“Do you think this is wrong?” Shea’s muted voice broke into the heavy silence.
Where we lay under the covers in her bed, I pulled her closer. She curled her back into the den of my chest. “What?” I asked.
The house was quiet and the hour was late. Darkness clung to most of her bedroom. Only slivers of moonlight slanted in from the window.
“Me being here, finding comfort in your arms, when Kallie is alone.”
My heavy exhale scattered the hair on her shoulder. I understood her guilt, but I didn’t want her feeling it. “Let me ask you something. If you could be doing absolutely anything right now that would get Kallie home sooner, would you be doing it?”
“Of course,” she answered without hesitation.
I pressed a tender kiss behind her ear. “Then I think you already know the answer to that.”
Shea pulled in a shaky breath. “I hate she’s with him and has no idea what’s happening.” The air hitched in her throat. “I hate I have no idea what she’s going through. What could be happening. Hate I’m lying here, useless to help her. Unable to protect her like I always promised I would.”
She shuddered and I held her closer.
“She has no clue who he is, Sebastian. She doesn’t even know about him. The only thing I’ve ever told her was she didn’t have a daddy. I told her it was just her and me and that was all there was ever going to be.” Her voice trembled and rolled. “She has to be so scared.”
“I know,” I murmured back.
I let myself imagine what Kallie was going through right then. The quiet terror she must be feeling. Let it wreck me a little more, knowing Shea was imagining the same thing.
I played with a long strand of her hair. “I trust in my team, Shea. Anthony and Kenny have always been there for me, and they’re going to find a way to set this straight. They’ve never let me down before and I know they’re gonna do everything in their power to fix this. And I’m going to be there every step of the way. Fighting. Giving it my all until that little girl is in your arms. You understand what I’m telling you?”
It meant I wouldn’t sleep, wouldn’t eat until Kallie was safe.
She choked. “What if he hurts her? What if we’re too late?”
“No…he won’t. He’s not that stupid.”
Even with my promise, rage boiled beneath the surface. Ready to be unleashed. Because if he did? That rage would come like a destroyer.
She snuggled a little closer, and her voice clogged with a restrained sob. “It’s an awful feeling being so thankful I don’t have to go through this alone and knowing Kallie has to.”
“No, she’s not alone, baby. She feels you right here.” I placed my hand over Shea’s heart.
Slowly, she rolled over to face me. “Earlier…you said you wanted to claim Kallie as your own.” The words became almost urgent. “What did you mean?”
A pensive smile tugged at my mouth. I pulled my head back far enough to allow the subdued moonlight to illuminate Shea’s face. “I told you what I see when I look at you. I see a family. Always thought family to me would construe something fucked up and broken…just me and the boys and Austin. But I want it to include you. I want it to include Kallie. When she’s sad or scared or just needs someone to tell her she’s loved, I want to be that guy.”
Something both brilliant and fractured passed through Shea’s expression. And I knew she was seeing it. The same thing I saw. And somehow I’d gotten lucky enough that this girl wanted it, too.
Hard thing was, both of us were wondering how the fuck we were gonna get there.
“You know…” My voice was rough. “Earlier tonight I took you bare.” I frowned. “Twice now, actually. You want to know the truth of what hit me? I was hoping that maybe…just maybe together you and I were making something beautiful.”