you should be cherished every day.”
She should be?
Maybe she should start listening to all these people telling her that she deserved better. Logically, she knew she did.
It’s just that she’d never had anyone willing to put her first before now.
Grabbing her phone out, she hit her sleepy time playlist, hoping it would help him go to sleep.
“Can’t sleep,” Clint grumbled. “Something might happen.”
“Nothing is going to happen.”
“You can’t trust anyone, you know,” Clint said.
“I totally agree,” Bebe replied.
“Got to protect the baby and Charlie . . . it’smyjob.” His words were slurring together.
“I get it. If I had something precious like that baby, I’d protect them with everything I am too,” she agreed.
“Ilikeyouyou’reagoodgirl,” he said before his eyes closed fully and stayed shut.
A soft snore hit her ears, and she settled in to watch over Clint and his baby while they both napped.
“Sleep,” she told him. “I’ll keep you both safe.”
“You’re sure about this, Corbin?” Kent asked. “About bringing Bluebelle back here? About being with her?”
Corbin had already apprised Kent of the situation. That he was quitting as Bebe’s bodyguard so that he could become her boyfriend.
Kent had been kind of shocked but resigned. He’d agreed to take Corbin officially off the case, although he would remain her bodyguard for the foreseeable future. Kent had been trying to get hold of her father but kept getting the runaround from his assistant, so he hadn’t been able to inform him that they’d been attacked or that they’d moved Bebe to Sanctuary.
Corbin knew that Bebe had attempted to get hold of her father as well without success.
Which really fucked him off. How dare he ignore his own daughter?
“Why are you asking me if I’m sure?” Corbin asked. “Did you ask Bain that before he got involved with Arianna?”
Kent scratched his chin as he leaned against Clint’s desk. It didn’t look like Clint had been in here lately, it smelled a bit musty.
“I might have. Ari was different, though.”
“Why?” Corbin asked in a dark voice.
“Why does it smell in here?” Hayes asked, stepping into the room.