“I know this is hard, but you are safe, Serenity. Frank is gone.”
She bites back tears as her eyes slide over the area as if she’s searching for something.
“Let’s just try to get to the living room, and then we’ll go from there, okay?”
“Okay,” she says, releasing a shaky breath.
It takes us a few minutes, but I get her up the porch steps and through the front door, guiding her to the recliner in the living room. She winces as she lowers herself.
“This sucks so bad,” she says, unable to hold her tears any longer.
“I’ll go grab your bags. I think your past due for another pain pill,” I say, looking at my watch. Fuck, we need to stay on top of her pain a little better.
“It’s not that. It’s just …”
She looks around, and I wonder if she’s reliving the horror of being shot and crawling through our house.
“It’s just that I miss Peanut.”
My shoulders fall. “Yeah.” I get it now. “I’m used to him greeting me in the driveway or at the door too.”
My admission makes her break down into full out sobs.
“Hey, shhh. Serenity, it’s okay.”
She shakes her head, holding onto me tightly. “He protected me.” Her head snaps back, and panic races across her face. “Mila could have been here.” She grabs my shirt as if she’s just nowthinking about all of the potential implications of Frank finding us.
“Everyone is safe, Serenity. Take a deep breath.” I drop to a knee in front of her. I hold her gaze, breathing with her, but she doesn’t loosen her grip on me. “Mila was with the twins, remember?”
Serenity takes a few more deep breaths, and just when I think she’s calming down, she begins to cry harder, giggling at the same time. “Mila was saved by our booty call.”
My head falls. For the first time since finding her at the bottom of the steps, I feel like everything’s going to be okay.
“I’m sorry,” she says, covering her mouth with one hand while wiping her eyes with the other.
I push them away and run the bottom of my shirt over her face just like I do Mila sometimes. “See, and here you were feeling guilty about it.”
“I was.”
I look into her beautiful tear-filled eyes. “Welcome home, baby.”
“Maybe this time I’ll get to stay a bit longer,” she jokes. Her brows pull together when she hears the wagon rattling down the hall.
“Mommy?” Mila yells, no doubt pulling Peanut along with her. He’s not quite walking yet, but he’s getting there.
Serenity’s face lights up at the sound of our daughter’s voice. “My Mila,” she whispers, covering her mouth.
I shift to the side, so she can see them. She gasps, jumping to her feet.
“Serenity, slow down. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
She pulls away from me and falls at Mila’s feet. She tugs our daughter into a hug while reaching behind her to pet Peanut at the same time. “He’s alive!” she cries.
“Peanut has ouchy,” Mila tells her, pointing to his bandaged leg.
My heart falls fast. I’m such a dumb fuck. Serenity thought he didn’t make it.
I squat on the other side of Mila, wrapping my arm around the two of them. “I’m so sorry, Serenity. I should have told you.”