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“Just two, please.”

She plated them gently, her hands delicate and slow, and he was mesmerized by her movements. Everything she did was deliberate, but it also seemed effortless. How did she do that? “Here you go.” It was really more like two and a half pieces, but that was okay.

“This looks amazing. Thanks so much.”

“You’re welcome. Thanks for having us here.”

“You’re welcome.”Should I tell her?He only warred with his conscience for a minute before he decided she deserved to know. “I heard from Aaron. They got a call today from a sheriff’s department in Arkansas. There was a murder down there too, and it seems suspiciously like your neighbor’s.”

Her slim shape dropped into the chair to his right and she sat there with her piece of monkey bread, her eyes wide. “What does that mean?”

“It means we may have a serial killer on our hands.”

“And Frymire?”

“From what we can tell, he doesn’t exist.”

“Wha… What do you mean?”

“I mean Aaron can’t find any record of him anywhere. Nothing. Not so much as a parking ticket.”

“Seriously? So what do they do?”

“Aaron’s planning to lean on your ex-husband.”

“That’s a good idea.” She took a bite of the bread and set it back down. As soon as she swallowed, she sighed. “Think he’ll talk?”

“Has he ever paid you any child support?”

A light, sarcastic laugh slipped from her lips. “Do dogs have thumbs? No. I’ve never gotten a penny.”

“Well, what if the Friend of the Court found him?”

“Ohhh. Yeah. I see. That’ll probably do it.”

“I hope so.” The bread was amazing, and he found himself wanting another piece. “Tomorrow I’m getting you a phone.”

“I can’t let you do?”

“Yes. You can. You need one. I was worried the whole time I was at work, wondering if you three were okay.”

“You…” She stared at him. “You were worried about us?”

“Of course I was worried about you! I’ve got to introduce you to my parents. It would make me feel a lot better if somebody was available to come over in case of an emergency.” He watched her face go scarlet. “What’s wrong?”

“So many people are altering their lives for us, and we’re not worth it.”

Something about her statement made Shaw furious. “I already told you once to stop that. Who says you’re not worth it? You’redefinitelyworth it! You’ve had a shitty life, and I’m hoping I can make sure that’s past you.”

“Why do you even care?”

How could he possibly explain to her what he was feeling? He wasn’t even quite sure what it was himself. All he knew was that something about helping them, about having them under his roof, gave him a sense of peace that he hadn’t felt before, and he craved it. Looking into those bright blue eyes made him feel things he’d never felt, and he tried to sort them out. Happiness? Definitely. Peace? He’d already noted that. Pride? Yes, he was proud that he could provide a place for them, food, shelter, and clothing, even though he’d offered to pay for everything and Maisey had refused it.

In one blinding flash, he understood. Every woman he’d ever dated, if it could be called that, was hellishly independent, as in making sure he knew they didn’t need him for anything other than a good time. If there was anything ShawHarrison wanted, it was to be needed. He loved doing things for people, even the simplest of things, and doing things for Cherilyn and her girls, giving them what they needed, seeing to their comfort, tapped into a well that had been buried deep inside of Shaw. He knew if he could get them through their current predicament, they wouldn’t need him in the classic sense. They had state aid, and an apartment, and her little car.

But she needed someone to partner with, and he did too. He needed someone strong and determined, someone who’d help him build a home and a family, and Cherilyn had already done that. She knew how, and yet the things he could bring to the table would help her immensely. He could take them from barely getting by to being comfortable. From single parenting to having two parents to help each other. From fatherless children to kids who had someone else in their life, someone they could look to not just as an authority figure but as someone who’d be there for them through thick and thin, someone who’d always have their back. He could be that person. After what he’d been through with Candace, being someone’s father had never been on Shaw’s radar, and yet when he’d seen those two girls in that cave, cold and damp and hungry, he’d longed to scoop them up in his arms and hug them to him, to tell them that everything would be okay and they’d never want for anything ever again.

Choose your words carefully, Harrison, he told himself as he struggled to find the right thing to say. “Have you ever wished someone could look past your second-hand clothes and beaten-up car and tiny apartment and see the woman inside you? The one who wants more for herself and her kids, and has absolutely no way to get there? Who has a lot of love to give and nowhere for it to go?”