Dani’s eyes flew open to find him standing in front of her, his expression concerned. And his eyes . . . They were red. He’d been crying. He must have heard Michael’s sobs and been moved to tears.

Dani lost another piece of her heart to the gentle giant. Dammit. She didn’t want to want him. But she did. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to lay her head on that solid chest and feel those muscled arms wrap around her.

That wasn’t going to happen, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember why. She stared up at him helplessly. “He needs some pants,” she whispered.

Diesel’s throat worked, his gulp audible. His red-rimmed eyes filled with the pain of understanding. “I have an extra pair of sweats in my truck, but they’ll swallow him whole,” he whispered back. “He’ll know that I know.”

God, he did understand. Dani found herself leaning into him, resting her forehead on his chest. Their bodies touched nowhere else. Until he brought a trembling hand to her hair and stroked it. It felt so good. Too good. So good that she should make him stop. But she didn’t.

She couldn’t.

“He’ll be okay,” Diesel murmured into her ear. “We’ll make sure of it.”

Tell him there is no “we.” Tell him. But she didn’t. Instead she nodded unsteadily before straightening her back. His hand fell to his side and she had to force herself not to grab it and put it back on her hair.

She moistened her lips, nervous now, because his eyes were drinking her in. “Can you take Joshua somewhere for a little while? We need to go to the police station and I don’t think Michael will want him to know about this. Or for you to know, either,” she added, one side of her mouth lifting. “I think he’s got a case of hero worship where you’re concerned.”

Diesel nodded. “I’ll take Joshua to the Ledger. Marcus is out buying crayons. He might be buying candy, too.”

She smiled. “I think a little candy sounds like a good plan. I’ll let you know when we’re done at the police station. I will be taking Michael home with me. He will not be kept at the police station.” She threw a stern glance at her brother and cousin, who hadn’t said a word—not with their mouths, anyway. Both sets of eyes were full of questions as they looked from her to Diesel and back again.

Gossips, all of them.

Diesel chuckled, bringing her attention back to him. “I pity anyone who even tries to keep him from you. You have my cell phone number?”

“Yes,” she said simply, unwilling to admit that she’d memorized it long ago.