Page 57 of Babies for my Ex’s Bodyguard

The woman dancing across the rooftop forgets to guard herself long enough to enjoy the evening. And I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to see that.

Emma laughs as Lena ropes another reluctant victim into their growing circle, and nobody asks her to perform, impress, or make herself smaller for anyone else’s comfort. She simply joins in, smiling without checking who might be watching.

That’s the woman I’d hoped she’d become after Spencer did a number on her.

Halfway through the next song, she steps away from the group to reach for the clutch she left on a nearby table.

She checks her phone, and the smile slips from her face. Her eyes race across the screen before she locks it again, far too fast for anyone reading good news.

Lena says something that earns an automatic smile in return, but Emma keeps the phone in her hand instead of dropping it back into her bag as she heads toward the far end of the rooftop.

I’m already following.

Emma rests her forearms against the glass by the time I reach her, the city stretching out beneath us.

“There you are.”

She forces a weak smile. “I escaped.”

“So I see.”

“Lena’s idea of dancing qualifies as an endurance sport.”

“I’ll ask HR whether we need liability waivers.”

She laughs, and the sound fades almost as quickly as it arrives.

I lean against the railing beside her. “You all right?”

“I’m fine.”

The answer comes before I finish asking. I wait.

She stares across the skyline instead of at me, her fingers tightening around the phone. “Spencer found another number.”