Page 83 of Claim Me

Sighing, I lean my head back. “Do you ever wish you had a kid, even if you couldn’t find a woman like Xana?”

Noble frowns at how I bring up his dead girlfriend. “No. Some people don’t need that kind of family. The wife-and-kids thing just isn’t meant for them. I never wanted to be married, but Xana changed that. When she was gone, I returned to feeling like I used to. Men like Zoot and me are wired differently than guys like Elvis and you. I always knew my brother would get married and have kids and do thefamily man gig. It just fit him. And it fits you. That’s why you need to focus on Siobhan and the kids. Make them happy and heal up.”

“I’m nervous about lowering my guard. The cops acted fucking crazy today. They’re usually sneakier. I can’t just take a vacation day while you guys ride around town with targets on your backs.”

“Indigo, men like Zoot and Caveman dream of burning down the world. Let them have their fun while you spend your time being sweet to my niece.”

“What about you?”

“I get to play Mister Reasonable while shit goes boom around town and people ask if Zoot’s lost his mind. Add an unleashed Caveman to the mix, and I’m about to have my ass kissed by Banta City’s power players.”

Noble chuckles at the thought while I lose my edginess. We’re now in the more rural basin outside Banta City. I can breathe easier out in the country.

Pulling down the road toward the main farmhouse, I wear a dumb grin on my face. From the moment the cops entered the restroom, I’ve wanted to get back to Siobhan’s side. Now I can finally wrap her in my arms.

When Siobhan hurries outside, I notice the slight limp she gets when she’s been too active during the day. I gesture for her to wait on the porch and let me come to her. Siobhan refuses to obey and meets me halfway down the steps.

“I want them in the boneyard,” she hisses before cupping my face. “Those charred tater tots are nothing.”

I smile at how she’s gotten her cussing back under control after her earlier text messages to Sync.

Siobhan’s lips feel like home. She grips my shirt and yanks me as close as I can get with her belly in the way. My hand slides across her stomach, needing reassurance that my little guy’s okay. We both smile at how hard he kicks me.

“Can we lie down?” I ask, worried about her being on her feet.

Siobhan backs off so Aunt Fred can give me a hug. The twins run outside, calling my name. I kneel so they can hug me. The girls flinch at the sight of my swollen eye. Deirdre begins to cry.

“It’s okay,” I promise. “I just need to rest.”

Deirdre doesn’t buy into my words. She throws her head back and wails. Elvis picks her up before handing her off to Sync.

“We’ve got this,” Elvis says and picks up Kiera. “Just go use the downstairs bedroom to rest.”

Siobhan doesn’t want to leave the twins, but she also needs to cling to me. Inside, we find Glen and Nora with Carys. The kids see my face and lower their gazes as if ashamed.

“Come with us,” I insist and keep moving Siobhan toward the bedroom. “I need to stretch out.”

The kids shuffle behind us and stand at the door while I coax Siobhan to rest on her side. I wiggle my finger at the kids to get them closer as I sit on the edge of the bed. Glen is wearing different clothes, and I recall how freaked out he got over a little piss dribble.

Once he stands in front of me, I tug him into a hug and stroke his head. Years ago, after my mom died and I couldn’t stop screaming, Caveman forced me into a hug. He held onto me while I wailed for nearly thirty minutes. Once I finally quieted down, he sat me next to him on the couch and turned on a baseball game. He kept me alive that day because I was ready to follow my mom to hell just to make the pain stop.

Today isn’t as dire, but Glen feels tiny and scared like I must have to Caveman. I hug the boy as I wave Nora closer. She seems afraid of me.

“The cop shoved my face against the car. I hurt my eye pretty bad. I’m going to rest for a while. You can stay with Siobhan and me in here, or you can go hang out with your family outside.”

Nora looks to her brother for the answer, but Glen keeps his face buried against my shoulder. The kid only cries for a minute or two, but it’s long enough to get a lot of bad feelings out of his system. He finally pulls his face away from my shirt and wipes his eyes.

“I got scared,” he mumbles.

“Me too. But we’re together now. All these people are going to take care of us, so we don’t need to worry.”

Behind me, Siobhan starts to get up to comfort the kids. I turn and pat the mattress.

“I can’t relax unless you do,” I insist, guilting her into reclining again. “That’s what I need. It’s not just the pain. They gave me medicine. I feel dizzy and tired. Can we rest in here?”

As I take Siobhan’s hand, I explain to Glen and Nora, “I don’t know when we’ll be able to go back to the house. Siobhan, the twins, and I will need to stay here. Caveman can take you back to the hills if you’d prefer to stay there rather than at the farm,” I say, and thesiblings’ similar faces give me identical pouts. “But I’d rather you stay with us.”

“I want to stay with you,” Glen says, and his sister nods.

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