I got the idea that when Keltan said he’d ‘take care’ of something, it would happen, immediately and in some kind of magical badass type way.
Like somehow getting my son back to me unscathed and unhurt, still smiling.
Yeah, that was some badass magic right there.
I knew that it wasn’t just him.
Hence me sitting at the table with five badass men and one arguably more badass woman.
Rosie was pretty much who I wanted to be when I grew up. When I had a different life. She was beautiful, swore like a sailor and gave me a hug when she first met me that did the same as Keltan’s “I’ll take care of it”—it gave me faith.
“I can’t express in words what you’ve done for me,” I continued, addressing the table and everyone sitting in it apart from one person. One person who I physically couldn’t make eye contact with.
I wasn’t sure if it was because I was afraid of him or… something else.
I couldn’t think about either of those things right now.
“Thank you seems hollow, but thank you,” I continued, my voice breaking.
Rosie’s hand found mine under the table. “Babe, you’re the one we should be thanking,” she said, eyes shimmering. “I got to spend time with your kick-ass little dude and it’s given me faith that not all small children are simmering wusses, there’s hope for mine yet.” She paused. “He cries too much.”
Her husband, Luke, an ex-police officer and a serious hot guy scowled at her. “He’s a baby, Rosie.”
She rolled her eyes. “He’s our baby, honey. Therefore both of our awesome badass genes should’ve meshed and made a superbaby who didn’t wail just because he was hungry. You don’t see me doing that, do you?”
“You cried yesterday over a taco,” Luke shot back.
She narrowed her beautifully sculpted brows at him. “It was a fucking great taco and you’re a traitor, outing me like that. I’m gonna have to divorce you.”
Luke smiled at her in a way that made my whole heart hurt.
There was so much in that simple smile, in their bickering, in their energy with one another. With the obvious love and respect for one another. I longed for something like that, someone like that.
I mentally shook myself.
Who was I longing for something when I had already been given the greatest gift? My child, safe, unharmed, smiling.
It was selfish of me to want more.
I met Keltan’s eyes. “This is a debt that cannot ever be repaid, but I promise you I’ll pay everything I have.”
Keltan’s eyes hardened. “We don’t have to think about that now. You just need to think about your boy.”
I nodded once, already mentally doing the numbers in my head, feeling vaguely nauseous about the prospect of how I was going to afford this.
It would be okay.
I’d take extra shifts.
Maybe even work at a bar a couple of nights a week. Karen and Eliza would have Nathan.
I’d work it out, I always did.
“We need to talk about Hudson,” Keltan continued.
My blood ran cold. I’d almost forgotten about Robert. As if that were possible, to forget about the husband that abused me, that tortured me, and who kidnapped my child. But I had, with the joy and the emotions surrounding me, with Nathan surrounding me, I momentarily forgot the man that gave him his eyes and almost took him from me.
My hands were clammy and suddenly my butt felt hot and sweaty in these damn cashmere pants.
I steeled myself to be strong, straighten my back and deal with this.
“I’ll move first, I guess,” I said, thinking about how sad it would be to pack up our home, to leave our neighbors who had become family. I wouldn’t leave town, but it would just be too risky to be somewhere Robert knew about. Though I was sure he’d be able to find any new place I rented in a couple of clicks.
I suddenly felt hopeless.
“You’re not movin’.” This did not come from Keltan. It was not spoken in a kind and gentle tone.
It was almost a snarl.
I steeled myself to look in his eyes, and the eye contact was akin to stepping my bare feet into snow. A chill shocked me, traveled upward, turned me numb and electrified at the same time.
He didn’t say anything else.
Neither did I.
I was struck dumb. And I looked pretty frickin’ dumb, sitting there staring at Hades himself while a table full of badasses watched.
“What Lance means,” Keltan said after a beat, amusement in his voice. “Is that we’re not gonna let him drive you from your home or Nathan from his school.” He paused. “We feel like we’ve shown Robert it’s in his best interests to stay away from you and Nathan indefinitely, and men like this are driven by what’s in their best interests. I am fairly confident you won’t see or hear from him ever again. But I’m not going to stake your or your son’s safety on ‘fairly confident.’ We’re going to put a security detail on you, for a few weeks at least, check in on Hudson and install a state of the art security system in your house.”