“That sounds perfect. The children will be home tonight, and no doubt they’ll be tired. How about I bring them tomorrow afternoon?”
“Great,” Rain replied, beaming. The expressions on their faces made me feel guilty, even though I was trying to make amends.The old me had clearly made choices I couldn’t condone or judge. Apparently, she had reasons, but I didn’t understand or know them. Hopefully, I wasn’t just being a bitch to these guys. That would make me a supreme asshole.
“I’ll call an Uber,” I said as a police vehicle pulled in.
Shotgun looked torn. He obviously needed to stay with Rain, but didn’t want me getting into a stranger’s car.
“It’ll be fine. I got an Uber here; I can get one home. The doctors won’t clear me to drive; I’ve not even tried. Suppose I should check to see if I remember.”
Shotgun hesitated, but the officers appeared, and then another car arrived with some men in security uniforms. I quietly booked an Uber, and when it pulled up, said goodbye.
???
“Allegra, I don’t like this,” Thatch stated the next afternoon.
“You’ve mentioned that about ten times,” I replied calmly. The twins bickered in the rear, and I smiled. The miracle of seeing them and having my memories rush back didn’t happen. It gutted me as they both tackled me and kissed Mommy's ‘poorly’. Darcy had seemed scared at first until she’d seen Wade smothering me with love. I ended up wrapping a scarf around my head to stop the frightened looks.
Whatever else I might have done wrong, I’d not harmed my children. They were happy, chatty, confident little things who were also highly opinionated. I couldn’t believe how well they spoke and reasoned for their age.
I wasn’t going to lie. I didn’t get a rush of emotion, but they were adorable, and I knew I’d love them all over again. Luckily, they were too young to say, ‘remember this’. It was hard for different reasons. Mainly because they were strangers, and thatwas upsetting. I wanted to remember my children, and it deeply hurt that I didn’t.
Since they had arrived yesterday, I’d spent hours learning their little quirks and personalities. Darcy was unquestionably the leader. But Wade wasn’t far behind. The one thing that stood out was how comfortable they were with my family. They’d obviously all spent a lot of time with them.
Thatch and the cousins had tried to talk me out of taking the children to meet Shotgun and Rain. They’d explained I’d been so hurt I’d not been able to face them since Shotgun called me a liar and manipulative. But that was the old Allegra. New me didn’t recall the pain and grief, and was allowing them to see the twins. If I regained the memories, then it might be a different matter, but for now, seeing Rain and Shotgun didn’t harm me or anyone else. And that was that.
Thatch pulled up outside Shotgun and Rain’s house, and I took a deep breath.
Chapter Eleven.
Shotgun
Rain paced back and forth, a nervous wreck. Since seven this morning, he’d been scrubbing his home and constantly tidying.
Shotgun had got annoyed when Rain repeatedly shooed him from place to place. Hell, the man had screamed at him when he’d walked into the kitchen with his boots on, which were clean! He’d even had Shotgun out mowing the lawn, which had only been done the previous day. Allegra had seen the house in all its glory yesterday, so he really didn’t see the need, but if it kept Rain happy, Shotgun would play along—for now.
Rain was currently wearing a hole in the carpet and driving him quietly up the wall. They were both nervous, but Rain more than Shotgun. As he glanced out of the window, Shotgun saw a car pull up.
Thatch got out and scowled before Allegra appeared.
Shotgun smirked and shot Thatch the finger, improving Thatch’s mood no end.
Thatch and Allegra both opened the rear doors and bent down, and then Shotgun was transfixed. Thatch approachedfirst, holding a little girl. Her hair and eyes were all Rain, but the beauty was Allegra’s. She was noisily telling Thatch a story, who nodded even while he ground his teeth behind a forced smile. Shotgun got a kick out of Thatch’s reaction. This was killing Allegra’s brother.
Allegra carried a boy who was Shotgun’s image. It was a mini him.
A knot formed in his throat. This was something Shotgun had desired but never believed he’d receive. Children. Wade was quieter than Darcy, who was still talking up a storm, but Wade’s eyes took everything in.
Rain rushed to the door and opened it. “Come in!” he beamed, and Thatch’s scowl darkened. But Darcy caught Rain’s attention, and Shotgun knew he’d fallen head over heels.
“Hi, I’m Rain,” he introduced himself, and Darcy grinned in reply.
“Darcy,” she stated plainly.
“Oh my God, did you hear that! She said her name!” Rain exclaimed.
Darcy, clearly having no fear, reached for Rain, who took her at once. “Hair!” Darcy declared and pointed to Rain’s.
“Yes, we’ve the same,” Rain agreed.
