Healing Hearts (New Hope Falls #6) - Kimberly Rae Jordan Page 0,30
He couldn’t let himself dwell on it too much, or he’d end up laying in bed awake for far too long when he needed to be able to get up early. And now there was a good chance that he’d have a nightmare too.
Still, shutting down his thoughts on everything was easier said than done. He knew that from past experience, so after he got home, he did a workout while listening to a true-crime podcast before taking a steaming hot shower.
Then he did something he’d kind of stopped doing in the past few years, and that was to say a prayer. He prayed for Sophia and Bryson, then just in case that prayer got God’s attention, he tacked on a prayer that he’d be able to fall asleep quickly and have no nightmares.
~*~
Sophia waited until she was sure that Bryson was sleeping soundly before she slipped from her bed and went back to the living room. It had taken him longer than usual to fall asleep, which—given the events of the evening—wasn’t at all surprising.
She just wished they hadn’t had part of that conversation about Mellie and her kids in front of Ryker. God only knew what Bryson had said to Ryker while she’d been out of the room. Her mistake had been saying Mellie’s name when she’d first answered the phone.
Settling in Nana’s favorite rocker, she stared at the empty fireplace, her conversation with Mellie playing over and over in her head.
“I need someplace to go,” Mellie said. “With someone who understands.”
Sophia knew that not everyone had had a place to go back to like she had. Even if Nana hadn’t stepped up and offered her house to them, she still would have had a place with her parents. In the days following the raid, she hadn’t talked with Mellie about her plans. Hadn’t talked to her much at all.
Which was why she really didn’t understand why Mellie had called her. The woman had done some things that had made Sophia and Bryson’s life extremely difficult. But Sophia hoped that her attitude had just been the result of the situation they were in and the things they were forced to do.
“If you come here, you can only stay for a week. Plus, if any of you tease or hurt Bryson in any way, you’re out of here.” She’d tried to inject her voice with as much firmness as possible. “This is a safe place for him and me. Something we’ve both needed. I won’t allow you to change that.”
“I promise. It’ll be fine.”
“I’m not alone here.” She had felt the need to warn her. “I have people who will be most unhappy if you bring any of your nastiness with you.”
“Sophia.” Mellie’s tone had been sweet—almost too sweet—and it had made Sophia have third thoughts. She’d already had second thoughts about even just talking to the woman. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“Wasn’t it? I was in the same situation, and I didn’t choose to turn on others. You had a choice, and you made the wrong one. The only reason I’m giving you a chance now is because I know that we were all under a lot of stress there. You will have other choices to make when you get here. Just be sure you make the right ones, or you’ll be gone.”
“You wouldn’t just send us away, would you?”
“If you don’t do as I’ve asked, yes, I would. It’s now within my power to protect Bryson, and I’ll do whatever I have to in order to accomplish that.”
In the end, Mellie had promised that they would do as Sophia had asked. She’d warned her that she didn’t have enough beds for all of them, and they’d have to share, but that hadn’t seemed to be an issue for the woman.
Sophia sighed as she set the rocker in motion, leaning her head back against the chair. Until Mellie had come and gone without incident, she couldn’t be sure that she’d made the right decision. She just hoped that being away from the compound and Ezekiel’s dominating presence would allow her and Mellie to get along better.
They were both victims of the same scenario. Within the compound, Ezekiel and his minions had often pitted the women against each other in ways that left them viewing each other as competition…enemies. The unfortunate thing was that she had no way of knowing for sure which way things would work for them until Mellie was there.