When Day Breaks(84)

Though her sobs had quieted, her body still shook and he could feel the dampness on her cheeks where her tears had left silvery trails down her face.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Swanny said, regret a physical ache in his chest. “I wouldn’t hurt you for the world. Please forgive me this, but I thought you deserved to know. I’ve thought it from the very beginning before I even met you, but your father was adamant. He was trying to protect you.”

“How could he keep something like this from me?” she asked tearfully. “God, it’s been a lie. All these years. A complete lie. And more lies. What else has he kept from me? How long has he been controlling my life—and, my God, I’ve allowed it. I allowed him to hire Micah and David because I didn’t want him to worry. He hired you and then lied about why. I couldn’t figure out at the time why no one except me seemed relieved that the shooter had been arrested, and now I know it’s because everyone knew I wasn’t safe except the most important person in this equation. Me.”

He couldn’t argue a single point with her because she was exactly right, and his guilt intensified, because she should have been told the truth from the start even though it wasn’t his place to make that kind of decision.

But all of that changed for him the moment he and Eden connected, when she came to mean so much more than just a job to him. Her father might argue that Swanny had no rights when it came to his daughter, but that was bullshit. His commitment to Eden went far beyond the normal client relationship for a regular mission. This was deeply personal to him and he was willing to risk everything for her. Censure, the loss of his job, his very identity.

He recognized that Eden was a total game changer for him. His priorities had shifted, and he was a man who always placed his loyalty and commitment to his job above all else. But Eden had reordered his priorities. Her protection, her happiness, her life came first. Nothing else mattered as much to him. He’d go to the wall for her and damn the consequences.

“I know this was hard to hear, Eden,” Swanny murmured against her hair. “And I’m so damn sorry. You have to know I’d do anything not to hurt you. But with this attack, you need to know what you’re up against so you can take the proper precautions. Don’t get me wrong. I’m going to protect you with my life. My team is going to protect you. But you needed to be aware of what exactly is at stake here.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, stunning him. Why was she thanking him for tilting her world on its axis? Shouldn’t he be the bad guy here?

She lifted her head, a watery sheen still evident in her ocean eyes, but the tears had stopped streaking down her face. What he saw in her eyes blew him away. There was no anger. No condemnation. There was sincere gratitude, and he could tell she was valiantly pulling herself together and trying to regain her composure.

“Baby, what are you thanking me for?” he asked hoarsely.

“For trusting me with the truth,” she said in a low voice. “For wanting me to know from the start. For telling me now what my father should have told me a long time ago. I don’t want you to apologize to me, Swanny. Not for telling me the truth. It means a lot to me that you would risk so much for me. Your life. Your job. I’m humbled by the lengths you’ve gone to, to protect me physically and emotionally.”

She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his so sweetly it made his gut ache. There was a wealth of emotion in the light brush, like a butterfly’s wing against his mouth. Soft and delicate, just like her.

She pulled away, breathless, her cheeks pink and no longer pale with shock. And then her eyes became troubled again, shadows dimming them.

“I know I should call my father, not to confront him, but to assure him I’m all right, but I just can’t face him right now. I need a little time to digest this—what he kept from me,” she said in a faltering tone. “Does that make me a terrible, selfish person?”

His reaction was instantaneous, nearly explosive. “Hell no it doesn’t. You deserve as much time as you need to process your shock. God only knows how hard this must have been for you. I certainly can’t claim to even understand what it’s done to you because I’ve never been in your situation. You’ll get no judgment from me. You’ll never get anything from me but complete support and understanding.”

Emotion swamped her expression, her eyes warming, the shadows from just moments prior dissipating.

“I—”

Whatever she was about to say was cut off when a sharp knock sounded at the door. Swanny cursed, even though he knew their time together would be very short lived because not only would the police be involved, but his team would also be gathering to put together the pieces and plan their next move.