Because he didn’t feel like he truly belonged. Didn’t feel he was worthy to be in their mix.
Or maybe he was terrified of loving again.
Of loving how deeply he once had.
The scars driven so deep he was afraid of ever facing a repeat of something so awful.
And he was here.
With me.
With my children.
“Thank you for bringing us here,” I whispered.
“Fankyou, Mr. Big Giant.” Held in my arms, Eva beamed up at him.
Heavy emotion rolled through his being, and he dipped his chin at her. “You’re welcome, Eva. Think this is going to be a good day.”
Then he began to guide me toward the house where Addy and Colin impatiently waited at the top of the steps.
“We’re gonna be late!” Addy shouted. She swayed back and forth, sending her floral sundress billowing around her. Her dark hair was braided and pinned up on her head.
Her face so full of life and none of the fear she’d quietly carried over the weeks before we came here.
Colin had been more unaware of it, his inquisitiveness never waning and that grin never fading.
And my little Eva. She squirmed and hummed with uncontained excitement.
“Here, let me take her,” Cash grunted, extending those massive, tattooed arms as if it were his job.
She didn’t hesitate to jump into them as we started up the steps. A giggle ripped out of her as he swung her onto his hip.
Her tiny arms wrapped around his thick neck.
“You got me, My Giant?”
“Yeah, I’ve got you,” he grumbled in that deep, low voice.
God. How was I supposed to handle this?
This feeling that swept over me?
Old dreams trying to break through the barrier where I kept them trapped.
That innocent love trying to sprout from the dried, barren floor that lined my insides.
Our feet thudded on the wood planks as we crossed the porch. My nerves twisted and coiled in my belly as we approached the door.
Cash didn’t knock.
He swung it open to the chaos that echoed from inside, though the voices and laughter were coming from the end of a long corridor on the right.
“This way.” He ushered us inside. Addy and Colin went clambering down the big hall as if they’d taken it a thousand times.
“Addy. Colin,” I tried to warn beneath my breath as I increased my pace to catch up. We passed by a formal living room, a library, then a dining room.
Honestly, the house was absolutely stunning. The walls lined with crown molding and large pillars accented the high ceilings, though it was still welcoming and cozy.
