Her pain is being cried out on every sob, in every tear.
“It’s okay. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
I repeat those phrases as I hold her close, knowing she needs the reassurance.
Shayne is watching quietly from his seat across from us.
I can feel his gaze on us.
I don’t need to look to know he’s worried about her.
The sudden knock is the only thing that breaks my concentration and makes me move my head up. Shayne is getting out of his chair. He sees me looking and gives me a wry smile.
“That’ll be dinner. It’s okay, I’ve got it.”
We’re sitting at a table with places set, but even so, it takes a few minutes for reality to sink in.
Robin brought Shayne to her suite. She wanted to have dinner with us both.
It was sweet of her to think about me, like she did when she washed my clothes.
Shayne answers the door and brings in a cart with trays full of food.
The smell of roasted meats makes my stomach growl, but I’m not going to let Robin go while she needs me. She tries to pull away, but I hold her tighter.
“I don’t need food more than you need this right now,” I murmur.
She whimpers and I scoop her up, lifting her into my lap so I can hold her closer.
She gasps as I move her, arms wrapping instinctively around my neck.
That sharp intake of breath seems to halt her sobbing.
She’s quiet as she lifts her head from my shoulder.
Her eyes are red from crying, but I think she’s ready to stop.
“You need to eat,” she whispers.
I smile at her as Shayne closes the door with a soft click.
“You’re the one who needs to eat.”
She gives me a weak smile.
“How about a compromise. We all eat,” Shayne proposes, as he brings the food over to the table.
He puts different meats and veggies on our plates while Robin clings to me.
I like the way she feels in my arms, and I’m not ready to let her go.
“Do you feel better?” I ask.
“I do,” she says, with a much more convincing smile than the one she gave me a few seconds before.
“Enough to eat, or do you need to sleep?”
She thinks for a minute before she admits, “I’m really tired, actually. I didn’t think I was, but … I am.”
