Safe with Me (With Me in Seattle, #5)(39)

“Never,” I reply immediately, shaking my head adamantly. “He sleeps hard. Soundly.”

“Really?” Matt asks, looking at me in surprise. “He hasn’t slept well in a long time.”

“He hasn’t had an issue with me,” I reply. “Until last night. But it was… different.”

“Different how?” He asks.

“He had fallen asleep on the couch, watching war shows on the History Channel. When I woke up, I heard gunfire and cannons and Caleb was in the middle of the nightmare.”

“So it didn’t come on while he was in bed with you.” He shifts his Jeep down as we turn onto the street where the girls go to school.

“No, he was on the couch.”

“Interesting.” I turn and watch Matt silently. He’s in a white button-down and jeans, his pistol is resting in a holster on his hip. His light brown hair is in need of a haircut, and he didn’t shave today, leaving a light stubble on his chin.

His left elbow is resting on the door and he’s rubbing his fingers over his lips.

“How did you wake him up?” He asks.

“I kneed him in the thigh,” I respond. He winces and chuckles ruefully.

“That’ll do it.” He grins over at me and then sobers. “How do you feel today?” He asks softly.

“My voice was a bit hoarse this morning, but other than that, I feel fine.”

“Don’t be obtuse, Bryn. How do you feel?”

He’s just not going to cut me a break.

“Exhausted. Relieved.” I swallow and stare down at my knees. “So in love with him I can’t see straight,” I whisper.

“Look at me.”

My eyes find his as he offers me a gentle smile. “I think you’ll be really good for each other. Give it time.”

I nod just as the girls come running to the car.

“Hi mom!” Josie calls and scoots in to buckle her seatbelt.

“Hi Matt,” Maddie grins as she joins her sister.

“Hi guys,” I smile back at them as Matt pulls away from the school and heads toward home.

“How was your day?” Matt asks.

“Caleb hurt Mommy last night,” Josie responds. I gasp and stare back at her with my jaw dropped.

“He did?” Matt asks and shakes his head slightly at me, telling me to not respond and let him handle it.

Just kill me now.

“Yeah, he wouldn’t let her up off the floor,” Josie responds.

“He didn’t mean to!” Maddie jumps in to defend Caleb. “It was a bad dream.”

Josie shakes her head stubbornly. “He hurt her.”

“Do you think he did it on purpose?” Matt asks her calmly.

Josie shrugs and folds her arms over her chest stubbornly.

“Answer my question, please.” Matt’s voice is authoritative and strong.

Typical cop.

“I don’t know,” she replies with a frown. “It was scary.”

“I’m sure it was, sweetheart,” Matt murmurs. “Do you know what nightmares are, Josie?”

“Bad dreams?”

“Yes, they’re really bad dreams.” He affirms.

“Remember not very long ago when you came crying into my room because you had a dream that you couldn’t find me, sweetie?” I ask her and watch her big brown eyes fill with tears.

“Yeah, I was really sad,” she sniffs.

“Caleb was having a really bad dream like that, honey, except he thought he was in danger. He thought someone was trying to hurt him.” Matt watches Josie in the rearview mirror closely.

“Who was trying to hurt him?”

“Bad people,” Matt replies. “He used to have to go to places that had bad people in them who wanted to hurt him and his friends, so he could help people who needed him.”

“So, that’s what he was dreaming about?” Josie asks with wide, tear-filled eyes.

“Yes, honey,” I reply and rub her leg with my palm.

“Oh,” she whispers and looks down. “But I was scared that he was hurting you.”

“Me too,” Maddie admits. “But he was scared too.”

“Damn,” Matt whispers under his breath and shakes his head. “I’m so sorry you all had to see that.”

“You wouldn’t hug him today,” Maddie accuses Josie.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I interrupt before a fight blows out of hand. “You can give him a hug tonight if you want.”

Josie just nods and looks down at her hands as Matt pulls into our driveway.

“Looks like I don’t need to stay long,” he murmurs, eyes trained on Caleb just about to climb out of his own car. “He’s home early.”

“Yeah, he is. I wasn’t expecting him home for another hour, at least.”

Matt parks behind him and the girls climb out of the car with their backpacks. Caleb looks over at us hesitantly, and then opens the back door of the car and whistles.

A big, beautiful dog bounds out of the car, much to the delight of my daughters who begin jumping up and down and clapping their hands, wide smiles across their faces.

“And, that’s my cue to leave.” Matt smiles over at me, nods at Caleb, and leaves us all standing in the driveway.