His lips twitched. “He certainly is. You’ll stay here with me. Come to work with me. Until I’m certain you’re safe.”
“And then what?”
“Then we talk about what you want to do.”
She didn’t know. That was the problem.
“Easy. You don’t have to decide today.”
But she couldn’t stay with him indefinitely. And what about the boys? She had to take care of them.
“I have no money. I’ve never had a job. I can’t even…I’m scared…”
He drew her close, pressing her face to his chest. “Shit. Easy, brown eyes. Didn’t mean to make you panic. I’m gonna help you. You’re not on your own.”
But what if he wasn’t always around? What if he decided he didn’t want her anymore?
Forrest. The boys. Money. A place to live.
It all seemed overwhelming.
“Brown eyes, you’re killing me. I’m gonna need you to calm down. My emotions are on a hair trigger tonight and your fear and panic are making me want to track down Forrest and fucking destroy him.”
“Sorry. I’m sorry. It’s just a lot.”
“I know, brown eyes. But I promise you, I’m here.”
She had to stop thinking about when he would leave. Live in the moment. Otherwise she was going to twist herself up into knots.
When she calmed down, she drew back to look up at him. “Sorry. I’m all right.”
His gaze roamed over her. “You’re better than all right. Come on, I’ll show you where your room is. You hungry?”
Hungry? No. When was she ever hungry?
And her room? Did that mean she wasn’t sleeping with him?
A few minutes later she stared down at a gray coverlet on a double bed. It had just one pillow, no headboard and the room was bare except for a wardrobe door.
It was barren.
And kind of frightening.
Her Little hated it.
“I know it’s not much. Tomorrow you can go online and order some things to decorate it how you want.”
“It’s fine. I don’t need anything.” Last thing she wanted was him spending more money on her. She’d cost him so much already.
He narrowed his gaze at her. “I’m not gonna like what’s in your head right now, am I?”
“Likely not,” she said cheerily, remembering his insistence on honesty.
“Betsy.”
She sighed. “I don’t want you spending money on me. You’ve done enough.”
“I say when I’ve done enough,” he growled at her. “And I say that you’re going to buy what you want to make this room seem less like a punishment and more like somewhere you can feel at home.”