"I feel like someone is taking a jack hammer to my skull." Ash groaned, leaning over the counter. "You look like you took one to the face."

I glanced up from my compact mirror, "I wonder why that is."

"Look, I never asked you to step in." she shrugged a shoulder and downed the remanence of her second cup of coffee. "Where we you last night anyway? I thought maybe you snuck in sometime after I knocked out, but you weren't there until right before I left."

I shut my mirror and set it in my purse, avoiding eye contact. "I was home."

"You weren't." she narrowed her eyes. "If you went back to your parents, I know you would have told me. Where the hell did you go?"

I continued down the hallway, typing my apron around the bottom part of my waist and adjusting my shirt so just the right amount of cleavage was visible. Unfortunately Ash had no desire to let it go and seemed to connect the dots on her way out to the bar.

"Oh My God, you totally went home with a guy last night, didn't you?"

"I did not." I lied.

She raised one of her perfectly filled in brows. "Who was it?"

"I didn't sleep with anyone last night, Ash."

It wasn't a total lie.

Ashley knew a lot about what happened with Dalton, but I'd left out most of the sexual abuse I'd endured the entire relationship. If she had even the slightest clue of what he'd done, this conversation wouldn't be coming up at all.

"Ooh, it was that hot guy asking about you the other night, wasn't it? I saw him at the club!" she tilted her head and tried to conjure up a name to put to his face. "James!"

I didn't respond but headed for the front of the bar to unlock the door instead. She took my silence as a confirmation.

"Oh my God, it was!" she squealed like a high schooler, jumping up and down so fast one of her boobs nearly slipped out from her bra. "He's really attractive, Har. He seems like he has his shit together too."

"I'm not interested in a relationship right now."

No doubt James wasn't relationship material either. Everything about him was a red flag, he may as well have a caution sign dangling from his neck. At least, I'd thought so until last night. While he'd cleaned up my face, I had forgotten for a bit that we were standing beside a Camaro, and that he was a bartender at one of the biggest clubs in the city. I had forgotten he was star quarterback being and contender for a first draft pick into the NFL. He had just been a nice guy, hanging back and making sure that I was okay.

"Babe, nobody said anything about a relationship." Ash's optimistic chirp stirred me from my thoughts. "It's okay to have fun, you know. You deserve it after all the crap Dickhead put you through."

I flashed her a weak smile, but decided it'd be best to wipe down the tables and distance myself from her as much as possible. I loved Ash, she was my other half, but times like these I really wish she understood social cues and would take a hint and just drop it. I had no desire to have to sit her down and explain to her why the thought of a guy touching me made my skin crawl, let alone try to initiate sex.

The only thing that I truly missed about being in a relationship was the companionship. Dalton was a piece of shit ninety-eight percent of the time, but on the days and nights he was a halfway decent human being, I liked sleeping tucked against his side and praying that he had changed, that this could be our life.

Now my heart was set on one thing, and that was to get my daughter back within my grasp. Have full custody of my baby girl and prove to her that absolutely nothing can tear her down, that no matter what, she has me, we would walk the horrors of this world together.

She needs me, she always has. But I don't think she has even the slightest clue how much I need her.

**

"Where we going, Mama?" Danni asked for the hundredth time as we climbed another flight of stairs. She was dragging her feet now, pink Paw Patrol shoes light with every step she took and reflecting against the dark wall. My mom had thrown her hair into a high pony and dressed her in the prettiest little pink sweater dress and black leggings. For the first time in years, I saw a light in my daughter's eyes again and it made me happy. "I hungry."

"We're here. You did such a good job." I squeezed her hand and held the door open so she could step in ahead of me. "And they have so much yummy food in here! You'll love it!"

Within seconds we were engulfed in a huge mob of people standing around admiring a painting, talking so fast that I couldn't decipher what language they were speaking. Danni must have caught sight of the star of the night before I did, because she immediately gasped and rushed forward, nearly sending me into the glistening, glittery tile.

"Auntie Lin!" Lindsey's head whipped in our direction at my daughter's obnoxiously loud, enthusiastic cry, and a grin stretched across her face as she lowered herself into a crouch to be eye level with my toddler.

I let go of her hand as soon as we were within a safe distance, watching as my friend engulfed her in a bone crushing hug. I slowed to a stop as I neared the two of them conversating, but my eyes immediately shot over her shoulder. My mouth opened in surprise but was clenched shortly after.

"He's stalking me." I said aloud. My friend lifted her head up, a strand of red hair coming loose from her beautiful updo as she followed my gaze. "I swear everywhere I go, he just happens to appear."

Lindsey smiled. "That sounds like Fate to me, Har."

shook my head and looked at her. "Yeah, because apparently I did something so horrible in a past life that Fate wants to punish me in this one."

