“Uhm, she went missing a few years ago.” I exhaled and held my stomach. “She was on a trip in Colombia and left her hotel room one night with some friends and never returned. I never knew what happened to her; she just disappeared.”
“The police or the FBI couldn’t find her.” Tears streamed down Tinley’s face.
“No, I’ve accepted the fact that she is just gone.” I took Tinley’s hand. “When you returned, I had this burst of hope, but her situation wasn’t the same. I just wish I knew what happened to her.”
The door to the nursery cracked open. A knock followed, and then the door opened wide. Josh walked in. Tinley pushed off Rayna, dropped my hand, ran, and leaped into his arms. He caught her and held her tight. He sat down on her bed and rocked her.
Kyler came in second. He sat on the other bed and Rayna came to him. She turned and sat on his lap, keeping one eye on me. She didn’t trust me.
Patrick was the last to file in. He stood near the door with his arms crossed over his chest, biting his bottom lip. I wanted to leap into his arms as well, make this whole thing go away, but if I was going to be a part of this family, I had to make things right. It wasn’t Patrick’s fault.
“Patrick,” Rayna said. We all noticed the lack of Uncle in her addressing him. “If you knew Kylie’s true intentions, why would you allow her around us?”
“Rayna!”
“No, Daddy. It’s a legitimate question.”
“But not in an appropriate tone,” he growled. “I know you are upset and have every right to be, but Patrick is family and he would never knowingly put us in danger.”
“Sorry, Patrick.” She mumbled.
He walked over to me and squatted down behind me. Tinley turned and sat on Josh’s lap. “I would never let anything or anyone hurt you two.” He blinked away his own tears. “You two are important to me, and I wouldn't jeopardize your safety for anything. But,” he grabbed my hands. They were already aching from how much I had been squeezing my fingers. “I noticed Kylie when she joined the FBI task force. Being around you all made me want to give finding my little another chance, and when she showed up here, I took it as a sign. I also knew her knowledge and expertise would be a great asset to the company and allow us to help more people. Her work has already paid off. We saved eighteen people at a party in LA a few days ago based on her intel.”
Eighteen people.The number landed in my chest with the force of a punch.
“It’s her passion, too.” He smiled down at me. “I knew about her sister and had Randall investigate it, but in doing so, I discovered her real reason for being here. And, yes, my first instinct was to send her away, but deep down, I knew her main goal was to protect you girls, and I can’t fault her for that.”
“She tried to convince us that our daddies were bad.” Rayna stood up. “She tried to take usawayfrom here. You let hertry.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and she curled back into Kyler’s arms, hiding her face against his chest.
“But would you have gone with her?” Josh spoke up. He nudged Tinley. “Would you, Sweet T? If some woman you barely knew came and told you all these things about your daddy, what would you have done?”
“Tell you.” She looked up at him. “Run away from danger and tell you.”
“That’s right.” He kissed her on her cheek and she blushed. “You and Rayna know what to do if you’re ever in danger. We trust you in that regard. And we trust Patrick.”
“Yeah, Rayn drop.” He gripped the back of her neck. “Patrick asked us to allow him to handle it and we did.”
“You don’t think bad things about our Daddies anymore?” Tinley asked.
“I mean, they aren’t saints,” I said honestly.
Kyler scoffed.
“But I don’t think they brought you here without your consent, and I don’t think they are running some secret sex trafficking ring.”
A smaller hand landed on my shoulder, and I turned to find Tinley kneeling next to me. She wiped the tears from her eyes and. “I’m sorry about your sister.” She laid her head on my shoulder and hugged me.
Rayna joined us on the other side. We were really testing Patrick's strength; he was being overtaken by three blubbering littles.
I peeked at Kyler and saw his own eyes were glistening. Josh, who I knew was already a big softy, rubbed his eyes.
“We forgive you.” Rayna said and hugged me tighter.
“Really?” Tears were falling freely. I didn’t care anymore. Rayna and Tinley were also crying. “Th–that’s so nice.” I got out before I burst into tears.
Patrick scooped me into his arms and sat down on the floor. He said nothing. He just held me against his chest, one handpressed flat against my back, and I could feel his heartbeat. I closed my eyes and went still.
They both shifted onto the floor. Rayna leaned against Kyler’s knee. He began stroking her hair. Tinley tucked herself against Josh’s side, and his hand came to rest on her shoulder, a simple, grounding touch.
