The next afternoon, Saturday, I was walking back through my front door with one of Jake's arms wrapped around my shoulders.

"You ok?" he asked, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

I nodded, smiling.

The bond we'd developed over the past few days had intensified, especially after he'd pulled sickies to stay by my side and I'd told him I was trusting him. Things between us had deepened to a whole new level I'd never shared with someone before. The fact we'd known each other for a little over a week had melted away into oblivion; a trivial detail in the midst of the current situation.

Once I'd uttered those words, it was as if I'd shattered an iron wall of hesitancy and instead replaced it with a willingness to accept the unfamiliar ground of a regular relationship.

"One day at a time," he said. "Before you know it, you'll be places you never imagined."

Beating down the whispers of being foolish, I clung onto thoughts of marshmallows and refused to give in to my fears. I knew I could better this anxious, fearful person I'd been turned into. That wasn't my nature—it was what I'd been 'nurtured' into being. It was a crisp, hard shell I was determined to break every last piece of.

As the door closed behind us, I gasped at the sight of the two huge men stood in my hallway. They were dressed in black suits with open neck black shirts beneath. With their hands behind their backs, and their stern faces staring straight ahead, their military background stood out a mile. They both had the build of a carthorse and the height of a skyscraper.

"Jeeze," I said, shrinking into Jake's side. "Where the hell did you find them? In Giant Country?"

The darker haired of the two twitched his lips into a slight smile. The other held a flicker of amusement in his green eyes. I wondered if they knew I was referring to Roald Dahl.

"This is Jonny," Jake said, motioning towards the brown-haired smiler. "And this is Marco," he said, gesturing towards the ash blonde with the amusing sea-green eyes. "They have both now been reassigned in their duties."

"What does that mean?" I said, frowning.

"They have new responsibilities to fulfil—those being to keep you safe twenty-four seven."

"Both of them?" My voice came out like a squeaky mouse.

He nodded. "They will work in either twelve hour shifts one at a time, or split a twenty-four between them, being on duty around the clock. However you want them to work."

"However I want them to work? I can't even figure out what I want to do, let alone tell a pair of BFG's what to do."

Jake chuckled. "Well," he said, glancing down at me. "Take this as a perfect opportunity to hone some skills."

I looked at them both, still not quite believing they would act on my words. This was...odd. "Um...hi," I said, heat flushing my cheeks.

"Ma'am," Jonny replied, nodding his head. Marco followed suit.

"Oh gosh," I said, covering my mouth with one of my hands. "No, please no 'ma'am'. I'm not sixty or dressed in plaid. Just call me Louisa. That will do fine."

"Understood," Jonny replied. His voice was deep and gravelly. I bet a shout from him would make anyone cower. "Please appreciate we don't familiarise on a first name basis. Would Miss Simmons suit you better than Ma'am?"

I was stunned. Not knowing what else to say, I agreed. "Ok, that will be fine for now."

Marco then spoke, his voice a rumbling low sound with a twang of a Russian accent. "Please instruct us as to your preferred working pattern, Miss Simmons. We can then adjust ourselves accordingly and immediately."

Looking up at Jake, I frowned. "All a little formal, isn't it?"

"They have to be when on duty. I've had these guys five years. Would trust them with my life. When Lewis is around, they're on him. He has them running ragged."

A bolt of guilt lodged in my heart. "Who's going to watch you and Lewis if these guys are with me?"

"I have another double team who are on duty when these two need to rest—Frank and Hugo. If I'm not with you, I'll be with Lewis, and vice versa, so stop worrying. I can see it in your face already."

I fought the urge to disagree, to say it wasn't fair that his team was now stretched because of me, that I would be fine without them. But that wouldn't be letting him protect me, nor would it be trusting him with what he needed to do.

Counting to ten in my head and remembering to think positive things, I nodded. "Ok, thank you."

Jake nodded. "No need to thank me."

A quick discussion regarding their shifts ensued, resulting in one of them being on duty when Jake was with me and both being on duty when he wasn't. I felt bad asking that of them, but the comfort of knowing two human pitbulls were 'on guard' made me feel a little easier knowing my psychopathic ex was conjuring up goodness knows what. At least if they were both active and aware, they had each other's backs.

"Right," Jake said, gently pushing me towards the stairs. "Rest time for you."

"I've been in bed all week." I pouted and batted my eyelashes at him, doing my best to win him over.

"And you still look exhausted. You need a decent sleep, sweetheart."

"I need exercise. I barely did my jeans up!"

"Exercise is the last thing you need, but ditching those size six jeans is definitely something you do need. Women are supposed to have curves."

Relenting, I climbed the stairs and headed to my room. It was difficult not to notice the pristine condition the two giants had kept the house in. I was quite impressed. Deciding not to argue with him about any of his points today, I stored them in my memory for future use.