She sighed, raking her black acrylics through Danni's ponytail.

"If you're talking about that walking Abercrombie model, he's Jessie's younger brother."

I spun on my heel and stared at her with a horrified look. "He's what?"

"James Pierce. The guy in the royal blue suit? That's my girlfriend's younger brother."

I blinked repeatedly, trying to process my friend's words, before I finally looked back at James-only I didn't get a chance to see just how sexy he looked in the suit, because my eyes immediately met his blues, only now they were guarded, icy almost.

"I thought you knew Jess had a younger brother." Lindsey whispered, but I was too busy trying to grab Danni as Jessica and James headed our way. Danni quickly placed her small hand in mine and looked up at me in anticipation, a curious look in her eyes as to what was about to happen. Realizing that tonight wasn't about me, or my feelings, but my daughter and her seeing her Aunt win awards, I straightened and forced a smile as Jessie threw herself at me.

I'd only met Jessica a handful of times. She and Linds had been dating for a little over a year now, but they tended to hang at her place most of the time, hence how Ash and I knew little to nothing about her. Ash had always referred to her as "Black Widow" because of her thick, dark curls and piercing blue eyes, and sharp features. She'd always insist that the woman was literally out to entangle everyone imaginable in her web before releasing them, as she was breathtaking. Only Jess had proved Ash wrong after a couple months, showing just how much love and adoration she had for Lindsey.

As they approached now, I started to question how I'd never connected the two of them. They looked like siblings, there was no denying that, seeing them side by side.

"You look like you've been through it." Jess said, pulling away with a laugh. "Linds told me a little about what happen last night."

I nodded, bringing a hand up to touch at my own dark hair. "Yeah. Someone's gotta watch those two."

She made a noise of agreement before crouching to introduce herself to Danni. My eyes flickered from my daughter gripping my hand tightly beside me to James. He looked far better in that tux then Dalton ever had in anything he wore.

It fit around his biceps perfect, grazing them just enough to give an outline through the jacket. The top two buttons were undone on the white undershirt, the tie askew. But the royal blue brought out his eyes, and I found it hard to look away once my eyes finally met his again.

"Oh, sorry." Jess said, standing and making a gesture with her arm toward James. "This is my idiot brother, Jamie. James, this is Linds' friend Harley and her daughter Danni."

I didn't say a word, only stared, waiting for him to break the uncomfortable silence. Instead, a hint of a smirk touched at his full lips as he brought the glass of wine to his mouth and downed the rest of it.

"The ceremony is about to begin." Linds said, running her hand over her body-hugging black gown, then doing the same to her girlfriend's red one to ensure there were no wrinkles. "I am not going to be the last one in that room. Come on."

She laced her fingers through Jess' and pulled her ahead while Danni clutched at my arm and looked to James every few seconds as he fell into step beside me.

"Your face is looking a lot better." James commented, readjusting his tie with a quick glance in my direction.

"That's what the power of makeup can do." I answered shortly. "You men underestimate it."

He chuckled; a low, sexy rumble that made me quicken my pace.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know. I thought I've shown that I'm not some creep that's out to get you."

"I have trust issues." I muttered, hoping he didn't hear me.

Of course he did.

"Why's that?"

I shook my head and nearly face planted again when Danni halted to a sudden stop and wrapped her arms around my leg. "Daddy coming?"

Though I tried to keep it internalized, I flinched. The last time we'd been to one of Lindsey's shows, Dalton had dragged the both of us out and yelled at us the entire way home.

Before I could get a word out, James knelt and offered his hand. "What is your name, Princess?"

Danni bit down on a smile but looked up at me for reassurance to speak.

"I Danni." She pointed at herself with a grin.

James took her small hand and held it between both of his. "Princess Danni, it is a pleasure to be of your service. I am James, your Knight. I have been sent to protect you from scary monsters."

I quickly turned my head away to keep my emotions at bay.

"Daddy scary." Danni said, shifting on her feet. "He hurt Mama and me."

Though the words came out a little jumbled and mispronounced, James understood them and bowed his head slightly before saying, "I have been sent to protect you and Mommy from all monsters. If your Daddy is a monster, I'll protect you from him too."

Danni moved closer to James and stared at him with big, misty green eyes. "You promise?"

James touched one of his hands over his chest. "I promise."

Danni returned to her position beside me and held my hand tightly as we continued into the crowded, stuffy room. As we stepped through the large doors, I looked over at James, ready to thank him. But he shook his head slowly, touched a hand gently to my back, before heading for the front of the room to sit beside his sister as I took one of the seats in back with Danni just in case we needed to leave midway through.

I felt tears start to dampen my cheeks as soon as the lights dimmed, but all I could do was hold my daughter closer to me in hopes that by the time the lights came back on I'd have tucked my feels deep down and forced myself to believe they didn't exist at all.