Chapter 41 Thane
THANE
The sound of Lewis’s light snoring woke me up.
Blinking my eyes open, I waited for them to adjust to the darkness so I could take in the sight before me.
A pain in my neck made itself known, but I didn’t dare move.
I was in an awkward half-sitting, half-reclined position against my headboard.
Lewis was curled into me, his small head on my chest, his little arm wrapped around my waist. My left arm rested on my son’s warm back, while my free hand clasped the book we’d been reading.
My gaze drifted past my son to my daughter, her back pressed up against her brother’s, but she snuggled into Regan, who held her close even in sleep.
A week had passed since Austin Vale’s attack on Ery and the kids and his attempted rape and murder of Regan.
Sometimes, just saying the words in my head made me dizzy. It was surreal. Our family had been through so much in the past year.
But we were here, with me in my bed, safe.
Regan still wasn’t a hundred percent from her concussion, and Eilidh and Lewis didn’t want to be far from her side since they’d seen her in that hospital bed. Her trauma seemed to have distracted them from their own, which told me just how much my children loved her.
Still, I’d spoken with a colleague at work whose wife was a child psychologist, and she’d suggested some family trauma counseling for us all. Our first appointment was next week.
We had to get Eils and Lew back into a routine, back into their own beds. As it was, Eilidh didn’t even want to be in her own room. I considered redecorating the guest room and turning that into her bedroom, but I wanted to speak with the counselor first to discuss the best plan of action.
For now, we all slept together so me or Regan (or both) could be right there when either of the children woke from a nightmare. Tonight was the first night neither of them had one. That was progress.
It helped for them to know the monster who’d taken and tied them up was dead. Austin’s body washed ashore a mile from Ardnoch Beach.
The danger to my family was over.
Eredine was on the mend, though Lachlan and Robyn were done giving her space, worried that this latest assault would push her further away. She was ensconced in their guest room with no intention of letting her out of their sight until they were sure she was going to be okay.
Seth and Stacey wanted to fly over, but Regan video-called to assure them she was all right and it wasn’t worth the expense.
I gathered they were hurt by this, but I couldn’t help but be selfishly relieved they weren’t returning to Scotland.
Stacey was unpredictable, and I didn’t like the way she treated Regan or twisted what was between us.
We didn’t need that kind of judgment in our lives right now.
Though, at some point, for Regan and Robyn’s sake, bridges would have to be mended there.
“You’re awake,” Regan whispered, startling me.
“How did you know?”
“You sighed like the world was sitting on your shoulders.” She reached out with her free arm, her palm resting upward on the pillow beside me. I took her hand in mine, rubbing my thumb over her soft skin.
“I just want everyone to be okay,” I whispered.
“We will be,” she promised. “We’ll all get through this together. Robyn’s taking Eilidh shopping for her flower-girl dress tomorrow, so that will be a pleasant distraction.”
“She’ll love that.”
“Maybe you and Lewis could do something with Lachlan, Mac, and Brodan?”
To my shock and gratitude, Brodan had brought filming on his movie to a standstill to come home to check on us all.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay long, but we still had tomorrow with him.
We’d kept the kids off school but tomorrow was Sunday, and they’d return on Monday.
Back to their routine. “Maybe we should all do something together.”
“We’ll have dinner together at night,” she reassured me. “We need to start doing things separately. Show them it’s okay.”
I knew she was right. And I loved how much she loved Eilidh and Lewis. “I adore you, Regan Demelza Penhaligon.”
I could see her smile flash in the darkness. “I adore you, too, Thane Tavin Stuart Adair.”
“Stop being mushy,” Lewis yawned, “and go back to sleep.”
I choked back a laugh as Regan snorted.
Yeah, we were going to be okay.