Page 94 of Samuel

“What happened to your lip?” Katy asked as she patted Evie’s belly. Although the bruises on her face had faded enough that makeup completely hid them, the same couldn’t be said for her lip. The split reopened a few days before and was slowly healing.

“Katy!” Abby’s face turned bright red. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I had an accident, Katy. But I ate all the vegetables your Uncle Sam made for me today, so my body should finish healing really fast.”

“You ate ALL the vegetables? He must not have made you broccoli. I don’t knowanyonewho can eat all their broccoli.”

The tension in the room broke as laughter filled the air. “So true. Thank goodness it wasn’t broccoli! I had lots and lots of pickles!”

“Pickles?! Pickles aren’t vegetables!”

“They totally are to me and the baby!” Evie tickled Katy’s side and the little spitfire ran away into her father’s arms.

“Alright, kiddo. Why don’t you go find Goddess Sylvie.” John handed Evie a bottle of water and Sam a beer.

“GODDESS!!” Katy giggled as she marched off towards the kitchen.

Abby pulled Evie into a hug. “How have you been doing?”

“I’m okay,” she answered. “Honestly, I was more angry at the guy’s bold assumption that I could be frightened away from finding the truth.”

“Your girl’s fierce, just like your sister.” John joked with Sam as they walked to the dining room. Sam pulled out the chair for Evie and her heart did a little swoop at the gesture.

“Yeah she is. Sometimes I just need to remind her that she’s got people to lean on now.”

His hand squeezed her thigh before the pressure lifted and landed on her belly. It was quite possibly her favorite thing that Sam did, and somehow it felt wildly more intimate than sharing her bed with him over the last few nights.

Since the attack, he’d been in protector mode. But not only of her. Jellybean got an equal amount of his attention. In fact, the more tense Sam was about something, the longer his hand would linger, waiting for a kick or a roll that would put a smile on his face and ease the worry line above his eyes.

It was so hot. Evie placed her hand over Sam’s and shifted in her seat. Damn pregnancy hormones.

“You okay?” he whispered. The warmth from his words washed over her neck. Lord. No, no she was not.

She managed a small nod before reaching for her water. Thankfully it was icy cold, and she felt every bit of the chill as the water moved down into her belly. Jellybean must have too, because she gave a forceful kick.

Sam laughed, moving his hand over where her foot just poked out.

“She’s getting so strong.”

“Yeah, she is.”

“Evie, I heard about mom and her shotgun this morning. But don’t worry, it won’t always be her. We’re all going to be looking after you on days when Sam has to be out on the ranch.”

“What? That’s too much. I don’t want to be an inconvenience?—”

“It’s not.” Abby wrapped her arms around her chest and shivered.

“What’s wrong?” John asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Just thinking about what happened…”

“We’re not going to let anything happen to Evie,” John reassured her.

“Jake mentioned you all were very protective of each other.”

“We are,” Sam agreed.

“This group has been through a lot over the last few years. We could have lost so much, but together, we survived. And like it or not, Evie, you’re one of us. Even if Sam hadn’t, the girls claimed you. So that’s it. You’re stuck with us.”

---