“Anyone is welcome. There’s space for us all.” His gaze swept across the room, stopping on Mom. “I think you and Dad should come.”
Mom grimaced, her displeasure evident. “I’m not leaving my home, August,” she said, her voice soft but firm. “I am not giving that man any control over me.”
August sighed. Roman glared down at her.
“Mom, you should go. Safety is more important than your pride.”
She glared right back up at him, Thea Grace sleeping in her arms, looking like she could take a giant like Roman down to his knees with that expression alone. He withered a little where he stood.
“This isn’t about pride,” she clipped. “It’s more than that. I won’t give in to fear. He has no reason to want to hurt me. Like you said, he needs to stay as far away from this town as possible.”
“Just because he has no reason to hurt you, doesn’t mean he won’t,” Reid said.
My gaze bounced between my parents. Dad was still crouching near the hearth, staring into the flames. He hadn’t said a word, but my father had never been the talkative type.
“We’ll stay here,” he said, his tone final.
August ran a hand over his face, frustrated.
“Fine. Stay.” It was Roman who spoke, surrendering to the fact that we wouldn’t be able to change their minds. “I can move in temporarily and keep an eye on things here.”
Mom made a disgruntled noise, but didn’t argue.
I stepped forward. “I’ll stay, too. We can take shifts at night and make sure one of us is always in the house to look over things.”
August looked between Roman and me, and then he nodded. “Okay.”
“When are you leaving?” Mom stared at August like she already missed him.
“Now. As soon as possible. We’ll go straight there from here.”
Lark made the first sound since I’d arrived. “Now?” she squeaked, her voice small and trembling. “But…but I don’t have my things. Thea Grace needs her—”
Reid squeezed her shoulder, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “We can buy whatever we need. We have enough to get by tonight in the diaper bag and the go-bag.”
Lark didn’t argue with him, but she sniffed softly.
“I will need a few minutes to pack some of my equipment,” Fox added.
“How long?” August asked.
“Fifteen.”
“Is everything you need in the office?”
Fox nodded.
“I’ll go with you.” August glanced toward Roman. “Stay here. We’ll be right back.”
“You sure you’ll be okay with just the two of you out there?” I asked.
Fox pressed a kiss to Skye’s forehead before he reluctantly let her go. “We should be. We won’t be long.”
The moment Fox and August stepped out of the room, the house sank into a stunned kind of quiet. The fire popped in the grate, but it sounded too loud, too sharp—like even the flames were on edge.
I stood rigid beside Quinn, our shoulders brushing. My heartbeat wouldn’t settle. Every breath scraped down my throat.
Eight hours.
