Page 123 of Vengeful Secret

She left me. Again.

I wake up with that roar in my throat, and Sutton startles awake.

“Are you all right? You were making all kinds of sounds in your sleep.”

“Fine,” I mutter, pulling her close, so close that our cheeks are touching.

Sutton breathes evenly, and I think she’s asleep when she finally speaks. “Nightmare?”

I loosen my grip so she can pull away and look at me.

“Just a little one.”

“You should talk about it. It’ll make it better.”

I look over at her, licking my lips. “You left me. You took Ciara and left me.”

She makes a displeased noise in the back of her throat, stroking my face with one hand. “I’m not going to do that again, Gray. You have to trust me.”

Trust is something that has never come easily to me. Outside of my family and Thomas, there’s really no one that I trust.

Except for Sutton. Of course, I’m always worried in the back of my head that I’ll lose her, but I don’t believe she’ll leave again.

Even if my subconscious does.

33

SUTTON

After Gray’s nightmare,it takes me a while to fall asleep. When I wake up, an overwhelming sense of dread washes over me. I try to shake it off, but I have such a bad feeling.

Gray’s already up, and I can hear Ciara giggling in her room.

I smile slightly, trying to shake my bad mood.

I make my way to the bathroom, washing my face and brushing my teeth after I use the toilet, and when I exit the room, Gray’s standing with Ciara on his hip.

“We’re going on a picnic today, Mama!” Ciara says happily, and I look between her and Gray.

“We are?”

Gray smiles. “I thought we could use a day out. We won’t be going far, just to the park a block away. And we’ll have all our men with us.”

“All of them?”

“We want to be safe,” he says quietly.

Ciara frowns. “Safe from bad guys?”

I take her from Gray, putting her on my hip again and groaning.

“You’re getting so big!” I say, hoping to change the subject.

Ciara giggles. “I eat too many pancakes.”

“Just enough pancakes,” Gray insists, kissing her cheek. “You’re cute and chubby.”

Ciara wiggles down from me. “Do you think Marisol will make me some pancakes if I ask real nice?”

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