Page 255 of His Sunshine Baby

“You’ll miss me first,” he mocks me.

“Oh, shut up!”

I push him away and walk to the bathroom, and I make sure to lock the door behind me. Since when was he so clingy?

I enjoy my time alone with my thoughts while in the shower. Since when was he so into marriage… Did Nora and Damian give him ideas? Or is it his way of making sure I don’t run away again? Either way, I’m not ready. And there’s so much going on… I go back to the bedroom to grab some jeans and a tank top when Nate walks in. I ignore him at first, and instead, try to desperately take care of the stupid mess that is my hair.

“I need a haircut, this is too annoying,” I growl.

“I could recommend a salon down the street.”

I nod.

“By the way, don’t you have work?” I ask. “I don’t think I’ve seen you on your computer since we came here.”

“Don’t worry, my HR director is happy to get rid of me for a while. And we have other matters at hand.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Elena, if something big and bad will happen in a few days, we need a back-up plan to protect Estelle. I feel bad bringingit up, but I don’t want to wait until it’s too late. I know you’ve probably thought about it already, so tell me.”

Oh… I do guess work is nothing compared to what’s headed our way, and he does have a family to take care of now. We both do.

“Yes, I thought about it. I was thinking of asking Danny.”

“What?”

He seems unhappy with my choice, so I explain.

“He’s not a good fighter at all, but he’s fast. If things don’t end up the way we want it to, he can take Estelle away from Silver City, fast. We talked about it after Reagan’s funeral, and Daniel agrees with me. He will hide during the fight with Estelle and leave if things turn bad.”

“I hate that idea. And where would they go?”

“Well, from what Reagan said, my mom was a gypsy from the east, so I was thinking they’d run east until they find some human town to hide in.”

“Elena, no. I’m not letting my daughter leave Silver City alone with a weak wolf. No offense to Daniel, but if anything happens to me, I want to be sure she’ll be fine.”

“If something happens to you, Nate, we will both be too dead to deal with what happens to her! Do you have a better idea? Everyone will be fighting, so–”

“Damian has a plan already.”

“What?”

“We talked about it after you came back. Damian’s been planning things for months, with William, Nora’s… well, your cousin too. The Sapphire Moon has a safe house in the north, and they know how to get there secretly. When her labor starts, Nora will most likely be moved to the Sapphire Moon territory. The witch doesn’t know of your connection to this clan, and will most likely focus on the Blood Moon clan’s territory. She’ll go with James, and the Sapphire Moon will protect her.”

Nora didn’t mention any of that when I saw her last night!

“You want Estelle to be with them?” I ask, surprised.

“Yeah. Sylviana knows about this plan and approves of it. She’s already placed some more witch protection spells or whatever there. Elena, the children will be safe, and Daniel can go with them if it makes you feel better. Liam will be there too.”

“What? Liam? Why would he be there instead of fighting with you?”

“He will be fighting, but from the rear, like a defensive position. That way, if things turn bad, Nora and Liam can leave together.”

… My Goddess. They had this much planned already. I know this whole plan makes sense, but the mere idea of my daughter being forced to run away with her aunt and uncle, without me and Nate… I shudder. At least I’m glad Nate also thought a lot about it. I repress my tears.

“Alright,” I nod. “I trust your brother anyway. If there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s protecting his family, including his niece, I guess. I just… I hate that we’re planning all this when we just promised we’d never leave her. I’ll have to explain it to her before that time comes.”

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