Chapter 4 #2
“Get ready, Glenna, because we’re here.”
The SUV hadn’t even come to a complete stop before Glenna had her hand on the door handle.
“Wait,” Tyrone said, reaching out to catch her arm. “Glenna, wait.”
She turned to him, her face a mask of desperation. “Let go of me.”
“Look.” Tyrone pointed toward the arch of the former cloister gates to where a small, dark-haired figure had just stepped out onto the gravel, a tan puppy nipping at her heels.
Glenna let out a high, keening wail that sounded like it had been ripped from the center of her soul. She threw the door open and tumbled out of the SUV, her feet hitting the gravel and skidding as she tried to find her balance. “KELSEY!”
Her scream made a direct hit on his heart, and only his grip on the door of the vehicle kept him from going to his knees.
The little girl froze, and she looked toward the SUV, her eyes going wide, her mouth falling open in a silent ‘O’ of pure shock. “MOMMY.”
“KELSEY!” Glenna didn’t run; she flew. She scrambled across the gravel, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
Tyrone watched as Kelsey’s face transformed from shock to a joy so pure it felt like a physical blow to his chest. She started running, her tiny legs churning with her arms outstretched.
They met in the middle of the parking lot. Glenna collapsed to her knees, catching the girl in mid-air and pulling her into her body with a force that looked like she was trying to merge their souls. They hit the gravel in a heap of tangled limbs and sobbing breaths.
“Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!” Kelsey’s hands buried in Glenna’s hair, her face pressed into her mother’s neck.
Glenna was incoherent, her body racking with heaving, violent sobs as she rocked her daughter, her hands roaming over Kelsey’s back, her head, her arms as if she was checking for every inch of her child, confirming the miracle with her own skin.
Tyrone blinked against the sting of salt in his own eyes.
He looked away, his gaze catching Gunnar’s over the roof of the SUV.
The big man looked equally affected, his jaw set in a hard line, and even his eyes were uncharacteristically bright.
Nemo was leaning against the fender, staring at the ground, his usual smirk nowhere to be found.
Around the courtyard, the rest of the team had begun to emerge, drawn by the sound of the reunion.
Colt and Siobhán stood in the shadows of the archway; Talon and Petra watched from near the gate to the swimming pool.
Even the dogs, Zombie and the pup Chaos, seemed to sense the gravity of the moment, and were sitting quietly, watching the two figures on the ground.
It was the loudest silence Tyrone had ever experienced.
Minutes passed until finally, the raw, jagged sobbing began to taper off into soft, hitching breaths. Glenna pulled back just enough to look at Kelsey’s face. She cupped the girl’s cheeks in her hands, her thumbs wiping away the tears.
“You’re okay,” her words carried to Tyrone on the breeze. “You’re okay. I’ve got you. I’m never letting you go again. Never.”
“Zorro and the magic-bird found me, Mommy,” Kelsey sniffled, pointing a shaking finger back toward him. “He said you were coming. He said his bird would bring you.”
“He did, baby. He did.” Glenna looked over her daughter’s head, her gaze finding his where he stood by the car. Her face was a mess of tears, dirt, and raw emotion, but as her eyes locked onto his, the anger was gone. In its place was a look of profound, staggering gratitude.
Damn, she probably didn’t believe this was real until right this second.
Could he blame her? No, no, he couldn’t. Tyrone exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing just a fraction. He pushed off the SUV and took a step forward, then froze as Kelsey’s head snapped up, her dark eyes locking onto him like a homing beacon.
“Mommy.” She wriggled free of Glenna’s grip and bolted toward him, her small boots kicking up gravel. “It’s Zorro. It’s the magic-bird man!”
Glenna surged to her feet, her hand flying to her mouth as if she could physically hold back the sob threatening to escape.
Tyrone dropped to one knee, bracing himself as Kelsey launched into his arms. The impact drove the breath from his lungs, but he wrapped his arms around her, holding tight. “Hey, kiddo,” his voice was rough, but steady. “Miss me?”
Kelsey nodded against his shoulder, her fingers clutching at the fabric of his shirt. “You said you’d bring my mommy. You promised.”
“I also told you that I keep my promises.” He glanced at Glenna.
She stood a few feet away, her arms wrapped around herself like she was holding her own ribs together.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face streaked with tears and dirt, but the way she was looking at him—like he’d just handed her the damn moon—made his chest tighten.
“Why don’t we go get some breakfast and show your mom where you two will be staying for a bit? ”
Kelsey nodded. “Yeah, Shivs and Jules’s momma an’ me made the beds.”
“You did, huh?” He put her on her feet and glanced down when her tiny hand slipped into his. Over the past couple of years with Remi’s daughter running around, he’d learned to hold a hand or two when needed, so why did this time, this child, twist his heart and make his chest hurt?