Protect Her

Chapter Forty Five

Derek

"And then your mom let all of those goldfish go into the lake behind our house. I swear sometimes I still see them in there." Mr. Sullivan laughed.

He had been telling us stories about Cam as a child for the last little bit, and both Riley and I were eating them up. This particular one was about how Camryn stole $50 from her parents to play a game at the State Fair where you throw ping-pong balls into little bowls of water in order to win goldfish. Apparently, Cam's animal activism didn't just start when she brought Champ home. She'd been trying to win them all so she could take them and set them free.

Tonight was perfect. Cam and her dad had spent the whole day together, catching up and doing some much needed healing. I picked Riley up from Cole's and we picked up dinner before heading home to meet them. Riley had been ecstatic to meet her grandfather and I could see how much it meant to Cam. Seeing all three of them together made me more emotional than I expected. I thought of my own parents and the incredible relationships they had with my nieces. Riley had never gotten to experience that. Cam had been forbidden to even see her father for years, but by the end of today, it seemed like they had never been apart.

Mr. Sullivan and I had even had a chance to talk together, and it seemed like I had earned his full approval.

"Well, it has been a long day and I need to get some rest." He said, standing up. "Thank you again for having me."

"Can we see you tomorrow, grandpa?" Riley asked, holding his hand as they walked towards the door.

"Of course! I am staying until Sunday." He kissed the top of her head.

"Goodnight, dad." Cam smiled, and I shook his hand.

"Can we watch a movie?" Riley asked, yawning the second the door was closed.

"Not a chance." I chuckled, picking her up. "You've had quite a day. You need to get some rest, too."

"Mommy, can I sleep with you?" She turned to Camryn, pulling out all the stops to postpone bedtime. I figured Camryn would probably let her.

Cam smiled. "Not tonight, Ry."

"But what if I get scared?" Riley pouted.

"Then Derek and I are right down the hall. Come on, don't you want to be rested so you can play with grandpa tomorrow?"

Riley reluctantly agreed, and we put her to bed. As she was picking out a book to read, I pulled Cam aside.

"If it makes you feel safer, she can sleep in there with us. I know after that day at the market..."

Cam shook her head, cutting me off. "It's okay. I know we're safe with you, and so does she. And besides, I thought it was going to be noisy in there tonight?" She shot me a seductive grin that caught me a little off guard.

I had been joking earlier, knowing that Cam had been through a lot lately and it might be awhile before she was comfortable having sex. That look in her eye was telling me something completely different, though. I was happy to oblige.

"Derek, will you read to me tonight?" Riley asked, jumping into bed.

"Sure." I said loudly and then whispered to her mom. "I'll meet you in the bedroom?"

Cam smirked, nodding.

"Goodnight, baby." She kissed Riley good night and then disappeared down the hallway.

For a brief second, I forgot that Riley wasn't like a normal child, and the book she chose to read tonight was a Harry Potter chapter book that she fully expected me to read tonight. After a little compromising, we agreed on two chapters, and once we were done, I tucked her in.