AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Are you sure?” That’s my little boy staring at me, needing reassurance that he isn’t in trouble, not the young man he’s almost become. “What can I do?”
Frankie’s weight against me eases, and she stands a little straighter.
“I’m okay, really. I just need to clean up a little.” She sways on her feet as she finishes. On instinct, I scoop her up in my arms, the weight of her body next to nothing.
I’m already walking toward the house. “Liam, lock the truck,” I call over my shoulder as I carry Frankie toward the house. She squirms, but I ignore the movement. Purple and gold balloons line the driveway, guiding guests toward the open gate on the side of the house where a giant mylar sixteen floats above a bunch of flowers.
“I’m fine, really.” Again, she squirms in my arms, but I keep going, on a mission to get her inside the house. “Julian.” Her arms are tucked up under her chin, but her shoulders twitch against my chest. “Julian, I’m fine. Put me down.”
“No.” It’s more of a growl than a word. We pass through the gate and find ourselves under one of those big tents they use at fancy weddings. Frankie gasps in my arms, her eyes darting to the masses of purple and yellow flowers hanging everywhere, strings of Christmas lights illuminating the inside of the tent.
There must be over twenty kids here already, awkwardly standing around in groups of twos and threes. Half of them turn to stare at me, eyes wide, as I pause, unsure of where to go next. I’m a big man, covered in tattoos, carrying a waif of a girl in my arms, her face and hands covered in blood. I don’t want to know what they must be thinking.
Thankfully, I’m saved from serial killer status by a familiar cry. “Oh my God!” I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Sophie Alexander, my former office buddy, comes running toward us, a younger version of her trailing behind. “Julian? What are you doing here? What happened?”
And then it clicks—Emma Miller is Sophie’s Emma. That’s why the name was familiar. She gets closer, and her eyes go wide when she realizes who I’m holding. “Frankie?”
Liam steps around me, taking a deep breath, two gift bags clutched against his chest. I think I’m the only one who can hear the waver in his voice. “I accidentally hit her with the car door when I opened it. It was an accident, I swear, Emma.” I follow his gaze to the girl. She looks just like Sophie, only taller. Same blond hair, same blue eyes—they even have identical expressions of concern on their faces.
“Sophie, I’m okay, really.” Frankie kicks her feet. “Seriously, Julian, put me down.”
I do, reluctantly, but steady her with a hand to the small of her back when she sways again. Sophie watches me, eyes narrowing for a split second before she clears her throat. “We’ll be fine, Emma. Go enjoy your party.” She pauses, then pats Liam on the shoulder. “It’s Liam, right?”
He nods and she smiles, then reaches out to take the bags from him.
“Go have fun.”
His shoulders relax as he hands them over. Emma waits for him a few feet away, bouncing on her toes, eyes darting between him and Frankie at my side. I give him a small wave that turns into a shooing motion. Poor kid, what a way to make an entrance.
“Come on, Frankie, let’s get you cleaned up.” Sophie reaches out to take her, but I’m reluctant to let Frankie out of my sight. Instead of letting Sophie take her elbow, I take Frankie’s shoulders and step toward Sophie, nodding my head to indicate she should lead the way.
We follow Sophie around the side of the house to a covered wooden deck. A second and third tent join the first, sheltering almost the entire backyard from the end-of-January drizzle, more lights and flowers lending a fantasy air to the gloomy day. The noise of dozens more teenagers carries from the tents, the rest of the party unaware of the dramatic entrance we just made.
I follow Sophie through a set of sliding glass doors that lead into an open kitchen and dining room, tall windows letting in what sunlight there is. “Theo!” Sophie’s call echoes under the vaulted ceilings.
“What’s up, Sunshine?” The man who runs Mailbox with a glare and a curt word bounds into the kitchen, smiling at the woman in front of me. I’ve never seen him look so human before. “Shit.” His eyes drop to Frankie. “Are you okay?” He’s already crossing the kitchen, pulling open a drawer and snapping a towel out. Sophie disappears, stopping to squeeze his arm as she passes him.
“I’ll be fine.” Frankie says, her tone defeated. “Really, guys. I’m fine.” Her shoulders shift under my hands, her weight pressing against me for a second.
Mr. Sutton runs the towel under the faucet, watching her over his shoulder. He gives me a hard look but doesn’t say anything.
Snapping, I spin her to face me and crouch down so I can meet her eyes. “You’re not fine, goddammit.” The sound of running water stops, and a wet towel appears between us.
“Here.” I take the towel from him and dab at the blood on Frankie’s cheek. She flinches and tries to pull away, letting go of her nose to take the towel from me. A fresh trickle of blood escapes, pooling in the divot above her full upper lip.
“Just let me.” I stop to clear my throat. “I mean, us, help you for a second.”
A heavy hand on my shoulder stops me from saying any more. “You okay, man?” Mr. Sutton’s question stops me in my tracks. My heart pounds in my chest, my lungs squeezing and my jaw clenched so hard it aches. My laser focus on Frankie, making sure she’s okay, subsides a fraction.
I inhale slowly, counting to five, while I dab at the blood on Frankie’s lip. I don’t speak until I’ve exhaled to a count of eight. “Yeah. Just—”
A soft hand covers mine, holding the towel against her face. “Thanks, Julian.” She doesn’t make eye contact with me, her green eyes staring somewhere over my shoulder. “I’m pretty sure it’s just a bloody nose. I’m okay. I promise.” She meets my eyes for a split second, embarrassment replacing the glassy look she’d had before.
Sophie comes hurrying back into the kitchen, a wad of fabric in her hand. “Frankie, how about we go clean up in my bathroom? If you want to borrow one of my shirts, I’ll wash yours.” Sophie sets the fabric in her hand on the table beside me. “Um, I grabbed one of Theo’s shirts if you want it, Julian. It’s the biggest one I could find…” she trails off, eyes darting between the two of us.
Mr. Sutton laughs. I quirk an eyebrow and glance between us. That shirt’s not going to fit.
“That’s okay, Sophie, I won’t stay.” I push to my feet, not wanting to intrude on my boss’s home any longer.
