Page 112 of Protected from Torment

Then the tiniest brush of movement touches my hand.

My hand still splayed over Mel’s belly.

“Did you feel that?” she asks with excitement. Her face lights up. “Like a little bubble moving. I think it was him!”

I hold my breath as I wait to see if I feel it again.

And a moment later, I do.

It’s our baby. Saying hello.

“I felt him,” I tell her. “And I think he’s happy, too.”

EPILOGUE

8 MONTHS LATER – AUGUST

MELISSA

Never in my dreams could I have imagined this would be my life.

Everywhere I look, there’s a familiar face. Not here to judge, but to celebrate along with me.

In the center of the room, Rafe is playing dolls with Amanda while Eden watches with obvious affection. Every so often, she pulls out her phone to take a picture of them, and I can’t help wondering which one will end up on their Christmas card this coming year.

By the buffet table, Indy is carrying two plates full of food, one for himself, and another for Bea. Bea is right alongside him, more than capable of carrying her plate by herself. But, ever the protector, he’s always happier doing things for her.

Over on the couch facing the fireplace, Erik hovers protectively over Tatum, offering her snacks and every so often placing his hand atop her swollen belly. They’re five months along now, and beyond excited to add another baby to the Blade and Arrow family.

Dante and his wife, Sarah, are seated on the other couch adjacent to them, chatting quietly to each other. As I’m watching them, Dante looks up and catches Tyler’s eye. Then he lifts his chin and gives Tyler an approving smile.

As two of Tyler’s Green Beret teammates and closest friends, I know having Dante and Erik here means a lot. Especially since they’ve seen some of the worst Tyler’s been through.

“Erik and Dante stood by me through some dark times,” Tyler told me last night, once we’d gotten back to our cabin after a welcome dinner for all the visitors. “Times when I didn’t want them around to see the shell of a man I’d become. But now? I want them to see who I am. What I’ve found. I want them to know just how happy I am.”

And he is happy. He doesn’t have to tell me, though he still does all the time. I can tell he is by the light that comes to his eyes whenever he looks at me or little Jeff. I can tell Tyler’s happy by the rolling laughs I hear through the kitchen window while he’s out in the yard, playing with Oscar. And I know he’s happy, because every night, as we’re falling asleep, he hugs me close and whispers into my hair how much he loves me.

To another couple, it might become tiresome; always saying how happy we are. But other couples haven’t been through what Tyler and I have. Not to diminish the struggles they’ve undoubtedly been through, but like my counselor told me during my now-monthly virtual appointments, “You’ve been through some truly terrible things, Melissa. Things a lot of people couldn’t come back from. But you have. Tyler has. Be proud of that. Celebrate it. And if you want to shout from the rooftops how happy you are, do it.”

I’m not sure I’m ready to climb to the roof of the Shadow Team HQ to announce anything. Not only because I’m not crazy about heights, but I’d probably give Tyler a minor heart attack in the process.

Glancing over at Tyler, standing beside me with his arm wrapped around my waist, I can’t help smiling at how protective he is. Since the party started a couple of hours ago, he hasn’t left my side, even though we’re about as safe as anyone could be.

You wouldn’t know by looking around the shared living room space how well protected it truly is. In the aftermath of the ambush, all the Blade and Arrow branches increased their already-impressive security measures by triple-fold. Now we have two scale-proof perimeter fences, radars that detect drones and overhead projectiles, reinforced walls in all the buildings, and, thanks to Tyler, Leo, and Matt’s hard work, a program that will instantly identify anyone who approaches the properties by using AI facial recognition.

I know Tyler was worried, back when he first asked me to move in, that I wouldn’t feel safe here. That even though Will Franks and the men he sent after us are in prison, I’d always be afraid of an enemy of Blade and Arrow coming after me again. But I’m not scared.

First, because I trust Tyler and his friends to protect me.

And then there’s just this bone-deep certainty that Vince and Kaia are looking out for us.

That’s something a person who has never lost a partner might not understand. Just because I love Tyler, it doesn’t mean I don’t still think of Vince from time to time. I’ll remember his laugh or his smile, or the affectionate way he’d call me his Melly. I remember the good times, and I’ve slowly let go of the bad. Just as I know Tyler does with Kaia.

It’s okay that we still love them. It doesn’t mean I love Tyler any less. It’s like what I discovered when Jeff was born—so achingly perfect, with the same hazel eyes as his dad. There’s always more room for love in our hearts, if we leave ourselves open to finding it.

And oh, have I.

Casting my gaze around the room, I find myself a bit in awe of what I’ve found here.