He arched a brow in her direction. “Sometimes, it’s good to let your hair down, have a little fun.”

“Whatever.” Kenna turned her attention to me. “Can you and Caelyn take your break?”

I glanced over at Ford. “You got things under control?”

“Yeah, just…” He glanced around the bar. “Will you stay close?”

I would’ve given him a hard time for pulling the overprotective act, but I saw the genuine worry in his eyes. “We’ll just grab a table on the back patio.”

Relief lit his features. “Thank you.”

I rounded the bar, and Caelyn immediately hooked an arm through mine. “He’s looking out for you.”

I said nothing in response. What was there to say? All afternoon, the touches had been frequent and lingering. Each brush of Ford’s hands had refilled my strength stores a little bit more. I hadn’t wanted to admit just how much my parents’ visit had shaken me, hadn’t wanted it to show. And I sure as hell didn’t want to need someone else to help me recover from it. But that’s exactly what Ford had done. Without me telling him, he’d somehow known exactly what I needed.

“What the hell is going on?” Kenna whirled on me as soon as we reached an empty corner of the patio. “Did your mom seriously show up here and rant at you? And why am I having to hear about that from Caelyn and not from you?”

I blinked rapidly. “She did show up, along with my dad, who, of course, said nothing. And I didn’t call because—because…” I searched my brain for why I hadn’t sent Kenna a text. Normally, that would’ve been my first move, to let her and Caelyn know. But I hadn’t because—

“Because she had Ford here.” Caelyn gave me a gentle smile. The hopeless romantic in her was shining through.

Kenna scanned my face as if looking for an injury or trying to find the truth. “Was he there for you?”

“He was.” A flash of fear tore through me so fast and strong, I almost gasped. Sure, he’d been there for me today, but that didn’t mean he’d be there tomorrow or the day after. I’d built a safe and secure support system. It was small, but I knew I could count on the people in it. Ford was still an unknown.

“He loves you, Bell.”

My head snapped in Caelyn’s direction. “You don’t know that.”

She reached out and took my hand. “Yes, I do. It’s written all over him. And not just how he looks at you, but in his actions. And actions are always more important than words.”

My heart seemed to trip over itself as it struggled to beat faster. I wanted so badly to believe her words.