“About Lauren getting kidnapped, stabbed and running for her life. About Lexie being kidnapped and nearly shot. And about Faye getting kidnapped and buried alive.”

She stopped talking, and not knowing precisely where this was leading so not wanting to make assumptions, Deck said gently, “All right, honey.”

“I thought I’d ask them because I knew some of that, and because, in a way, they’re like me.”

Deck thought this was good and began to relax.

She was right. They were like her in a way, though all that happened when they were adults. But, from the stories he heard, all those women took a minimal amount of time to adjust and move on.

They might be able to help guide Emme.

“I don’t know what you do to make a living,” she continued, blindsiding him. “But I figure it might have danger and you might have enemies.”

Fuck.

Now he knew where her head was at.

Fuck.

“Baby—”

Her voice changed completely, it was trembling when she declared, “I can’t go through it again, Jacob.”

Fuck.

“Emme—”

“I don’t want… I don’t think…” she stammered, and Deck turned her.

Rolling her to her back with Deck pinning her down one side, Buford adjusted out of their way with a groan and a sniff.

But Deck only had eyes for Emme.

“Don’t use this to pull away from me,” he whispered.

She flattened her hands on his chest and admitted, “I’m trying not to pull away but I got to thinking and I got scared.”

This was also new, brand new, and it was the good kind of new.

“Good,” he replied. “Not that you’re scared but that you started thinking and shared that with me.”

“Jacob, if… I…” She shook her head on the pillow. “What happened to Faye had to do with something that involved Chace and—”

“Tomorrow, I start putting in a security system,” he announced, and she shut her mouth. “And, babe, we’re not arguing about who’s paying. It’s gonna be top of the line and it’s gonna cost a whack. So I’m paying and installing.”

Her voice was again trembling when she asked, “Does that mean I might be in danger?’

He ignored that and stated, “Also, I’m putting in outside lighting, front, back and sides of the house. Bright lights, long range with motion sensors. You can pick the fixtures so you have the look you want but I’m also paying for that.”

“Ja—”

“And that outbuilding you have that looks like it’s supposed to be a garage but is mostly a wreck, it gets new windows, new doors, new locks and a new garage door with remote. I want you parking in there because I want your vehicle secure so I need that building secure. When I move in, we’ll scrape it and build a bigger garage.”

He watched her blink, felt her body jerk slightly under his and she asked, “When you move in?”

“Yeah, when I move in. So this means I’m investing in what’s eventually gonna be my own home so you can’t find shit wrong with that.”

“I… you… you’re moving in with me?’

“Not tomorrow. Not in a week. Though, tomorrow, you’re movin’ in with me. I got an attached garage, security system, motion sensors on the outside lights and a dog. And, just sayin’, we’re focusing inside work on the wires so we can get a puppy. A German shepherd or a Rottie.”

“We’re getting a puppy?” she asked then went on before he could answer. “I’m moving in with you?”

“Until work is done here. We’ll start lookin’ for dogs now, though. Buford’s got a helluva bark but his look could make someone underestimate him. Only a plain moron would underestimate a shepherd or a Rottie.”

“Okay, I, uh… well, I’m not sure how we got here,” she shared.

“We got here because, straight up, baby, every loved one of someone who does something like I do, shit like Chace does, if it gets extreme, they can be vulnerable.”

He heard her sharp intake of breath, had no clue if what he was doing was the right thing to do, but he powered on doing it, hoping to God it was.

“But, just pointin’ out, crazy shit has happened in this county. Too much of it. So much it’s surreal. But Nina, Lexie, they didn’t have a man or someone in their life that had a job that put them in that place. That shit can happen to anyone, baby. You didn’t live here, you lived in Denver County when it happened to you. You also didn’t have a dad who was a cop or did something that put you in jeopardy. But you have concerns. They’re valid concerns. That means we alleviate the vulnerabilities.”

He paused to make sure that was sinking in in the way he’d hoped. She nodded slowly, so Deck took that as a good sign and carried on.

“Best thing you can do to protect a home is have a dog. Next up, security system. Next up, good lights. People who do bad shit do not like dogs or lights, and most idiots who are f**ked up enough to do bad shit aren’t smart enough to bypass a security system.”

“Oh,” she mumbled. It was noncommittal but he could still tell he was getting in there. Her body was loosening under his and her face was getting soft in the moonlight.

So he kept going.

“We also step this up so you can feel good up here,” he stated, lifting a hand and tapping her gently on her forehead. “Self-defense classes. You won’t need them but they’ll make you feel that you might know better how to handle a situation. Even if it is highly unlikely that situation will occur.”

“That’s actually a good idea,” she whispered, and he grinned.

Then his grin faded, he dipped his face closer and he shared, “As much as it shits me, I cannot protect you from the bad things in life, baby. What both of us can do is be smart, be aware and be prepared. ’Cause, I know this. You can twist this in your head as another reason to disconnect from me, but even not being with me, that doesn’t mean you can assure you’ll be safe. What I know for definite is, you being with me, I will bust my ass and break the bank to do everything I can to keep you that way. So, in reality, being with me does not make you more vulnerable. It makes you safer.”

Emme had no response.

Then, two seconds later, she did.

And this was to lift her hand to cup his jaw and whisper, “Seriously, Jacob. I really, really like you.”