“Thank God you’re okay,” she murmurs against my neck.
“Everything’s okay.”
She pulls back slightly and cups my jaw. “Did you find anything? You were gone so long.”
“There were two guys in your place. I grabbed one of them, and the other took off. I called my brothers, and they came to handle it,” I tell her quietly as I scan my room. “Jane, where are the kids?” I ask when I realize they aren’t here.
“Oh, shit.” She scurries away from me and rushes to my closet.
“You can come out now,” she says softly.
At the same time, my heart breaks, and anger rushes through me as I watch the kids walk out of my closet.
How many times have they had to hide in a closet when shit got rough?
How traumatizing was tonight for them?
“Mac, you’re okay!” Emily cries out as she rushes toward me.
As soon as her little body hits mine, everything fades away.
“I’m okay. Are you?”
She nods. “Yeah, Tanner and I hid in your closet. Did you know you have a pair of dirty boots in there? The dirt got all over my hands,” she says, making me laugh.
Leave it to Emily to try to lighten the mood.
“I didn’t know that. I’ll make sure to clean it up.” I look over her shoulder at her brother.
Tanner is standing next to Jane, and she’s rubbing circles on his back.
“You okay?”
Tanner’s jaw clenches, but he nods.
“You did good taking care of your sister. Protecting her,” I tell him.
His little chest puffs up with pride.
“We should probably head home and go back to sleep,” Jane says half-heartedly.
Before she can even finish her sentence, I shake my head.
“You’re staying here. I want the three of you to get in my bed.” I tell her.
“Where will you sleep?” she asks as she chews on the corner of her lip.
“With you guys. I just have to lock up first,” I tell her before looking down at Emily. “Go get in bed.”
Before she can put up a fight, I leave the room. I check every window and door, making sure they are locked up tight before I return.
When I step back into my room, my breath catches.
The three of them are curled up under the covers with a spot on the edge, waiting for me.
“Sleep next to me?” Emily asks shyly as she pats the bed next to her.
“I’d love to.”
