Page 25 of Double the Redemption

“He’s been after you because he’s tired of dealing with your cranky ass when you get home and spend all night complaining,” Scarlett joked. “Rogue tells me all the time that you cry and yell all day at them.”

Esme shrugged, unashamed. “Hormones. They knew what they were getting into. Besides, it makes them pay attention to what they’re doing, which means fewer headaches for me. Mostly.”

Scarlett grinned, then looked back at Naomi. “If you’re worried about the girls, I can promise they’re very responsible. If you want to make sure there’s an adult around, I’ll be there the whole time. And since it’ll be at the garage, we’ll only be right upstairs if we need you.”

“Thank you. I’ve just never left him with anyone else. I didn’t dare.”

The admission tore at her heart, but she tried not to let it show. She’d been terrified of what might happen to Asher when she wasn’t there.

Scarlett’s expression softened. “Would it be helpful if you came over to the apartment before meeting with Rogue and Esme so you can see the place and make sure you’re comfortable and see how Asher adjusts?”

She hadn’t considered that. Did she have any other choice? Going to the garage was important, and she needed something to do, so saying no to the work wasn’t what she wanted to do.

“I don’t want to intrude …”

“Show up at six,” Rogue ordered, coming up behind Scarlett, making Naomi jump. Naomi stared at him with wide eyes. “I’ll get some pizza ordered in. You’ll see that your son is in the safest place he can be. Then we get to work.”

“Spoken like a man.” Royal huffed. “Rogue, she’s never been away from her son, and she barely knows us. Of course, she’s not comfortable leaving him with anyone yet.”

Naomi stared helplessly at them all. She wasn’t trying to cause trouble or insult anyone. Her breathing quickened as her mind spun, searching for something to focus on.

“Hey,” Ink murmured, taking her hand and leaning in to whisper into her ear. “It’s okay, baby. I’m right here. Focus on my voice for a second, okay?” She nodded because speaking wasn’t possible yet. “That’s it. Whatever you’re worried about, you’re safe here. No one is judging you. All you need to know is that you’ve already got friends in the making. These ladies? They’re protective of each other, and that includes you. They’ll put any of us in our place for being insensitive asses.”

She turned to look at him, her heart slowly getting back to normal. “And does that include you?” she whispered.

He grinned. “They love me, but yeah, even me when the occasion calls for it. You okay?”

She nodded, and he gave her hand another squeeze, and instead of letting go, he held lightly, as if he knew she wasn’t ready for him to pull away yet.

Why did that make her giddy?

“Okay, all of you, be quiet,” Rogue barked, jolting her back to the present. “Esme is going to pop any day. I need you to know what the hell you’re doing. Having your son around while you try to learn is going to be hard. Wren, Win, and Scarlett have helped out with all the kids around here. Trust them. Living in fear of everyone will only restrict you. And if you really want to, I’ll put up with Ink being in the apartment to keep an eye on things if that’s what you need to focus.”

“Brother, you’d really do that?” Ink gasped as the women laughed. “I’m so honored.” He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

“Fuck off,” Rogue bit out. He turned to Scarlett, gave her a short but no less passionate kiss, tapped her ass, then stalked off.

Scarlett’s smile was dreamy while Wren looked amused and disgusted. Finally, Scarlett looked at Naomi. “He means well. We’d love to watch him, if you’ll trust us.”

Naomi looked at her, then at Scarlett, and finally back to Ink. Ink gave her a reassuring nod. “Okay,” she finally agreed, even if she wasn’t wholly confident in this plan or admitting that Rogue was right.

Wren beamed. “Awesome! I’m going to let Win know. We’ll start planning what we’re going to do. Wait, you said that he’s really advanced, right?”

“He’s got the signs of a very high IQ like I did at his age. Though, that’s not official.”

“Got it.” She looked at Scarlett. “Can you grab some stuff for him that would be a few levels above his age range? We can start working with him.”

Scarlett smiled. “Sure. But I’ll also pick him up some age-appropriate things. If he gets too overwhelmed, they can be a comfort for him.”

Naomi’s shoulders loosened. Scarlett gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. “We got you. And Ice told me you’re looking for a few things as well. I’ll get on picking those out tomorrow too. Now, I need to go and find my man. I’m about ready to leave.”

Wren rolled her eyes but hurried over to where Win was entertaining Asher, Ronin, and Gabe. Beside her was Saylor holding a little boy about a year younger than Asher while two little girls lay on a play mat, playing with a toy together.

The kids all looked happy, and Naomi found herself enjoying the scene. Asher looked right at home. Not stressed or worried.

“He’s adapted so much easier than I thought,” she whispered, some of the stress easing.

“Kids are resilient,” Esme said, with a knowing smile. “I was worried about Gabe, but he’s been amazing. He’s excited to have a baby around to help take care of too.” She rubbed her belly.