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We climb in after them, and this time, Oz drives so I can be with Avery.
“Alright, everyone, take your seats,” the woman Avery called Lara shouts, and thankfully, the kids listen.
I take my seat and pull Avery down onto my lap and hold her. Hawk sits as close to us as he can, smoothing her hair back from her face.
“James?” Hawk asks quietly as the bus starts moving.
Avery shakes her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “He’s gone. I’ll tell you all of it later, but I just can’t right now.”
“Shh, it’s alright, baby. Just rest. We’ve got you.”
I hold her tightly and rock her, staring at Hawk, whose expression mirrors how I feel—love, relief, fear, and worry.
“Call Ev. Tell him we have our girl, and we’re on our way home.”
Epilogue
Avery
A week has passed since we came home. A week of my men not leaving my side. A week of nightmares that have me waking the whole house with my screams. I want to be stronger than this. I want to process the shit that happened and move on. But every time I close my eyes, all I see is James’s face.
I pull the blanket tighter around my shoulders and sip my cooling coffee as I stare at the mountains, hoping to find peace. But all I feel is lost. Lost and scared of my own damn shadow. I swipe away the tear that slips free, angry that there are even tears left to fall. I sniff when I hear the door crack open and wipe my face with the blanket.
Turning when I hear the pitter-patter of little footsteps, I offer a smile to Bella and place my mug on the ground before opening the blanket wide. Bella takes the invitation and curls up in my lap, her head under my chin, her fingers latching onto a strand of my hair. Neither of us speaks. We just take comfort in each other. My guilt over her losing her mom is eating me alive, and I know there is nothing I can say or do to make it better.
“Will I live with you now?”
“Do you want to?”
She tips her head back to look at me, her eyes so like her mother’s—I’m surprised I didn’t notice it before. She nods.
“Can I have a mermaid room?”
I smile. “If you like.”
“Avery?”
“Yes, sweetie?” I smooth her hair back from her face.
“Don’t be sad anymore.”
I pull her to my chest so she can’t see me cry. “I’ll try.”
“Do you miss your mommy too?”
“I miss lots of people, but then I remember that they’re looking down and watching over us.”
“I don’t think they’d like to watch you be all sad. That’s kind of boring.”
I can’t help the laugh that breaks free. “Is that so?” I tickle her, making her laugh.
“Yup. I think it would make them happy to see us smile and dance and make funny faces. Oh, and they will love to see my mermaid room.”
“You’re right, they will.”
We both turn when the door opens again and a disheveled Ev walks out.
“I wondered where my favorite girls were,” Ev says as he comes to sit beside us.
