He tipped his head, touching hers.“I love you so much, baby.I can’t protect all of us all of the time from the entire world, but I promise you that if there is something I feel is a threat, I will make sure we are prepared and you both are taken care of.”
As they settled into the flight, Beck closed his eyes and hoped he hadn’t just accidentally lied to Nami.
Nami
It was after 9:00 pm Florida time when they finally landed in Tampa.Nami was exhausted from losing a few hours on the flight east and also having their body’s natural clocks skewed by the time change.
And the stress, natch.
But yeah, okay, itwasgood to behomeafter having been gone for over two weeks.Parking in their driveway and with the quiet settling around them after Beck shut off the engine reminded Nami thatthisplace, thishome, had been her new start.
Where her heart lay.And it looked like they’d get to build the house of her dreams over on the new property, near Dewi’s house, where Malyah and Joaquin and others would also live close by.
I guess that’s one benefit.
Beck carried their luggage inside while Nami carried baby Tahlia.She’d awakened during the last leg of their flight.Nami had nursed and changed her, and she’d fallen asleep again.
The intellectual part of Nami, who’d come to terms with the reality of her new life ever since meeting Beck and the revelation ofwhathe was, understoodexactlywhy the news about Peyton and Jake had been withheld from both of them.
But the momma hen of the family still felt righteously indignant that she’d been allowed to worry forweeksabout Peyton.
I amnotin Kansas anymore, Toto.
“What time do we have to be up tomorrow morning?”she asked him after getting Tahlia settled for the night.
He pulled her to him.“I already told everyone that, barring an emergency, I’m off the clock tomorrow.I want a day off to relax and just decompress.”
She pecked his lips.“Good.I feel like I haven’t really gotten my legs back under me yet.”
“Uh, youjusthad a baby, life’s gotten pretty damned crazy, and you had your world rockedagaintoday.I can’timaginewhy you’re discombobulated,” he snarked with a sexy smirk.
She playfully swatted his arm.“You know what I mean.”
He hugged her again.“I’m sorry we were gone for so long.”
“Yeah.I want to get my arms on that little baby girl of mine and kiss her up one side and down the other.”
“You mean Bebe?”he asked.
“Of course!Why—oh.”She smiled.“Yeah, I guess Bebe isn’t the baby anymore, is she?”
“She’ll still always be ‘your’ baby, honey.That’s understandable.”
Nami sighed.“More like my grandbaby, almost.Never really felt like her auntie.I hope she’s gonna get along okay with her cousin.”
“She must not have shifted while we were gone,” he said, releasing her to head to the bathroom.“Guess what Badger did worked or he would’ve said something.”
That’s when that whole situation…
Well,slammedinto Nami.
Beck must have noted her non-response because he leaned out of the bathroom doorway.“Babe?You okay?”
She sank onto the bed.“No, I’m not,” she shakily said.“Bebe’s a shifter.How did I totally forgetthat?”She looked at him in horror.“We still have to deal with all…that.”She waved her hand in front of her.“And Hamish and Imani.And…” She flopped back onto the bed.“Can you take a couple of days off?”
He returned to the bedroom and sat next to her.“Overwhelmed?Brain finally blue-screened?”
She clapped a hand over her eyes.“Uh-huh.Completely.And Tamsin and Aisling!Oh, mygawd, how’d I forgetthat, too?”
