Page 113 of The Kidnapped

Raleigh knew she should just say it back. She felt it. She had for a long time, too. But there was something else she needed to say first.

“Hollis, what about Eden?”

Hollis cupped her cheek and said, “I’ll love her, too.”

“You say that now, but if I get–”

Hollis covered Raleigh’s mouth with her hand and said, “You asked me a long time ago if I wanted kids, and I think we got interrupted, so you never got my answer.”

“You remember that?”

“Raleigh, I remember everything with you,” she said with a small smile. “And I never thought I’d get to have kids. The way I was raised, I didn’t want that for a child. But I also didn’t know anything else, so I thought it would be better if I didn’t bother.”

“Babe, your dad–”

“I know,” Hollis interrupted. “And I know we’re still new, and there’s a lot to figure out, but if you let me, when we find her, I’d like to be in Eden’s life however you want me to be.”

“Yeah?” Raleigh asked, smiling up at her.

“I bought her a coloring book at the airport,” Hollis shared.

Raleigh swallowed and felt the tears well up.

“You’re not supposed to cry,” Hollis added.

“I love you,” Raleigh said.

“You can’t have the coloring book. It’s for Eden,” Hollis teased.

Raleigh laughed just as a couple of tears fell from her eyes.

“I think I can be okay with that,” she replied.

“Lay back, babe,” Hollis said.

“No, I like it here,” she replied, finally remembering to pull her fingers out of Hollis’s tight sex. Then, she wrapped her arms around Hollis, pulled her in closer, resting her head on Hollis’s shoulder, and said again, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Hollis said. “But I can’t do what I’d like to do to you if you don’t let go of me.”

Raleigh eventually relented and let Hollis have her way with her, and it was even better somehow, which Raleigh hadn’t thought possible, but Hollis found that spot inside her again, causing Raleigh to cover her mouth so that she wouldn’t yell expletives and wake up Olivia. When she finally came down, Hollis just held her, and Raleigh closed her eyes. A shower would have to wait because there was no way Raleigh was getting up now.

Minutes later, she heard Hollis’s even breathing, indicating that she’d fallen asleep. Raleigh hadn’t slept all that well when Hollis had been gone. She’d tried and had actually managed to fall asleep, but staying that way had been difficult. She’d wanted to stay awake as much as she could in case Olivia had needed something, but now that Hollis was here, and it was well after two in the morning, Raleigh felt like she could finally fall asleep. Then, she heard it and lifted her head, knowing that sound well by now.

“Mom?” Hollis asked, waking up likely for the same reason.

“I’ll check on her. Go back to sleep,” Raleigh told her.

“No, I’ve got it,” Hollis replied, kissing Raleigh’s forehead. “Just need to put on some clothes.”

A minute later, Hollis was dressed and walking out of the room. When she returned ten minutes later, though, she stripped her clothes off, which surprised Raleigh.

“Is she okay?”

“She just needed help with the bedpan,” Hollis said.

“Why are you naked again?” Raleigh asked, laughing as Hollis climbed back on top of her.

“Round two, obviously,” Hollis replied.

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