Saxon's Savior (Protect and Serve #3) - Pandora Pine Page 0,42

need to do. Things I haven’t had time to consider. They need to see a pediatrician, get registered for school. I just…” Saxon looked at me with a stunned look in his eyes.

“First things first. Mom and Dad have been working on this situation since I called them. Not only did they set up the bedroom, but I know Mom brought groceries too. She’ll also have a checklist ready for everything you need to do.”

“A checklist?”

I nodded. “Mom is an expert when it comes to displaced kids.” I cringed at my words. These little girls were Saxon’s nieces, not some DFYS statistic.

“I’m going to need all the help I can get,” Saxon admitted. “I’m just so…”

“What?” I reached a hand out to Saxon. He grabbed on to me like he was a drowning man. In a way, he was.

“Scared.” Saxon’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I’ve barely got my own shit together, and now I’m responsible for two little girls. How am I going to do this?”

“One thing I know for certain about my family is that they are all in when it comes to kids. I know Kennedy, Ozzy, Hen, and Q will be there for whatever you need. Same goes with Mom and Dad.”

“What about you?” Saxon asked.

I cringed internally. My heart, which had been pounding in rhythm with Saxon’s only a few hours ago shriveled in my chest. I’d inadvertently revealed my true thoughts. My mother sucked as a parent and my father was out the door as soon as the going got tough. What if I was the same kind of parent they were? It would be bad enough to have the traits of one of them, but both? “I’ll be there too.” I squeezed our joined hands.

Saxon tried to pull his hand from mine. He’d obviously heard what I hadn’t said, loud and clear.

Thankfully, my phone started to ring. I hit the Bluetooth button on the steering wheel to answer the call. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, Dallas. Can Saxon hear me too?”

“I can, Mandy.” Saxon succeeded in pulling away from me.

“Everything is all set at your house. The beds are built and made. I stocked their bathroom with everything they’ll need. We did a food shop for you. Ozzy says he’s going to give you a cooking demonstration, so the kids aren’t eating chicken nuggets and fries every night.”

“I love nuggs and fries.” Saxon’s lips curled into half a smile.

“We all do, but growing girls cannot live on nuggies alone.”

“Thank you, Mandy. David too. Leave the receipts, and I’ll get you a check as soon as I can.”

I knew what was going to happen next.

“Nonsense, Saxon. David and I took care of things tonight not only because we wanted to, but because we could. You’re a part of this family, and now that you’re dating Dallas…”

Motherfucker. I tuned my mother out after that line. Yes, Saxon and I had been dating, but I didn’t think that could continue now. Sophie and Lola needed parents they could depend on. Not some asshole paramedic who’d had the worst possible parental role models.

“Wow! Everyone is here,” Saxon gasped as we pulled into his driveway.

I should have warned him ahead of time, but I’d been too busy thinking about how Saxon’s new situation would affect me. “I knew this would happen.” My headlights lit up my entire family who were standing in the driveway. “This reminds me of the night I came to live with the McCoys. They were all standing outside like this, waiting for me.” I hadn’t meant to share that bit of family trivia with him, I’d just said what I was thinking.

“Deacon and Gunnar are here too,” Saxon said breathlessly.

“They’re part of this family. It takes a special man to join Mandy and David’s family. Deacon and Gunnar certainly fit that bill.” My heart sank the instant I realized what I’d said, or rather, what I hadn’t said. Before I could stick my foot in it any deeper, I hopped out of the truck and went to the back-passenger door. Lola was still sound asleep. I hated the thought of waking her and having to explain who I was and why we were at this strange house. I had no idea what to say. Just one more reason I wasn’t fit to be here.

With as much care as I could manage, I got Lola out of her seat and into my arms. I noticed the worn stuffed animal had fallen to the floor and managed to