“C’mon, then. Bedtime, little bug,” he murmurs into her hair.
My arms are held out to take her from him but he gives a little shake of his head.
“I’ve got her.”
Those stupid tears are back, burning the back of my eyes as I watch him carry her out of the room. Ryker grunts and I’m starting to learn to decipher them so I know it’s a grunt of approval. I turn to follow them out but can’t stop myself from pausing long enough to place a hand on one of his big shoulders. I try and say thank you but my throat is thick with emotion. His head tips back to meet my eyes and those icy blue ones have something I can’t quite read in them but it makes a warm glow start in my chest. He nods slowly and then his huge hand comes up to rest on top of mine briefly before it drops down again.
Chloe calls for me, breaking the moment so I flash a quick smile Zack’s way and then hurry out, down the hall and into our rooms and bounce off a wall of muscle. His strong hands grip my arms to keep me from falling on my butt and I launch into assurances.
“Thank you so much for everything! I promise that I’ll keep that area neat and tidy. I’ll make sure Chloe doesn’t disturb you all or disrupt anything!”
“Avery, if I didn’t want her to have her toys out there, I wouldn’t have helped set up the corner.” He sighs deeply. “I need you to relax, Avery. You are doing a great job here. We all enjoy your daughter and she’s not disrupting anything.” His hands squeeze gently on my arms. “Take a deep breath and let yourself settle in.” When I do and nod quickly, he drops his hands from my arms. “Alright, I need Chloe’s birthdate for her new birth certificate and the school paperwork.”
My hand comes up to my mouth so I can chew on my nails as that worry floods back into me but he captures it before it reaches my mouth.
“Stop, stop worrying about that. School and a routine is the best thing for her.”
I see a flash of anger cross his eyes causing me to tense even more.
“Listen, if you give me his name, I can make all of your fears of him finding you go away. There are laws against what he did to you. No court would side against you.”
I feel all the blood leave my face as my breathing picks up and my heart races. I start shaking my head and try to pull my hand from his but he just holds on even tighter and curses under his breath.
“Okay, okay. It’s alright! We’ll put a pin in that for now. Just tell me her birthdate and Zack will make the new birth certificate with Adams as her last name.”
My head jerks in agreement and I whisper out the date she was born. He squeezes my hand one last time and then lets go to move around me and out the door. Chloe calls out sleepily so I lock my knees to keep from dropping down to the floor and go into her room to put her to sleep but the threats I’ve lived with of what he would do if I ever tried to leave him echo through my head as I sing my baby to sleep.
Easton
Iwatch her hand shake slightly as she slides French toast and some bacon on a plate and then sets it in front of her uniformed daughter. Today is Chloe’s first day of school and Avery is holding on by a ragged thread. The dark circles under her eyes that she came here with are starting to show again, telling me she hasn’t slept well for the last few nights.
Chloe’s uniforms and backpack were given to her on Saturday and Avery’s been a bundle of nerves, more so than usual, ever since. It infuriates me that she’s so scared all the time and I have to stop myself from yelling at her to stop feeling that way.
I bounce back and forth between wanting to yell at her or crushing her against me and promising to protect her and kissing her senseless until she has no more room for fear. Fuck. The woman doesn’t need either of those things and I need to pull my head out of my ass and get some distance from her because neither do I.
She slides a plate in front of me and I try not to swear. Zack and Ryker are both out of town on a job and won’t be back until tonight so it leaves me to handle her and her stress. That means taking Chloe to school.
I took them to the academy on Saturday so they could have a tour and get Chloe’s schedule. The woman barely spoke to the principal through the whole thing. It was only on the way home that she squeaked out questions about the cost of her daughter going to such a high-end private school. I brushed her off with vague answers about scholarships covering it. I think she was too afraid to call me on that bullshit and just thanked me in a whisper.
I watch her now while I eat the food she’s made for me, wondering what she would look like without the fear. I try and picture Avery’s violet eyes flashing and snapping with anger and it makes my lips twitch. When an image of those same eyes glossed over in pleasure hits my mind, I almost choke on a piece of syrup-soaked bread. Fuck. Appetite gone, I take my plate and scrape it into the garbage and then set it in the sink.
“Alright, ladies, time to go!” I tell them after a glance at my watch.
Avery darts all over the place - grabbing Chloe’s new backpack, adding her lunch to it, and then helping get her jacket on over the bulky cast. She slides her own jacket on and then boots, hats, and mittens and then turns those huge, scared eyes my way. I usher them out to the garage and into the car, strapping Chloe into her car seat. When I shut the door and reach for Avery’s to open it for her, my hand goes to her shoulder instead.
“It’s going to be fine. She’s excited to go. They took us through the security protocols at the school. I promise, Avery, she’ll be safe.”
I see her swallow down hard with a few blinks so I drop my hand and pull her door open and then close it once she’s in. It’s a quick fifteen-minute drive to the school and the staff have drop-off down to a science so the flow moves quickly.
Avery keeps a brave face through it all even when Chloe zips away with a quick, “Bye!” It’s as I start to drive away that she finally breaks letting out a strangled sob. I make a fast turn out of the driveway and park us in the staff parking lot. I don’t want to be driving if she has a panic attack.
“I’m okay!” She almost yells when I turn to her and then lets out a harsh laugh and takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry! I’m okay. I’m good.”
She sounds calmer but I know she isn’t. This is going to be a really long day for her until Chloe comes home. She needs a distraction so I pull the white envelope from my inside pocket and thrust it at her.
“Here. It’s your first week's pay. It’s cash but you should look into getting a new bank account.”
Her fingers tighten on the envelope as she stares down at it. I can’t read the expression on her face so I just plow on.
