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Reid shakes his head but doesn’t give her an answer; instead, he grabs my hand and tugs me from the room, Mav hot on our tails.
Little girl laughter spills from Mav’s room and when we all walk inside, we find the bathtub once again overflowing with bubbles and Daisy happily laughing somewhere in the middle of it.
“Fish attack,” JD shouts, suddenly squirting water in Daisy’s direction with her bath toys.
In that moment, the seriousness of the situation falls away and we’re just us again.
For fifteen minutes, we mess around and laugh together like the weight of the world isn’t pressing down on our shoulders.
By the time Mav lifts Daisy out of the tub and I wrap her in a big fluffy towel, we’re all soaked through, but equally, we’re all wearing the biggest smiles.
The bathroom is a disaster, but it doesn’t matter.
I remember days like this with Mom and Kristie. Laughing because we could, even if nothing was funny.
It’s always been hard to think of those times with both of them gone and the darkness consuming me. But since Daisy’s arrival in my life and what I can only assume is the truth about our mom, I’m starting to remember more and more of what life was like with her.
Her life and her chance to be our mother were cut short, but she was good. So fucking good. I figure that even if I do half as good a job as she did back then then I’ll have succeeded in my parental role for Daisy.
“You good with her? We’re going to go and get ready,” Reid says, reminding me that the rest of our night is going to come with much less happiness and laughter.
“Yeah, you go,” I say, lifting Daisy into my arms and snuggling her into me.
I walk her to her room and sit her on the edge of her toddler bed while I find some pajamas for her.
The guys crash around. Each bang is a jolt to my heart.
Keeping strong and putting on a brave face is getting harder with every minute that passes.
There’s a part of me that wants them to go and get it over with, and there’s another part that never wants them to leave the house ever again.
Be strong, Alana. Be confident.
“Can I have candy?” Daisy asks once she’s dressed and I’ve tackled her curls.
I should say no, I know I should. But tonight, I’m not going to follow the rules.
“Yes, but only a couple because it’ll be bedtime soon.”
She pouts, sticking her bottom lip out, silently trying to talk me into giving her more, but it’s not going to work. I might be a rule breaker, but even I have limits.
“Where’s JD and Aubrey?” I ask when we get downstairs and only find Reid and Mav in the kitchen.
“JD’s downstairs checking in on our guests,” Reid answers before pulling me into his arms.“And Aubs has gone to meet the guys.”
Guilt knots up my insides. I haven’t spent any time down with Kristie this afternoon. I couldn’t. Not when everything was so raw.
I nod before resting my head against his chest, letting the steady beat of his heart calm my nerves.
Squeezing my eyes closed, I try to forget about what they’re going out to do tonight and focus on some of our better times.
Long before I’m ready, the door to the basement slams closed before footsteps move our way.
“All ready when you are, Boss,” JD says with his signature cocky smirk firmly in place.
Reid’s grip on me tightens.
“You can track us on our cells, Pet. We’ll be in contact as soon as we can, but please don’t think that just because we’re silent that there is anything wrong, okay,” he murmurs, his lips against the top of my head. “We know what we’re doing. Trust us, yeah?”
