Really?!

That was the most ridiculous thing Jenna had ever heard. A random accountant on the west coast involved with a crime lord on the east coast? Killian was being paranoid again!

She sighed and gave him the information. "His name is Bryce Fitzgerald and he's an accountant at Digby International. I don't know how old he is, where he lives, or what his blood type is, sorry."

He ignored her sarcasm. "That information is sufficient to do a background check. Thank you for your cooperation."

"Killian…I don't think I can do this," Jenna admitted.

He actually smiled at her! Well, sort of. He twitched his lips in what was likely meant to be a reassuring way but really made him look like he had some sort of muscle spasm. "You'll be fine Tessa. You're twenty-one; go have some fun, okay? But safe fun. Use protection."

"Killian!"

"Your brothers aren't here to tell you so I will. I've read your file; you've never had a boyfriend before."

Jenna's cheeks burned. True, she had never had a boyfriend before, but that was largely because she hadn't been considered female by the guys she knew. She only managed to get dates to school dances after Alison came onto the scene and worked her magic.

The truly horrifying part was that she had only been kissed once and it was by a gay guy that thought she was a guy too back when she had a pixie cut her freshman year of high school before she developed any womanly curves. He broke her fourteen-year-old heart and she had to stop Jonas, Peter, and Evan from beating the delusional kid up.

She didn't care about what happened to him—how could you even make that kind of mistake?! She wasn't that manly looking!—but she didn't want her brothers to get in trouble. Especially Evan, who might have been a gangly nineteen-year-old but was still a legal adult.

"I do not want to get the sex talk from my case agent, thank you very much," Jenna hissed, refusing to look at him.

"I don't want to give it either. I'm only saying to be safe. It would be inconvenient for everyone arranging further protection for a child," Killian said matter-of-factly. "I'm saving that dreaded talk for when my son gets older."

Her head snapped up in shock. "You have a kid?!"

"Yes. He barely turned four. My wife is pregnant with our second child now."

A hint of paternal pride and affection crept into his tone as he got out his phone and showed her a photo of his family. He had a genuine, albeit very small, close-lipped smile on his face and his wife was grinning from ear to ear as she bounced an equally smiley little boy in her lap.

Jenna was stunned. How on earth had a vivacious woman with brightly dyed red hair, loud clothes, and sparkling eyes ended up with this robot? And he was actually smiling at her!

"…your family is beautiful."

"Thank you. In case you were wondering, I don't wear my wedding ring at work in case it puts a target on their backs," Killian explained.

She had wondered. She didn't think he was married because he didn't wear one but now that she looked closer there was a thin, faint white line where the ring rested when he wasn't at work.

"That must be hard," Jenna blurted. She hadn't meant to say that aloud.

He didn't seem to mind though since he still answered her. "It can be at times. Being an FBI agent isn't exactly a nine-to-five job but I love my family more than anything. My wife knew this was my ambition before she married me so she knew what she was getting into.

"She's an artist and paints murals for a living. Everyone tried to talk her out of it but she refused so she understands where I'm coming from. The time we do have together makes up for the time apart."

That was more information in the past two minutes about her case agent than she had learned in the past ten months. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I hoped it would encourage you. Just because your situation is less than ideal doesn't mean you aren't allowed to be happy, Tessa," Killian said in a lighter tone than she had ever hear from him.

That was a rather odd way of telling her to go for it with Bryce. Speaking of him… "Do I need to hold off until the background check is run?"

"I can get that done before the end of the day so I'll contact you sometime tonight."

That worked since she had told him Monday night. It didn't help her moral dilemma but if her case agent, who had yet to steer her wrong, thought it was okay it might actually be alright for her to live a little while in limbo and deal with the consequences later.

"Thanks, Killian. Can I talk to my family now?" Jenna asked.

"Of course," he said as he handed her the phone, all business again. "I left the cards and birthday gifts they sent you on the table."

She eagerly ripped them open so she would know what they were and be able to thank her mother properly. There was a large, incredibly soft blanket printed with a white tiger on it (her favorite big cat), a box of chocolates from her favorite shop back home, and a bunch of Amazon gift cards since you could order from anywhere.

The cards had her family members' handwriting on them and her older nieces and nephew had even drawn pictures or scribbled on them for her. She barely managed not to burst into tears.

Jenna wasn't allowed to have pictures of her family for security purposes but at the very least she had their handwriting wishing her a happy birthday belatedly. She was sure to thank her mom profusely on the phone.

Talking to her made her homesick but she was happy to hear Sarah's voice all the same. And the little voices of Lila and her older sister Caitlyn.

It did make her cry though. She cried all the way to work and had to reapply her mascara in the parking lot. She hated being lonely. That was what ultimately made her mind up about taking Bryce's offer. She was not about to let herself waste away from loneliness while she was stuck out here when she had a better option.

Putting aside her reservations was easier said than done but Jenna mostly managed to do it by the time her shift was done. She was ready to call Bryce and tell him her decision after getting the all clear from Killian over text. She was not ready to run into him right outside the store when she was getting off work.

She jumped about a foot back and brandished her can of pepper spray before realizing who it was and placing a hand over her heart. He had been wearing a purple Lakers hoodie with the hood up because of the cold and didn't take it off until he saw her.

She had never seen him dress so casually so she was more than a little thrown off. Especially since she didn't think he would be here.

"Bryce! You nearly gave me a heart attack," Jenna scolded.

"Sorry," he said penitently. "I didn't think about how sketchy I would look. That's my bad."

"What are you doing here?"

Bryce didn't meet her eyes and scuffed the ground with his sneaker. "…I was getting a bit antsy so I went for a run and found myself here."

How was that simultaneously exasperating and endearing? He was oddly reminiscent of a puppy right now and she couldn't be mad at a puppy. All the fire drained out of her. He had been anxious all weekend because of her; the least she could do was end the torture.

"You're ridiculous but I've decided to take you up on your offer," Jenna said in as even a tone as she could muster.

"Really?!" he asked excitedly before clearing his throat and trying to act cooler. "I mean, are you sure? I don't want you to feel pressured or anything. You know I like you so it might be kind of awkward to be friends but if you're okay with that—"

"I'm not okay with that. It would feel too much like I'm using you so I've decided to be your girlfriend."

Bryce's eyes practically popped out of his head and he immediately backtracked. "Hey, Tessa, you really don't have to do that for my sake. I don't want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with. I told you that my offer to keep you from thinking too much stands no matter what."

Jenna sighed. "I know. But my conscience won't let me take advantage of you like that. And it's not like it will be a chore. You're nice, willing to be silly with me, and handsome. I'm not losing out at all."