Page 20 of Honoring Lena

Ma’s laugh flitted through the air like a chickadee’s song, lifting Lena’s spirit. “Of course, Snowflake can come.”

“How long have you been married?” Marshall asked as he helped Carter get untangled from the dog.

Dad threaded his fingers through Ma’s and lifted them to his lips for a soft kiss. “Not long enough.”

The words slammed into Lena, knocking the breath from her. She’d wanted a life filled with love like her parents had. Ethan had been her forever. One corrupted mission and a bullet to the chest later, her happily ever after had bled from her life.

“Not long enough.” Marshall’s quiet echo pulled her from the shock of grief.

He flinched, his Adam’s apple bobbing like he’d swallowed something whole. How could she forget that his love had been ripped away as well? The same people that had taken Ethan had blown apart Marshall’s happy family. Her pulse roared in her ears, drowning everything out and slowing the world around her.

Maybe Marshall wasn’t an enemy after all.

Devastation had crashed over his life just like it had hers. Worse when Carter was added to the equation. Marshall’s hand rubbed his wrist as he watched Lena’s parents head toward the house with Carter. She followed his gaze in time to see her dad pull her mom close and kiss the side of her head.

She trudged after her parents, her head spinning with questions. Could she forgive Marshall for his role in Ethan’s death? Could she forgive herself if she did? She wasn’t sure, and the warring in her mind weighed her body down and made her sluggish. Somehow, she had to push the questions aside and focus. She couldn’t keep Marshall and Carter safe if she allowed her doubts and troubles to distract her.

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