“Mia, nice to meet you. You can call me Judith.”

Judith flashed an inquisitive eye at her son, having never met any client or woman in his life before. Most certainly not at his house, with his daughter. A flush heated his face, imperceptible to anyone but his mother. He wasn’t a mama’s boy. Never had been. But their relationship had changed to friend-like, or even mentor-mentoree, after he arrived on her doorstep, holding a baby two-handed like she was a nuclear bomb, and kicking along the bag of diapers Child Protective Services gave him.

He had been terrified. And his mother, bless her heart, didn’t call him on it. She simply started to help. She could diaper the hell out of a baby, showing him that while it seemed duct tape was the only way a diaper would stay secure, the tabs on the side did just fine.

She knew Titan Group skirted the edge of legal. She knew that he was in danger each time he left for a job. He told her as much. But hell, he’d made some major changes after Clara arrived. Decisions were now made on more than mission-critical information. He had to base them on a baby. He had to get home to Clara at the end of each op. He had to establish routines and schedules. And he had to plan for a babysitter. It was comical. Shopping for formula and smashed peas while wearing tactical gear was quite possibly his latest favorite pastime. The looks he got were nothing short of alarmed. If he were feeling particularly in need of a laugh, he’d smear on camouflage face paint.

Nothing in his life had been stable until Clara came along. And even now, stable was a stretch. But for Clara’s sake, he did what he could to provide her a settled home. And his mother was his saving grace.

She didn’t appear to notice Mia’s bare feet or tattered clothes. But, oh, he knew better. She was discreet. That was for sure. The woman didn’t miss a beat. Lord only knew what she thought, and he was certain to hear about it later. Would she go the interrogation route, or infiltrate behind enemy lines, asking Mia subtle questions?

Maybe he should have placed a warning phone call. Right now, that was a blinding flash of obviousness. Too late. He hadn’t wanted to do that in front of Mia, and after everything that happened the last time he left Mia alone to call home, he sure as shit wasn’t going to do that again.

With the baby on his hip, Winters watched Mia stand next to his mother. His mom’s head tilted a degree sideways. One eyebrow raised slight enough so that only he noticed. It was a warning sign of the impending Q & A session.

Mia, on the other hand, had to work her blinkers and fight off her wide-eyed observation of him and Clara. Her demeanor made him uncharacteristically warm and hazy. Or was that fuzzy? It was such a bizarre feeling. He couldn’t define it.