Page 66 of Devil's Queen

“Did you have a nightmare, baby girl?”

“Uh-huh.” She sobs. “Can I sleep with you and Miss Remy?”

Rex nods, his eyes filled with tenderness, but looks to me before answering her. I nod, agreeing to her request. “Come here, baby girl,” he says, his voice gentle and soothing.

Birdie lets out a sniffle, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. She takes a hesitant step into the room, clutching Jellybean tightly against her chest. I scoot over to make room for her between Rex and me, and she crawls up onto the bed, settling herself in the middle.

Rex reaches out to stroke Birdie’s hair, his touch comforting and reassuring. “Bad dreams can be scary,” he says softly. “But we’re here now and won’t let anything hurt you.”

Birdie gazes up at him, her tear-stained face slowly turning into a small smile. “Promise? Jellybean too? And Beaux?”

“I promise,” Rex replies with a warm smile. “We’ll protect you always.”

It doesn’t go unnoticed that Rex’s promise didn’t include me in it, but I let it go. This beautiful little girl is my son’s sister. If given the chance, I would protect her as I would Beaux. Rex was right about one thing. Though we may be together now out of necessity with the threats around us, there’s no turning back. Beaux will need his father as he grows up, but Birdie will also need a strong female figure in her life.

Birdie snuggles into Rex’s chest and is snoring again in seconds.

“Guess that’s our cue to go to sleep.”

“Guess so,” he answers. “Rain check?”

“We’ll see.” I shrug back with a teasing smile.

“I’ll remember to lock the door next time.”

I roll my eyes at him. “That’s awfully presumptuous of you to think we’ll still be sharing this bed tomorrow night.”

“We will,” he answers confidently. “We’re inevitable, remember?”

I look at Birdie’s sleeping form between us before rolling onto my right side. As exhaustion takes me under, Rex’s hand finds mine on my hip, intertwining our fingers as if to say he’s here and not going anywhere.

REX

Birdie’sfitful sleep and donkey kicks wake me far earlier than I intended to start my day. For someone so small, her restless legs pack a punch. How she didn’t wake Rem is a miracle, but she’s always been able to sleep like the dead. Carefully moving Birdie from her nest between us, I carry her quietly back to Beaux’s room. My son is still asleep in the tiny space that Birdie had given him on his bed. I settle her back into her spot and head back into Rem’s room.

The thin strap of her nightgown has slid down her shoulder during the night, exposing the flesh to the cooler night air. I notice her shiver without my warmth next to her and draw the blanket over her shoulders. She smiles in her sleep as she snuggles into the blanket’s warmth. I watch her, envious that she can sleep like that.

There’s nothing more I want to do than get back into bed with her and draw her against me as I had intended to before Birdie’s abrupt request. Our moment together in her office is a drop in the bucket of what I had planned for us before Beaux and now Wolff. I wanted to worship her body and soul to show her how much I’ve missed her in our time apart. The only thing I hadn’t accounted for was finding out about Beaux. It changed the way I looked at Rem, but not the way I feel about her. She did what she had to do, and so did I. I have to stupidly hope that Rem’s confession last night will be the turning point for us. I know it won’t change overnight. It can’t after what we’ve put each other through. Yet, despite it all, seeing her so vulnerable and open with me makes me want to push forward and claim her for good this time, to make her family and mine once again.

I watch as Rem shifts to the left and extends her hand from under the blanket, searching for me in the spot where I had been sleeping. Despite her slumber, she still seeks my presence and reaches out for me. Her subconscious actions betray her true desires, even if she may not be ready to admit them yet.

She still loves me.

I’ve always known she does, but it’s convincing her that she can love and hate me all at the same time while she works out her mental block about our past, which is the barrier between us right now.

Knowing I’ll only wake Rem if I try to go back to bed, I opt for a shower instead. As the warm water cascades over my tired body, I let out a sigh of relief, giving me a momentary respite from the reality that weighs heavily on my shoulders. The events of the past few months have taken their toll, leaving me longing for the solace that sleep used to bring.

I step out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist and wiping the steam off the mirror. My reflection stares back at me—a face tired and worn but determined. I can’t let the past define our future. Rem deserves more than that, and so do Birdie and Beaux.

Rem stirs in her sleep as I enter the room, her brow furrowing in confusion. She opens her eyes, blinking away the remnants of sleep, and a small smile tugs at the corners of her lips when she sees me standing there.

“Rex,” she says softly, her voice laced with a mixture of longing and apprehension. “Is everything okay? The sun isn’t up yet.”

I cross the room and sit on the edge of the bed, reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from her face.

“It’s fine, Rem. Go back to sleep.”

Rem’s eyes search mine for any sign of deception, but I hold her gaze, letting her see the sincerity in my eyes. She takes a deep breath as if gathering the strength to trust me once again and then nods slowly.

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