Healing Hearts (New Hope Falls #6) - Kimberly Rae Jordan Page 0,41

was over. He did his workout, showered again, then fell into bed.

It ended up being Wednesday afternoon before he had a chance to get back to Sophia’s. He’d texted her the night before to let her know he’d be there after he was done work. Since he didn’t need to drop Vivianne off at Michael’s and then wait with him for Lani to arrive, he was able to head over to Sophia’s as soon as work was done.

The day had been overcast, with the sun poking out occasionally, but there had been no rain. For which Ryker was extremely grateful. And his sleep the night before hadn’t been as fractured. All in all, he was feeling pretty good for the first time that week.

How much of that feeling he could attribute to the prospect of seeing Sophia and Bryson, he refused to consider.

As he drove to Sophia’s, Ryker decided he wouldn’t bother her while she had company. He’d just go to the shed and get the tools he needed to tackle the job of trimming down the bushes and, if he had enough time, do a little weeding.

After pulling to a stop at the curb in front of her house, Ryker climbed out of the truck. He headed up the sidewalk, then started across the grass toward the gate that led to the backyard.

As he neared the house, however, he heard terrified screams that stopped him in his tracks. Bryson. Though he’d never heard him like that before, deep down, he knew who it was.

But even as he identified what it was…who it was…his brain threw him back in time, freezing him in place. He bent over, covering his ears with his hands, trying…needing…to block out the screams from the past that had joined the ones in the present. A choir of screams, reaching into his mind…into his soul…pulling pain and agony from a place within him that he usually only visited in the midst of a nightmare.

No…no…

Ryker fought back against the whirlpool of emotion that was trying to pull him under. Someone needed help. Bryson needed help. Later…he could fall apart later. Right then, he needed to fight the pull and silence the screams of the past and focus on the present.

He jerked his hands from his ears and struggled to stand straight, fighting the weight pressing down on him that was made up of emotions from the past. Taking several deep breaths, he focused on the ground. The grass. The sidewalk.

A door managed to slam shut in his mind, trapping the screams of the past behind it. He knew that the door would fly open again in the dark hours of the night, but right then, it was setting him free to deal with the present.

Spinning on his heel, Ryker ran for the house on legs that were shaky but still held him up, taking the steps two at a time to the porch. The inside front door stood partway open, which explained how he could hear what was happening within the house.

Without pausing to consider that he didn’t have the right to enter without Sophia’s permission, he pulled open the outer door and stepped into cacophony. Immediately, his gaze sought out Sophia and Bryson.

He found Sophia first, standing in front of the couch with absolute fury on her face. Bryson was huddled against her, his face pressed against her hip as he continued to scream. Sophia’s hand rested on his head, holding him close.

“I told you that if you or your kids hurt or teased Bryson, you were gone,” Sophia yelled at the woman standing on the other side of the living room.

There were two children—a boy and a girl—with her. The girl seemed confused. However, the boy had an insolent look on his face, his chin jutting out as he stood there with his arms crossed. No one seemed to notice Ryker’s arrival, which told him how intense this situation was for all involved.

“He didn’t mean anything by it,” the woman shot back. “It was just a bug, for goodness’ sakes.”

For a moment, disbelief crossed Sophia’s face, but it was quickly chased away as anger returned. When Bryson’s wails rose again, Ryker moved toward Sophia, hoping that Bryson would come to him so that Sophia could deal with the situation.

Crouching next to Bryson, Ryker reached out and took his hand. “Hey, buddy.”

“Ryker?” His name was said in unison by mother and son. Bryson calmed enough to peer at him as he hiccupped, tightening his grip on