Page 47 of Tortured Tones

My breath hitched hard. My heart jolted against my ribs. “You mean Phil?”

“Yeah.” She fidgeted with her toys.

Whoa! Shelby had told her about us! Fuck. “Um. Phil is with your mommy in Heaven. Lewis is with us now.”

“Ooooh.” Sadness swallowed the sparkle in her eyes as she fidgeted with the ear on her teddy bear. “Did he die too?”

“Yeah.” I smoothed my hand down her hair and gave her a cuddle. “So we have to take care of each other. Is that okay?”

“I fink so.” Worry quivered in her soft voice. Then she lifted her chin and sat three inches taller. “Where’s Ava?”

“She’ll be here later when I have to go to work.”

“She’s mean but pretty.”

I chuckled. She was spot on. “Yes, but if you don’t eat markers again, she won’t have to get mad at you.”

Charlotte pouted and looked up at me with big puppy-dog eyes. “I like coloring. You do some with me?”

“Ma can this afternoon. I have to go to rehearsal.”

“What about tomorrow?”

I rubbed my hand down one side of my face, then the other. My schedule was overflowing. I had back-to-back rehearsals for the next few days and functions to attend. Once the tour started, I’d have even less free time. I only had an hour or two free in the morning, and that was filled with working out and breakfast. I barely had time to shower before I was out the door. “We’ll do something together soon. Promise.”

But that was a promise I wasn’t sure I could keep.

“Hey?” Sutton stood and held out her hand to Charlotte. “Would you like to come help get lunch ready? Whatever is in the oven smells delicious.”

“Yeah.” Charlotte slid off my lap, took Sutton’s hand, and skipped over to the kitchen. “I’m hungry.”

Slip shot after them, depositing the big bear by the bar on his way. “I’ll help.”

“We’ll come too.” Lewis stood, and helped Tia to her feet, then they joined the others at the kitchen island.

I slumped back on the sofa, half-turned to Flint and dialed down my volume. “That went better than planned.”

Concern flooded Flint’s eyes as he tracked Charlotte’s every move. “She doesn’t look sick.”

“Nope. She had mad fevers until about nine last night, then slept through to six this morning. She woke up like nothing had happened.”

He nodded, then lowered his chin. Anguish swam through his voice. “Are you okay?”

I managed an awkward nod. “I think so. You?”

He puffed air through his nose. “How did you expect me to react? You have Shelby’s kid. You have something I’d always wanted to have with her one day.”

“Fuck.” My heart tore in two. “I’m so sorry.”

“Bah!” He burst out laughing. He picked up a cushion and smacked me with it. “I’m fucking with you, man. Get it through that thick head of yours. I’m not messed up by this.”

I grabbed the cushion and beat him over the head with it. “You fucker. I’ve been worried sick.”

“I know. Gotcha good though, didn’t I?”

We always took the piss out of each other, but damn, I’d nearly had heart failure. I’d caused enough pain to last a lifetime—I didn’t want to cause anymore. I rubbed my chest. “You sure did. Fuck. I almost died.”

“Seriously, Cole.” He chuckled, holding up his hands. Humor glistened in his ice-blue eyes as he flicked his long black hair off his face. “Stop stressing. Shelby will always be special to me. She was my first. But she left and we moved on. I am so fucking in love with Sutton now, more than I ever was with Shelby and Lena combined. You having Shelby’s daughter will never be a deal-breaker. If anything, it’s a fucking awesome way to remember someone we cared for.”

---