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I rested my head on his arm as we resumed walking. “Your vibe? Have you tried shooting him a DM about it?”
Up ahead, I saw Forrest running down the sidewalk, back towards us. His smile was stretched so wide across his face I felt like I could see every single one of his teeth. General was running behind him with Justin and Mason. My heart felt so full watching him run with the men he’d deserved as fathers his whole life.
Suddenly, I was jerked forward. I screamed but it was cut off mid-way through when I was yanked back into Ben’s chest. My arm felt like it was being ripped off as Captain continued forward. Ben growled as he grabbed the leash and pulled Captain to a stop but the damage was done. My arm throbbed painfully and tears filled my eyes.
“Captain, stop!” Ben eased the leash from around my wrist and ran his hand over my face. “How bad is it?”
My motherly instincts kicked in when I heard Forrest cry out. I snapped my head around to him and saw him on the ground, holding his knee. Pushing away from Ben, I ran towards Forrest, forgetting my own arm completely. When I got to him, he was full out crying with giant tears rolling down his cheeks.
I dropped to his side and gently pried his fingers away from his knee. “Let me see it, baby.”
He whimpered and more tears flowed freely. “I tripped!”
I frowned when I saw the rip in his pants and blood already staining the khakis. I pressed a kiss to his head and cupped his cheeks. “Another wound for the books, huh? You’re going to get to create a really great story to explain this scar when you’re older. Let’s get you home and cleaned up. Okay?”
He held his arms up to me and I grabbed him up without a second thought. The pain in my arm made me clench my teeth and suck in a sharp breath through my nose. Ignoring it, I held him against my hip and started back towards the house.
Ben stepped in front of me. “Let me carry him. Your arm, Vi.”
I shook my head. “I’ve got him. It’s okay.”
“Violet.” He reached for Forrest and clenched his jaw when Forrest held onto my neck tighter. “Forrest, let me carry you, buddy. Captain hurt your Mom’s arm.”
Forrest hesitated and then reached for Ben. I watched with a different kind of pain in my chest. I needed Forrest to still need me. Seeing him let Ben take care of him made me anxious.
My feet went out from under me and I gasped until I realized Justin was picking me up. Carrying me bridal style, he looked down at me and ran his eyes over my arms. “We saw General yank you. You okay?”
“I’m fine. I can walk, Justin.”
Mason walked next to us with General by his side. “Just let us take care of you.”
Looking back at where Ben was walking away with Forrest, I swallowed. I wasn’t sure I could do that.
CHAPTER 24
Mason
Inside the house, Ben carried Forrest to the kitchen and put him down on the island. I grabbed a pair of scissors from the junk drawer and paused with them next to the boy’s leg. He stared at the scissors with wide eyes and his bottom lip wobbled.
I ruffled his hair gently. “We’re going to turn these pants into shorts so we can see your knee better. Don’t worry, though. We’ll buy you some new pants.”
Justin put Violet on the counter next to Forrest and she immediately tried to climb down. He pressed his hands to her knees and shook his head. “Stay.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “I’m not a dog.”
“Our dogs listen better.” Shaking his head, Justin growled under his breath. “I’m going to grab an ice pack. If you’re not sitting right here when I get back, we’re going to have a problem.”
We all watched to see what was going to happen, even Forrest. When Justin turned his back, she stuck her tongue out at him but she stayed where she was. Ben grunted from beside me. I just shook my head with a smile.
I cut Forrest’s pants into shorts and checked out the damage to his knee. He had a good few inches of road rash and there was a slightly larger cut that was responsible for most of the bleeding. I clucked my tongue and looked into Forrest’s wide green eyes. “I think we’ll be able to save it, soldier. It’s going to be a good day, after all.”
He almost laughed but fear kept him tight-lipped. He looked over at his mom and then back at me. “Mommy always kisses it better.”
My heart stopped in my chest for a beat. Seeing the tiny little human in front of me that I’d helped create, and hearing him talk about his booboos being kissed better, nearly crushed me. We’d missed so much. How many skinned knees had we missed? How many times had we missed the chance to kiss his injuries better?
I never wanted to miss another chance with my son again. Leaning down, I gently kissed the side of his knee that wasn’t scraped. I felt awkward doing it at first, knowing everyone was watching me, but I figured I hadn’t done it too wrong when no one screamed at me. My eyes came up while I was still bent over and met Violet’s. Hers were suspiciously moist.
Clearing my throat, I straightened and smiled at Forrest. “It’s not a Mommy kiss, but I hope it helped a little bit.”
