Exposure - Kelly Moran Page 0,50

seen her around kids, but she was a natural with Aubrey. Afterward, they went to Aubrey's art room to color, and he got a great shot of their heads huddled together working on the same drawing. That one was going up on the wall before they left.

He'd been anxious to get Raven alone for the shots he wanted, but late light would be better for what he had in mind. He sat back in the chair in Aubrey's room, listening to his two best girls chat about stuff and smiling at how full his heart was. Odd, that.

Finished with the picture, Aubrey held it out for Raven. "To take home."

"For me? Really?" She grinned and swiped a strand of strawberry blonde hair off Aubrey's cheek, the gesture maternal. "I know just the place for it."

After they talked a few more minutes, Noah stood. "How about a walk outside? The temperature is supposed to be in the double digits today."

Aubrey bounced, tugging on Raven's sleeve. "I can show you my tree house!"

"Lead the way."

They bundled into their gear and walked across the front yard toward the woods. Jeff decided to join them and fell into step next to Noah, with Aubrey and Raven several paces ahead.

"They're getting along well."

He glanced at Aubrey's caretaker, noting the lines on his face were deepening, a testament to how time marched on. Ten years ago, Jeff didn't limp from arthritis. His dark hair had thinned on top during the past decade, too, and was now more gray than brown.

Returning his gaze to the girls, he smiled. "Like old friends. It's a good sight."

"Aye." They walked silently a few paces, the wind brisk off the mountain. "Does she know everything? Raven? You've mentioned her often enough, but we were a little surprised she came."

He nodded. "I told her last night. She knew some of it beforehand." He stopped and turned to Jeff. "I trust her with my life, with Aubrey's, or else she wouldn't be here."

Jeff raised a gloved hand. "Say no more. I understand." He glanced at the girls, then around the land. "What's your plan for when the trial is over?"

Blowing out a breath, he shook his head. "Hell if I know. I keep waiting for McCannon to call and say they let Rizzoli go on a misdemeanor. It hardly seems real."

He started walking again, uneasy that the girls were getting so far ahead. The location was distant from civilization and roads, but wildlife was still a factor. Bears, lynx. Just as he thought it, an eagle flew overhead.

"Aubrey will need an adjustment period," Jeff said, head down against the wind.

"Yeah. We'll acclimate her slowly." She had a private tutor and Skyped into a classroom via the public school system for a few hours a day, but it wasn't the same as physically being there. Aubrey hadn't even been shopping before. The risk of her being seen was too great. "Will you and Frances stay on? We'll bounce back and forth, I'm sure, but you're like family."

"You know we will. Whatever you need. We love that kid an awful lot, Noah."

Thank God for the Brisbins. He wasn't a praying man, but he didn't know what he would've done all these years without the two of them to help raise Aubrey. "I tried my best, Jeff," he said quietly. His poor niece had never known friends, never known normal. "Doesn't seem like enough."

Jeff slapped him on the back. "Don't beat yourself up too hard. You were just a kid yourself. She's healthy, she's happy."

She's alive.

They edged the tree line and he grinned. Raven stood at the base of the tree house, gawking up at the structure.

"I'll have you know, this is no tree house. This is a Pinterest board."

He laughed. It was pretty fantastic. Around the base of a thick spruce was a thin, winding staircase that led to a small platform twenty feet up. The tree house was designed to resemble a much smaller version of the main house and was held up by four thick beams. All four walls had windows and insulation.

"Come on!" Aubrey shouted from the top. "Or are you afraid?"

Raven grinned. "Funny. I'm not fond of heights, but I can manage this."

As she took the first step, Noah ducked off to the side, camera ready. Waiting until she rounded the first curve and he could get both her and Aubrey, he held firm. He'd waited hours sometimes for the perfect shot, often in the shittiest of elements. This one was