AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I think that’s a good idea,” she croaked.
* * *
No private jet this time, but a military aircraft that could moonlight as any other commercial airliner. Well, it was a little smaller and didn’t require a long runway.
“Are your arms tired yet, Daddy?”
“Nope.” I kissed the side of her head and climbed up the steps to the plane. “I’m super strong, so I can carry you for a whole year.”
When she giggled, I breathed easier.
It made up for the gut-wrenching sight of watching her wake up. That moment before she realized she wasn’t in the cage—Jesus fucking Christ. She burst into tears after every nap, of which there’d been several the past twenty-four hours. And when she cried, I fucking cried. I was getting better at controlling myself, but…
She’d bawled her eyes out when she’d talked to Piper on the phone earlier. I hadn’t been far behind, because it was beginning to sink in. My girl was back with me. We’d managed to save her.
“Where’s Shay?” she asked. “I wanna sit with him and Uncle Ellie.”
“We’ll sit close to them,” I promised.
She’d been so relieved when she’d seen Shay again. They’d shared a hug that’d gotten me all choked up. River and Reese too.
“And Marisa?” Blake pressed.
“We’re gonna give her some space so she can rest up properly,” I reminded her gently. Marisa was…not doing well. “She’ll be in the back with Javier.”
Blake bit her bottom lip and nodded.
I picked a random row near the middle of the plane. Both rows had three seats on each side of the aisle, and I was gonna ask the Tenleys to sit nearby. With Elliott, I had no plans on asking. He simply had to. He and the boys could take the row in front of ours or the one behind.
“There’s Shay!” Blake pointed. “Shay, over here!” She turned to me. “Did you know he hastwoboyfriends?”
I grinned. “I did. Nuts, huh?”
“Yeah,” she laughed. “Freaking cooties all over the place.”
God, I loved her so much. I savored every smile, every ounce of her goofball sense of humor, every smartass comment. They filled me with hope and gave me strength to get through her meltdowns.
Reese came up the aisle first, and he held out his fist for Blake, who bumped it with hers. “How you doin’, shortcake?”
She grinned shyly. “That’s what Uncle Ellie calls me also.”
“Well, it fits, doesn’t it?” He winked and waited for River and Shay to slide into the row across the aisle. “I reckon these seats are good, eh?”
“Yup.” Shay sent Blake a smile.
My girl was smitten.
I was more smitten with the tall drink of water coming up the aisle with Nicolas, Mattie, and Julian. The latter still refused to let Elliott go for more than a few seconds. Whenever Elliott had to go to the bathroom, or when he’d showered, Julian had waited right outside the door, visibly restless. I’d been allowed to hold his hand for about a minute, and then he’d knocked on the bathroom door till Elliott had reappeared.
“Can Mattie see, Daddy?” Blake whispered.
“Yeah, a bit more today than yesterday,” I murmured. The boy’s hearing was returning too, as the swelling in his ears went down.
It hurt to look at those boys. To witness what they’d been put through.
But if I didn’t already know I loved Elliott Jones, finding out he’d offered to be the temporary foster parent for all three would’ve done me in. He acted a little awkward around the logistics of caring for a toddler, but he was a natural around older kids.
“Right here, buddy.” Elliott slowed down Mattie, who was holding Nicolas’s hand. The elder brother made sure the younger got seated in front of us. Elliott sent me a tired smile before he sank down into the aisle seat with Julian on his lap.
