Limitless Love (Lotus House #4)(59)

I stroked Lily’s head and kissed her temple, and then her mother’s, before walking into the kitchen, both girls hot on my heels. I picked up the phone and gave the alarm code.

“Yeah, send the police out. We had an attempted burglary and possible attempted kidnapping since it was a child’s room that was breached.”

Tears rolled down Monet’s face as she whispered to her daughter. Blessedly, the alarm shut off.

I curled a hand around Monet’s nape and squeezed. “Be strong, beautiful,” I reminded her. “I’m here, and nothing is going to happen to my girls on my watch. Nothing.”

She nodded furiously.

“I’m going to grab some clothes really quick. Stay here for a minute.” I ran back to the room, tugged on a pair of plaid pajama pants and a white T-shirt, and then hightailed it back to the kitchen. Monet had Lily on the counter and was holding her close. Fuck, she probably hurt herself carrying her. A knock on the door startled both my girls, causing Lily to cry out in fear.

“That will be the cops. Just stay behind me as I check.”

I looked through the peephole and then opened the door to two cops in uniform on the porch. A cruiser was parked in the drive.

“Thanks for coming so fast.” I opened the door wider and let them in. “Guy tried to break into my little girl’s room. It’s down that way.”

“Okay, we’ll check it out. This way?” One of the officers pointed and I nodded.

“You might want to call Detectives Richardson and Bolinsky. They’re already on the case. My girlfriend here was attacked about a month ago.”

One of the police officers pushed a button on his shoulder mic and started speaking.

“Come with me.” I tucked my arm around Monet. She still held Lily, who had her thumb in her mouth and her face buried against her mom’s chest.

A rage like I’d never known simmered in my veins as I took Lily into my arms and led my girls to the safety of the back bedroom. My little girl’s room had been broken into. If I hadn’t had the alarm system installed, that fucker could have taken her, hurt her, or worse. I didn’t want to even imagine the unthinkable.

If I ever saw Kyle, he was a dead man.





Chapter Thirteen





When the heart chakra is functioning well in a child, she tends to be more nurturing and caring. She easily shows compassion to others and is contented in her life. If the heart chakra is overactive in a child, she may become possessive, divisive, or act melodramatically.

MONET



I petted my daughter’s black hair, pushing a lock behind her ear and soothing my fingers down her face. She’d finally fallen asleep in between Clayton and me about twenty minutes ago. I couldn’t stop touching her. It was as though my mothering instinct wouldn’t let her go after what’d happened tonight. The two detectives were kind and gentle when asking their questions. At first, Clayton refused to allow them to speak to Lily, not wanting her to have to remember what had happened, but they needed to know as much as possible in order to find the person responsible. I knew in my heart it was Kyle. Lily’s room hadn’t changed since he lived here, and he knew she’d be the easiest target. What he must not have expected was the alarm system Clayton had put in shortly after my attack. Thank God he had.

A shudder rippled through me as I briefly imagined what it could have been like had Kyle made it into the house. Clayton and I were occupied with one another and Lily was a defenseless little girl. I’d praised her so many times tonight for screaming the way she did. Still, it took the cops leaving and Clayton holding my girl against his chest for a long time in order for her to settle down. Even in sleep, she clung to his hand.

Clayton was on his side, his big arm curled completely around my daughter. Her head rested on his pillow and her back was against his chest. It was a position a father would take to protect his young, and Clayton hadn’t thought twice about providing her what she needed to feel safe.

“Thank you,” I whispered over her head.

He blinked open his eyes and tightened his hold on Lily, his forearm muscles flexing. She sighed and nuzzled her head into his hand.

“For what?”

I placed both my hands in a prayer position under my head. “Taking care of us. Of Lily. Being what she needs. She feels safe with you.”

A gentleness passed over his features. “I’m never going to let any harm come to this little girl. Monet, I was scared as fuck when I heard her scream…” He kissed the top of her head as if he couldn’t stop showing her affection either. “It gutted me. I can’t lose you girls, and I’ll do anything…anything, to keep the two of you safe.”

His words and the honesty with which he gave them reached into my heart and settled there. I believed him. One hundred percent. Clayton was all in. Somewhere over the past few weeks, he’d fallen in love with Lily and me and decided we were it for him. The shocking thing was that I too finally allowed myself to believe it was real. That the three of us together could actually be the real deal. And boy did I want it. Him. Everything that included. His bossiness, caveman-like attitude, his sweet and tender side when it was just the two of us or when I’d hear him talking just to Lily. Clayton Hart had woven so deeply into the threads of my existence that I never wanted him to leave. And maybe, just maybe, I had a chance to hold on to him, on to this, for the rest of our lives.