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“I didn’t promise him anything but…” She holds her hands out from her sides. “I showered and dressed and well… here I am.”
A sob rips from my throat as I take in her clean, soft hair and her face that’s brighter than I’ve seen in days. Her eyes have a hint of the sparkle in them that I remember all too well from our childhoods.
“Y-you’ve no idea h-how right h-he was,” I stutter, barely holding it together before we collide in another tight hug.
I’ve got my sister back.
I sob on her shoulder, soaking her clean shirt with a mixture of tears and snot, while she does the same to me in return.
Long minutes pass before we part, and the second we do, Kristie looks over my shoulder at our sleeping princess.
“So this is Daisy, huh?” she asks quietly, moving closer and dropping to her knees.
“Yep, that’s the wildcat that’s changed everything once again.”
“Look at those lashes,” she muses.
“I know,” I agree with a teary laugh. “Women pay thousands for lashes like that.”
“You’ve done the right thing,” Kristie tells me as she pushes to her feet and turns to me again. “The love that you can give her will help her overcome what she’s been through.”
I suck in a shaky breath. “I really hope so.”
“Lana,” Kristie says, reaching out to take my hand. “You’re incredible. You’ve always been an amazing big sister, and I know you’ll be an equally fantastic mom.”
I shake my head, wrapping my arms around myself. “I never thought I’d…” I let my words trail off, not wanting to go to such a dark place when she’s only just found the courage to leave the basement.
“Are you okay to leave her for a bit?” Kristie asks hesitantly.
“Uh… yeah. I was… I was only here so I wasn’t alone.”
“Okay, so fancy giving me a tour of this place? What?” she asks, reading something in my expression.
“I haven’t actually explored half of this place,” I confess.
“So? What are you waiting for? While the cat’s away…”
“Kristie,” I tease. “I don’t remember you being the bad influence out of the two of us.”
“Things change. It’s time to figure out who we are now.”
Taking her hand in mine, I squeeze happily.
“Let’s go then. But I can’t promise you won’t see something you don’t want to.”
“Surely he only has one basement to torture people in?” she deadpans as I make sure Daisy is tucked in nicely and her baby monitor is connected to my cell so I’ll know the second she wakes.
Am I being a paranoid, overprotective mother hen? Yes, probably. But I don’t give a shit.
We spend over an hour poking our heads in every single room we find. To my surprise, most are empty or half done. I didn’t see Reid as the type to leave jobs incomplete, but then I am learning more and more about the enigma that is Reid Harris daily.
“What do you think he was waiting for?” Kristie muses as we walk into the kitchen.
The darkness beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows calls to me and before I know what I’m doing, I’ve walked right up to them and am staring out at the horizon as if I’ll see anything to reassure me about what’s happening out there.
“Who says he was waiting for anything? Maybe he’s just been busy.”
“I mean, he moved you in so I’m guessing he’s been pretty busy,” she teases.
