Chapter 31
SIENNA
“Kendall!” I shout, cupping my hands around my mouth. “Harley!”
My shoulders deflate as I listen for a reply and hear nothing.
It’s so freaking cold out here, and my worry for these girls is increasing by the second. I can hear Zander and Zoey to the left of me, their calls drifting into the woods. I’m glad they’ve managed to work out that angst between them.
At least she’s speaking to us again.
I know I need to have a talk with her and clear the air between us as well, but most of her anger was directed at Zander, and I’m relieved that’s been figured out.
When I glanced back before, he had her in a side hug and she wasn’t rolling her eyes or scowling at him.
In fact, she had this sweet little smile on her face. Thank God for that.
I’m also relieved I told Zander about Davis and my personal crisis. He was so understanding, which deep down I knew he would be. So why did I take so freaking long to talk to him about it?
I don’t know.
And I still don’t know what my future holds, but it’s nice to know he’ll support me as I try to figure it out.
“Harley!” I shout again.
“Kendall!” Zander hollers, although his voice is getting farther away as I take another right around a big fat tree trunk, then jolt to a stop.
“Help.” The cry is soft and barely audible.
Did I just imagine that?
“Kendall?” I stay where I am, straining for another soft cry.
“Help.”
My breath hitches. Where did that come from?
I start running in what I think is the right direction.
“Harley! Kendall! Where are you?”
There’s a pause as I slow my pace and try to listen.
“Here.”
I whip my head to the left and change course, darting through the trees.
“Keep talking!” I shout. “Help me find you!”
“Aunt Senna?”
My chest caves with relief, and I can’t help blubbering, “Yeah, it’s me. Where are you, sweetheart?”
“Here.” The voice gets louder as I run toward it, and then I spot a little head popping out from behind a tree trunk.
“Oh, thank God,” I whimper, racing forward and pulling Kendall into my arms. Wrapping her in a hug that is probably way too tight, I hold her against me and start shouting, “I’ve found them!”
Little Kendall’s shivering, her icy fingers making me jump when she touches my face. “Harley stuck.”
“What? Where is she?”
“Down there.” Kendall points behind her, and I set her down, letting her pull me toward a hole in the ground.
“Oh my gosh.” I drop to my knees, staring into the hole and spotting Harley curled up against the edge of it. “Harley, sweetie. I’m here.”
“Mommy?” She looks up, her little face streaked with dirt and tears.
“No, baby. It’s Aunt Sienna.”
“I want Mommy,” she whimpers, her words turning into a gut-wrenching sob.
“I know.” My eyes flood with tears. “I’m gonna take you to her, okay? We just have to get you out of this hole first. Can you stand up?”
Harley sniffs, wiping the back of her hand across her cheek and slowly unfurling herself.
I lean back to call into the forest. “They’re here! I found them!” I shout it as loud as I can, hoping my voice will carry.
Pulling out my phone, I doubt it has reception… and yep, I’m right.
“They’re here!” I shout again before lying on the ground and stretching my arm down into the hole. “Reach for me, sweetie. You can do it.”
Harley gives me a doubtful frown, but I wiggle my fingers at her.
“I’ll pull you up, okay?”
She sniffs, her chin bunching as she stretches up. I shuffle forward a little more, then whip a look back over my shoulder. “Kendall, you stay there, okay? I don’t want you falling in too.”
Nodding, she inches back, sitting down beside my leg.
“Good girl.” I smile at her, then turn back to Harley.
“I can’t,” she whimpers.
“Yes, you can.” I strain my arm down even farther. “We can do this together, okay?”
I try to keep my voice light and ignore the panic riding through me. Her teeth are chattering, her skinny body quaking as she tries to reach for me.
“It’s too far.”
“You can do it. Reach for me, sweetie. Come on.”
With a strained grunt, she does a little jump, and I manage to snag her fingers, then wrap mine around her wrist.
“Good girl!” I praise her. “I’m gonna pull you up, okay?”
Using all my strength, I curl my bicep and start to drag her out of this hole.
Please, body. Help me out.
It’s a tough ask at this awkward angle, but I tug and strain.
“That’s it. That’s it,” I encourage Harley. “Walk up the edge. You can do it!”
Harley tries but then slips, my body tensing as I catch her weight and continue to draw her out of this damn hole.
“Almost there, almost there.” I’m not sure if I’m talking to myself or her right now.
My muscles are screaming at me to stop, but all I can hear in the back of my mind is “One more set. You can do it. Push, push, push.”
So I do.
I push, and I take that pain. I embrace the burning muscles that are threatening to quit until I can wrap my arm around this little girl’s waist and pull her up to safety.
“Harley!” Kendall shouts as I flop onto my ass, grabbing the trembling little blonde into my lap.
“You’re safe,” I whisper, kissing the top of her head and catching Kendall against my side when she launches herself at us. “You’re both safe.”
“Harley!” comes from our right, quick steps crashing through the brush until Carson appears, pale and out of breath. He must have been sprinting since he heard my shouts.
“Daddy?” Harley whimpers, her face crumpling when she lets out another wail and reaches for him.
Carson pulls her off my lap and into his arms.
Closing his eyes, he cradles the back of her head while she wraps her little legs around his waist and all-out bawls.
