Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 112398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
She choked on her disbelief. “I don’t know how to be prepared for any of this, Aria. Don’t know how to stop it. I’m . . . not as strong as you.”
I fully turned to her. “You are. Just be vigilant. Be careful. And if something happens, call me. You have my new number, and I need you to use it.”
Her head bounced in understanding, though she whispered, “You’re leaving.”
“We can’t stay here. Not right now.”
She hesitated before she asked, “He came for you? When you were in trouble?”
She peeked over her shoulder at Pax’s car.
“I know it’s hard to understand, but Pax and I are tied. Bound in a way that others are not. We will always be together.”
Tenderness filled her expression. “You love him.”
“I always have.”
Her hand tightened on mine. “If one good thing came from this, then I’m thankful for that. That he found you and you found him. That you were not alone.” Her head tipped to the side as she studied me. “Is he good to you?”
Emotion pulled at my lips. “He’s more than good—he’s everything.”
Her warm brown eyes brimmed with moisture, and she turned and wrapped me in her arms. Her mouth was at my temple as she murmured, “I love you so much. Please know that. Please take that with you everywhere you go. And I pray one day . . . one day that you see the fullness of it.”
I held her close, nodding my head against hers. “I do. I already do.”
Sniffling, she pulled away, and she squeezed both my hands before she wiped her tears, then waved over my brothers and sister.
Mitch and Keaton immediately stopped what they were doing and came sprinting in our direction, and Brianna slowly slipped off the table.
Wariness slowed her steps as she followed.
“Aria! Aria!” Mitch and Keaton shouted.
I stood, and they slammed into me. A flood of affection pummeled me as I curled my arms around them.
“I missed you!” Keaton said.
“I missed you even more,” Mitch said, trying to one-up him the way he always did.
A soggy laugh left me as I hugged them to me. “I missed both of you. So much,” I murmured.
With eyes the color of our mother’s, Mitch peered up at me. A beaming smile lit his face. “Are you home forever now?”
Sorrow swam through me, and I brushed my fingers through his hair. “Not yet. I have to go away for a little while longer, but I promise I will come back to visit soon.”
“You’d better hurry up, because it’s going to be my birthday in six weeks!” Mitch said.
My spirit pinched, and I prayed it wasn’t a lie when I told him, “I definitely can’t miss that, can I?”
“You better not. It’s gonna be extra fun because Mom said I get an ice cream cake.”
“Wow, then I definitely have to be here.”
I could feel Brianna approaching from behind.
Filled with caution.
My brothers released me as I straightened, and there was no missing the fear in Brianna’s eyes. She was obviously old enough to recognize the trauma that had befallen our family in the last two weeks. No way to keep her from the pain and distress.
Her steps were slow, but the second I murmured her name, she broke. She ran to me in pure desperation, slamming against me in a tidal wave of relief. I hugged her tight as she sobbed. “I was so scared, Aria. I was so scared.”
My heart groaned. “I know. I was scared, too. But it’s all going to be okay.”
It had to be.
She clung to me. “I want you to stay.”
“I wish I could, but I have to go away for a while longer.”
Last night, Pax and I had contemplated finding a place to settle. A place to make our home. But now . . . it felt dangerous to remain in one spot. Running was the only thing we knew.
Maybe one day I could return. Settle close. Become a constant in their lives. But not when so many questions remained around us.
Nodding, she peeled herself away. “I understand.”
“I expect to see an amazing performance from your dance troupe as soon as I get back,” I tried to tease, though it came out thick.
She fumbled over an uncertain laugh, her brown eyes shining as she looked at me. “I’ll be practicing every day.”
“I can’t wait to see it.”
“Would you mind taking your brothers back to your grandmother’s house?” our mother asked her.
Brianna also seemed to have matured a decade since I’d been gone, and without argument, she took the boys’ hands. “Come on. Let’s go get warmed up. I think my toes are going to fall off.”
She stalled and lifted her chin. “Come back to us.”
My nod was jerky. “I will.”
Without saying anything else, she turned to lead them away, though both my brothers were shouting, “Bye, Aria! We’ll see you soon!”