I gave Bubba wide eyes back and looked up at Deke.

He still was eyes to me.

“You do know none of that between you and Bub was lost on me since I’m standin’ right here,” he noted.

“Um…”

“And you made a good call,” he continued. “No sass.”

I felt my eyes narrow.

“Don’t start,” he grunted. “Just text.”

Before I could say anything, his gaze went beyond me toward the front door.

That was when I heard a car approaching.

I looked over my shoulder at the door but Bubba started moving, muttering, “I’ll go see who it is.”

Bubba lumbered away and I turned back to Deke.

“Key to your trailer?” I whispered.

He grinned down at me and I felt that grin everywhere.

“I like you,” he whispered back.

Suddenly, I wanted to start crying.

Instead, I smiled so huge, it even blinded me.

Deke lifted a hand and captured a long tendril of my hair, twirling it around his forefinger.

He also bent his neck so his face was closer.

“We gotta talk tonight, Jussy.”

That didn’t sound good.

“Can’t we just have amazing orgasms, banter, your cocky, my sassy and Steph’s chicken?” I asked.

“We’ll have all that too.”

At least that was promising.

“Deke—”

“None of it’ll be bad, baby,” he said gently. “You think, what we found, it could be bad?”

I didn’t think that.

But I wasn’t the one who’d established boundaries blown through after assault, strangulation, a week of closeness, all this leading to amazing orgasms.

“Well…” I started.

“Jussy,” Bubba called and I felt the pull on my hair, hair Deke didn’t let go, when I twisted to look at the door.

Bubba was plodding back toward us and Mr. T was standing inside the closed door.

“Hey, Mr. T,” I called.

“Justice,” he called back, and even across the large space that was my great room, I saw he had attention keenly focused not just on me, but on me with Deke.

Deke gave a soft tug at my hair before letting it go.

I shot him a grin before I took off toward Mr. T.

“How’s it hanging?” I asked when I stopped at him.

“Fine,” he said crisply. He took a look around my now fully-walled space and then his gaze came back to me. “I came up here to tell you that, with your situation clearing up, I need to get to Nashville. Your aunt is going back into the studio and I have to make sure everything is as it should be.”

That was a bummer.

I liked having him around.

Still, my situation had cleared up and Aunt Tammy, when recording (and performing, and breathing), could be a diva.

I nodded. “Okay,” I said and grinned. “Back to regularly scheduled programming.”

He nodded back. “Just so you’re aware, I’ve had a word with a few people I know in Los Angeles and a few others who can pull strings here. They’ll be expediting the DNA tests so we can be assured this gentleman in LA was the same as the gentleman who paid a visit to you.”

Paid a visit to you.

Mr. T was a stitch.

I did not laugh.

I nodded again.

“I’ve also had a few words with the authorities in LA. I’ve not only been clear that what happened there has nothing to do with you, I’ve been assured there’ll be no leak about any connection between what happened there and you.”

“Right. Great. Thanks as usual, Mr. T.”

“And Jacob Decker will continue to report to me as well as to you through Hightower.”

“Sounds good,” I approved, not that he needed my approval but I gave it to him anyway.

“Please continue to be careful, Justice,” he warned.

“Not gonna be an issue since I’m going to visit my friend Krys and her new baby in about five minutes. Then I’m setting dinner up in a Crock-Pot at Deke’s for tonight, where we’re going to escape paint fumes. And then I’m back here with sandwiches and I’ve been ordered to text the progress of my travels so often, I might be able to get a few breaths in in between but we’ll just have to see.”

After I said that, Mr. T looked beyond me to where I knew Deke was.

“It pleases me,” he started softly before he brought his gaze back to me, “that when the foundation of your father was pulled from under you, you found a safe place to land.”

That gave me goosebumps.

“Pleases me too, Mr. T,” I replied just as softly.

His lips moved in what was a semi-kinda-semblance of a smile.

That vanished and he stated briskly, “I must be on my way. My flight leaves in three and a half hours.”

I nodded again and turned, calling, “Deke, Mr. T’s taking off. He’s gotta get to Nashville.”

“Hey, dude. Cool to have you around,” Bubba called while Deke headed our way. “Come back and visit Jussy soon. We’ll make it a party.”

Mr. T made no reply to Bubba and Bubba had been around him enough he didn’t expect any. He just went back to checking the plastic taped on my windows.

Deke stopped close to me, throwing an arm around my shoulders and shoving out a hand.

“Bill,” he said.

“Deke,” Mr. T replied, taking Deke’s hand for a firm squeeze before letting him go. “I trust you’ll look after Justice,” he said unnecessarily.