Chapter 38
She was holding herself together. Auggie and Em and Junie talked to January.
Told her what had happened and that it was safe.
That Bruce was gone now. There was no way they could have kept it a secret, and they all needed to be on alert.
But…she wished she wasn’t the one who had put that look in her little sister’s eyes. January had been through so much.
Sometimes, Auggie thought she, Em and Junie had been the lucky ones. Bruce had been in and out so much during their childhood, to finally disappear when Auggie had been younger than January was now. But January had had to live with Bruce every day.
And their mother. That wouldn’t have been easy, either.
Katie had been in and out of jail most of January’s childhood, but she’d died after Markie had been born.
January had been forced to become more of a parent for the younger girls then.
Even though Auggie seriously suspected January had been taking care of the younger girls for a long, long time before that.
Just like Auggie had taken care of Em and Junie.
She was trying so hard to help January see that she didn’t have to take care of the younger girls so much now. That was Auggie’s job now. Auggie wanted January to have the rest of her childhood to be a child.
That was something she had struggled with when she’d first moved in with her aunt and uncle ten years ago. She had been so used to being the one in charge, especially of Em and Junie, that letting others make the decisions for her sisters had been a real struggle.
She’d wanted to protect January from the same pain.
She wasn’t so sure she was succeeding.
But tonight…tonight wasn’t the time for those worries. They had something more immediate. January was going to be terrified. And they still had to get through the night.
Auggie and Em and Junie couldn’t guard every window.
Unless…they packed up the girls, even in the snow, and took them somewhere they could be safe. Gil and Sage’s ranch. Gil had armed guards out there now.
But the thought of driving at least an hour through a spring snow, with six little girls, in the dark of night…with Bruce out there…
No.
They were safer right where they were.
She just had to make it through the night.
She headed back into the living room. She had one more…problem to deal with.
If she could call him that.
Calloway Ellis Grady was still in her living room. He hadn’t left with his sister and Deputy Lowell like she’d half-thought he would. He was still there.
And he had to be hurting.
She just stood there, in her living room. And looked at him.
He had been there. And he had stayed. Right when she’d needed him most.
She would never forget the hope she had felt seeing Cal in her bedroom. Ready to fight her father. To protect her.
He probably should have been at home resting. Instead, he had fought to protect her.
He stood. He only wobbled a little. The big, strong, tough guy—with a baby girl dressed in bright pink sound asleep on his shoulder.
Like that baby belonged there. Maeya’s bright red hair stuck up everywhere, some was even in the stubble on his cheek.
He looked so…beautiful. Holding her baby that way.
“You didn’t have to stay.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m here now. And I’m staying. Everything…we’ll figure everything else out in the morning. You can’t get rid of me now, woman. Count on that.”
Oh, the man knew all the words, didn’t he?
She just ignored the snickering from Em and Junie behind her.
Those two…brats, both of them.
But…that was her baby that man was rocking now. Auggie had things to do.
Taking care of her sisters was a good place to start.
She’d deal with Cal later. When she could give him one hundred percent of her. Because he deserved that. For now…she was just going to ignore the wish that she could just curl up in his arms and forget the world, too. If only for a little while.