Page 24 of Guarding the Singer

Mary sighed and wrapped her arms around him in a punishing hug that almost took his breath away.

"How about this?"

William felt his ribs flex and come close to cracking. "Okay. Okay... I give! Uncle!"

Laughing, she stepped away and turned her head to look at the duffel bag that he'd set down just inside the door. "How long do we get to have you on this trip?"

He looked at Mary, shaking his head. "Not long enough." He drew in a breath and smiled at her. "Missed you, squirt."

Mary rolled her eyes and William reached out a hand to tug on her ponytail only to find that she didn't have one anymore.

"What happened to your hair?"

He wasn't sure if she'd heard his shock. She took it as a compliment, turning around in a circle, her fingers fluffing up her hair.

"I was going to send you a picture, but dad said it would give you a heart attack."

William sighed. "That sounds like dad. I think itwould only have shocked me a little. I'm made of strong stuff. At least the Marines thought so."

Mary looked at him, her expression suddenly making her look a little older than he remembered. "How is the adjustment going?" She shrugged, trying to look like she was just asking a simple question, but he knew that Mary worried.

She always worried. When their mother had passed away, she'd found a way to step in and do a lot of the things that their mom had done. She took primary care of the house and cooked meals.

Part of the reason why William had wanted to visit home was to check on his father and his sister. "How is dad?"

Mary shrugged but managed to keep a smile on her face. "He's better. He's back at work now. He didn't call you?"

William shook his head. "Do you need something? Dad?"

She looked at him for a moment before launching herself at him. "I'm just happy to see you again! To have you home!"

She hugged him close, and he returned the gesture. It felt good to be near her. To be close to family.

When Mary stepped back, she gave his chest a pat. "Thanks for the Nyx T-shirt, Will."

He grinned at her words. "She's really nice. You'd like her."

Mary's eyes widened at his words. "Does that mean that you 'know' her?"

"We talked a little. And she's marrying one of the guys I work with."

Mary's chin dropped down, her eyes wide with amazement. "Holy sh-"

"Language, Mary."

William and his sister turned toward the door, and they saw their father coming through the door, his arms full of grocery bags.

"I just came from the market. Knew we needed some groceries for the week."

William moved with his sister, and they helped their father put away the groceries. It was easy to fall into their old habits, but along with the fun they were having, William would catch glimpses of each of them looking around for the one person missing in the room.

His mother.

He heard a soft hiss and turned to look at Mary.

She had a cut on her finger and was fighting back tears.

"Here." He reached out a hand and wrapped it around Mary's wrist. He made a quick excuse to his father before taking her into the bathroom off of the hall. "Let's get this fixed up."

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