“It’s okay, caramel. I gotcha.” Kissing the side of her head, he looks practically sick with relief.
I sniff, battling this overwhelming flood of emotion just as Grady comes bursting around a tree… and Zander and Zoey appear moments later.
“Kenny!” Grady drops to his knees with relief while his little girl grins at him.
“Hi, Daddy.”
She doesn’t seem to be fazed at all. In spite of her shivers, she happily skips over to her father, jumping into his arms and snuggling close.
“I’m cold.”
“I bet you are.” He unzips his jacket, cocooning her inside, and she giggles, thinking this is a big adventure.
Incredible. I shake my head, marveling at her as I share a quick smile with Grady.
“I know.” He grins back at me, his eyes glassing for just a moment before he blinks and pulls himself together.
“Harley was stuck in this hole.” I point at it, quickly explaining what I found.
“And Kendall didn’t leave her side.” I smile at the little girl’s back.
“That was really brave, Kenny.” She’s too busy snuggling into her father’s warmth to notice my compliment, so I turn back to Carson. “Is she hurt?”
“I don’t think so.” Carson’s still holding her tight, like he never wants to let her go.
“Let’s get back to the house and warm these two up.” Zander holds out his hand for me and I take it, letting him pull me to my feet.
As soon as I’m upright, he wraps his arm around my waist and tugs me close.
“My hero,” he whispers against my ear.
I laugh and shake my head.
“Uh… ya-huh!” Zoey raises her eyebrows at me. “You just pulled that kid out of a hole. That’s a total hero move, Mom. You’re like… Wonder Woman.”
A skeptical giggle pops out of me and I shake my head, holding Zander’s hand as we follow Grady and Carson back to the house. They’re walking at a fast clip, no doubt still worried for their girls.
Harley’s not crying so loud anymore, but she’s still whimpering, and we need to check for injuries. She fell into a hole. Hypothermia isn’t the only thing we need to worry about, although it’s probably the main concern.
I hope they’re just cold.
Please, just let it be a case of the shivery shakes, and we can warm them up with some hot cocoa and snuggly blankets.
“You know, I think it’s all of your working out at the gym,” Zoey keeps going. “A year ago, there’s no way you could have done that. You’re so strong now.”
My daughter gives me an impressed smile, and I glance up at Zander.
His wink is sexy and sweet. I grin back up at him until reminders of Davis dawn on me.
Shit.
“Hey. It’s okay. You’re gonna find a new gym.” He reads my mind before planting a kiss on my forehead.
“What do you mean?” Zoey asks, and I’m forced to explain what happened with Davis.
“So yeah, now I don’t want to go to that gym anymore.”
Zoey’s lips part in horror. “But he’s married! And you’re married! And he knows that!”
“I know.” I bulge my eyes at Zoey, trying not to laugh at her indignation. It’s kind of cute. She looks so like Zander right now, it’s freaky. “He’s a complete—”
“Wankpuffin!” Zoey spits out, truly disgusted by him.
“A what?” I laugh.
Zander chuckles, squeezing my shoulder. “It’s Zoey’s latest insult. I kind of like it.” He nods, then points at her. “As long as you don’t use it on your brothers. That insult is reserved for idiot guys who don’t know how to respect women.”
“Okay, fine.” Zoey rolls her eyes, then winks up at Zander.
Oh, I’m so glad they’ve managed to sort out their shit. I hate it when Zoey’s giving us the silent treatment.
“You know what you should do, Mom?” She steadies herself against a tree as we navigate the final part of the trail. “You should start your own gym or become a personal trainer for women so they don’t have to work with dickheads like Davis.”
My eyebrows rise. “A personal trainer? You think I could do that?”
“Hell yes!” She looks back to smile at me.
“I’m not too old?”
“Hell no!” Zander snatches my hand as soon as we’ve cleared the tree line. “Baby, you’re a MILF. You’re a ten. You’re in your fucking prime.”
“Ew!” Zoey shrieks. “Dad, don’t be gross.”
“What? I was complimenting her.”
“A MILF?” Her face puckers as she sticks out her tongue. “I do not need to hear that.”
Zander snickers. “You don’t know what that means.”
“Yes, I do.”
“What?” Zander’s horrified expression is hilarious. “How do you know what that means?”
“Oh, come on, I wasn’t born under a rock.”
“But… but… you… you’re only… fourteen.” His words trail off on a sigh, and all I can do is laugh and shake my head while Zoey runs around to my other side to wrap her arm around my waist.
Dropping mine across her shoulders, I glance down at her as she assures me, “You’re not too old.
That’s the beauty of having kids when you’re young, I guess.
” She swallows and pulls me to a stop. Ignoring the dirt smearing my jacket, she wraps me in a tight hug.
“I’m sorry for what I said. You’re not an idiot.
You’re smart and kind and the best mom in the world.
” She leans back, her regret so sweet, my heart starts to melt. “You can do anything.”
I smile down at her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I love you, Zoey.”
“Do you forgive me?”
“Of course,” I laugh, pulling her back against me. “I forgave you before we’d even landed.”
Zoey’s arms wrap around me a little tighter, and l look over at Zander, sharing a smile with him.
He grins at me, resting his hand on my shoulder and telling me without a word that I’m the best thing in his life.
A MILF.
A ten.
His one and only Sparks.