Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Relief.
Relief that I was going to let him brush everything that had happened up against that tree under the rug.
Relief for him. Torture for me.
Because now that I’d had a taste of Micah, I just wanted more.
A lot more.
The rest of the walk back to the house was made in silence but it was anything but uneventful. Micah lost his balance more than once on the uneven footing and I found myself automatically reaching behind me to catch him as he stumbled. The fact that I was hyperaware of his every move was bad enough but when I made the mistake of taking his hand in mine to help him over a small log, I knew I was beyond help. Once I had his hand in mine, I couldn’t bring myself to let it go and no amount of trying to convince myself that it was only for Micah’s safety rang true. Especially since the last little bit of the walk to the house was as obstacle free as you could get and yet I still couldn’t release his hand.
Once we reached the back door, I knocked on the glass gently. “Christopher, it’s us,” I called. I had a key, but I didn’t want to frighten the kids any more than they already were. When Christopher’s frantic face appeared at the door, I forced myself to drop Micah’s hand. Tears were streaming down the kid’s face as he struggled to open the door. He practically flew into his uncle’s waiting arms.
“I’m sorry,” Micah murmured to his nephew as he held him. “I’m so sorry.”
I was still holding the door when a sleepy-looking Rory appeared, but instead of going to Micah, she wrapped her little arms around my leg. She said something but the words were so softly spoken that I couldn’t hear her, so I knelt and took her into my arms.
“Your Uncle Micah is safe, sweetheart,” I said.
“Did the monsters get him again?”
“Monsters?” I asked.
She nodded sadly, then wrapped her arms around me. “The monsters make him cry while he’s sleeping,” she whispered. “Are they out there?” she asked as she deliberately turned her face so she wasn’t looking at the darkness surrounding the house.
“No honey, they’re not out there,” I murmured as my eyes shifted to Micah. He was watching us so I knew he’d overheard my conversation with Rory.
“Why don’t we get inside?” I suggested. I held the door for Micah and Christopher and then carried Rory inside.
“Okay, now that my silly adventure is over, how about we eat?” Micah offered, his voice light and a fake smile pasted to his lips.
Neither of the children responded to him and I could see just by looking at Christopher that I was making him nervous, so I said, “I’ve actually got some work to do, so you guys eat without me.”
I deposited Rory on one of the kitchen chairs and made my escape. I could hear muffled voices coming from the kitchen, but I couldn’t make out what anyone was saying. I could only imagine how hard Micah was working to reassure the kids that everything was okay.
It was something he’d probably had to do for a very long time, even when things had been far from okay.
I made my way to my office but after an hour of staring at the same email, I gave up and headed to the stairs. The kitchen was dark and quiet, so I assumed everyone had gone to bed early.
I discovered I was both right and wrong when I climbed the stairs and headed toward the master bedroom.
The kids were likely down for the count, but Micah was sitting on the floor just outside my door. He had his knees tucked up against his chest and his forehead was pressed against them. There was a plate wrapped in foil on the floor next to him.
I wasn’t sure if he was asleep or not, but I got my answer when a floorboard creaked under my weight and Micah lifted his head. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing the plate in the process.
“Hey,” he croaked. His voice sounded used and rusty, leaving me to wonder if he’d been crying.
I reminded myself I couldn’t give a shit about stuff like that, so I merely said, “Hey” and moved past him to open the door.
“I brought you something to eat,” Micah said as he thrust the plate at me. “It’s a sandwich. The kids were tired so we just had sandwiches instead of spaghetti and I thought you might want one since you hadn’t eaten. Or at least, I don’t think you’ve eaten. Maybe you have. Anyway, it’s just turkey and cheese on wheat. I wasn’t sure if that was okay or if you’re on a special diet because you’ve got to make weight or whatever for your fight. If it’s not okay, I can make you something else—”