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Leaving the door open in case Brinley came out of her condo and raced down the hall, I dropped to my knees in front of myson.
“Come here, buddy,” I said, opening my arms to him.
When he rushed me, his body slamming into my chest with a small oof and his tiny limbs wrapping around me, every cell in my body tingled with a feeling I couldn’t yet describe.
My throat closed up as a lump formed, leaving me unable to get a word out. I held him in my arms and breathed in his scent. His hair smelled fresh like he had just gotten out of the bath. The sound of his soft cries reached my ears and I knew what I felt.
Love.
It hit me like a freight train. Fast and hard.
The impact was life changing.
He was reallymine.
“I’m not going anywhere ever again,” I whispered.
“D-Do you p-promise?”
The last promise I’d ever made was to my sister when she was still alive. She’d been scared one night and I promised her I would always take care of her.
I didn’t.
Could I make another promise?
I had to. This was my son. Everything inside of me said no matter how terrified I was or even if Brinley never forgave me, we had to both make this right for Zander.
He was the only thing that mattered.
“I pinky promise,” I said, pushing him back from me so I could put out my little finger.
Zander stared down at my hand and then looked up at me shaking his head.
“You have been hanging around Embry too much. Only girls do that, silly,” he said theatrically.
Laughter escaped me. But it died quickly when I heard feet pounding on the floor in the hall and Zander’s name cried out in sheer panic.
Then Brinley was standing at my open door.
Wearing only a short pair of sleep shorts, a tank top, and sans bra, I couldn’t help my body’s reaction, even if it was not the time to be taking notice of how sexy Brinley was. I scanned her from head to toe and back up again.
When my eyes landed on hers, so many emotions were playing across her face at the sight before her that it was all I could think about. Which was crazy because Brinley was breathtaking. But those emotions flitting across her face held no secrets like the one she’d kept from me.
Relief that her son was safe, worry, how scared she was, and sorrow too.
I could feel every one of them down to my bones.
Zander turned her way, releasing me.
“Mommy. Daddy promised he would never leave again.”
Brinley’s sharp intake of breath echoed through the room and her eyes widened.
I nodded my head in confirmation. I’d told her once that I would never promise her or anyone anything after losing my sister and not keeping mine to her, so I knew she was shocked. She probably was also worried that I was going to break another.
And it would be to our son.
“I did make that promise,” I said, staring into her blue eyes that shimmered with tears.
