“Maybe a little,” Leo agreed.
Chapter 23
Ronan quietly walked into his bedroom to find Giada tucked into bed wearing one of his teeshirts, and she’d obviously been cleaned up — Tempest, no doubt. A lamp was on across the room from the bed, and she was snuggled against one of the pillows, breathing calm, regular breaths. He sat on the side of the bed beside her trying to get a feel for anything she might be feeling, but there was no fear, no pain. Relieved he reached out and stroked her face gently. “I’m here, honey. I found the boys. They were still tucked away where you hid them, perfectly safe. They brought their pillows and their new toys with them and can’t wait to see you. I couldn’t wait to see you. I was so scared, Giada. I was afraid you’d be hurt before I got there. And then when I saw that fucker holding you by the hair, beating you. I couldn’t stop myself. I launched myself at him. It’s my fault he threw you to the ground. It’s my fault you hit your head. I’m so sorry. I should have handled it differently, but I just, I lost it when you were threatened.”
He paused for a second to try to focus himself. He was having a hard time regulating his emotions at the idea that he might have actually lost her if he’d been two seconds later, and the kids, too, for that matter.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. Tempest healed you, and so did Bam. Tempest and Brandt brought you back here while I searched for Leo and Matteo. Tempest sensed them somewhere near your house so she knew they were safe — I just had to find them. You found a great hiding place. You did good.”
He paused to breathe and compose himself again.
“See, here’s the thing. I want you here. I want Leo and Matteo here. I can hear them talking to my dad out in theliving room. They want to be here. So, I’m really hoping you want to be here, too, now that you know you don’t have to hide anymore. And you don’t have to hide. They’re gone. The men your husband sent after you, and even your husband. They’re all gone. They’re dead, Giada. I’d like to say I got the privilege of removing your husband from the face of the Earth, but I was busy at the shelter. Tempest took care of that, and from what I understand, it was terrifying, so I do take some solace in that. But regardless, they no longer draw breath. No one will ever come after you again. You can rest easy every night. You can send the boys to school if you want to, or home school them here if you need time to adjust to letting them out of your sight. Whatever you want is fine, I just hope you’ll want to be here with me. But maybe I shouldn’t have said that. It’s selfish of me to assume that you’d want to be here now that you get the chance to live freely.”
He paused and looked down at his hands before looking up at her again. “Ultimately, I love you. I want you to be happy. Even if it’s not with me. And honestly, as long as you’re happy and they’re happy, I’d find a way to be okay with that. Either way, just know you don’t have to worry anymore, and you’re free. And safe.”
He sat there watching her sleep for a few minutes longer before he leaned over and kissed her forehead.
“The boys want to see you so I’m going to let them come in for a little while, okay? Don’t worry, you’re all cleaned up and there’s no indication that anything happened. I just told them that you fell and hit your head. I didn’t think they needed to know what actually happened. Leo, though, he’s a smart one. He knows exactly why you hid them away and who was trying to hurt you. But still, I told him you fell while you were trying to lead the bad guys away from their hiding spot.”
He stood and looked down at her, sleeping peacefully in his bed. “Take your time. There’s no rush. Take all the time you need to heal,” he whispered, then quietly left the room.
About ten minutes later he was back with both boys, having given them time to finish their cereal. He slowly opened the door and let them get a look at their mother. Leo looked up at him. “Can I go lay by her?”
“Of course,” Ronan said. “So can you, Matteo.”
They both hurried across the room and climbed up on the bed. Leo situated himself beside her with his head on her shoulder. “We’re here, Momma!”
“Momma, I’m here, too,” Matteo said, leaning his head on her stomach. “I want to stay here for always. Can we stay here for always? And when your headache goes away and you wake up, can Ronan be our daddy? We like him.”
“Yeah, we do,” Leo said.
“Guys, that’s Momma’s decision, okay? Let’s give her some time to rest and decide what she wants,” Ronan said.
Both boys nodded, and Leo yawned. “I’m gonna take a nap, Momma,” he said, snuggling in closer beside her but moving his head to the pillow beside hers.
“Me, too, but I’m gonna lay on my wolf pillow,” Matteo said. He squirmed around until he managed to have his back pressed against her hip and his head on the wolf pillow he’d remembered to grab before running into the bedroom.
“Where’s mine?” Leo asked.
“I’ll go get it,” Ronan said. He was right back with the pillow in his hand, and gave it to Leo.
“Thank you,” Leo said, as he yawned again.
“You guys get some sleep. I’m going to leave the door cracked a bit and I’ll leave the lamp on for you. I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”
“Okay,” Leo said, as Matteo let out a soft little snore. “He’s already asleep.”
Ronan laughed softly. “He sure is.” Ronan watched as Leo got himself comfortable and let out a deep, satisfied sigh. It was crazy how quickly kids relaxed when they realized they were safe and loved. It was an instinct they had.
He went back into the living room and flopped down on the sofa.
“Now what?” Brandt asked.
“Now we wait until she wakes up and just make sure they have all they need,” Ronan said.
“Well, I’m going home to get your mother. We’ll be back to help out any way we can,” Maverik said.
“Give us a ride?” Brandt asked. “I don’t want Tempest to have to walk, or mist us anywhere. She’s not recovered yet.”
