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)
It wasn’t until little Rory shifted her weight and leaned into the boy next to her that I realized my staring was now causing the little girl to feel uncomfortable.
“Your dress is very pretty,” I said to her without thinking. Micah’s fingernails dug into my skin, proof that he was very much not okay with me talking to the kids.
“I’m a princess,” Rory said quietly as she clung to the boy’s side. “Right, Uncle Micah?” she said right before she popped her thumb in her mouth and began sucking on it.
“That’s right, honey,” Micah said. He suddenly released his hold on my wrist and stepped away from me. The look he flashed me was clear.
Get the hell away from us.
I didn’t move.
Instead, I watched Micah firmly plant himself between me and the children as if trying to block them from my view. Rory made that task impossible when she released her hold on the boy and darted to Micah’s side. She stuck her free hand in his and then pulled her thumb from her mouth.
“We gotta look nice ’cause Papa lives with God now. He’s in there,” Rory announced as she pointed to the overturned earth behind her. While Rory said the words in a way that proved she didn’t really understand the concept of death, the boy, Brady’s son, let out a soft sob. Micah immediately turned and pulled the boy against him. He began speaking softly to him, but I couldn’t make out anything he was saying. His words had the boy calming and nodding slowly.
I was so focused on the pair that I didn’t notice Rory until her fingers were tugging at the corner of my jacket. How had I even missed the little girl moving to stand in front of me?
“Psst,” she said as she crooked her finger at me. “I got a itch,” she whispered as her big brown eyes looked at me expectantly.
I glanced at Micah to see he was still comforting the boy who I was quickly coming to accept was his nephew. Since the pair were still preoccupied, I knelt down so I was nearly eye level with the little girl. “You do?” I asked.
Rory nodded and began tugging at the collar of her dress. I chuckled when she let out a little gasp of frustration.
“Hang on, your highness,” I said before gently turning her around. I found the culprit immediately. “Princess Rory, I’m afraid it’s as I feared,” I said with mock concern. “Your kingdom has been invaded by the scourge known as the dreaded forgotten dress tag.”
“Huh?” Rory asked as she craned her neck to see what I was talking about. I made quick work of snapping the plastic part of the tag. My fingers felt too big and awkward as I tried to remove the small piece of plastic from the dress that had been holding the tag in place.
“Hey! Get away from her!” Micah shouted and then he was pulling Rory behind him. “Don’t touch her!” he snapped.
I eased myself to my feet. I hated the fact that I automatically fisted my hands. I hated even more that Micah saw the move.
There was this sickeningly long moment of silence as Micah’s eyes met mine. In that instant, the young man was gone and in his place was the child who’d pleaded with me not to turn my back on him, on his brother.
I’d done it anyway.
A clap of thunder and Rory’s cry of fear sent me hurtling back into the present. Micah’s gaze was still on my fisted hands and even after I relaxed them, the fear in his eyes remained. I could tell he was remembering every blow I’d rained down on his brother’s body long after he’d been unable to fight back.
Did he wonder like I did which one of my hands had delivered the strike that had changed his brother’s life forever?
“Micah, I’m—”
“Stay away from us,” Micah whispered softly as drops of rain began to pelt the earth around us. He leaned down and picked up the little girl who was softly crying against his leg. The boy stepped forward and covered Micah and Rory with the umbrella he was holding just as the heavens above us opened up. The torrent of rain that was unleashed soaked my clothes almost instantly, but I didn’t really feel it.
The only thing I felt was the same raw pain that had accompanied little Micah Fox’s whispered plea as he’d cradled his brother’s head in his lap while tears had streaked unchecked down his young face.
Please help him…
I was dimly aware of Micah and the kids hurrying past me, but I didn’t try to stop them. Instead, I did the same thing I’d done after I’d beaten Brady Fox nearly to death and left him to die in his brother’s arms.