Page 25 of Everlasting Love

“Dinner’s ready on the buffet, everyone. We’ll serve the kids first. Then the adults can get their own,” the man who turned up with all the kids calls out over the noise with his deep baritone. The woman, I’m assuming is his wife is busy gathering the kids from the shelter and guiding them toward the buffet.

“Thanks, Roman,” Oliver calls.

Cass and I make our way toward our girls so we can serve their food but Toby cuts in before Cass can make it to Poppy, and just as I reach Jas, Shane steps in close and scoops up my girl with a tip of his chin in my direction.

“Hey, Angel. Let’s get you some dinner.”

He holds her one-armed and her tiny arm slides around his neck, her little hand holding his mostly smooth jaw like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I watch in fascination as he relaxes the muscle he usually clenches beneath her hold. It’s quite remarkable how different he looks when he’s not so tense. He carries her to the table and grabs a plate, placing it on the table each time Jas points to something she’d like to eat so he can add her selections. Hecouldput her down, it would certainly make the process easier.

Once she’s satisfied, he carries her to the table where the kids are sitting and places her plate in front of an empty seat. He grabs a cushion to boost her seat and then places her carefully on the chair, pushing her closer to the table. Just when I think he’s finished, he collects a knife and fork and cuts Jas’s turkey and vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

Jas looks up at Shane with stars in her eyes. “Fank you, Sane.”

He leans down and kisses the top of her head. “You’re welcome, Angel.”

I turn and leave the room before I burst into tears in front of everyone and spoil the party atmosphere. A man taking care of my daughter shouldn’t send me into a fit of tears but ithonestly does. I’ve had my moments since leaving Allen where I’ve regretted marrying him, but ultimately he gave me Jas, so I can’t truly regret him. But in this moment, I truly regret that Jas doesn’t have a better man for a father. A man who will dote on her and treat her like the little angel she is. A man to show her that she deserves to be treated well and to never accept anything less. A man who loves being with her and values her for the great person she is. The regret is so strong it feels like an enormous boulder sitting on my chest and I struggle to take in a full breath. A sob escapes when I’m far enough away from everyone, and I drop my face to my hands.

Today is a day for feeling thankful, but it’s hard to be grateful for the way things have turned out. And when I watch Jas with Shane, well … it makes me wish for things that are far out of the realm of possibility. While he seems to have a lot of time for Jas, he barely gives me the time of day which is fine.Totally fine. I don’t need to mess up my life with another man anyway.

Though, something deep inside me says that Shane wouldn’t actually mess up our life but pull it together.

10

SHANE

The instantI saw Nix’s name on my screen while Toby was doing his interview, I knew something was terribly wrong. When he told me Cass and her employee, Sam, had been attacked in her shop, I dry heaved and then I pulled myself together to break the worst possible news to my best friend.

Probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do since facing Wyatt’s widow and child was tell Toby that Cass and Sam had been attacked. Beaten to the point they needed to be hospitalized. I’m surprised I wasn’t paralyzed with the amount of guilt swamping me. My broken pieces were already holding together tenuously and with the news, I feared I would break beyond repair. But I needed to keep it together so my friend could fall apart.

Hewanted me to stay back and watch his girls instead of him during this press tour butIknew better.

I fucking knew better.Detest grows in the pit of my stomach and threatens to burn me alive from the inside out. What would I know?

It’s laughable really that I thought I knew anything at all.

I drop my face into my hands and pull on the short strands at the top of my head but the pain isn’t enough to drown out these feelings of inadequacy and failure.

Again.

How many times will I fail the people around me?

When will I learn that I can’t be trusted to make important decisions regarding anyone’s safety?

I watch and rewatch the footage of Cassia and Sam’s attack over and over again as my penance for my poor decision-making. Cassia was fucking heroic in her actions to protect Sam and her unborn baby from the fucking maniac she used to date. She fought like the warrior she is against Jake, who looked as though he was on something that gave him almost super-human strength. When she jumped on his back and tore at his eyes, I wanted to leap to my feet and applaud her. But when she was lying helpless on the floor and he stomped on her lower leg, breaking it, I wretched.Fucking wretched.

I shoot to my feet. I can’t sit around here feeling sorry for myself. I need action. I need to do whatever I can to make the situation better. I grab the thumb drive containing the video footage of the attack, lock up the shop, and climb into my SUV.

Nix is already at the police station with his man, Len, when I arrive. I want to pulverize Len for his carelessness. He was supposed to be watching the girls. I trusted him.Fucking trusted him. My fists clench as my anger vibrates through every muscle but I’m not sure who I’m more angry with—Len or myself?

From the doorway, I catalog his visible injuries and the way he’s holding his ribs—he looks as though he’s gone a couple of rounds with Tyson—as he speaks with the police officer.

Nix notices me first and walks toward me with his hand outstretched. “Sutton.” His tone is reminiscent of our time together in the army when he had the right to talk to me like he was in charge.

I ignore his hand. Too furious for niceties. “How the fuck did this happen, Steele? Markham was supposed to be watching the store.” Anger laces my harsh tone, and it’s taking everything inside of me not to rip Markham limb from limb. I trusted him. I trusted him with the most important people in Toby’s life, making them the most important people in mine.

Nix presses both palms against my chest, stopping me in my tracks. I didn’t realize I was surging forward like a bull seeking to destroy the red cape. “Remember where you are, Sutton.”

I draw in a deep breath, then blow it out and repeat the process several times. Rage still burns through every molecule of my body but I need to push it down. Now is not the time nor the place to make a scene or be aggressive. Once I calm my temper, I join Len and Nix at the counter with the police officer and hand over the thumb drive explaining what’s on it. Because the system was installed by a professional security firm,Steele Security, the footage can be used as evidence.

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