Page 35 of Short, Lethal & Claimed

CHAPTER 19

“What is wrong with you?” came the horrified demand that had Jill’s lips twitching as she finished adjusting the comforter decorated with dinosaurs on the twin bed Logan’s men brought in a few minutes ago.

“Stop squirting me with shampoo!” Shane snapped, which was followed by the sounds of Caleb giggling and a horrified gasp as Jill grabbed the laundry basket filled with the pink bedding that she’d washed this morning and focused on the last bed.

Jill took her time making the bed they’d brought in for Emma, doing her best to make it look inviting before she placed Emma’s teddy bear on top of the pillow only to rethink the move and tucked it in instead. She did the same for Caleb’s teddy bear before focusing on the large bed she decided to leave in here for Shane.

She’d replaced the white comforter and sheets that she’d originally asked for with a combination of blue and green sheets, blankets, and a green and blue plaid comforter. She’d added extra pillows, his own nightstand so that he didn’t have to worry about his little brother and sister filling it with crayonsand containers of playdough, and his own bookshelf. She’d considered putting the twins in another bedroom so that Shane could have his own room, but something told her that wouldn’t go over well.

Once she finished straightening his pillows, Jill sat down on the edge of the bed and-

Logan kept them safe, Jill thought, slowly exhaling as the bathroom door opened and the teenage boy that refused to let her help with the twins stumbled into the bedroom, completely soaked and covered in what appeared to be a mixture of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and was that toothpaste in his hair? Yes, it was, Jill realized, her lips twitching as she raised her hand and pointed at the two small children behind him and said, “They still have shampoo in their hair.”

Frowning in confusion, Shane turned his head and-

“Stop doing that!” he said, looking absolutely defeated as he watched in horror as Caleb held a bottle of body wash over his sister’s head and squeezed, adding an unhealthy amount of body wash on top of the shampoo that appeared to be running down her hair and onto the floor around her.

“But you missed a spot,” Caleb said, blinking innocently as he gave the bottle another squeeze that had Shane’s shoulders dropping in defeat.

“I can help if you want,” Jill offered, already knowing the answer.

Sighing heavily, Shane muttered, “We don’t need your help,” as he reluctantly went back into the bathroom, closing the door behind him and-

“Leave the hand soap alone!”

She gave him a week before they broke him, Jill thought as she made her way around the large bedroom, her chain softly clinking as she straightened their toys. Once she was done, she made her way to the bookshelf she’d filled with books for Emmaand Caleb and took her time selecting a book. By the time the bathroom door opened again, she was sitting on Shane’s bed, absently flipping through the pages of the book she’d hoped would do the trick.

“We have our own beds?” Caleb asked, throwing her a questioning look.

“Do you like them?” Jill asked, watching as Caleb walked over to his bed and ran his hand reverently over the comforter.

“The floor’s fine,” Shane bit out as he reached up and wiped a glob of body wash off his forehead.

Grabbing hold of his dinosaur comforter and teddy bear, Caleb dragged it over to Shane’s bed and said, “I like this one better,” as he climbed onto the large bed and settled in next to Jill. That was followed by Emma grabbing her comforter and teddy bear and joining her twin brother, leaving Shane standing there, glaring at the twins before he grumbled something to himself and headed back into the bathroom.

“This is comfy,” Caleb said with a satisfied sigh.

“I’m glad you like it,” Jill said as she closed the book on her lap.

“What’s that?” Caleb asked, shifting closer to her so that he could get a better look.

“It’s a book about teddy bears,” Jill said, watching as Caleb reached over to trace the title with his fingertips.

“Is that what it says?” Caleb asked, throwing her a questioning look.

“Do you know how to read?” Jill asked as her gaze shifted to Emma to find her shaking her head as she hugged her teddy bear tightly against her chest.

“We’re not allowed to learn how to read,” Caleb said, placing his teddy bear on the bed between them so that he could pull the large book onto his lap.

“What about Shane?” Jill asked, watching as Caleb shifted the large book so that it was between him and Emma.

“He’s not allowed to read either. We’re still being punished for what Liam did,” Caleb said only to end up worrying his bottom lip between his teeth when Emma threw him a panicked look as she frantically shook her head.

“Would you like to learn?” Jill asked, knowing better than to push them for answers that they weren’t ready to give her thanks to Ephraim.

When he came into her life, he’d been patient with her, probably more than she deserved, taking his time to earn her trust and making her feel safe for the first time in her life. He never pushed her for answers that she wasn’t ready to give him and he never once made her feel like she was anything less than his little girl. She-

God, she missed him so much.

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