Page 44 of Watch Me

“That’s amazing, Mom.”

“Thanks, honey.” Ethan hung up his phone. “I better go. I’m almost to class.”

“Okay. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Have a good day. Love you.”

“Love you too.” I hung up and slipped my phone back into my coatpocket.

“Everything okay?” Ethanasked.

I took a sip of my coffee. “Yep. I didn’t ask her anything.”

“That’s for the best.” He took a sip of his latte. “My dad’s going to stop by and get the key to your place from me and then go and change the locks.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, Buttercup. I told you I’d never let anything happen to you. I just wish I would have thought of it last night.”

“It’s okay. The last fifteen hours or whatever have been crazy.”

“Yeah, they have been.”

“Now that we’ve had a few sips of caffeine, do you want to tell me the other thing?”

Ethan sighed. “Oh, right. How much farther to your class?”

“About three minutes. It’s just inside that building.” I pointed with my free hand at the two-story building where all of my classes wereheld.

He stopped walking, causing me to stop as well. “Before we left the station, Jessica called me.”

“Okay?” I arched abrow.

“She heard about last night.”

I balked. “How?”

“My boys go to the same school as an officer who works at my precinct. He told his wife that he has to work OT because Captain asked everyone who could to work your detail.”

“And his wife told Jessica?”

Ethan nodded. “I don’t think she did it maliciously or anything, but of course Jessica is taking it to the extreme.”

“How so?”

“When she called, she told me she’s contacting her attorney to change our custody agreement because our kids are in danger.”

“What?” I hissed. “Are you serious?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, she may be right. They might be in danger if they’re with us.”

I stared into his blue eyes. “I’m so sorry. This is all—”

“Hey.” He reached for me, pulling me into his arms. “This isn’t your fault.”

“It is.”

“It’s not.”