This was supposed to be a fun outing, a way to get away from the children and from Jake’s overwhelming personality, but instead she felt like a burden, and worse, was very embarrassed that she would have to walk in public with men so obviously guarding her. Ordinarily she was quite happy at home, but all of a sudden, as she feared, things were changing and Jake was taking over more of her life. Sitting alone in the car surrounded—not by friends she laughed and joked and shared her life with, but by bodyguards, men she had to obey—she felt very isolated.

The driver parked in the lot and Drake slipped out of the vehicle first. She watched him scan the area, his gaze touching pedestrians and a van parked in a corner slot with the engine running. He waited for it to pull away and turn out of the lot before he opened her door for her.

“Come on, Emma, let’s just do this the first time and you’ll see it’s not so bad.”

Standing in the center of the diamond formation the team made around her, following Drake, with Joshua behind her and the two other men on either side, she walked with them, keeping to their pace, her head down, not looking at those around her. She was aware of the traffic in the street and the people on the sidewalk. This was going to be her life. Worse, it was going to be how her children had to live.

Jake. She sighed, thinking about him, about how his life had to have been so difficult, yet for the past two years she’d never once had to think about it.

“Stop taking your ring off,” Joshua hissed from behind her as they waited for Drake to check the first shop on their list.

She glanced at him over his shoulder. “I didn’t realize I was.”

“We don’t want to have to crawl around on our hands and knees to look for the thing if you lose it.”

He had a teasing note in his voice, but her stomach knotted. Did she want to lose it? Maybe she did subconsciously. She really was upset, more than she’d realized. Drake waved her into the shop and she stepped inside to browse, very aware of heads turning as Joshua and Drake entered with her. There was nothing inconspicuous about them; they weren’t even trying to be. They looked like bodyguards, nothing less. She knew Evan was at the rear entrance and Sean at the front outside.

She couldn’t concentrate to really look at the clothes and barely moved through the racks. She wanted to go home. “I don’t think I’m going to find anything here, maybe I’m just not in the mood.”

“You’ve got a couple more stores, Emma,” Drake said and led the way out. He spoke into his Bluetooth, presumably to call in Evan.

As they went past two stores and moved toward the small dress shop she’d heard about, she caught a glimpse of a pair of shoes. Forgetting, she stopped to turn back. Joshua put a hand on her back, moving her with the team.

“Emma wants to look in that shop,” Joshua said.

It wasn’t on their schedule. Drake had explained about that and how they didn’t like to deviate. She shook her head, flushing bright red. “It’s all right. I just really need a dress right now.” She hated this. How did anyone get used to it?

The next shop yielded nothing and the third shop was closed, which meant they had to cross the street to the little French boutique where Jake had first taken her after Andraya had been born, which was perhaps part of the allure. The designers displayed there were some of her favorites. She found a black, very sophisticated dress with a low V-neck falling into a close-fitting skirt and a daringly bare back cut all the way past the waist, making it impossible to wear a bra. She held it up, hesitating to try it on. It seemed too much trouble.

Drake said nothing to her but walked to the dressing room, looked inside and indicated for her to go in. She didn’t look at the clerk, but followed his unspoken signal and slid into the soft material. It clung to her as if made for her. Fortunately the shop carried other accessories, so it wasn’t difficult to find a lacy black garter belt and high-topped stockings. The shop next door had perfect matching heels, and before she could take the purchases, Drake stepped forward and arranged for a courier to deliver the boxes to the ranch.

Emma fell into step behind Drake, with Sean and Evan on either side of her and Joshua right behind. “It’s sort of like a parade,” she said, glancing around her.

The men were looking out away from her, watching traffic and people, even buildings. She sighed as they approached the stoplight and were forced to halt and wait for the light to turn. She could feel the curious stares, and her fingers slipped to the ring, rolling it around on her finger. She wasn’t cut out for this kind of life. She felt absolutely ridiculous and embarrassed. She was going to have to talk to Jake and make him understand that security was fine for the children and for him, but definitely not for her—not like this. Taking one bodyguard should be enough.

They stepped off the curb and started across the street with the pedestrians flowing around them. They were like a little moving island, she thought. The sound of a motorcycle barely registered when she felt Drake’s hand on her arm, yanking her forward and away from her two side guards. The bike slid straight at Sean’s legs, the helmeted driver leaping off as he laid the bike down in an effort to take out both Sean and Evan like bowling pins. Joshua dragged Evan clear and Sean tried to leap out of the way just as a Mini Cooper bounced over the grass and curb to slide sideways, doors open. A second motorcycle roared through the scattering crowd, heading straight for Emma, the driver stretching out his hand to catch her shoulder, presumably to shove her into the waiting Mini Cooper.