“You OK?” I ask, voice still gruff from sleep as they shuffle closer.
We left the hall light on for the kids, and I can see in the light coming through the crack of the door that they have tear marks on their cheeks.
“Bad dream?” I ask softly as Addy shuffles slightly behind her sister. She’s slowly coming out of her shell, but I get it. For as long as she’s been alive her sister has been her protector. She’ll soon learn that she’s living in a clubhouse full of them. “Come on then,” I say, opening up the covers, “You two get in the middle and me and Loyal will keep you safe from the monster, OK?”
“Not a monster.” Bree frowns sleepily as she climbs in between me and Loyal. “Just our dad.”
She flops down beside Loyal, her sister Addy being a little more gentle, lying beside her sister, little arms tucked in like T Rex arms. She stares up at me with her big, blue eyes, and gives me a little sniffle.
“You’re safe now, sweetheart. Let’s get some sleep and then I’ll try to make pancakes for breakfast, yeah?”
She gives me a shy smile and a nod before she rolls my way and tucks herself into a little ball, her sister already out like a light. I gaze at the three red heads, hair a mess over the white pillows and I rub my chest, the ache I feel tells me that this right here is my purpose and it will be a cold fucking day in hell if I let Eden’s Keep or Travis Fucking Hitchens take this away from me.
Loyal
“Can Vex make us breakfast every day?” Bree asks, swinging my hand back and forth as I walk the girls to Nell’s little house in theKeep.
After Vex made pancakes that I think were meant to be Mickey Mouse but were actually just blobs, me and the girls walked him to the clubhouse and had a quick visit with Joe. The poor thing put on a brave face for the girls, but I know from experience that healing is always the worst. The first day of a beating you have adrenaline to help you make it through. The days after? That is when your whole body gives over to the pain and just wants you to rest and heal, even if you want to be up and about helping. My heart breaks for my friend, but I know that she’s strong as all get out. She may be beaten and bruised, but that Hitchens guy never took away her spirit nor her sense of humour. As we left her room I overheard her teasing Justice and I know that she will be just fine.
“Vex makes the best pancakes,” Addy says softly, “even better than mom’s.” She darts a look at Bree who nods her head.
“Yup. Mom was a bad cook. But she was good at other things,” Bree quickly adds.
“Everyone has different talents,” I tell them, swinging both their hands now. Bree holding my right hand, Addy holding the left. “I can cook, but I’m not good at making people laugh like Vex.”
“Yeah,” Bree agrees and I try to hide my smile. “But you’re real good at hugs.”
“Thank you Bree,” I grin down at her.
“Vex is good at hugs too,” Addy adds. “He has big muscles and I bet he would be good at fighting the bad guys.”
I stare down at her little copper head for a moment, shocked as those are the most words I’ve heard her speak. She’s the quieter twin of the two so it’s nice to see that she’s gaining confidence. It’s funny how they can look so alike and yet be polar opposites. Bree is the one that will go head first into situations as well as places. She’s always the one to walk into a room beforeher sister. Addy on the other hand is the twin that will sit and watch the people in the room.
We walk up Nell’s little path to her front door, and I shake my head as to how she’s managed to turn this little cottage into a home that suits her family. She has planted wild flowers up the path and it’s always swept and tidy. Hanging on the deck is a wind catcher made of bits of wood and little rocks that she and Greer found around the Keep and I notice that she has drying flowers hanging beside it.
“Well, hello there! I thought I heard voices coming our way,” Nell smiles when she opens the door and finds us on her path.
I smile back and ignore the way her shoulders droop in relief. I get it. I really do. Nell and Greer may be safe here with us now, but her body doesn’t recognize that feeling yet. She would have heard voices and gone on high alert.
“We were looking at your beautiful path, weren’t we, twinnies?” I ask, shaking their hands in mine and making light of things. It’s what Nell needs, not me constantly telling her she’s safe.
“That is all River,” she grins, before calling over her shoulder, “Riv! Loyal loves what you’ve been doing out here.”
The teen shuffles onto the deck behind Nell and mumbles a thank you. I smile wide at him, noticing how much better he’s doing. He’d been quiet and withdrawn when he arrived, but I have noticed that ever since Nell moved him into her little place, he’s starting to stand a little taller and look some of the men in the eye. And now he’s planting flowers and crafting around the house? That just goes to show that he’s starting to feel like this could be home. And it could well be.
Usually with a rescue like Nell, Greer, and River’s, we’d look to reintegrate them back into society as quickly as we can. We’d role play buying groceries, social situations and navigating school and day care. Some we would look at moving into thecommunity next door if they have a desire to stick close, others we would place in a town with ex-Eden’s Keep members. But now that there seems to be someone out there threatening people with the Eden’s Keep logo, well, it’d be safer for all of them to be here. And that includes our other rescue Jason and his daughter Izzy.
“Me and the girls thought we might pop by and see how you’re doing and maybe the kids could play together. Now I’m thinking we should have invited Izzy too.” I say, feeling a little silly that I never thought of that earlier.
Spending half the night making love to Vex, and then the other half with Bree’s foot in my back has left me overtired and clearly not firing on my usual four cylinders.
“Well, you’re in luck, girlies! Izzy is inside helping Greer with some crafting. Jason left the Keep with Damian and Flack to have a look at the garage in town that’s for sale. He used to fix the cars in the compound we used to live at, so that sort of thing comes naturally to him,” Nell tells me. She smiles softly but I can tell it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“River, do you think you could take Bree and Addy to find Izzy?” I ask the teen. He nods once and then holds his hands out to the twins.
Bree lets go of mine to grip River’s hand, non-stop asking him questions. Addy hesitates a little before reluctantly taking his hand. She peeks over her shoulder at me, waiting for my thumbs up before she allows him to lead her into the house.
“They look like they’re doing a little better. It can’t have been easy on them, seeing their aunt like that,” Nell says, indicating the porch swing.
