mine, I feel safe and protected. The storm still rages outside, but even the thunder can’t take away the shielded feeling inside me.
My eyes slide closed, and it only takes seconds before I’m drifting off to sleep. A sleep filled with the cries of a woman surrounded by flames and a man bellowing her name in the distance.
Part II
Chapter Twenty-Two
LINCOLN
Eight Months Later
36 Years Old
Leaning my shoulder against the door, a smile plays on my lips as I watch Molly and the kids together. Gemma’s sitting cross-legged on one side of Molly talking animatedly. Gray’s on her other side with his back to the headboard with Molly’s head lying on his shoulder. My heart softens when he picks up a section of her hair and runs his fingers through it.
“You should have seen his face, Mom,” Gemma continues telling her story. “I thought he was going to pee his pants for sure.”
“Max is a jerk,” Gray grumbles, fixing his stare on the piece of hair still in his fingers. “No one messes with my little sister.”
“Well, I don’t think he’ll bug me anymore,” Gemma chirps, smiling proudly at her brother.
Molly slowly lifts her arm and grabs Gray’s hand from her hair. She brings it to her lips. When she slides her head away from Gray’s shoulder and turns to look at him, he sits up so she can see his face.
“I lllovve that yyou protttected your sister,” she begins, her words slurred and difficult to come out. “Bbbut vviolenccce is never the wwway.”
Gray nods grimly. “I know, Mom. All I did was trip him to make him stop.”
“Nnnext time it happppens, you go ggget your dad. Ppromissse me.”
Gray frowns, and I know he’s going to protest. I step away from the door before he can. “Your mom’s right, Gray.” I step up to the end of the bed and climb on until I’m resting on my arm over Molly’s thighs. “You did good protecting your sister. You should always do that. But there’s always going to be boys like him, and the next time he might get up and fight back. Fighting is the very last resort.”
“Yeah, I know,” he gripes.
I ruffle his hair. “Lunch is on the table waiting for you and Gemma. We’ll be out in a minute.”
Gray leans over and kisses his mother’s cheek. Before he can climb off the bed, Molly manages to snag the hem of his shirt in her weak grip. Gray stops and looks back.
“Ttthank you for looking after yyyour sister,” she slurs. “Yourrr the bessst bbbig brother a sssister can have.”
Gray smiles, the tension fading from his face. “I’ll always look after Gemma.”
“I know you wwwilll.”
Gemma gets off the bed after kissing Molly’s other cheek, and they both leave the bedroom. I slide up until I’m resting over Molly’s stomach. Dipping down, I kiss my beautiful wife.
“I hhate that he hhhad too dooo that. Buuut is it wrooong of me to alssso feel prrroud?”
I grin. “Nope, because I feel the same. Gray’s a good boy, and I don’t think he would fight unless he feels it’s unavoidable. We can’t really fault him when he was only protecting his sister.” My grin turns into a smirk. “It kinda reminds me of the first time we met.
Molly smiles and those little fireflies sparkle in her eyes. “Thaaat was the bessst ddday of my lifffe.”
“Mine too.” Lifting my hand, I trail it down her nose. “And just so you know, I would have knocked both of those boys’ teeth out if they kept messing with you.”
I actually did knock their teeth out years later. My jaw ticks when I remember the scene I came across when I left the theater and found Jensen and Mark pinning Molly against a wall. I should have done more damage than I did. Thank God I made it to her when I did because there’s no telling what they would have done to her had I not.
She giggles, the sound coming out garbled. “I know bbbbetter nooow, but at theee time I wwwould have loooveed seeing thaat.”
I laugh and press another kiss against her mouth. Pulling back, I ask, “You wanna eat lunch with the kids?”
When her eyes light up and she nods, I sit up and slip my arms underneath her weakening body. She’s feather-light since she’s lost so much weight. It’s too taxing to lift her arms around my neck, but she snuggles her head against my chest. She takes in a deep breath, pulling in my scent.
I