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He then excused himself and left me with the two most important women in my life. They both stared down at me with equal parts relief and anger.
“We are so happy you’re safe.”
“We were so worried about you!”
“Why didn’t you tell us that he was contacting you again?”
They were firing questions at me, one after the other. I couldn’t keep up.
“I’m sorry. I knew I should have told you guys. But I…I was scared.”
Amelia placed her hand over mine, “I know, Sel. But we could have helped you. We could have protected you.”
“Exactly,” Claire gripped the handle of the bed for dear life. “What good is all this money I have in my name if I can’t use it to protect the people I love?”
My throat tightened. The emotion lodged itself there.
“It’s a good thing that asshole is back in jail where he belongs. If he were still here, I would have beat his ass myself.” Her eyes raged with a kind of fury I had never seen in them before. “Hell is too kind a place for him.”
When Claire loved, she loved fiercely and with her whole heart. It was one of the many reasons so many people fell in love with her. It was her heart that shined the brightest and drew you in without hesitation. Her love blanketed you from the cold, and you felt like you belonged to something—to someone.
Amelia also had this unique ability to see me—truly seeing me—and still love me all the same. The light from her heart radiated onto others, and the warmth of it was contagious and so very addictive. She made me believe that I was all the good things she thought of me. It was no wonder Marcus had hated me being around her.
I placed my hand on top of Claire’s and gave it a squeeze. I grabbed onto Amelia’s tighter and smiled her way.
I had no more blood relatives, but I still had a family—a chosen one. A family that I cultivated by pure chance. A family that did not love me due to familial obligation. but rather, they chose to love me with my faults and all. It was a decision they made every day and not just a connection they felt obligated to uphold.
It was more of a sisterhood than a friendship.
“I love you guys.” I barely managed to choke out the words. “You have no idea how—no, Amelia, don’t you dare cry because then I’m going to start crying and—dammit, there I go.”
She swiped at the tears that trickled from her eyes. “I can’t help it—the hormones.”
I looked to my left, and Claire was also crying. “We love you too, Sel. And I know you feel like you have to take in the world alone because you had to do it for so long on your own, but you have us here for a reason.”
Amelia nodded, sniffing, “She’s right. We’re a family, and family protect each other. No matter what and no matter the cost. I am sorry I didn’t fight harder for us at that time. I had been so wrapped up in my own questionable relationship that I didn’t hear your silence.”
I shook my head, “you will not shoulder any blame when it comes to this. You are not to blame—he is. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you back then. I wanted to protect you.”
“And we get that,” Amelia nodded to Claire, “but if you want to protect us, then allow us to protect you. Let us shoulder your heavy burdens the way you have done for us.”
That was enough to send the trickling river into an overflowing waterfall. I pulled them toward me, careful not to disrupt the very bellies that house my nieces and nephew.
“I love you guys,” I sniffed, “so much you have no idea.”
And they didn’t. They didn’t understand just how much they grounded me, how big of an influence they played in my life. They were my center of gravity, and Daniel was my world.
The door opened again and in walked Daniel with a tray of hot chocolate mugs. He swept his gaze over all three of us.
“What happened?” He tensed as the worry etched onto his features.
Claire leaned her head against mine, her hand squeezing mine gently. “Happy tears.”
The worry melted off of him like ice. He walked over to us and handed each of us a cup. He moved his sister to the side, much to her disdain, and cupped the side of my face in his large hands. I had come to notice that now he always held onto some part of my body. He would either reach for my hand, play with my hair, or touch my face. It was as if he was making sure that I was real. He then leaned over and kissed the side of my head tenderly.
Good? His eyes bored into mine.
I nodded to his silent question.