"Here," he said, reaching into his pocket. "I'm sure this will keep you amused for a while."

I looked down to see a small bell in his hands. Touching the dark wooden handle, I grinned with mischief. I shook the little bronze antique from side to side, laughing at the high-pitched ring. "Oh, you have no idea."

"I thought you might like that," he said. "At least it will keep me out of the gym for a while."

I giggled and placed the bell on my bedside table, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He kissed my forehead and walked out with a smile on his face. I waited until he'd got half way down the stairs before I tinkled the service call, unable to stifle my own laughter.

"On second thoughts," he said, popping his head around the door and grabbing the bell with a grin. "Perhaps not."

***

As soon as I laid down, I was lost to a deep sleep. I hadn't realised I was still so tired.

Compassion for yourself, Louisa. Be kind to yourself.

That was something easier said than done, though. One thing I was learning fast was the happier I felt, the more inclined I was to want to do things. I wanted to be out and about in the world, discovering new things, making new memories. It was as if this new-found joy was filling me with confidence.

Unfortunately, a deep sleep only meant I was trapped inside my nightmares further. Yet again, I was sunk back into that night's events, reliving each painful second in real time. When piercing agony flooded my stomach, I woke myself up with my own screams. Gasping for air, I tried to calm myself down.

Jake burst through the door, making me shriek in surprise. "What's wrong?" he said, rushing straight to my side. "Are you ok?"

Following Jake through the door, Jonny stalked in, gun out in front of him, scanning the room from ceiling to floor. "The room is clear," he said, tucking his weapon back inside his jacket.

"Thanks, Jonny. You can return downstairs," Jake said.

The walking mountain nodded and obeyed Jake's instructions.

Returning his attention to me, Jake brushed his fingers over my face, stopping when he felt the beads of sweat coating my forehead. "You're soaked, Lou."

"Just nightmares," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Not had a proper sleep since this—" I pointed at my cheek "—so I guess they kind of came back with a vengeance without drugs to keep them away."

"What are they about?"

I pursed my lips. "That last night."

He scooted across the bed and nestled himself behind me, spreading his legs either side of my thighs. Pulling me back into him, he kneaded at the knot of muscles in my shoulders. I couldn't help but relax into it. The release of tension was like popping a balloon.

Dropping his voice to a hypnotising whisper, he asked, "What happened to the baby?"

I managed a weak smile as I closed my eyes. The rhythmic pattern of his massage was lulling me into a trance. "It survived," I said, revealing a secret to him no one else knew. "I was ten weeks. I didn't actually know that until I woke up. They'd obviously done scans whilst I was in the coma."

"Coma?"

I nodded. "Eight days. I guess my body and my mind had had enough."

He continued pushing the tightness out of my shoulders, already making my neck feel looser and freer. "I'm not surprised. I think anyone else would have given up long before you did."

A sense of strength and pride began to flower inside me. I had soldiered on through what a lot of people would have given up at, perhaps taken the easy way out of, or worse yet, still be there. My heart was pounding at the secret I'd just told him. How easy it just rolled off my tongue made me realise I was trusting him more than I realised.

"No one knows that," I whispered, water beginning to fill up behind my closed lids. "They didn't even know I was pregnant. Only the doctors and Adam knew. The doctors revealed nothing to Adam about its survival. They suspected nobody knew as no one asked about the pregnancy when they asked of my condition."

A deep kiss was pressed to the back of my head. Carefully, Jake tilted my head back until I was resting against his solid chest. He lightened his touch and massaged soft circles into my neck, slowly creeping around my throat.

"After a couple of days, I asked them for a termination."

There. The dirty words; the sinister skeleton from my closet was out. I waited with baited breath, expecting his gentle caresses to cease. But they didn't. He carried on, his pace unhurried and mesmerising.

"You did the right thing," he whispered, his velvet lips skimming against my ear. "And you did an incredibly brave thing."

"I couldn't do it," I said, a tear slipping through my closed eyes. "He thought he owned me because I had Harvey, let alone a second child. I was in no mental or physical state to continue with a pregnancy. Every day since has been hard enough, let alone if I was still pregnant. I honestly think, with the mix of hormones, emotions, patterns of behaviour and everything else, I'd have ended up back with him if I'd kept it. It wouldn't have been a life for me or it. I'd have ended up weaker."

"Shhh," he said. "You don't need to justify yourself to anyone, especially me. You did the best thing for you, Harvey, and the baby."

We fell silent. He finished his blissful massage and crossed his arms over my chest, hugging me to him. We stayed like that for what seemed like hours. When my mind finally gave in to its charging thoughts, I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.