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“This is too much.” Anne wiped the tears from her eyes. “Silas is going to be so happy to see his room.”
As if she conjured up her boy, Silas rushed into the house and enveloped her in a tight hug. “Mom! Miss Anne. I missed you,” he whispered into her chest.
Anne replied, “Everything is fine, sweetheart. I missed you, too, but we’re home.”
“I have to return to the office for an hour, and then I’ll be back. There are a few things I want to go over with you,” said Sam. “I’ll bring lunch.” She looked at Silas. “How do burgers sound?”
“Yummy in my tummy,” he said, rubbing his belly.
Sam laughed, kissed him on the head, and left.
“Come on, sweetie, let’s go into the living room, and you can tell me all about staying with Alex.”
Silas followed her, and they sat on the sofa. He leaned against her, and she wrapped her arm around him as he recalled everything he and Alex did. He told her about the Lego set and Hot Wheels Mr. Killian brought over and how much he liked him. Anne made a note to have him to dinner to thank him.
Then it hit her. Silas had called her Mom. It hadn’t registered at the time. Mom—she loved that word. Hopefully sometime soon, Silas could call her that for real. For a short second, she lingered on the bittersweet memories of what could have been. However, she was not going to dwell on the past but focus on the future.
They spent some time talking. Anne stifled a yawn. She was exhausted. Sam would be back soon, and she’d take a nap. Then get up and plan the rest of the week.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Killian got a call from Sam asking him to swing by. She had something she wanted to talk to him about.
He wondered if Anne was home. He’d ask when he saw her. Silas had been missing her something awful but putting on a brave face. Killian wasn’t asking about the damn cat, though, especially after chasing it in and out of Anne’s house multiple times.
His first thought was he screwed something up. His second was, so what? Everyone screwed up occasionally. He was curious, though.
Saturday, he stopped by to see Silas. The little boy was playing with Alex, and wasn’t she the feisty one?
She reminded him of Sam. He probably wasn’t the only one who thought that. They were role-playing with another little girl who was bullying Silas and calling him a sissy. Silas stood there with a lost look on his face. Alex stepped into the little girl’s space and told her it was not okay and that she couldn’t bully anyone if she wanted to play with them. Killian hoped Silas realized Alex was a good friend and would have his back until he had the confidence to stand up on his own.
He learned to stick up for himself in the service. Of course, by then, he was well-fed, had grown six inches and gained fifty pounds. He would never be the skinny runt picked on again.
The side lot at KnightGuard was full, so he parked on the street. In seemed like every employee was there, and he wondered what was going on.
Staring at the warehouse from this angle, it still amazed him what a great job Sam had done in converting it.
He was early for his appointment, and Killian desperately needed a shot of caffeine. The Roasted Bean was just down the block and sandwiched between two buildings undergoing renovation. The neon sign of a coffee cup, colored in orange and green, was impossible to miss.
He opened the door, and the aroma of roasted coffee beans tantalized his nose. His stomach gurgled, and he opted to get one of their gigantic cinnamon rolls. After he placed his order and paid, Killian sat at one of the black marble tables with a window view. Soft jazz played in the background, competing with the hissing and whizzing of espresso machines and the muted voices and laughter coming from a group of students in one corner.
A coffee cup was placed in front of him, along with a cinnamon roll. The first sip of coffee jolted his senses; it was the best coffee he’d ever had. It took two point five seconds to devour the cinnamon roll.
Leaving a tip, he walked out into the sunny day. Everything looked better after a caffeine rush and sugar high.
Killian opened the door to KnightGuard Security, said hello to Marcia, and headed toward Sam’s office. Several employees were coming out as he entered. He said hello and wondered what was going on. Did he miss a meeting?
Sam looked up from her desk as he walked in.
“Killian. Good, you’re here.” She got up and pulled out a chair from the table. She sighed. “It’s been a long day. I was going over security details with some employees, coordinating with Penny at the safe house about the self-defense lessons, and now I have a problem.”
“Okay.”
“I spent last night with Anne…”
“She’s home already?” That surprised him. Killian figured Anne would be in the hospital at least another day.
Sam nodded. “The doctor said she would heal faster in her own home. Mark brought Silas over in the afternoon. Anne was missing him so much.”
