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Am Itryingto make her feel uncomfortable?

And why in the world would I admit something like that when I spend most of my life trying to hide how I’m feeling?

“Sorry,” I start, “That’s not?—”

“Don’t be sorry.” Her lips lift. Not into a full smile, but more than halfway to it. “It’s funny. But I feel the same way.”

Oh.

That instinctive need to hold her sweeps over me again.

Not just hold her. Pick her up and rush her back to the apartment, where I can spend the rest of the day taking care of her. Bringing her pain pills and all her favorite foods and making sure she gets plenty of rest. Sticking close in case she has another nightmare like she did last night, when I nearly had heart failure after being awoken by her terrified screams.

After I raced into her bedroom to find her crying and shaking all over, it didn’t feel like nearly enough to just perch at the edge of her mattress and murmur comforting things likeyou’re safeandit was just a dreamandI won’t let anyone hurt you.

No. I wanted to wipe away her tears. Hold her until she stopped shaking. Stroke her hair and hold her hand until she fell back to sleep again.

Shit.

After years of being happily single, why am I feeling this waynow?

“Erik!”

Just as we enter the living room, Lucy comes rushing over to us. “Oh, Erik,” she continues, her voice wobbling dangerously. “I’m so sorry.”

Beside me, Tatum tenses. Her fingers tighten around mine.

Closing in behind Lucy are Sarah, Jade, and Isla, all of them wearing matching expressions of concern.

“Luce, it’s okay,” I reply. With my free arm, I give her a quick side hug. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Why would you even say that?”

Tears brim in her eyes as she looks at me. “Because I’m the one who gave you that rental. It was supposed to be something nice. But instead…” Pausing, her gaze shifts to an uneasy-looking Tatum. “Oh. I’m sorry, Tatum. How rude of me. I shouldn’t have just—” She sniffs, then holds out her hand. “I should have introduced myself first. I’m Lucy.”

After a brief hesitation, Tatum shakes Lucy’s hand. With a tiny smile, she replies, “It’s okay. I’m sure you’ve been really worried about Erik.”

“We have,” Sarah says once she reaches Lucy’s side. “When we heard Erik was missing… Well. We were scared. Even though we knew the team would find him.”

“But that doesn’t mean we haven’t been waiting to meet you,” Jade adds. She has a sleeping Declan nestled into a sling across her chest. After giving me a quick peck on the cheek, she turns to Tatum. “But we understood. After everything… of course you needed some time to decompress. Settle in, hopefully get a little sleep, at least.”

Isla’s the last to join our little huddle. Empathy is written all over her face. “We understand,” she tells Tatum. “Now’s obviously not a good time to get into it, not when you’ve just gotten here. But all of us”—she makes a small, sweeping gesture at Lucy, Sarah, and Jade—“ended up here for protection.Different reasons, of course. But we remember how frightening it was.”

Lucy nods. “If there’s anything you need, just let us know. More clothes, a different shampoo, something specific to eat…”

Though Tatum’s hand is still gripping mine to the point of pain, she casts her gaze in a quick semi-circle, lingering on each of the four women for a second. “Thank you. For the offer, and for everything you left for me last night. The clothes fit perfectly. And the shampoo smells just like the one I use. Plus all the food, and the tea, and the candles…”

“I picked out the tea,” Lucy replies. Her eyes brighten as she smiles. “Some of these guys say it tastes like grass and dirt. But I found that herbal tea really helped me when I was feeling stressed.”

Sarah snickers. “Some of itdoestaste like grass, Luce. That one you gave me when I had the flu? It literally tasted like grass clippings.”

“But you felt better after drinking it, didn’t you?” Lucy retorts, not looking bothered by Sarah’s teasing in the least. “And Isla, didn’t the ginger tea help when you were having such terrible morning sickness?”

“It did,” Isla agrees. Before she can say anything else, the baby monitor in her hand bursts into life, emitting an indignant cry. “Oh, shoot. Dove’s up from her nap already.” To Tatum, she says, “Sorry. I thought I had another half hour at least. I have to go check on Dove. But stop by my apartment any time if you need anything. Don’t worry that you’ll be bothering me. You won’t. I promise.”

“Same,” Jade adds. “And if you start feeling ill, or your head is really hurting, let me know. Rhiannon and Dante are trained medics, but I’m also a physician assistant. So I can help if anything feels off.”

“Oh, and Erik said you like to bake,” Sarah interjects. “I know with your concussion, you probably won’t be up for that yet. But when you are, if you’d like to do any cooking together, or you need any special equipment, just let me know. The client apartment is pretty well stocked, but I’m sure there are things it’s missing.”

Tatum’s death grip on my hand relaxes. The tension in her shoulders visibly eases. “Thanks. That sounds really nice.” Casting another look around at the women, she continues, “I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. It’s?—”